Reprieve for 10 days

Homeless residents in Concord won a temporary legal victory Monday when they were allowed to return to city camp-sites.


Advocates argued in court Monday that the homeless who were evicted by the city have a right to camp on public land. The court said that it would not enforce the no-camping rule until it has ruled on the lawsuit.

Barbara Keshen, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, was granted the extension to prepare her case.

"What happened today is my clients will be able to remain in their homes at least for the next 10 days, and hopefully, there can be some conversation started among policymakers," Keshen said.

The Attorney General's Office said the state has been diligent in trying to help the homeless campers, but they cannot stay on public land.

"Our goal going forward is to make sure these people are put in touch with services but that the public property is protected, and we're able to remove folks from setting up encampments and move them to a better location both for themselves and for other folks to use the property," said Mary Ann Dempsey of the Attorney General's Office.

Outside Superior Court, displaced homeless people listened as their advocate explained her argument that statuses such and being indigent or homeless cannot be criminalized.

The next hearing date has not been set, but it will be sometime after May 31.

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