Op-Ed by Jesse Fairbanks, Kaelin Rapport, and Isha Weerasinghe

[EXCERPT]

In early September, officials in Utah announced a plan to build an encampment just outside Salt Lake City where up to 1,300 people experiencing homelessness would be forced to receive treatment for mental health challenges. Unhoused people who refuse to stay in this state-run facility could instead end up in jail.

Forcing people to relocate to a facility described by its advocates as a “homeless campus” is a violation of their civil liberties. To make matters worse, this approach is generally ineffective and prone to bias. Research has shown that involuntary commitment disproportionately affects people of color and disabled people. And in many cases, the care provided to those the involuntary committed is not sufficient to meet their mental health needs.

Read the full op-ed in The Progressive. 

NOTE: This op-ed, which was originally published in The Progressive, was syndicated and republished by media outlets nationwide, including in Miami, FL; Bradenton, FL; Columbia, SC; Hilton Head, SC; Myrtle Beach, SC; Rock Hill, SC; Durham, NC; Charlotte, NC; Raleigh, NC; Columbus, GA; Chattanooga, TN; Lexington, KY; Schenectady, NY; Pittsburgh, PA; State College, PA; Kansas City, KS; Fort Worth, TX; Bellingham, WA; Tacoma, WA; Olympia, WA; Boise, ID; Merced. CA; Modesto, CA; Fresno, CA; San Luis Obispo, CA; and Sacramento, CA. It was also picked up by national outlets including MSN, NewsBreak, and ArcaMax.