Operation SAFE Under Scrutiny
Advocates are questioning the effectiveness and legality of Oklahoma's 'Operation SAFE', a large-scale sweep of homeless encampments in Tulsa ordered by Kevin Stitt.
The initiative, launched on the 4th, involved the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation conducting sweeps of homeless encampments on state-owned property in Tulsa over three weeks.
By the 17th, Stitt declared the sweep complete, with 64 encampments cleared and nearly two million pounds of "debris" disposed of, although the exact nature of the discarded items was not disclosed.
When the government is engaging in encampment sweeps, it's doing so with the knowledge that they are confiscating the property of people who are unhoused.
Megan Lambert, Legal Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, argues that the government lacks the authority to decide what constitutes garbage and what is a person's property.
Author's summary: Operation SAFE raises concerns.
- 64 encampments cleared
- Nearly two million pounds of "debris" disposed of