A neighborhood in Southeast Portland has been thrown into chaos as locals clash with those living in a homeless encampment.
Portland residents say the area has become a “war zone” as tension continues to escalate between locals and homeless people who have filled the streets with tarps and tents.
Lacey, a woman who lives in the camp, said KGW8 that someone ran over his dog with a car, leaving him with a broken leg and an open wound.
“It’s terrible… Cars are going by super fast, trying to run us over… I don’t want to be here. Nobody wants to be here,” Lacey told the outlet.
The area has had a long line of trailers and tents for years, but tensions have reached new heights in recent months with locals and homeless people clashing on a daily basis.
A neighborhood in Southeast Portland has descended into chaos as locals clash with those living in a homeless encampment.
The area has had a long line of trailers and tents for years, but tensions have reached new heights in recent months.
“It’s really dire right now. It’s like a war zone. It could be,” said Nancy Shannon, who lives nearby and often drives by the camp.
Shannon added that she has reached out to city officials about the camp many times but has not received a response.
However, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said the site was posted for removal.
But Shannon said: “They tag them, which they just did, and then they come and clean them up. Well, two hours later they’re back.”
Earlier this year, the Portland City Council unanimously approved new rules stating that homeless people who camp on public property and refuse offers of shelter could be fined up to $100 or sentenced to up to seven days in jail.
When shelter is not available, the same penalties apply for blocking sidewalks, using gas heaters or starting campfires, or having belongings more than 2 feet outside tents.
Lacey, a woman who lives in the Southeast Portland encampment, said someone hit her dog with a car, leaving him with a broken leg and an open cut.
A woman was seen yelling at homeless people at the camp as she drove by.
“Addressing homelessness in our city is a complex and urgent issue, and I believe this ordinance represents a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to effectively manage public spaces,” Mayor Wheeler said in a statement.
Those who accept offers of asylum will not be cited, according to Wheeler’s office.
For those who are cited, the courts will determine whether fines will be waived.
The ordinance says it encourages people to be diverted to assessments, emergency shelters or housing rather than jail.
The mayor’s office said the new rules are intended to comply with a state law that requires cities to have “objectively reasonable” restrictions on when, where and how people camp in public.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said the site is posted for removal.
An earlier, stricter version of the ordinance that banned daytime camping, risking fines or jail time, has been put on hold by a judge while a lawsuit challenging the measure filed by homeless advocates makes its way through the courts.
The move comes as Portland and other cities across the Western United States struggle to address the growing number of homeless encampments. Many officials say they must be able to manage the encampments to keep streets safe and sanitary, while advocacy groups say people should not be criminally punished for being homeless.
The U.S. Supreme Court, hearing a case brought by the small Oregon town of Grants Pass, is considering whether cities can punish people for sleeping outside when shelters don’t have room. It’s the most important case to come before the high court on the issue in decades and comes amid record numbers of homeless people across the country.
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