Homeless people in Charlottesville react to Supreme Court’s decision

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Homeless people sleeping outside in Charlottesville is not a new sight, and usually they go largely undisturbed.

Under a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling, cities can enforce bans on people sleeping outside in public places.

City Manager Sam Sanders says despite this ruling, he does not plan on removing those who are sleeping outside.

Cyrus has been homeless for 16 years and is one of the people who sleep outside on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville. He told 29 News it’s a good thing Sanders made that decision because he would not know where to go if he was removed.

“There’s a lot of people that sleep on the streets. You can’t just kick people out,” Cyrus said.

Cyrus says he is polite and quiet, so why should he have to leave?

“If you are doing something ridiculous, yes, then you have a right to do that. But if you are just sitting here, then you are not doing anything wrong,” Cyrus said.

Sanders says what he does plan on enforcing is making people sleeping outside tidy-up.

“We can begin to tell people you can’t have stuff all over the place. You have to stay organized with what you have,” Sanders said.

Sanders acknowledged moving forward, the Supreme Court’s ruling defines what Charlottesville may do about homelessness.

“There was always a question around whether or not the City had certain rights to do things. It brings the clarity that there are things that we can do, but it doesn’t solve anything,” Sanders said.

Making strides to solve some of these problems the unhoused community face, such as a lack of overnight beds or mental health resources, is what Sanders believes is the first task at hand.

“It’s going to take a number of different approaches. There’s not one single way, no community has solved this problem,” Sanders said.

Corey sleeps on the Downtown Mall every night. He agrees with Sanders decision.

“That’s really good because the homeless don’t have anywhere to sleep,” Corey said.

While this City works help Corey, Cyrus, and others sleeping outside, Corey asks people to be kind.

“Just leave them alone. They are trying to get jobs and stuff to get back on their feet,” Corey said.

Many in Charlottesville still remember when tents were allowed in Market Street Park for homeless to sleep in overnight.

Sanders says he does not plan on allowing that to happen again.

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