Arizona Judge Orders Removal of Phoenix’s Homeless ‘Zone’

An aerial view of people gathered near a homeless encampment in the afternoon heat in Phoenix, Ariz. on July 21, 2022. Mario Tama/Getty Images

An Arizona judge has ordered city officials to remove a community of homeless people living on public property in Phoenix’s largest homeless encampment on March 27.

The encampment is informally referred to as “the Zone.”

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney called the zone a “public nuisance.”

“The City controls the rights of way in the Zone, including the streets, alleys, avenues, and sidewalks,” Blaney stated in the court order (pdf).

A row of tents on 12th Street in Phoenix in an area known as "the Zone" on Sept. 18. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Homeless encampments are overcrowded and the living conditions aren’t healthy for the community or homeless residents.

“The City of Phoenix shall maintain its public property in the Zone in a condition free of (a) tents and other makeshift structures in the public rights of way; (b) biohazardous materials including human feces and urine, drug paraphernalia, and other trash; and (c) individuals committing offenses against the public order,” the court order states.

“Many of the individuals in the Zone have no tent or shelter, and they instead sleep right up against business owner’s buildings, and on sidewalks or lawns,” the ruling states.

Many residents and business owners do not feel safe with the increased violence happening inside their neighborhoods.

“Assault and homicides have risen in the Zone since 2018, leaving business owners and employees traveling in groups to protect themselves,” the ruling states.

Employees of businesses in the Zone have also faced “verbal confrontations with homeless individuals,” the Blaney said.

In the ruling, Blaney provided a solution for arrested homeless individuals by “pursuing services for the individual instead of a conviction.”

The potential for fire flare-ups is another threat to locals around the “zone,” which has caused structure fires.

Structure fires are not uncommon in the Zone as individuals “light fires for cooking and for heat, in the open, often with nobody tending to the bonfires because the individual has passed out or walked away,” the ruling states.

The environment around the encampments is hazardous and property owners are left the clean up after homeless individuals.

“There is a considerable amount of human waste, food waste, and trash dumped on the streets or around the streets. Homeless individuals defecate and urinate in the open on the streets, sidewalks, lawns, and buildings,” the ruling states.

In addition to the unsanitary living conditions that business and property owners have to maintain, many have to protect themselves from theft.

“Business owners have experienced break-ins of their properties during and after business hours, they have installed multiple locks for security, but the homeless continue breaking in to steal anything of value,” the ruling states.

Win for Business Owners and Community: Attorney

The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, showed the effect of homelessness in each state (pdf).

Arizona’s data showed that 13,000 people were homeless and 8,000 of those were living on the street or in their cars. These ongoing issues are what city officials have to discuss and find solutions to help protect business owners and the homeless alike.

Dan Wilson, a spokesman for the City of Phoenix, told The Epoch Times the city is reviewing the court’s ruling.

“We remain committed to addressing the needs of all residents and property owners. We continue to work with local and regional partners to address the complex issues surrounding those experiencing homelessness and to connect people in need with safe spaces and resources to help end their homelessness,” Wilson said in an emailed statement.

Attorney Ilan Wurman, who represents the residents and business owners, told AZ Central in a statement that the “ruling is a win both for business owners and the unsheltered community.”

Blaney’s opinion recognizes Phoenix “is ultimately responsible for the humanitarian disaster in the Zone,” Wurman said.