(Center Square) — The City of Phoenix tried to buy time after being ordered to clear a large homeless encampment in downtown Phoenix known as “The Zone,” but a judge ruled out their demands. rejected.

Phoenix wants to withdraw the court-imposed July 10 deadline, arguing that it does not have enough time to effectively handle the situation.

“Given the gravity of the issues raised and the far-reaching ramifications of the order from a legal and humanitarian standpoint, the City respectfully asks the Court to stay enforcement while the appeal is pending. To do.”

The city said, “Although we share the court’s concerns, the city will create shelter, heat relief, and public service programs in the coming extreme heat without the burden of judicial-imposed cleanup. We must retain discretion to do so,” he said in court filings last week in Maricopa County Superior Court.

However, the court said the city “has not established good cause to stay the preliminary injunction.”

Still, the city was due to begin cleaning up the area on May 10, 12 News reported last week.

UPDATE A Maricopa County judge has refused to lift the July 10 deadline for the city of Phoenix to show “significant results” on the zone cleanup. pic.twitter.com/Z7he90ZEFm

— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) May 1, 2023

“The Zone” is home to hundreds of homeless people living in squalid conditions. The city was ordered to take action in late March by Judge Scott Blaney over a lawsuit that called the camp a “public nuisance.”