On Monday, a judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking Grants Pass, Oregon from enforcing its camping ban policies for two weeks, court records show.
On Thursday, Disability Rights Oregon and five unsheltered plaintiffs sued the city behind last year’s landmark Supreme Court ruling on camping bans, alleging Grants Pass’ current ban discriminates against people with disabilities and violates a state law setting limits on local camping bans.
Monday’s order in Josephine County Circuit Court blocks Grants Pass from citing, arresting, fining or prosecuting people for camping anywhere in the city for the next 14 days, according to court records. Under the order, the city also can’t remove people from campsites for the next two weeks.
In response to an interview request, City Manager Aaron Cubic said by email: “This is an important issue, and we are actively reviewing all aspects to ensure we make the best decisions for our community. At this time, we don’t have a final answer, but we will share updates as soon as we can.”
Mayor Clint Scherf and Interim City Attorney Mark Bartholomew didn’t respond to interview requests sent Monday afternoon. Last month, Bartholomew advised city councilors against updating the city’s camping ban without giving him time to review the changes first for liability issues.
After the Supreme Court gave the green light to camping bans last year, Grants Pass restricted camping to two campsites on city land, one of which shut down last month. According to the lawsuit, the lots are both inaccessible to people who use wheelchairs, canes or walkers, and the city’s requirement that people staying at the remaining camp move each morning disproportionately affects people with disabilities.
Streetlight reported last year that unsheltered people with disabilities had received camping citations for not moving from a city campsite after seven days, as required under a previous version of the camping ban that councilors have tweaked several times since August last year. Unsheltered people with disabilities told Streetlight they received the citations because they couldn’t move from the campsite on their own.
On Jan. 24, Grants Pass effectively banned camping during the day by restricting camping to overnight stays on a lot next to the police department. The change followed an election that brought a new mayor and four new councilors to the city council. In early January, the council approved scaling back the city’s campsite program and other housing initiatives during a meeting held with 24 hours’ notice.
Contact Streetlight editor Mollie Bryant at 405-990-0988 or bryant@streetlightnews.org. Follow her reporting on Bluesky or by joining our newsletter.
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“A Judge.” What Judge?
Hi Gayle, this is Mollie Bryant. It’s Judge Brandon Thueson in Josephine County Circuit Court.