Blogtown, PDX

Friday, May 18, 2007

News Cops Start Summer Homeless Sweeps

Posted by Matt Davis on Fri, May 18 at 3:26 PM

Central precinct police are cracking down on people camping under downtown bridges and outside Transition Projects Inc, on the corner of 5th and Glisan. Day Shift Lieutenant Todd Wyatt writes:

We have begun to contact people who are camping here and letting them know that on May 22, we will come through and cite or arrest people who are camping in these areas. We have posted these areas with warnings. Yesterday Officer Myers walked through and passed the word and today Commander Reese, Officer Dobson and I walked through and spoke with people.

We have begun to contact social service agencies and asked them to assist us in communicating with people regarding the law and their need to move. We anticipate we will be able to talk these people into moving out of these areas before the May 22 date. Last time we did this, the locations were deserted on the date we came through.

The city’s camping law is different from its new sit/lie law, and is easier for the police to enforce.

“This is a sign that people experiencing homelessness are not welcome downtown,” says Streetroots director, Israel Bayer.

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Comments

HEY - Keep them up there! Eugene/Springfield will send you more, LOL.

Those that want to help these "people" can feel free to board them in their own homes.

Posted by JustaDog | May 18, 2007 5:04 PM

Oh, Christ.

Posted by Matt Davis | May 18, 2007 5:21 PM

the customers that deal with TPI and other organizations refer to TPI as "Poverty Pimps". More than willing to make a few bucks off of helping the poor and downtroden, but lacking will to follow through and work towards ending homelessness. This type of activity is a deep, grievous wound in the heart of the homeless community, forced to take help from people who do not have your best in their minds, or even a clean heart when they do it.
there are many organizations that work with the homeless community that would _not_ call the police for people with no home sleeping a few hours out front, Street Roots, and Sisters Of The Road to name but two.

Posted by someone who cares | May 18, 2007 5:23 PM

lol, in the galleria? No business has ever lasted in that location more than a few years, and always with it's tail between it's legs.

Posted by indy | May 18, 2007 9:10 PM

I went to JustaDog's page and got all angry and then forgot what my comment was going to be...
Uh, what's the difference between summer and winter? It's ok for these people to camp when it's cold, but not when the weather gets better? I don't get it. Why the seasonal restriction?

Posted by Hula | May 19, 2007 7:51 AM

Hula, here's why Portland's homeless "problem" is seasonal: Portland is attractive in the summer because it's warm without being oppressively hot. In the winter months, many homeless people ride the bus down the I-5 to California to escape the Northwest rain.

Posted by Matt Davis | May 19, 2007 12:06 PM

Ugh,I too just visited just a dog's site. Man, I feel crappy. What hateful, racist bile. That is one individual that's got some Seung-Hui Cho (Virginia Tech Shooter)in the brain.Get some help 'dog', seriously.

Posted by Jason | May 20, 2007 2:58 PM

I'd just like to take my kids to Saturday Market and the Waterfront without a bunch of filthy bums laying around and hitting me up for change.

I'll gladly kick a few bucks to some kind or organized means of providing them some decent shelter. I'm not down with them making these places unbearable shitholes during the few months of the year when we actually like being outside.

Posted by G | May 21, 2007 2:06 PM

KGW is running a piece tonight on the homeless sweeps.

Posted by Israel Bayer | May 21, 2007 7:20 PM

I don’t want to wait till the end of Summer :( , I want it now. Who with me?
save your time and join me. ;)

Posted by BustyBoots | May 31, 2007 2:22 PM

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