Portland OR. Cares: Part 2. The Bad.

14,476 people are currently homeless in Oregon.

8,925 of those homeless are unsheltered. 

Portland is considered to be ahead of the curve when it comes to fighting the war on homelessness. Our city is praised as being one of the leaders of urban development, but the bottom line is that Oregon has the highest second rate of unsheltered homeless in the United States, right behind California. These two posts are going to compare and contrast The Good and The Bad being done for the homeless in Portland. This post is a two-part installment.

The Portland Mercury’s Queer issue just came out this week and the big News headliner: Oversight Questions Arise as Portland Pays to Clean Up Homeless Campsites confronts the unsuspecting reader. 

For those of you who aren’t familiar, the Portland Mercury is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. 

Half way through the article a realization occurs... you’re reading about a woman, who had been ran over by a clean up truck, and how the city program purchased her a hotel room for eight nights as condolences along with a new sleeping bag and tent. The price average tent is 100 dollars, and you can find sleeping bags for as cheap as 40. So, 140 dollars… Is that all this woman’s life is worth to Portland?

“Advocates for the homeless say the event represents a pattern of bad behavior by Rapid Response, which has allegedly engaged in physical altercations, destroyed people’s belongings—including much-needed medication—and driven recklessly through homeless encampments. Blackwolf’s experience shows how, for many living outdoors, contracted trash cleanup crews have become the face of the city. And it’s not a very friendly one” (Schmid).

“I’m just a person on the trail,” she says. “They bought me this room and this tent and stuff, like, to shut me up. Like they know they’re wrong. Because the guy just said, ‘Oh, I’m sorry I ran you over,’ just peeking his head in the tent door. Is that how you would apologize to somebody you almost killed?”- (Blackwolf interviewd by Schmid)

According to Schmid’s research and the Portland city audit, “What started as a temporary response to people living outside has evolved into a program spending more than $3.6 million annually.” This money is funding Rapid Response, the key local contractor for “cleaning up” homeless camps and The Homeless/Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program (HUCIRP) is the city program that oversees the clean ups. “On May 22, Portland City Council voted unanimously to authorize a competitive process to win HUCIRP contracts that, over five years, will pay out an estimated $25 million” (Schmid). Rapid response employees are compensated $79.99 an hour for “assistant worker,” $89.00 an hour for “lead worker,” and $1 million annually from the city. How gracious of the programs to provide Blackwolf 140.00 dollars and eight nights at a hotel, for almost being killed.

The dehumanization provided through Portland’s city works program is disheartening and appalling. Rapid Response’s work description is summarized as “removal and disposal of bio-hazardous waste, hoarding, and gross filth.” The homeless are referred to as “feral humans,” and “shit-birds.” Rapid Response is one of the only contracted city clean up programs that require relocation of the homeless, resulting in an endless chase of cat and mouse. A few of the horrifying experiences associated with forcing homeless people to relocate include physical assault, disposal of property, and disposal of medicine. When HUCIPR was accused of harassing the homeless the responded,

“We try to reduce the amount of harm or trauma that the people doing this work on behalf of the city are inflicting on people,” Hillier responded. “I don’t know that I’d feel good to say that we don’t ever inflict any kind of trauma, because when somebody’s living outside, and somebody comes and tells them, ‘We’re going to collect property,’ that’s a traumatic experience inherently.” (HUCIPR)

        For such a progressive city when it comes to human rights, equality, and urban development, the fact remains that Portland isn’t perfect and in many ways, it’s bad. Gentrification and the majority populous of rich white capitalistic residents are curating the streets. Homelessness it ugly, people don’t want to see it, and Rapid Response sounds more like an extermination program than anything else. This bring up underlying concerns about how we actually view the homeless, and their value as human beings, regardless of a stable roof over their heads. It could be considered that we treat our stray dogs better than our humans. 

Click here to see the original article in The Mercury.