San Francisco is planning to ramp up sweeps of homeless encampments after a pivotal Supreme Court decision last week gave cities more authority to deal with the issue.

The court ruled Friday that cities can enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside in public places even if there is not enough shelter space, deciding that such laws do not violate the Constitution’s prohibit on cruel and unusual punishment.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said that thanks to the Supreme Court’s ruling, the city will better be able to clean up the tents that line the city’s streets.

“With this opportunity, we’ll be able to do more to clean and clear our streets — especially for those who are refusing shelter and services,” Breed said during a press conference at City Hall. “This is very helpful to us as a city.”

“My hope is that we can clear them all,” she said when asked by the San Francisco Chronicle how many tents might be cleared as a result of the court’s decision.

The city will continue to offer “shelter and support” to homeless people, but law enforcement could be more involved in clearing encampments, Breed said.

The 6-3 Supreme Court decision overturned a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that for the last six years had prohibited cities from enforcing anti-camping ordinances whenever the homeless population outnumbered shelter beds.

The original case involved the Oregon town of Grants Pass, which tried to fine people $295 for sleeping outside when tents began crowding the town’s public parks.

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Homelessness in the San Francisco area has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area on a given night. That’s up 35% since 2019. More than 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco itself.

San Francisco also has a deadly drug crisis driven by fentanyl, and the city saw record fatal overdoses last year. A total of 752 people died from drug overdoses in San Francisco between January and November, more deaths than in any other year, preliminary data from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office shows.

Harrowing scenes of homeless people engaging in open-air drug use and living in filth on city streets continue to come out of the neighborhoods most in need of help.

Overall crime was down last year, but certain types of crime were up, including car thefts, San Francisco police data show. Compared to 2019 before the pandemic, however, many types of crime are still elevated, including murders, robberies, burglary, and arson.

Pro-lifer Cal Zastrow has been sentenced to six months in prison over his participation in a peaceful protest at a Tennessee abortion facility March 2021.

Zastrow was sentenced by Judge Aleta Trauger on Wednesday in federal court in Nashville. Trauger sentenced him to six months in prison and three years of supervised release. She did not impose a fine on him. He must self report to prison by October 1.

When given a chance to speak, Zastrow spoke of his Christian faith and how it drove him to advocate for unborn babies.

He said he tried to live his life “under the Lordship of Jesus Christ,” and that “children are a blessing from God.”

To conclude, he read from Revelation 5:11-14.

Trauger was critical of Zastrow’s “religious fervor,” saying that it led him to cause pain to others. She told Zastrow that she didn’t need to hear a sermon.

He is now a felon, meaning he can’t vote or own a firearm.

President Joe Biden’s Justice Department brought charges against Zastrow and 10 other pro-lifers present at a sit-in at the Carafem Health Center Clinic in Mt. Juliet.

During the protest where Zastrow was present, a group of pro-lifers gathered on the second floor of an office building in the hallway outside Carafem. The group prayed, sang hymns, and urged women showing up to the clinic not to get abortions. No one present was charged with committing any violence.

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The sentencing came one day after their co-defendant Paul Vaughn was sentenced. Trauger did not impose a prison sentence on Vaughn despite the Biden administration’s request that he be sentenced to one year behind bars.

When given an opportunity to speak, Vaughn said that the “reason I am engaged in activities is because I care for my country.”

An overflow room crowded with supporters of Vaughn watching the proceedings at the courthouse erupted into cheers after Trauger said she would impose no jail time. Trauger said she based her decision in part on his four years of service in the Navy and statements from those in his city and county.

The Thomas More Society, which is representing Vaughn, is expected to appeal his conviction.

Several others convicted of conspiracy against rights over the Carafem sit-in will be sentenced later today, including Coleman Boyd and Dennis Green.

Hundreds of supporters of the pro-lifers gathered at Christ Church Nashville on Monday and Tuesday to rally in support of the activists ahead of their sentencing. At the rallies, attendees sang, prayed, and heard from Christian pastors. Many also gathered on Monday and Tuesday outside federal court in Nashville ahead of the sentencing.