In recent years, San José State University witnessed students raising their voices on behalf of classmates experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Their demonstrations reminded the community that education cannot be separated from the basic human need for shelter.
Around the same period, the legal landscape changed. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson affirmed that cities may enforce anti-camping ordinances even when alternative shelter space is unavailable. The ruling reshaped the authority of local governments to address public encampments, prompting many cities to adopt more assertive enforcement policies.
Today, the tents that once symbolized student protest are less visible, and many encampments have been cleared from public spaces. Yet the disappearance of visible demonstrations or encampments does not, by itself, answer the deeper questions that gave rise to them.
The central challenge remains: how can communities reduce homelessness while also expanding realistic pathways to stable housing, education, employment, and human dignity?
Public order and public compassion need not stand in opposition. Cities have legitimate responsibilities to maintain safe and accessible public spaces, while universities, governments, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and communities each have a role in addressing the underlying causes of housing insecurity.
History will remember not only how effectively a society managed its sidewalks, but also how faithfully it strengthened the foundations that allow people to rebuild their lives.
For when the protest disappears, the responsibility does not disappear with it. The quietest streets may still be asking the loudest questions.
Pastor Steven G. Lee
St. GMC Corps
July 11, 2026
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