The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will soon be voting on a law that would make it illegal to sit or lie on any sidewalk in San Francisco. On March 27th, actions were held across San Francisco to educate local residents that historically sit/lie laws have been discriminative in nature, and are unnecessary. San Francisco had a sit and lie law in the late 1960's through the 70's, but it was ultimately struck down because it was found to be unconstitutional.

A petition on Change.org states: "Newsom is down-playing the homeless insinuations, but too many of us know from experience that once the police get unleashed with laws like this, actual street-level enforcements are mostly left to them. There's a long and continuing history of these types of laws being wielded oppressively and specifically against homeless persons."

Tommi Avicolli-Mecca writes on Beyond Chron: "San Francisco’s already had its own version of sit/lie, but it was repealed in the late 70s after a decade of being used to harass hippies in the Haight and gay men in the Castro. Gay activist Harvey Milk opposed the law after a young man was beaten outside of a Castro bar and police arrested him and 13 others for violation of the law. The ACLU, with the support of queer organizations, brought the suit that toppled sit/lie."

Video: 1 | 2 | 3 | Photos From March 27th

Standing Up to Sit-Lie | SFBG: A very different approach to the sit-lie law | Coalition On Homelessness | StandAgainstSitLie.org

Past Indybay Coverage Of Attacks On The Homeless: Death on the Streets of San Francisco | "No More Human Sacrifices" | SF Housing Activists Take Over Mayor's Office as Care Not Cash Implemented | Will SF Stand For A Mayor Who Sides With Landlords And Then Scapegoats The Homeless? | Political Solutions by Wealthy SF Politicos Lack Depth | Rich People Are Not the Victims of Homelessness | Gay Shame derides Newsom's poverty plan | Millionaire Politician Attacks Homeless People to Gain Power | Over 700 People Attend Homeless Summit in SF