Josephine County Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction in GP Homeless Lawsuit
Homeless people can't be cited, arrested or fined for camping in Grants Pass, for now. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports a Josephine County Circuit Court judge has issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against the city. The lawsuit, filed in January by Disability Rights Oregon and five homeless plaintiffs, alleges Grants Pass' treatment of homeless people violates state law, including disability protections. On Friday afternoon, Judge Sarah McGlaughlin issued an injunction preventing the city from enforcing its public camping laws until it has fulfilled two conditions. Grants Pass has to increase its designated camping sites to the same capacity it previously offered before the city closed an approximately 1.2-acre site in January. The city must also ensure all resting sites "provide accessible routes and surfaces" for people with disabilities. These restrictions don’t apply to either Riverside Park or Reinhart Volunteer Park. Grants Pass currently has two sites for homeless people to rest near the police station and City Hall. The city only recently got out from under another court injunction, which lasted for four years. It was part of a different lawsuit over Grants Pass' treatment of homeless people, which the US Supreme Court decided in the city's favor.
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GP Police and Firefighters Logged Another Active Week of Community Protection
Grants Pass police officers and firefighters logged another busy week of protecting the community. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 563 calls for service along with 220 officer-initiated calls last week which resulted in 36 arrests, 17 citations, 60 warnings and three highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 70 traffic stops in the city and they made 19 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 12 potential troublemakers while arresting two people, citing five more and warning 11 others. The CRT unit also trespassed five individuals from city homes and businesses. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 104 calls last week including 41 for emergency medical service, four reports of fire or smoke, 20 lift assists, seven rescue situations, three assists to other agencies and five false alarms. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded a total of 1,060 emergency calls last week.
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US Rep Cliff Bentz Accepting Submissions for 2025 Congressional Art Contest
From now until April 18th, US Representative Cliff Bentz's local office is accepting submissions for the 2025 Congressional Art Competition. The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to serve as an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and acknowledge the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved in the nationwide competition. Bentz encourages high school students in Oregon's Second Congressional District to showcase their creativity by participating in this competition. He said he looks forward to seeing their original designs. If you have any questions about competition guidelines or would like to arrange an in-person delivery, contact Bentz's Medford District Office at (541)-776-4646.
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