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Houseless Woes: Sweeps Continue, Boulders Planted The sweeps by the Portland Police Bureau and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) continue, although information regarding where houseless people can go is rarely, if ever, part of the process. ODOT also made headlines by placing huge boulders in various places, like under freeway overpasses, to stop people from camping. During copwatch patrols done by our members, we continue to hear of belongings being taken and the difficulty in trying to retrieve them. As noted in PPR #77, City auditors spoke with those who are houseless. They were told that people on the streets are often not given sufficient time before a sweep to pack up their belongings which were then, without being cataloged, taken to a warehouse that was not easy to reach. It has been reported that valuables such as IDs, credit cards, and medication are stored along with shelves of blankets, tent parts and other property, A new filing system is allegedly in place (Oregonian, March 20). Houseless residents of the tiny home village Hazelnut Grove initiated and led houseless activists on a 50 mile walk from Portland to Salem in late May, calling the march "Give Us Shelter." Walking about 10 miles a day for 5 days, the group of 33 people, 25 of whom are houseless, arrived in Salem on May 28. The next day they held a rally on the Capitol steps and lobbied a number of representatives and senators, asking that sweeps be stopped and camping be allowed on public land. Some of the Give Us Shelter folks were swept five times in the Pearl District in the month after returning from Salem.
Two people were arrested, one camper and one supporter. Both were charged with "interfering with a peace officer" and taken to the Multnomah County Detention Center. Charges were dropped, with the possibility of reinstating them any time within three years. In 2004, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Marilyn Litzenberger declared "Interfering with a Peace Officer" unconstitutionally broad (PPR #33). Despite the ongoing sweeps, some improvements have recently been put in place. Whereas there were continued complaints by some in the housed community about houseless people leaving trash, bodily waste and other items strewn around, people in power finally concluded that having sufficient trash facilities, public toilets, showers and laundry facilities would alleviate much of this concern. In a joint program by Street Roots and the City of Portland, funds were allocated for these resources (Street Roots, May 17). We reported previously (PPR #75) that 52% of the arrests made by Portland Police were of houseless people, an outrageous statistic which proves that homelessness is criminalized. The "Independent" Police Review (IPR) put out a report in July examining a sample of 727 911 calls and arrest reports. IPR found the police are confused about their role in responding to these complaints and need direction. Many of the arrests were due to misdemeanor warrants or failure to appear on an earlier arrest. If a person has no fixed address or way to be contacted, of course they will not appear in court. IPR also found the police did not write reports if there was no arrest, so it couldn't be determined what percentage of encounters led to arrests. Chief Outlaw and Mayor Wheeler will be meeting regarding clarification of the role of the police. The report also mentioned other issues such as the failure of housing and mental health services, as well as inconsistent approaches to the enforcement of anti-camping laws (Oregonian, July 19). Perhaps if Portland Police are given sufficient guidance regarding these issues, those who have no place to live except on the streets or have mental health issues will not be viewed and treated as criminals. Meanwhile, ODOT's boulders are an obscene and ridiculous use of $1,000,000 of the taxpayer money. They claim to be eliminating flat surfaces for the safety of campers, a refutable argument. Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty posted a YouTube video decrying this inhumane policy. While receiving a lot of support, Hardesty also faced harsh backlash. |
September, 2019
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Portland Copwatch Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.
People's Police Report
#78 Table of Contents
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The
"Jason Barns Landing"
village on the cross-peninsula trail in St Johns, named after a houseless
man who was hit and killed by a drunk driver last November, was swept from its location on Metro
land on July 9. Present were several Park Rangers, around eight employees of Rapid Response
Bioclean, a private firm that bags and removes personal property of campers, and six Portland
Police Officers. Police said they were there to "protect Park Rangers," but one of them actively
assisted the sweep by moving a railing on a camper's site.