FRIDAY THE 13 Posted August 23 Posted August 23 For years, visitors to San Francisco have been struck by the number of rough sleepers and tent encampments on sidewalks. But one year into a more aggressive crackdown, many streets look very different. Now President Donald Trump - who has mocked the city for its problems - is taking a page out of San Francisco's playbook. Starting last week, federal agents have been clearing out homeless encampments in the nation's capital, making Washington DC the latest city to levy penalties on people for sleeping rough. The move to criminalise homeless camping began last summer, following a landmark US Supreme Court ruling that found it was constitutional to issue citations to homeless people and arrest them, even in the absence of shelter. Soon, cities and counties across the country were issuing citations. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom - a frequent Trump foil and former San Francisco mayor - quickly made clearing encampments a priority, paving the way for San Francisco's dramatic transformation. Yet while local businesses and some residents say this has helped remove a blight on what's considered one of the country's most beautiful cities, others question how effective it has really been in solving the issue. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2kz4d0vwlzo
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