Phoenix's Homelessness Challenge: The Case Against "The Zone"

Manhattan Insights

Content provided by Manhattan Institute. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Manhattan Institute or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

7M ago 51:02

MP3•Episode home

Fetch error

Hmmm there seems to be a problem fetching this series right now. Last successful fetch was on April 24, 2024 15:32 (2M ago)

What now? This series will be checked again in the next day. If you believe it should be working, please verify the publisher's feed link below is valid and includes actual episode links. You can contact support to request the feed be immediately fetched.

In Phoenix, Arizona, a massive downtown homeless encampment known as "The Zone" was recently cleared out following legal battles and a court order. For years, the area was filled with hundreds of tents lining the blocks of streets, leading to a rise in crime and serious complaints from local residents and businesses. At its height, The Zone held about 1,000 people.

Earlier this year, a successful state court lawsuit citing a "public nuisance" claim led to a judge ordering the city to permanently clear out the encampment and find beds for the people remaining. Our guest for this episode, Ilan Wurman, was an attorney for the plaintiffs in that case, Brown v. City of Phoenix.

Ilan Wurman is an associate professor at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, where he teaches administrative law and constitutional law. He talks with guest host Judge Glock (who served as an expert in the court case) about the lawsuit against the city of Phoenix and the problems with America's debate on homelessness.

This conversation was recorded on October 9, before the city's deadline to clear The Zone.