Portland has long had a homeless problem, which was exacerbated by the pandemic. City leaders have attempted multiple times to address the issue, and in September Multnomah County approved a $62 million funding package to combat homelessness. The money will be used on emergency homeless shelters, day shelters, and drug detox centers among other things. The city has also put forward a camping ban that was scheduled to go into effect on November 13th. The policy which was passed in June would not allow for the homeless to camp on public property between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. and does not allow for overnight camping in city parks or on busy streets. Those who violate the policy twice will receive a written warning, with the third infraction resulting in a fine or jail sentence.
However, on Thursday, November 9th before the enforcement of the policy started, a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge stopped the city from doing so. Judge Rima Ghandour granted a legal request to stop the daytime camping ban. The request for a preliminary injunction was made by the Oregon Law Center who are representing five unhoused individuals trying to stop the ban. Ed Johnson, an attorney for the OLC said that the ordinance would cause his clients “irreparable harm and widespread trauma simply trying to comply with this ordinance. ”
In addition to the restrictions previously mentioned, the ordinance would prevent camping within 250 feet of schools and childcare centers. The Compass spoke with a student at Benson Polytechnic High School, a Portland Public school, to find out about the homeless situation near his school. Jefferson Mejia, who is a senior, says that the police are called because of an incident involving the homeless at least once a week. “There are a lot of tents around the campus and people setting fires.” He says that this has been a consistent problem at Benson, “It’s always been like this.”
The homeless problem also has affected students outside of the Portland School District. Anwar Singh, a senior at Nelson High School, works in a convenience store owned by his family on SE 139th in Portland. He says that the store has disruptions “almost every day” with members of the homeless population frequently shoplifting and breaking store property. “It has gotten a lot worse since Covid.” Singh is also skeptical about the ban saying that he doubts the protocols will be enforced frequently enough to make a significant impact, saying “I don’t think it would really do much.” The number of disturbances from the homeless is particularly concerning for Singh because he is often the only employee in the store late at night, “That can be stressful.”
Unless Judge Ghandour lifts her order to pause the ban, the policy will not be enforced until the conclusion of the lawsuit.