From Central City Concern to city staffers to Ground Score, many teams joined the effort. Why can’t we do this for all Portland camps?
Bronwyn Carver is a member of Street Roots' MoJo reporting group — short for mobile journalists. Street Roots’ MoJo program comprises vendors interested in journaling life on the streets and writing about issues important to our community. This is her account of one of the recent outreach efforts to unhoused people in the Laurelhurst Park area.
On Friday, July 2, I traveled to Laurelhurst Park to meet up with volunteers who would be helping to clean the campsites that are located within the park. When I arrived with my fellow MoJo journalist, Mari Louden and my MoJo manager, Gary Barker, Central City Concern was on site collecting trash.
The campers have a portable toilet available to them located on the sidewalk in a main spot.
An awaiting dumpster sat at the ready over on the park-side of the street.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation was out to remind folks that vehicles in the street could impede response vehicles and needed to be removed.
Andre, the community justice organizer from City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty’s office, has been cleaning this part of the park for the last two months. He has been “making sure to keep this side of the street clear for emergency vehicles to come by, making sure the garbage service companies were actually able to come and be able to do their pick-ups three days a week, that the port-a-potties were getting cleaned, that the residents had water and really just building a relationship with the residents so then when we do come down here and do these types of clean-ups that they (the residents) have respect and they know who is actually coming down here.”
He was joined by Will from Commissioner Carmen Rubio’s office to aid in the cleanup of Laurelhurst.
The camp at Laurelhurst has been swept three times this past year. Campers would move over to the Sunnyside neighborhood then once again come back. This back and forth added campers and the camp has seen their numbers grow to what is now quite a large group, consisting of 50 to 60 people between tents and vehicles that wrap around the north end of the park. This created an “L” shape that seemed to be located near the park playground, and became a point of contention with the housed residents of the neighborhood. Several folks were standing during the clean-up, watching the proceedings, and with raised voices argued with one of the members of the houseless residents regarding used syringes in the playground and how they posed a potential hazard to their small children and at the very least an awkward conversation with a toddler. One homeowner stated how they “felt abandoned by the city.”
At this point in the morning we were joined by Barbie from Ground Score and her team consisting of Bob, Destiny, Jody, Michael and Morgan. Also on the ground was Portland Fire and Rescue to educate the campers about the burn ban in Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties, the fireworks ban, and that propane tanks should not be kept in this heat as there is a pressure release valve and should the pressure build in the tank the valve would open and anyone with a cigarette would set themselves and the surrounding area on fire.
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I spotted a stand set up with signage stating camp rules, including one that requests no outside drug use.
I was introduced to Mike who has been taking the initiative on cleaning up the camp, working with the city each time they have come out. He is houseless and a member of the encampment at Laurelhurst Park.
Mike, who declined to give his last name, said the stand has had many looks to it but that no one person is in charge of it. I asked about forming a more managed camp by having a spokesperson and some basic rules to abide by, like the sign had on it. This may help with the tension between the home owners and the campers. Mike said that there were “so many individuals that no one wants one person to speak for them.” Another camp resident, Andrew Walsh, said he has grown up around the neighborhood and “feels very invested in the area.” He proposed to have an extra tent erected so those who use drugs could do so out of sight, disposing of the used gear in one of several red used syringe collection boxes.
I noticed a woman standing off to the side wearing an ACLU OBSERVER vest.
I was informed that the campers had requested the services of the ACLU as an observer to the clean-up proceedings, ensuring that no one’s rights were violated. This was the first time I had heard of this service. She said that it was “quite common” in this area to call for an observer from the ACLU to come out and witness similar events.
The Ground Score team was making its way along a sidewalk. Deftly, they picked up a variety of trash.
They worked quickly but with an efficiency and a pleasant attitude, speaking to campers respectfully and with ease.
I had an opportunity to speak with Destiny as she picked trash from various locations placing the garbage inside black thick bags, the same black garbage bags that she gave freely to those who asked for them.
Destiny has been with Ground Score a little over a month and said she absolutely loves the work. Here she acts in the role of cleanup and outreach, giving individuals “a little bit of extra help.”
Destiny feels the frustration with the outside world and their lack of support and understanding. “They do not have a clue what this is like. The system was set up to fail the homeless person, unfortunately.”
Destiny knows this first hand as she has spent more than four years without walls herself.
Being a branch between the two worlds, Destiny believes her purpose is to “give these people a voice.”
As you look around the park at the various factions that are assembled to clean up, one wonders why this cannot be done for all the camps. Yes, that would probably require more labor hours that can be allotted but a port-a-potty, trash service and some initiative could make the difference in being swept or sweeping and staying. Destiny said it best when she spoke more on her purpose. “To keep the doors open on both sides, reminding them of humility and humbleness.”
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