Editing Kalispell, Montana (section)

===Legal assault on homeless population===
In 2023, Kalispell became nationally known for its violent actions against the [[homeless]] population in the town. The city government had previously begun passing [[Local ordinance|ordinances]] in 2022 that punished anyone that helped homeless people in Kalispell, such as giving out food, supplies, or money. They also shut off water and electricity in the local park so it couldn't be utilized by homeless in the area. The county commissioners also released an open letter calling on residents to actively unite against the homeless, which resulted in groups of younger people violently assaulting homeless in the town. The ''[[New York Times]]'' published an article in January 2024 about the homeless population of Kalispell, noting that many were residents who had recently undergone financial trouble that led to them losing their homes, such as having a divorce.<ref>{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Mike |date=January 9, 2024 |title=A City's Campaign Against Homelessness Brings Stories of Violence |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/09/us/homelessness-violence-kalispell-montana.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=July 19, 2024}}</ref>

The city council revoked the permit of the town's homeless shelter in September 2024,<ref>{{cite news |last=Underhill |first=Jack |date=September 17, 2024 |title=Kalispell City Council revokes overnight homeless shelter's permit |url=https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2024/sep/17/kalispell-city-council-revokes-overnight-homeless-shelters-permit/ |work=[[Daily Inter Lake]] |access-date=December 11, 2024}}</ref> forcing the closure of its [[warming center]] in October 2024, putting much of the homeless population at risk of death during winter months as noted by the shelter's director.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bolton |first=Aaron |date=October 16, 2024 |title=Kalispell shelter closure puts homeless people in dire risk, director says |url=https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2024-10-16/kalispell-shelter-closure-puts-homeless-people-in-dire-risk-director-says |work=[[Montana Public Radio]] |access-date=December 11, 2024}}</ref> The shelter filed a lawsuit that same month against the city, arguing that the city council had failed to present any violation of local law or ordinances by the shelter that would support the revocation of the permit. The federal judge overseeing the court case approved a [[preliminary injunction]] in November 2024 that allowed the warming center to remain open for the duration of the case.<ref>{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Blair |date=November 7, 2024 |title=Judge grants injunction allowing Flathead Warming Center to reopen for overnight services |url=https://dailymontanan.com/2024/11/07/judge-grants-injunction-allowing-flathead-warming-center-to-reopen-for-overnight-services/ |work=[[Daily Montanan]] |access-date=December 11, 2024}}</ref>