One Portland business owner says he’s suffering the consequences of speaking out.
Hugo Avalos begged the city for help with problems connected to a nearby homeless camp, but things only got worse after the camp was moved.
Avalos first opened his food cart, Taqueria Chumato, on the corner of Southeast 146th and Stark last August.
From the get-go, he pressed the city to do something about a massive homeless camp, within 50 yards of his business, that he said was hurting his business. He said customers were being harassed and threatened.
Now seven months later, Avalos is moving out.
“I need to get away from the area right now. That’s the number one thing to do, just get away,” he said.
The city of Portland did move the homeless camp that Avalos complained about, even planting trees where there were once tarps and tents.
“In another way, they just pushed ‘em down, they pushed ‘em to the other side, closer to us, more trash to us,” he said. “You can see the difference. It looks beautiful over there, but if you look down there -- what a mess.”
And there are the break-ins. Avalos says his food cart has been broken into three times recently, costing him about $4,000-worth of equipment and food.
He believes the thieves are targeting him, convinced he’s the one who got the camp pushed down the street.
“Because they got rid of them from where they were, they’re thinking we’re the ones who got rid of them, and we’re paying the consequences. It’s been a lot of crap around here,” Avalos said.
He even hired a security guard to watch his food cart at night.
Avalos says he has great compassion for the homeless, but it’s become too much. So the decision has been made, his cart is shut down. He’s applied to rent a space at 181st and Halsey in Gresham, which he says is much calmer. He hopes to be approved soon.
“It’s either put all my money back in it or walk away with a little bit,” he said.
So the dream of serving his favorite food out of a cart is on hold for now, but with two children at home, an income isn’t an option.
“I started working for the Rose Quarter, because if I don’t make money here, I need to make money somehow. I got bills to pay. They keep going, so I gotta find a way to survive,” Avalos said.