News
Firsthand accounts of those impacted by sweeps on Portland’s streets
Between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025, the city hired city contractor Rapid Response Bio Clean to conduct at least 8,764 sweeps, where workers confiscate the belongings of people living outside and make them move elsewhere. On a rainy day in November, Portlanders shared their experiences with sweeps. Don On the day before Thanksgiving,…
Opinion
Letter from the editor | Every sweep comes at a cost
When Street Roots publishes the Jan. 7 issue, I’ll have spent the last four years, six months and two days editing Street Roots. While many things have changed since I started on July 5, 2021, some things remain essentially unchanged. Portland still faces a homelessness crisis. The lack of affordable housing continues to fuel that…
