Outside a San Francisco court Wednesday, city officials and civil rights groups held dueling rallies about an injunction restricting the city from clearing homeless encampments.

The dueling protesters tried to shout each other down with opposing chants of “save our streets” and “housing is a human right” outside the court at around 9 a.m. Wednesday.

A Standard reporter on the scene says protesters supporting the end of the injunction outnumber counter-protesters by a wide margin.

Homeless injunction dueling protestors sound off outside the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. | Garrett Leahy/The Standard

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu appeared at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to try and persuade a three-judge panel to toss out the injunction restricting the city from clearing homeless encampments.

Outside the courthouse, Mayor London Breed supervisors Rafael Mandelman, Matt Dorsey and Joel Engardio. | Source: Garrett Leahy/The Standard

Mayor London Breed and three members of the Board of Supervisors—supervisors Rafael Mandelman, Matt Dorsey and Joel Engardio—are heading up a rally calling attention to the impacts of the injunction.

Mandelman said his constituents see encampments in the Castro and local merchants have voiced concerns.

“We shouldn’t let people camp in public, especially when those camps are correlated with drug use and disrupt business,” Mandelman said.

“It’s good to build affordable housing, but we need to create the space for people to get well before moving into housing,” Engardio said.

The call for greater investment in shelter beds comes as the city grapples with a $728 million budget deficit.

Supervisor Matt Dorsey gives a speech in support of ending the homeless sweeps injunction outside a San Francisco court house ahead of a key appeals hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. | Garrett Leahy/The StandardProtesters, both supporting and opposing an injunction barring encampment sweeps, gathered outside the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday ahead of the city’s appeal of the court order. | Source: Garrett Leahy/The Standard

The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club organized the counterprotest opposing the appeal. 

“Our rally sends a clear message that we stand united for justice, compassion, and accountability from the city and Mayor London Breed,” the club’s president, Jeffrey Kwong, said in an email. “We are standing up with the ACLU and [Lawyers Committee For Civil Rights San Francisco] to demand judicial oversight over the city’s utter failure to address the homelessness and housing crisis.”

ACLU Northern California Director Abdi Soltani said encampment sweeps are ineffective at addressing homelessness and that shelter options are not provided when they are carried out.

ACLU Northern California director Abdi Soltani speaks in support of the homeless sweeps injunction in San Francisco. | Source: Garrett Leahy/The Standard

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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