Around 80 individuals experiencing homelessness and supporters, including six Street Roots vendors have plopped down tents along the Rose Festival Parade route on SW 4th and Washington.
The group is protesting Portland’s camping ordinance — which criminalizes people sleeping outdoors. One participant says, “We’re making a statement about homelessness and the fact that we are criminalized for our social status. It’s inhumane, especially when so many people are sick and dying out here.”
Legal observers with the National Lawyers Guild were on hand to make sure that people’s right on the streets were upheld, including “free speech.”
Street Roots has extensively covered the camping ordinance over the years, including highlighting alternatives.
Posted by Israel Bayer.