Fresno Bans Journalists—and Everyone Else—From Filming Cops Clearing Out Homeless Camps

The city of Fresno, California, has been trying to prevent citizens from documenting sweeps of homeless encampments in town. The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU NorCal) is suing to try to stop this violation of First Amendment rights.

The ACLU NorCal complaint takes aim at an amendment to a city ordinance approved on February 28 that allows city officials to construct barriers surrounding homeless encampments when the city comes in and removes the camps. Under this amended ordinance, no person is allowed to cross the barrier without authorization from the city official or the contractor on site. Crossing the barrier without permission can result in a misdemeanor charge or a $250 citation. The ordinance also includes a clause that shields city officials or contractors from personal liability for any damage they do during an abatement.

The lawsuit notes that these encampment sweeps often involve destroying homeless people’s items and can sometimes involve excessive force. City officials sometimes take or destroy tents, clothing, food, identification documents, pets, and other personal belongings during such sweeps, according to the complaint.

Advocates, journalists, and regular citizens simply wishing to document the city’s actions sometimes come to the sweeps. The ACLU NorCal complaint says this ordinance punishes people engaging in “advocacy, speech, expressive conduct, and association” during encampment sweeps and protects the government from liability for wrongdoing.- READ MORE