Chaos has broken out in a Portland neighborhood as locals clash with residents of a homeless camp.
Residents in the city’s southeast say the area has become a “war zone” as tensions rise between locals and the homeless who have cordoned off the streets with tarpaulins and tents.
Lacey, a woman who lived in the camp, told KGW8 that someone had hit her dog with a car, leaving him with a broken leg and an open cut.
“It’s horrible…cars are going by really fast, trying to hit us…I don’t want to be here. Nobody really wants to be here,” Lacey told the outlet.
For years, long lines of campers and tents have formed in this area, but tensions have risen in recent months, with locals and homeless people clashing on a daily basis.
A southeast Portland neighborhood has descended into chaos as locals clash with people living in a homeless encampment
For years, there was a long line of campers and tents in the area, but tensions have reached new heights in recent months
“This is really bad right now. I mean, this is like a war zone. It could be a war zone,” said Nancy Shannon, who lives nearby and often drives past the camp.
Shannon added that she has reached out to city officials several times about the camp but has yet to receive a response.
However, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has stated that the site has been marked for removal.
But Shannon claimed, “They tag them, which is what 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 that state that homeless people who camp on public property and refuse an offer of shelter could be fined up to $100 or jailed for seven days.
Lacey, a woman who lives in the encampment in southeast Portland, said someone hit her dog with a car, leaving him with a broken leg and an open wound.
A woman was seen shouting at the homeless in the camp as she drove past
If no shelter is available, the same penalties apply for blocking sidewalks, using gas heaters, lighting fires, and storing belongings more than 2 feet from the tent.
Mayor Wheeler said in a statement, “Addressing the problem of homelessness in our city is a complex and urgent issue. I believe this ordinance is an important step forward in our ongoing efforts to effectively manage public space.”
According to Wheeler’s office, people who accept an offer of shelter will not be fined.
For those who receive a fine, the judge will determine whether the fine will be waived.
The ordinance says it encourages people to go to an assessment center, emergency shelter or housing instead of jail.
The mayor’s office said the new rules comply with a state law that requires cities to impose “objectively reasonable” restrictions on when, where and how people can camp in public.
An earlier, stricter version of the ordinance that banned daytime camping — which could carry fines or jail time — has been suspended by a judge while a lawsuit filed by homeless advocates challenging the measure moves through the courts.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has claimed the site has been announced for removal
The measure comes as Portland and other cities in the western US struggle to deal with the growing number of homeless encampments.
Many officials say they must manage encampments to keep the streets safe and clean, while advocacy groups argue that people should not be criminally punished for being without housing.
The U.S. Supreme Court, after hearing a case brought by the small Oregon town of Grants Pass, is considering whether cities can punish people for sleeping outside when there is a shortage of shelter. It is the most significant case on the issue before the high court in decades and comes amid record numbers of homeless people across the country.