PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Do people experiencing homelessness have the right to camp out in cities like Pittsburgh?  

Over the objections of advocates for those experiencing homelessness, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled cities can enforce no-camping laws and take down tent encampments, even if there is no offer of alternative shelter or housing.

In Pittsburgh, the tents will stay.

Tucked behind the Allegheny County Jail is a sprawling encampment of 35 tents along the Eliza Furnace Trail.

“It’s getting ridiculous. We have our two kids and I don’t even really want to take them past it. They’re definitely encroaching on the trail. You know, it’s definitely unclean. It’s a little scary,” said Ross Lapkowicz from Regent Square. 

For the past three years, encampments have sprung up in various parts of Downtown and on both the North and South sides, but even though this is perhaps the biggest one yet, the city has no plan to decommission it or take it down, despite last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision saying cities have the power to do so.

“We have to be strategic about any encampment. If we close it, where will those people end up? Where will they go? Because we don’t have enough places to put them,” said Pittsburgh Public Safety director Lee Schmidt. 

In a decision homeless advocates say criminalizes being poor, the Supreme Court has ruled cities can enforce bans on camping, even if there isn’t a sufficient number of shelter beds to offer those living in encampments. But Schmidt says Pittsburgh’s policy will stay in effect. The encampments will remain until it can make each resident a credible offer of shelter.

“Obviously with Second Avenue Commons and the fire that occurred there, that’s complicated the issue even more so we have try to work with people where they are and continue that process,” Schmidt said.

The tents are in violation of city guidelines requiring they be 6 feet back from a public right-of-way. But unlike others, encampments, the city says this one has not been the site of rampant open-air drug use or fights, police often patrol it and both the city’s ROOTS team and Public Works Department have staged cleanups, though that hasn’t assuaged all the concerns. 

“I don’t know what the solution is,” Lapkowicz said. “I think that Pittsburgh has a lot of a vacant space and somewhere right next to something Pittsburgh has done really well with the creation of these trails is the not the spot they should be allowed.” 

“We understand it can be frustrating for some folks and others feel unsafe but we’ll do our best to continue to work with everyone involved to come up with solutions that are realistic and don’t just move the problem around,” Schmidt said.  

The city and county have a committee that continually reviews conditions at these encampment, deciding which ones should be taken down. It has decided that this one will stay for the foreseeable future.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers remain the most likely landing spot for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but as one roller coaster ride continues out west, another wide receiver in the NFC may become available.

The 49ers are trying to work out a deal to keep Aiyuk around long-term, and they find themselves in the same situation the Dallas Cowboys do with CeeDee Lamb. After Justin Jefferson signed a massive deal with the Minnesota Vikings, both wideouts are looking for contracts that average over $30 million per season. If they don’t get them with their current teams, they’ll look elsewhere.

“It all comes down to what the future looks like in the minds of Jerry and Stephen Jones, which means there’s no telling how this will end,” Cowboys OnSI writer Randy Gurzi writes about the Lamb situation.

According to Cowboys insider Clarence Hill Jr., Lamb is currently seeking over $32 million per season on his next deal. While that number seems high for a team like the Steelers, they were reportedly ready to make a move for Aiyuk, which likely would’ve cost them roughly $30 million per year on his contract extension. So, even if the number is high for the fanbase, it may not be high for the team.

At 25-years-old, Lamb has three 1,000-yard seasons, 32 touchdowns and is coming off a 1,749 yards and 12 touchdown year with the Cowboys.

Pittsburgh could use a Lamb. They probably don’t need a massive contract on their hands, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t considering it. At this point, waiting for Aiyuk means anything is on the table. If the 49ers want to push things out as long as they can, teams like the Steelers will need to keep their options open, and Lamb could be one of those options.

To this point, every name has been tossed out there for Pittsburgh. There’s been speculation about DK Metcalf, Aiyuk, Treylon Burks and Courtland Sutton. Adding Lamb to that list only makes sense. You can’t rule anything out when Omar Khan is running the show, so until Lamb inks a new deal, you just can’t say it’s impossible for Pittsburgh.

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