Fremont slapped with lawsuit over homeless camping ban
(KRON) — A coalition of homeless people, advocates, the California Homeless Union, and religious organizations filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Fremont. The lawsuit challenges a new city ordinance that 'criminalizes homelessness,' according to the coalition.
Fremont's ordinance bans camping on public property, outlaws possessing camping gear, and allows the city to fine people who help establish encampments. Public property includes city streets, sidewalks and parks.
The City Council approved the ordinance in February.
'With this anti-camping law, Fremont has made it illegal for its unhoused residents to exist within city limits,' said Jason Serris, president of Marin Housing for All Foundation. 'Even possessing something as essential as a sleeping bag is now a crime.'
More than 800 homeless people live in Fremont, according to the city's latest count in 2024.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The suit claims that the anti-camping rules mark an 'ugly chapter' in the city's history.
Several plaintiffs named in the lawsuit are homeless. Kent Eaton has been homeless for 22 years and lives off $670 in monthly welfare checks, the suit states. Eaton lives inside a tent that's wrapped by a tarp, and both items were given to him by a local church. He relies on local churches for essentials like blankets, water, and food.
Coalition leaders said Fremont plans to now punish churches and nonprofits that help people like Eaton.
The ordinance targets anyone who is 'causing, permitting, aiding, abetting or concealing' an encampment. Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan said the city will not punish people who are trying to support the homeless by giving them resources like water, but it will punish those who try to help set up encampments and makeshift wooden structures.
Andrea Henson, co-counsel for the California Homeless Union, said, 'The City is not only criminalizing poverty but also attacking those who live out their faith through service. This ordinance is an assault on compassion, community, and justice.'
Another plaintiff, Corrine Griffith, is a homeless woman who suffers from multiple personality disorder and epilepsy. She has been a victim of violent crime and terrorized by an East Bay street gang that killed her husband, the suit claims. Griffith recently suffered a life-threatening seizure and she was rescued by friends who live in her encampment. She claims that she became homeless after a landlord embezzled rent payments.
The lawsuit states that Griffith and Eaton are 'involuntarily homeless.'
Fremont-Homeless-LawsuitDownload
Without resources from churches, charities, and nonprofits, the city's homeless population will suffer from being exposed to the elements, illness, and premature death, the coalition claims.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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