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Vigilante "Community" Groups Join War on Portland's Unhoused Those facing the hardships of having no place to live now face the additional hurdle of trying to deal with oppositional members of Portland's community. Various groups such as "Enough is Enough," neighborhood associations and individuals are trying to use the police in their war against houseless people. For example, at a recent meeting of the Training Advisory Council, a Sergeant indicated the Police Bureau gets many calls regarding folks who are sleeping outside. When the callers learn that this is not an arrestable offense, they call back and report that these same folks are using drugs or are in possession of stolen goods. It is the opinion of PCW that these callers should be prosecuted for filing false police reports. There are also reports of vigilante community members videotaping houseless people who utilize a needle exchange.
Meanwhile, the inhumane idea of warehousing Portland's homeless in the unused Wapato Jail went down in flames. Commissioner Loretta Smith and Rep. Knute Buehler, who touted the idea, both lost the election, with Smith garnering a last-minute $10,000 donation from the Portland Police Association (PPA). PPA President Daryl Turner made the rounds to community groups in the months leading up to the election pushing the Wapato plan. Jo Ann Hardesty, who publicly opposed such a use, won handily. Multi-millionaire Jordan Schnitzer bought the property, then consulted with Mayor Wheeler briefly on the idea before applying for a permit to demolish the jail the day after the election. On December 17, the PPB announced plans to hire a non-sworn liaison to the houseless community (Portland Mercury blog). |
January, 2019
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Portland Copwatch Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.
People's Police Report
#76 Table of Contents
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Some are
using community newspapers to castigate and misrepresent facts about those who are houseless. In
the November Southeast Examiner, columnist David Krogh parroted the constantly refuted
cliche that Portland has become "a draw for the homeless population from not just other parts
of the state, but other parts of the country" due to an alleged failure to enforce camping and
sanitation policies. To Krogh's dismay, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently agreed
homeless people are allowed sleep in a public location if they are unable to locate available shelter,
calling prosecution for such sleeping "cruel and unusual punishment" (Skanner,
September 5). Krogh indicates the Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association has hired private
security to patrol their area. Other community groups take a different approach. A petition with
over 4000 signatures started by a professor at Lewis and Clark College was presented to City
Council in October. The petition calls for a more compassionate approach, with specific requests
for: (1) non-police first responders to offer services; (2) a moratorium on constantly moving
people; (3) hygiene infrastructure; (4) legal temporary camps on public property; and (5)
transparent data collection on police interactions with the houseless community (Oregonian,
October 7).