West
Washington state Democrat pushes to give homeless special civil rights
A Democratic state representative in Washington state is pushing legislation that aims to make homelessness a civil right, according to a report.
State Rep. Mia Gregerson is promoting a bill that would make homeless people a protected class and shield them from “discrimination based on housing status,” according to a draft of the bill obtained by “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH. The obtained draft is dated Oct. 10, 2024.
“[M]any communities within Washington are enacting and enforcing laws that disproportionately impact homelessness or make living in public a crime,” the document reads. “These laws are potentially unconstitutional, make it harder for people to exit homelessness, do not solve the underlying problem of homelessness, and waste precious public funds.”
The bill comes in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson, according to the report, in which the nation’s high court held that the Eighth Amendment’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment does not prevent a city from enforcing public-camping ordinances against the homeless.
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State Rep. Mia Gregerson is reportedly pushing a bill that will protect homeless people from “discrimination based on housing status.” (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images, File)
Gregerson told Fox News Digital in a statement on Wednesday that the reported draft was a “starting point” based on legislation that failed to pass in 2019.
“To clarify, the language in the Jason Rantz article is not a bill but a starting point from earlier this year,” the lawmaker said in the statement. “What I will propose will be significantly different from the 2019 bill because we are working on a different set of issues. There has always been a plan to share this broadly including all of the cities. Drafts such as this one are a continuation of meaningful work we have done in the past.”
Under the drafted bill, the homeless would have “the right to survive in a nonobstructive manner” on public property when “that person has no reasonable alternative but to survive in public space and existing shelter facilities within the local government’s jurisdiction are inadequate in number or are functionally inaccessible.” (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images, File)
The drafted legislation reported on says it would grant the homeless “the right to survive in a nonobstructive manner” on public property, including plazas, courtyards, parking lots, sidewalks, public transportation facilities and services and room or areas within public buildings that are open to the public and during normal operating hours.
It further states the homeless would be allowed to live on public property when “that person has no reasonable alternative but to survive in public space and existing shelter facilities within the local government’s jurisdiction are inadequate in number or are functionally inaccessible.”
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Kevin Schilling, the mayor of Burien, a suburban city in Gregerson’s district, told “The Jason Rantz Show” that he was “disappointed” that the representative did not consult the City Council or city before drafting the legislation.
Democratic state Rep. Mia Gregerson, has represented Washington state’s 33rd District since 2013. (Washington State House Democrats)
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“My hope is the legislature this year works to offer support to cities by expanding substance use disorder programs, emergency shelter capacity, and law enforcement assistance so that each element of this issue can be tackled accordingly,” he said.
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Agitators in Portland, Oregon, clashed with police late Thursday near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building, hours after a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot two people.
Video showed officers in riot gear pushing forward as agitators crowded the street, leading to shoving and jostling during the nighttime confrontation.
The Portland Police Bureau said six people were arrested, with those detained facing charges including riot, disorderly conduct in the second degree and interfering with a peace officer. All were booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center.
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Police in riot gear face crowds outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility Thursday night, Jan. 8, 2026, in Portland, Ore., as demonstrations erupted hours after a shooting involving a federal immigration agent.
Some demonstrators could be heard chanting, “Shame on you, shame on you,” as police led people away. Police said they deployed crowd-control units, dialogue officers and a police sound truck to manage the demonstration.
Authorities said officers repeatedly ordered demonstrators to move to the sidewalk so that traffic could remain open. When those directives were ignored, officers moved in and made targeted arrests.
Police said the total number of arrests tied to anti-ICE and immigration enforcement demonstration activity has reached 79.
The incident erupted after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot two people during a traffic stop earlier in the day.
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A woman was arrested near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility Thursday night, Jan. 8, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (X/@haileywest)
According to DHS, the driver — who is believed to be a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) — allegedly, “weaponized the vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents” after agents identified themselves as law enforcement, prompting an agent to fire a defensive shot. The driver fled the scene with a passenger, officials said.
Following the incident, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called on ICE to “halt all operations” in the city until a full and independent investigation can take place.
“We know what the federal government says happened here,” Wilson said during a news conference Thursday. “There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time has long passed.”
Portland police officers in riot gear detain agitators during a demonstration near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility Thursday night, Jan. 8, 2026, in Portland, Ore. Police said six people were arrested during the protest. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Wilson added that ICE agents and DHS leadership “must fully be investigated and held responsible for the violence inflicted on the American people in Minnesota, in Portland, and in all the communities across America.”
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Thursday’s shooting in Portland followed the fatal shooting of Renee Good during an ICE enforcement operation in South Minneapolis Wednesday.
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Thursday marks one year in office for San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Lurie was elected in the 14th round of ranked choice voting in 2024, beating incumbent London Breed.
His campaign centered around public safety and revitalization of the city.
Mayor Lurie is also celebrating a significant drop in crime; late last week, the police chief said crime hit historic lows in 2025.
- Overall violent crime dropped 25% in the city, which includes the lowest homicide rate since the 1950s.
- Robberies are down 24%.
- Car break-ins are down 43%.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins spoke with NBC Bay Area about this accomplishment. Watch the full interview in the video player above.
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