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Houseless Community Faces Challenges as Cops Rush to Defend Dumpster While people were raising concerns about the slow and lackluster response by the Portland Police Bureau to 911 calls, about a dozen Portland Police Officers rushed to defend a dumpster at a Portland Fred Meyer store in February. The store had put potentially perishable food into the dumpster during the recent ice storm. Advocates and folks who were hungry were in the process of getting the food prior to it thawing but the police were there to prevent this.
In March, the City sought to ease zoning rules to allow shelter in RVs, tiny home villages, sanctioned tent communities and other semi-permanent structures. There was a huge hue and cry from the housed community which was concerned that parks, trails, and other natural spaces would be used for these purposes. After five hours of public testimony plus thousands of written opinions expressing concerns, primarily about the parks, City Council made assurances that homeless encampments would not be allowed in parks. The City will check records to determine if unused public land could be rezoned for temporary shelters (Oregonian, March 22). In lieu of the police responding to calls involving houselessness, people experiencing mental health issues, or the results of addictions, the City launched Portland Street Response in February after it was promoted by Street Roots. There is currently one team made up of a program manager, a firefighter/paramedic, a mental health crisis clinician and two community health workers. The team is currently only responding to calls in the Lents Neighborhood, which is among the neighborhoods generating the most 911 calls. The team only operates Monday through Friday for eight hours a day and is funded through cuts from the PPB budget (PPR #81). Due to a low volume of calls, the first team's geographic area was expanded in early April. The plan is to have a second team in place in six months which will be available nights and weekends, then add more teams and locations as budgeting permits. In Salem, pieces of legislation were proposed to allow Oregonians to sit, lie sleep and keep warm and dry on public property in most circumstances. House Bill (HB) 3115, passed by the house on April 15, fairly narrowly addresses these issues subsequent to a Ninth Circuit Appeals Court ruling in an Idaho case that homelessness cannot be criminalized and applies to nine states, including Oregon (PPR #76). HB 2367, the "Right to Rest Act," would have guaranteed persons experiencing homelessness the ability to participate in Oregon's social and economic life. It would also have ensured their use of and free movement within public spaces to rest without discrimination, time limits, harassment and citation or arrest by law enforcement, public or private security or government employee. While community organizers supported this second bill as more comprehensive, it was given a short hearing on the last day possible and "died in committee."
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May, 2021
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Portland Copwatch Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.
People's Police Report
#83 Table of Contents
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![[image of the February Portland Tribune online
article on Portland Police guarding Fred Meyer dumpsters]](http://www.pjw.info/copwatch/PPR83/dumpster_cops_trib021721.jpg)
In January, the City announced they
would be closing Hazelnut Grove, a self-governed village in
North Portland. The City indicated the reasons for this were both to preserve the environment and
the fact that villagers could relocate to a shelter being set up in St. Johns. For five years, the City
had provided services to the village including portable toilets and trash pickup. Those living at
Hazelnut Grove were extremely concerned about the move, especially in the midst of the pandemic.
Advocates and some neighbors were supportive of Hazelnut Grove, with a petition garnering 6000
signatures. In late February, the Mayor's office indicated the village could remain, but funding for
some of the services such as storage, fencing and landscaping would be cut (Willamette
Week, February 20).