PHOENIX — Wednesday marks one month until the deadline given to the City of Phoenix to clear the homeless encampment known as “The Zone”.
But this week, the city was dealt another blow in the ongoing legal battle over this area of downtown Phoenix.
“It just isn’t working,” said business owner Joel Coplin. “We have to do something.”
He took ABC15 inside his business, Gallery 119, located near 11th Avenue and Jefferson Street.
“These are all from experience,” said Coplin.
The paintings inside his gallery capture life just outside the door. Coplin and his wife have also lived in the building for the last five years.
He said having this area cleared would open up opportunities.
Coplin along with other business and property owners in the area, are part of an ongoing legal battle with the City of Phoenix.
A Judge earlier this year said the City had to begin clearing the area, but just last month he gave a hard deadline of November 4.
“They’re not going to make it,” said Coplin. “There’s no way.”
As of September 20, ABC15 was told there were still over 450 people living in “The Zone.”
The city filed a motion in late September hoping to get more time. In those court documents, their attorneys say legally they are, “…caught between a rock and a hard place.”
As they work to clean “The Zone” in a way that doesn’t violate any current court orders, the City insists it still would take months to clear “The Zone”.
But on Tuesday, the court doubled down on the decision and deadline.
“That is the request that the Judge denied today so the November 4 deadline stays in place,” said attorney Ilan Wurman.
Wurman helped file the lawsuit against the City. On Tuesday he told ABC15, that this week’s decision did not come as a surprise.
“I think that they don’t have much time to comply with the Court’s order, but they’ve had plenty of time to fix “The Zone," he added.
Business owners like Coplin have told ABC15 they are sympathetic and want a better situation for everyone.
The City shared the motion with ABC15 and said they have no other comment.
But with the one-month deadline looming, this continues to play out in court.
