Portland's camping ban, from a camper's perspective

Lyneaha Fairfield camps under the walk bridge at Southeast 85th Avenue and Division Street with her friend Zilla and their dog. She was unaware of Portland’s attempt to ban daytime camping on city property, but didn’t think it would affect her much on out in Southeast. (Courtesy: Joseph Gallivan)

Division Street camper on the fence about Wheeler's daytime purge of sidewalk tents

by: Joseph Gallivan

Posted: Jun 4, 2023 / 10:00 AM PDT

Updated: Jun 2, 2023 / 08:56 PM PDT

PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) — Lyneaha Fairfield camps under the walk bridge at Southeast 85th Avenue and Division Street. She and her friend Zilla moved there a week ago.

“We just got kicked out of Canton Grill parking lot,” she said of the closed down eatery at 2610 S.E. 82nd Ave. “We had permission to stay there, and we tried to tell (other people) not to move in, because we were going to get kicked out, and they moved in there anyways. And then yeah, the city called notice and kicked us out.”

Fairfield, 27, said she hadn’t heard of the city’s plan to outlaw camping on public property and beside highways from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“I kind of understand, for businesses,” she told the Tribune. “That would make sense if there’s camping in front of their businesses. But people that are out of sight, like my camp, they should be able to stay there, because sometimes people have a lot of stuff and it’s hard to move all that stuff constantly.”

She has never camped closer to the city center.

“I don’t like downtown,” she said. “I don’t like a bunch of people. Here, I feel more safe.”