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Camas council weighs code changes on camping

Officials aim to make rules consistent with Grants Pass ruling

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The city of Camas is proposing criminalizing camping on city property through a series of municipal code changes that officials say will help provide the police department with more options for enforcing unlawful camping in public spaces. (Kelly Moyer/The Columbian files)

The Camas City Council is considering a series of municipal code changes that will make camping on city property a crime.

Officials said the proposed changes would give police officers tools to address trespassing and camping on public property consistent with Grants Pass v. Johnson, a July 2024 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found the Eighth Amendment’s “cruel and unusual punishment” clause does not prohibit the enforcement of laws regulating camping on public property.

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