Federal judge says San Francisco can’t clear homeless camps

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily banned San Francisco from clearing homeless encampments, saying the city is violating its own policies. The judge granted an emergency order Friday night. The move came in a lawsuit filed on behalf of homeless plaintiffs that seeks to stop San Francisco from dismantling homeless encampments until it has thousands of additional shelter beds. The judge says evidence shows the city regularly and illegally fails to offer shelter to inhabitants before clearing the encampments and improperly seizes or throws out their belongings, including medication and even prosthetic limbs. Mayor London Breed said in a statement that the decision will hamper the city’s efforts to help bring people indoors and keep neighborhoods safe.