City of San Diego and the San Diego Police Department

A class action lawsuit has been filed against the City of San Diego and the San Diego Police Department on behalf of homeless people who live in the city. The suit alleges that the citations issued for sleeping in public violate the plaintiffs' civil rights. According to an attorney for the plaintiffs, "With the homeless shelters full to overflowing, these people literally have no place where they can legally sleep. Sleep isn't a choice, it's a necessity. The Constitution of the United States says you can't punish someone in that situation."