Judge orders Phoenix to permanently clear the city’s largest homeless encampment by Nov. 4

PHOENIX (AP) — A judge has ruled that Phoenix must permanently clear the city’s largest homeless encampment by Nov. 4. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney set the deadline on Wednesday. City officials began shutting down the homeless encampment known as “The Zone” in May under a court order, but they had asked to be given until April 2024 to complete the job. A lawyer representing the city said in July that parts of the encampment on the edge of downtown Phoenix have been cleared since a judge declared the area to be a public nuisance, but other blocks still need to be addressed. Business owners and residents near the encampment have called it a public nuisance that subjects their properties to damage, litter and crime.