Louisiana judge halts state police plans to clear New Orleans homeless camps before Thanksgiving

Associated Press/Report for America

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana judge has halted plans for state agencies to forcibly remove homeless encampments in New Orleans by Thanksgiving. Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Ethel Julien issued a temporary restraining order Monday blocking state police and two other agencies from evicting homeless people from their encampments in New Orleans or confiscating their property without following city laws and due process. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry had warned that he would intervene if city officials did not remove a large homeless encampment by Thanksgiving. City officials have decried the removals as disrupting efforts to secure stable housing for homeless individuals.