NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Supreme Court of the United States has given cities the green light to fine and arrest people who sleep outside with a pillow or blanket.
Like many growing cities, rent is high in Nashville and the cost of living is rising. Sometimes, it lands more people on the streets if shelters are full.
After the ruling came down, I found someone to talk about what this could mean for Nashville in the player above.
But now, the Supreme Court has sided with a small town in Oregon. They agree it's a city's right to fine and arrest those sleeping in public places with a pillow or blanket.
At Open Table Nashville, India Pungarcher said people on the streets need housing not jail time. Local advocates went to protest in Washington DC.
“That just goes to show how difficult these cycles are, we trap people in this carceral system," Pungarcher said, "Truly in Nashville, Tennessee so many other communities there is nowhere else for folks to go who are experiencing homelessness except outside."
In Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissent, she mentioned a man in Nashville.
"He was arrested and cited nearly 200 times while experiencing homelessness, so much so that our outreach worker at the time and one of our co-founders Lindsay Krinks, made an actual t-shirt for Alabama," Pungarcher said. "That t-shirt said my outreach worker is working on my housing please don’t arrest me."
Following the ruling, the National Homelessness Law Center is asking Congress and the Biden administration for $356 billion to help fund housing, rental assistance, and eviction prevention programs.
"We need guidance, and we need resources," Pungarcher said.
Some public officials in California and Florida have come out in support of the ruling. They said it will help them crack down on dangerous encampments.
Amidst their own grief and facing hatred these gentlemen worked to save lives. Forrest Sanders brings us a history lesson that's ripple effects are still evident across Nashville.
-Carrie Sharp
