PORTLAND, Ore. — Signs of protest were widely visible outside Portland City Hall last week as the council began debating a controversial proposal from Mayor Ted Wheeler to ban daytime camping in the city. The ordinance is scheduled to come back for a council vote Wednesday afternoon, but not every commissioner is on board.
The ban would prohibit camping on city property from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with a 24-hour prohibition in place for certain locations such as schools.
Commissioner Carmen Rubio, who oversees the Portland Housing Bureau, said in a statement this week that she plans to vote no on the ban, arguing that it would take effect too fast for shelter providers to prepare.
"Last year this Council committed to not criminalize people SOLELY for being homeless, but this ordinance seems to cross that line," she said. "In addition, I would have preferred that our timelines match with the increase in available shelter sites, and it would have given more time for all of our shelter providers to understand what this new ordinance will mean. This is why I introduced an amendment last week."
Commissioner Rene Gonzalez said he's in favor of the ban, but he's looking to make changes of his own ahead of Wednesday's council meeting.
"I think it’s long overdue," he said. "Portlanders have been demanding some real change on our streets so I think it’s a step in the right direction."
He added that he wants to see the ban incorporate stronger rules around tents near schools and shelters that are not city-run, as well as ways to break up large tent encampments.
"I think it’s going to make it easier to clean up and it eliminates the opportunity for criminal behavior to congregate," he said.
The enforcement piece is arguably one of the most controversial parts of the proposed ban; If a homeless person is told to move their tent three times, they could face fines or jail time. However, some commissioners acknowledged that the likelihood of that happening is slim.
"Almost no one’s going to jail over this," Gonzalez said. "I think the reality of what we’re trying to do is get tents off the streets, so this authorizes police and others to enforce."
Commissioner Dan Ryan said he plans to vote yes despite concerns about lack of shelter capacity in the city. He said he wants to see more people on the streets get access to treatment.
"We also have some people on the streets who say no to services and so we need to get to the bottom of that," he said. "We need to provide services that they’ll say yes to. We need to stop enabling and just allowing people to do illegal things on the street."
The first reading last week drew about six hours of public testimony from nearly 200 people, with frequent interruptions and even one person being escorted out by police. But not all of the speakers opposed the ban, and more than half of the written testimony was in favor.
The ban will come back to the council for a second reading on Wednesday, including additional public testimony on any changes that have been made since last week. After that, the council is tentatively planning to vote on the ordinance. If passed, it would go into effect next month.