Leaders Respond to Allegations of Harassment by Clean and Safe
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Homeless advocates and organizers with the Right 2 Dream Too homeless camp in Portland told GoLocal that Clean and Safe officers had been harassing homeless people and forcing them to clear the sidewalks after previously being told they would not be disturbed overnight during the cold winter months. They also said that homeless people had their property seized by Clean and Safe Officers and were not able to retrieve it.
Cameron Whitten, Executive Director of Know Your City and a longtime activist in Portland, told GoLocal that public safety personnel like Clean and Safe officers are not actually helping to improve safety when they force homeless people out of their camps.
“How we can we have public safety that doesn’t have a lens that looks at safety and how to help people,” Whitten said. “Currently, public safety really isn’t helping more making anyone more safe. They just make the problem go from one place to another, rather than trying to solve it.”
Other homeless advocates in Portland agreed with Whitten.
“That’s really tough and something we’ve heard a lot of stories about from members of our community,” Justin Hufnagel, manager of communications at Sisters of the Road, a resource center and social justice advocate group for the homeless located in Portland, told GoLocal. “I know that some people feel sweeping the streets keeps things safer, but we don’t agree. These people have nowhere to go, and you’re making them move, all while harassing them and taking their things. That is frustrating.”
“A Really Strange Double Standard”
Whitten said that the while he is glad to see city and political leaders have made the issue of homelessness a top priority, he believes the strategy towards solving problems associated with Portland is flawed.
“We all understand what a serious issue homelessness and housing is in Portland,” Whitten said. “Just last week, the Portland Business Alliance hosted a forum on it, we have a state of emergency surrounding it and the city is putting funding in, so I’m still scratching my head. The strategy in Portland is just to push people from doorway to doorway, from sidewalk to sidewalk without really ever addressing the issue. I think personally, it doesn’t make sense for our city, whether it’s Portland or another city, to address the issue of homelessness that way.”
Whitten said that that flawed strategy is causing adverse effects for not just Portland’s homeless population, but for businesses and residents all over the city.
“It’s seems like a really strange double standard,” Whitten said. “People’s lives are being affected. At the system level, people are losing their property, and they are losing the willingness to find a way to keep going. We have record numbers of homeless and people who are homeless now that have never been homeless before. We need to find a way that actually addresses homelessness and doesn’t just create costly inconveniences because this situation is hurting everyone, not just the people who are homeless."
Hufnagel agreed. He said that he and many others are frustrated that the city’s rhetoric on homelessness does not seem to match up with their actions.
“It’s contradictory,” Hufnagel said. “It reminds me of when they declared the state of emergency and that same day a lot of people in our community were served eviction notices and had to move back out on the streets. What they’re saying and what they’re doing doesn’t seem to match up.”
Related Articles
- Portland Animal Welfare Team Reaches Out To Homeless With Pets
- Oregon Hits 4th Highest Homelessness Rate In Country
- NEW: Hales Announces $30 Million For Homelessness
- Is Portland’s Homeless Problem Undermining its Potential?
- Portland Cops Hand Out Cell Phone Numbers to Homeless
- Portland to Purchase Land for New Homeless Rest Area
- U.S. Government Awards Oregon Homeless Agencies Over $26 Million in Grants
- Student Homelessness in Oregon Reaches Record Breaking Rates
- Portland’s Homeless State of Emergency to Get Its First Test
- Portland’s homeless population continued to grow in 2014
- Is Portland Bolstering Homeless Numbers to Get More Federal Funding?
- Is Hales Using Homelessness To Win Re-Election?
- Eugene Fights Homelessness With Tiny Houses
- Deborah Kafoury: How Do We Solve Portland’s Homelessness Problem?
- County Clamps Down on the Homeless Along Sandy River
- Charity Rescues Hawaii’s Homeless Pets and Flies Them to Portland
- Hales Calls for Additional Funds to Solve Homelessness Crisis
- Halloween 5K Race to Raise Money for Child Homelessness
- Homelessness Expert to Speak at Portland Business Alliance Event
- Homelessness Divides City Council and Businesses
- Homeless Right to Sleep on Sidewalks Pushed by Oregon Senator
- Hey Scott Taylor: I’m Sick of People Being Rude to Portland’s Homeless Residents
- Advocates Claim City-Paid Security Firm Harassing Homeless, Seizing Property
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It