The City of Rochester and Monroe County have a long history of brutal encampment sweeps, displacing our Unhoused Neighbors and wreaking havoc on their lives. This results in the unauthorized taking of property, to trauma being inflicted on our Neighbors, isolation, displacement, shame, stigma, ALL of which increase the likelihood of chaotic drug use and overdose death.
The Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision clears the way for even more sweeps!
If you are seeking shelter, or would like to see an interactive example of shelter availability, please use our Find a Shelter Tool. You will also find an Infographic on this page, highlighting the many barriers to shelter our Neighbors experience.
To read more about the Grants Pass decision, as well as Rochester's history of unhoused encampment sweeps, please check our education portal.
The Grants Pass decision gives local governments a greater ability to enact and enforce criminal penalties for acts like public camping or sleeping — even in localities where limited local shelter space contributes to these acts.
This means that our Unhoused Neighbors can be arrested and fined for sleeping outside, even when they have nowhere else to go.
It is very common for our Unhoused Neighbors in Rochester to have nowhere to go. Shelters are often full, or just outright inaccessible for many of our Neighbors.
The Grants Pass decision emboldens and encourages overreach by government and enforcement agencies. For instance, since the Grants Pass decision, Sweeps are not only taking place on public property but (via citations) are planned for private property as well. The City of Rochester has claimed it has “anti-camping laws” that allow for this.
We are a coalition of local activist organizations and individuals working to end sweeps in Rochester, NY and beyond. If you need to contact us, please email us at rochestergrantspassresistance@gmail.com. You can also find us on Instagram @rocgrp!