Hundreds attend divided rally ahead of court battle over clearing SF encampments

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The issue of homelessness in San Francisco went before three federal judges on Wednesday morning.

City officials are appealing an order that temporarily blocks them from clearing homeless encampments.

However, before the city battled in court, hundreds showed up for a rally over removal efforts.

Federal judges to hear San Francisco’s appeal regarding encampment removal

The issue is certainly divisive. Even those who showed up at the early rally were split with an overwhelming majority of hundreds throwing their support behind the city. They want the injunction lifted, demanding safer streets.

Dozens of others want the injunction to stay in place.

As it stands, the order is currently keeping the city from clearing encampments as long as the number of people experiencing homelessness is greater than the number of available shelter beds.

Here’s where there’s disagreement- the city says those on the street won’t take the help and are refusing shelter.

VIDEO: SF crews making a difference cleaning homeless encampments, but here’s what’s slowing them down

However, the Coalition of Homelessness said that isn’t true. Instead, they claim the city only has enough shelter beds for half the unhoused population, and that the city is simply marking people down as “refusing” shelter.

“There’s a constitutional right to be on the streets if the city cannot provide housing, if the city cannot provide sufficient services,” Jeffrey Kwong, President of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, told ABC7 News

The latest Point-in-Time Count from 2022 found that 7,754 people were experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

According to the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, there are almost 3,100 beds across 46 shelter sites. City data shows the shelters are 92% full.

VIDEO: Former SF Mayor Frank Jordan criticizes London Breed’s approach to solving homeless crisis

“There’s so many homeless people on the street, it’s really affecting our city and business is going down. So it’s affecting everybody’s life,” Resident and volunteer Kathy Wu said.

It’s unlikely judges will make a decision on Wednesday. However, many in the community admit they are frustrated and angry over what they consider a lack of any action.

Mayor London Breed rallied among residents and other city leaders to reverse the injunction.

“It is not humane to let people live on our streets in tents, use drugs,” she exclaimed. “We have found dead bodies, we have found a dead baby in these tents. We have seen people in really awful conditions and we are not standing for it anymore!”

“We are compassionate, we are supportive, we continue to help people, but this is not the way,” she said in front of a crowd. “Anything goes in San Francisco is not the way!”

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