Consequences for Homeless Residents After the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass Case
Time: Noon to 1:15 pm
Venue: WOW Hall
291 W 8th
Eugene, Oregon
97401
We will meet at the WOW Hall, 291 W 8th. Learn more: https://wowhall.org/about-us/. Walk, ride a bike or take the bus. You may park on the street or in the parking lot of FOOD for Lane County's Dining Room, across 8th from the WOW Hall. A freewill donation acknowledging the Dining Room's generosity may be made at the meeting.
Lunch will be available for $15.
Topic:
In the June 2024 case City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the Eighth
Amendment allows cities to punish people experiencing homelessness for sleeping and camping in
public spaces. The Eighth Amendment prohibits the government from inflicting “cruel and unusual”
punishments. The ruling means that cities can impose criminal penalties for public camping and
sleeping, even when individuals are homeless involuntarily due to a lack of available shelter and
housing in the community.
The Supreme Court majority reasoned that the ordinances punished acts, not the status of being
homeless, because the ordinances would apply to anyone who sleeps outside in public, regardless
of whether they are a person experiencing homelessness, a student protesting, or a backpacker. The
dissent countered that, because sleep is a biological necessity, unhoused individuals who have no
access to shelter cannot avoid sleeping outside, and therefore such laws punish them for being
homeless.
As both the majority and dissenting opinions recognized, laws other than the Eighth Amendment
still govern what cities can and cannot do. Notably in Oregon, the Legislature passed a bill in 2021
requiring that any city law that regulates acts of sitting, lying, sleeping, and keeping warm and dry
outdoors on public property be objectively reasonable in time, place, and manner with regards to
persons experiencing homelessness.
Come out to hear about what will be happening on the streets in Oregon.
Speakers
Title: Senior Attorney
Organization: Oregon Law Center
Website: https://oregonlawcenter.org/
Biography:
Biographies are provided by the panelists and edited for length/proofreading
Heather Marek is a senior attorney with Oregon Law Center, where she litigates cases on homelessness and civil rights. Previously, she clerked for the Honorable Joel DeVore at the Oregon Court of Appeals. Heather has worked for nonprofits advocating for civil liberties and democracy reform, including as a cooperating attorney and board member with the ACLU of Oregon. Heather received her Ph.D. and J.D. from the University of Oregon. She currently teaches courses on constitutional law and criminal justice in the law school’s conflict resolution and legal studies programs. Her research has focused on racial and economic discrimination and inequality, promoting evidence-based approaches to society’s problems.
Title: Co-host, Co-founder
Organization: Oregon Reporter Podcast
Website: https://www.oregonreporterpodcast.com/
Biography:
Biographies are provided by the panelists and edited for length/proofreading
Everett Meadows is co-host and co-founder of the “Oregon Reporter Podcast,” which is a non-profit organization providing monthly continuing legal education courses to Oregon attorneys. Oregon Reporter Podcast covers and reports on legal developments in Oregon, and has provided significant coverage of the Grants Pass decision and how it might affect Oregon communities and legal practitioners. Everett is an experienced litigator, having practiced law in Oregon since 2011, primarily in the areas of real estate and landlord rights. Everett additionally served in the Army for 10 years, with the last eight in the Oregon Army National Guard, as a Judge Advocate litigator, representing both Soldiers and Command in adverse military actions. Everett’s primary areas of practice are real estate transactions; boundary and easement disputes; deed and clouded-title solutions; and landlord rights. He is a “Double Duck,” having earned his BS from the University of Oregon in 2006 and his JD in 2011.
Title: Executive Director
Organization: HIV Alliance
Website: https://hivalliance.org/
Biography:
Biographies are provided by the panelists and edited for length/proofreading
Renee Yandel started volunteering with HIV Alliance in 1999, and has since held positions in prevention, client services, housing, as Program Director, and has been the agency’s Executive Director in 2015. She started with HIV Alliance when they only served one county, and now plays a key role in expanding and improving the agency’s care coordination program, prevention services, behavioral health, and housing programs. With her leadership, HIV Alliance has grown to six offices in Oregon and has undertaken multiple innovative initiatives and expansions across almost all of Oregon’s counties. She is dedicated to HIV Alliance’s mission of supporting individuals living with HIV/AIDS and preventing new HIV infections, and committed to helping underserved populations with basic needs, harm reduction, and low barrier access to healthcare.
