Frightened neighbors have said that one of Portland‘s new city-sponsored homeless villages has become a hotbed for crime and drug dealing.
Homeless people, who were previously camping out on the Peninsula Crossing Trail in Portland, were taken off the streets and introduced to the city’s solution, the recently-completed Safe Rest Village.
But the new village, which houses 70 people, has caused mayhem for homeowners in the vicinity, who say it’s running rampant with drug dealers, loud noises, and anti-social behavior.
George Siebert, who can see the village from his backyard, told KATU: ‘Life is pretty miserable because we live in a kind of anxiety. We are on the edge every time somebody walks by.’
Frightened neighbors have said that one of Portland’s new city-sponsored homeless villages has become a hotbed for crime and drug dealing
The view of the new village from George Siebert’s bedroom window
Homeless people, who were previously camping out on the Peninsula Crossing Trail in Portland, were taken off the streets and introduced to the city’s solution, the recently-completed Safe Rest Village
His home, which he has lived in for 42 years, now faces the bathrooms of Portland’s newest Safe Rest Village. He said he can hear people using the facilities at all times of the day.
But Siebert said he and his wife have seen far worse in front of their home – including people passing by and flipping them off with profanities, people doing drugs on his property, and stealing his water.
He said there’s often people screaming and fighting as they make their way to and from the Safe Rest Village.
And it’s left the homeowner scared for his life as he constantly is in fear of his car being stolen or something getting out of hand.
One person on a bike putting their middle finger up at one of the homeowners
George Siebert, who can see the village from his backyard, said : ‘Life is pretty miserable because we live in a kind of anxiety. We are on the edge every time somebody walks by’
Another local, Chrisanne Boles, said that the people have started stealing cigarettes from her porch
CCTV footage at night showing the groups of people causing noise and havoc for locals
Locals say there’s often people screaming and fighting as they make their way to and from the Safe Rest Village
CCTV from various surrounding houses shows the anti-social behavior, at all times of the day and night, that the locals are having to deal with thanks to the new housing initiative.
Another local, Chrisanne Boles, said that the people have started stealing cigarettes from her porch.
She told KATU: ‘They’ve stolen, I don’t know how much stuff out of my yard. They’re bold enough now they come up on my porch and steal cigarettes.
‘The ones that are really homeless and not doing the drugs, I have compassion for them. These ones right here, I have no compassion.
‘They’re not trying to help themselves. I’ve called the cops. The cops don’t do nothing, right? What can they do?’
Urban Alchemy CEO Lena Miller
Urban Alchemy, the non-profit group who manages Safe Rest Village, said they are ‘taking immediate steps to add two more practitioners per shift to provide safety and service monitoring and engage the areas surrounding the safe sleep to determine illicit activity.’
Their CEO, Lena Miller, has also been embroiled in ‘black-fishing’ controversies in the past, with critics claiming that she tries to make herself more black, when she is in fact a white woman.
Tom Karwaki, chair of the University Park Neighborhood Association, said: ‘The discussion with the neighborhood was always, ‘Do you want a managed camp or an unmanaged camp?’ And it was the wild west with the unmanaged camp.
‘It’s like having a battleship literally be dropped into the water and then suddenly be expected to be in battle the next day. Not going to happen. Well, it’s sort of the same thing here; it was a hard, rocky start.
‘Urban Alchemy initially just focused on what’s inside the fence. Now they are sending their staff around here.’
It’s no surprise that Portland has been dealing with a serious homeless crisis.
In May, local authorities in Oregon considered calling in the National Guard to help with Portland’s homeless issue – while residents reveal they now no longer walk in certain areas because of the drug and encampment problem.
The Health and Human Services and Public Safety Committee met last month for an emergency meeting to deal with the crisis – with more than 5,000 estimated homeless people in the city. According to WGME, city leaders say there are more than 100 tents in the city.
This follows news that Democrat lawmakers in Oregon want to decriminalize homeless camps with a law that would allow the people who live in them to sue for $1,000 if they’re harassed or told to leave.
The hugely-controversial bill claims ‘decriminalization of rest’ would allow city leaders to ‘redirect’ cash from law enforcement into measures that ‘address the root causes of homelessness and poverty’.
Speaking to DailyMail.com about the bill, one resident said: ‘I think there’s got to be better ways to do that. I’ve already signed something saying I’m against it. I don’t think it’s a great idea.’
