4 ms·

I can't imagine the legal ramifications of this. How would a court or government agency deliver legal notices to such people, for example?

nikanj 9y ago
How do they deliver them to tents under the bridge? We need to stop pretending the homeless don’t exist.
- Kalium 9y ago
  You're absolutely right! The homeless have always been with us, and it's high time government policy caught up with that. Yet, might there be a kernel of subtlety here? In some places, the homeless quite commonly register intersections or similar locations as their stationary home location. Then things like notices are delivered to them there. This, as grandparent implies, is not so straightforward with a mobile vehicle. What does that leave? A requirement to constantly update your location of record with local government? Overbearing surveillance to track the homeless so government can reach them? All-electronic systems relying on devices and services the homeless almost certainly can't afford? None of these are great solutions. All are clearly problematic, in the damning social justice sense. Again, you're completely correct. We need to admit, accept, acknowledge, and embrace our unhoused friends and neighbors. It's just possible that a truck and a tent under a bridge might pose slightly different levels of difficulty for addressing-type needs.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - vkou 9y ago
    > In some places, the homeless quite commonly register intersections or similar locations as their stationary home location. Then things like notices are delivered to them there. What about those that don't?
    - evanlivingston 9y ago
      Then those people are pretty hard to contact!
  - bsimpson 9y ago
    There are also folks who choose to live in vans or RVs as a lifestyle. There are also folks who go backpacking overseas for months or years at a time, or who work nomadic jobs (like travel nursing) which move them every few months. You don't have to be homeless to lack a permanent address.
    - Kalium 9y ago
      You're right! All of these things are true, real, and valid scenarios that can lead to this situation. Those who have relative means will often maintain a mailbox of some sort. There are services that accept mail and scan it for you and other ways. Few of which are available to the homeless, due generally to a lack of financial means. Lacking a real permanent address doesn't inherently make you uncontactable by governments. It's the combination of lacking a permanent address and lacking the means to work around it that creates a perfect storm.
whamlastxmas 9y ago
They get someone to serve them papers in person if needed. Otherwise they ask for an address (friends house or PO box). This isn't unusual.
majormajor 9y ago
This person is homeless, so in exactly the same way as if you let the government force the sale of and confiscation of the proceeds from the truck?
pmiller2 9y ago
Fairly limited, I would think. There's a distinction to be drawn between a "home," and a "home address," in the case that said home is moveable. Legal notice typically is served to the latter. Also, this ruling isn't precedential, because it's not in a court of appeals. Practically speaking, this means it only really applies to this single case, and possibly other Washington state courtrooms, but nowhere else.
agumonkey 9y ago
Give them a mail capable phone
Raphmedia 9y ago
Emails and PO boxes can get you a long way when you are homeless.
tantalor 9y ago
You confuse domicile (your mailbox) with residence (your bed). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domicile_(law)#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domicile_(law)#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residence For example, you can use a mailbox service if you live out of your car.
felipelemos 9y ago
And the ultimate solution would be put the person in a prison because he has no place to receive legal notices?

nikanj 9y ago

How do they deliver them to tents under the bridge? We need to stop pretending the homeless don’t exist.

Kalium 9y ago
You're absolutely right! The homeless have always been with us, and it's high time government policy caught up with that. Yet, might there be a kernel of subtlety here? In some places, the homeless quite commonly register intersections or similar locations as their stationary home location. Then things like notices are delivered to them there. This, as grandparent implies, is not so straightforward with a mobile vehicle. What does that leave? A requirement to constantly update your location of record with local government? Overbearing surveillance to track the homeless so government can reach them? All-electronic systems relying on devices and services the homeless almost certainly can't afford? None of these are great solutions. All are clearly problematic, in the damning social justice sense. Again, you're completely correct. We need to admit, accept, acknowledge, and embrace our unhoused friends and neighbors. It's just possible that a truck and a tent under a bridge might pose slightly different levels of difficulty for addressing-type needs.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- vkou 9y ago
  > In some places, the homeless quite commonly register intersections or similar locations as their stationary home location. Then things like notices are delivered to them there. What about those that don't?
  - evanlivingston 9y ago
    Then those people are pretty hard to contact!
- bsimpson 9y ago
  There are also folks who choose to live in vans or RVs as a lifestyle. There are also folks who go backpacking overseas for months or years at a time, or who work nomadic jobs (like travel nursing) which move them every few months. You don't have to be homeless to lack a permanent address.
  - Kalium 9y ago
    You're right! All of these things are true, real, and valid scenarios that can lead to this situation. Those who have relative means will often maintain a mailbox of some sort. There are services that accept mail and scan it for you and other ways. Few of which are available to the homeless, due generally to a lack of financial means. Lacking a real permanent address doesn't inherently make you uncontactable by governments. It's the combination of lacking a permanent address and lacking the means to work around it that creates a perfect storm.

whamlastxmas 9y ago

They get someone to serve them papers in person if needed. Otherwise they ask for an address (friends house or PO box). This isn't unusual.

majormajor 9y ago

This person is homeless, so in exactly the same way as if you let the government force the sale of and confiscation of the proceeds from the truck?

pmiller2 9y ago

Fairly limited, I would think. There's a distinction to be drawn between a "home," and a "home address," in the case that said home is moveable. Legal notice typically is served to the latter. Also, this ruling isn't precedential, because it's not in a court of appeals. Practically speaking, this means it only really applies to this single case, and possibly other Washington state courtrooms, but nowhere else.

agumonkey 9y ago

Give them a mail capable phone

Raphmedia 9y ago

Emails and PO boxes can get you a long way when you are homeless.

tantalor 9y ago

You confuse domicile (your mailbox) with residence (your bed). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domicile_(law)#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domicile_(law)#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residence For example, you can use a mailbox service if you live out of your car.

felipelemos 9y ago

And the ultimate solution would be put the person in a prison because he has no place to receive legal notices?