The court ruling that allows for camping in the streets, Martin v. Boise, does not say we cannot impose limits on when and where the homeless camp. Why not ban unsanctioned street camping in Portland between the hours of 9 a.m. and 10 p.m.?
Allowing people to set up semi-permanent camps only allows trash and biohazard waste to accumulate, not to mention blocking access to all other pedestrians who are forced to walk into the streets, including children and handicapped people. How is this equitable? The obvious answer is it’s not.
Banning camping during these daytime hours means nothing without enforcement- we’ll need something like the National Guard to help us enforce such a ban, likely for at least a few months. We need to get the people experiencing homelessness used to the idea of “pack it up and move it out” first thing in the morning.
I’m not saying the homeless can’t sleep on the street if they are totally out of options. I’m saying they shouldn’t be able to take over a section of the sidewalk and try to stay there all day for weeks or months on end. Enough is enough. All the citizens of Portland deserve to be able to walk down the sidewalks without being forced to walk out into the street. It’s only fair.
Kris Whitley, Portland
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