PHOENIX — A new lawsuit is trying to prevent the city of Phoenix from resuming cleanup sweeps in an area known as "the Zone.”
"The Zone" is generally considered the area between 7th and 13th avenues and south of Jefferson Street to Jackson Street. Up to 1,000 people experiencing homelessness have been camping in this part of central Phoenix for years.
While the city has said the cleanups were necessary for sanitation, an ACLU lawsuit says the sweeps violate the constitutional rights of unhoused people. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Fund for Empowerment. It advocates for the rights of unsheltered people, and two individuals who said they lost possessions during prior sweeps.
The city of Phoenix used to require people to move their tents and belongings out so they could clean every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Anything that was left behind would be thrown in garbage trucks.
After the Department of Justice started investigating the sweeps for possible civil rights violations, the city stopped but didn’t promise that they would never do them again. A city spokesperson told ABC15 they plan to resume the cleanups in December with enhanced procedures for handling 'abandoned' property.
The lawsuit filed by the ACLU says it wants to stop the unlawful seizure of belongings, cruel and unusual punishment, and depriving people of their property without due process.
A city spokesperson said Phoenix had not been served the lawsuit and could not comment about it directly.
Some property owners and business owners in the area, however, say the camps are a public nuisance and need to be cleaned up. They also have a lawsuit, filed in August, against the city in an effort to force more city action.
Email Melissa at Melissa.Blasius@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6362, or connect on Twitter and Facebook.
