Fresno must store possessions of homeless

The US News Friday 24th November, 2006

A federal judge in California says the city of Fresno must store the possessions of the homeless when their encampments are destroyed.

U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger said the policy of discarding personal items unless owners are present to claim them is dishonest, the Fresno Bee reported. Wanger issued a preliminary injunction that will stand until there is a full trial on the issue.

City officials said they would appeal.

This is yet another example of a judge making decisions based on limited, skewed and false information, said Mayor Alan Autry. These cavalier rulings continue to compromise not only the health of this community but the health of the homeless as well.

The city argued that storing the possessions of the homeless would be expensive and might endanger city employees because of the danger of infected needles.