GRANTS PASS, Ore. — There’s an update in the civil lawsuit accusing the city of Grants Pass of trying to run the homeless out of town.
The plaintiff, Debra Blake, claims she’s been repeatedly fined for prohibited camping by police.
New court documents show the federal judge granted a motion for the plaintiffs to bring a class-action lawsuit against the city.
That will allow more Grants Pass homeless to join the suit.
It claims the city has made coordinated efforts to drive the homeless out of town. Some examples include removing park benches from parks and paying for one-way bus tickets for the homeless to leave the area.
Blake claims she owes the city more than $2,000 in fines for crimes and violations related to her being homeless. Court documents also allege there are no affordable housing or emergency shelters where she can stay.
The city attorney declined to comment on the case this week.
NBC5 News also reached out to the Oregon Law Center which represents Blake and two other plaintiffs, but have not heard back.
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