Belmont Goats, the iconic Portland nonprofit-funded herd of goats, is reporting that their fence was cut Monday night, releasing their herd of goats - and that a note was found on the scene declaring it to be an intentional act in protest of the homeless camp sweeps in the area.
Belmont Goats reached out to KATU on Tuesday to inform of the incident.
As per their website, the Belmont Goats are "Portland’s nonprofit resident herd, offering an oasis of rural community amidst the built, urban environment since 2012." The goats can be visited by the public and schools for no cost, and the organization is funded by donations.
The park the goats live in is adjacent to Peninsula Crossing Trail, the site of a sprawling homeless camp that was previously an area of concern to residents.
In February 2022, the City of Portland announced that the Peninsula Crossing Trail area would become a new Safe Rest Village site for unsheltered homeless people.
In preparation for this development, the City has led sweeps of the existing unsanctioned camps in the area.
Belmont Goats moved to their current location on N Syracuse Street in 2019. The Peninsula Crossing Trail homeless encampment backs up against the edge of the Goats' current property. As part of the new SRV location, the City allegedly mandated that the Belmont Goats must leave their current N Syracuse location and relocate to a new area - an area that is currently occupied by part of the unsanctioned homeless camp.
A representative told KATU that on the night of February 7, the goats' fence was cut, releasing the animals from their park. Attached to the fence were multiple notes stating the act was an intentional protest by "some anarchists" against the City's sweeps of the Peninsula Trail Crossing camps, as well as the Goats' forecasted move into the part of the space.
Here is a transcription in full of the note as provided to KATU:
"In what reality is the comfort of five goats valued over the shelter of more than fifteen people?
These people live here, in the Cut. Some of them have made this camp their home for over 4 years. Many of the occupants of this camp grew up in St. John's and in some cases have roots going back generations, but have been forced out of their family homes by greedy landlords and bankers. Landlords and bankers who see housing as a way to realize profit, instead of an essential component to living a full, complete life. The only difference between you and the folks of the Cut is money. They can't afford houses, but this camp is their home.
On www.thebelmontgoats.org, the five goats are described like this: 'Our goats are privately owned pets and are not raised to produce anything... They are goats of leisure.' Very cute. We believe all beings deserve a life of leisure.
These goats are not at fault for the fact that their owners have decided to move them to a new enclosure, and that this enclosure happens to be located where over fifteen people are currently living. And that these people, a community of our unhoused neighbors, will simply be forced to leave.
The City of Portland has been talking about their great Safe Rest Village plan for years now. Almost none have been built, and it's clear that even when they are built, they will be woefully inadequate. The people who are supposed to be displaced by these goats have been told they won't be getting a spot in the new SRV. Instead, it'll be used as an excuse to further ban camping in the area.
People don't know where to go. People are desperate. Sweeps are a cruel, inhuman, and murderous way for the city to push people around, to appease developers and business owners, to keep unhoused people from forming communities at networks of support that might allow them to survive. To kick the can down the road and avoid addressing the real issues, which are the astronomical rise in the cost of housing, and that housing is not a commodity - but a human right!
The more than fifteen people who are supposed to be displaced have received a helpful notice: "'for information about shelter and other services, call 2-1-1.'
F--- that. That's not our reality. In our reality, when we see cruelty and injustice, we push back. So it's time for the Belmont Goats to enjoy a little walk in the park. All goats are born escape artists, so we're sure they won't mind.
Housing for all! You sweep, we strike!
- some anarchists."
The Belmont Goats' representative stated to KATU that their upcoming new location, which the note treated as an incentive for the vandalism, was not something they personally wanted.
"They clearly don’t understand that we are essentially being 'swept' too," said the representative. "We haven’t gone to the media about our move prior to now because the city has been so poor at communicating their plans with us, so we didn’t know what to say."
Additionally, the representative said that one of their goats, Phil, had been found dead on the morning of the 6th. They do not believe his death is related to vandalism, but it still adds to the stress.
"All are pretty devastated," she said.
In a phone interview with KATU, Belmont Goats co-owner Robin Casey expanded on the situation.
According to Casey, seven of their resident goats escaped. The goats were found by workers near rhododendron bushes, which they say are poisonous to goats.
The goats were rescued and taken back to their park, and the fence was makeshift repaired with zip ties. However, Casey was concerned due to rhododendron exposure poisoning possibly taking hours to appear in the animals.
Casey said that the City had offered them several new possible locations after mandating they must leave the N. Syracuse location in 2022, and that several factors went into selecting the site by part of the Peninsula Trail Crossing camp.
One is that the selected location would be the most affordable. She also stated that they wanted to remain in the area as a part of the community, and that the neighbors enjoyed having the herd around.
Additionally, Casey said that relations between Belmont Goats and the homeless population nearby have always been good, and that it was an unsheltered person living in the camp that alerted them of the goats on the loose.
"They’re our neighbors, they’re our community--whether they’re housed or not. And we want them to be a part of it, because they’re our people and we care about what’s happening to them. We’ve been vocal about the fact that we don’t agree with the sweeps," said Casey.
It should be noted that due to the ordinance, the City would enforce the clearing of the unsanctioned camp with or without the Belmont Goats being moved. There are currently about twelve tents on the future Goats spot.
On Tuesday afternoon, city officials said they have been offering services along the trail for roughly half a year.
You can read the statement from Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Ryan's offices below:
"The Street Services Coordination Center has worked over the past 6 months to perform extensive outreach to those residing along the Peninsula Crossing trail in self-sited campsites. Those who the SSCC made contact with were offered an immediately-available shelter bed, a personal ride to that shelter with their immediate belongings, complimentary storage for additional belongings and other services. This long-term cleanup effort is to allow for the development of a new Safe Rest Village site location, led by Commissioner Ryan.
"The senseless incident that occurred last night caused damage to private property and posed an immediate threat to the goats who were released. City staff has been in contact with Belmont Goats since early this morning to help the staff bring the goats back to safety.
"While we wait to learn additional details of the shooting event, this underscores the need for temporary alternative shelter sites and Safe Rest Villages that provide a safe, professionally managed environment for homeless Portlanders to stay where they have better access to services.
"The City of Portland does not condone these acts of violence. Those who are engaged in criminal activity or acts of violence must be held accountable for their actions."