How SLC Criminalizes Homelessness

City Cast Salt Lake

Salt Lake City police are asking for an extra $1.8 million from the City Council to keep cracking down on illegal camps. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that since October, officers have made 60 arrests and written up 152 citations. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will soon decide whether cities can punish people for sleeping outside when there’s no shelter available. But when folks have nowhere to go, what are their options? Taylor Hastings, an attorney with the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association, joins executive producer Emily Means to explain how the city criminalizes homelessness and what measures could keep folks out of the criminal justice system while trying to survive on the streets.

This show originally aired March 16, 2023

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Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

• Women’s Work: neighborhood caucus night on March 5, 2024.
• Utah Museum of Fine Arts: “Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo” exhibition open now to June 30, 2024.

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