Homeless women sue Pendleton for what they say are unfair bans on ‘resting’ in public

Five homeless women are suing the city of Pendleton over its ban on “resting” anywhere in the city between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Resting in public spaces is allowed overnight, but not camping, according to city code. Violators of either law may be cited and banned from the city’s streets and sidewalks for 30 to 90 days depending on the level of the offense. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said in a statement that Pendleton police had issued 300 citations to 172 people since May 2023, when the current law went into effect.

Plaintiff Laura Thornton, 44, said the rules effectively made it illegal to be homeless in Pendleton, the city she said she’s lived in most of her life, according to the statement from the Oregon Law Center and Legal Aid Services of Oregon.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s freezing