Meanwhile, people in Portland are wondering
what's going to happen next month when
the city's new camping ban takes effect.
Camping will be officially bannd
in all public places from 8:00 M
until 8:00 PM People will still
be allowed to camp overnight,
but they won't be allowed to camp in parks,
near schools, or high crash corridors.
If someone is caught camping ine
wrong place or at the wrong tim,
they'll face 2 written warnings and then
the possibility of fines or even jail time.
The ban is set to take effect next month,
but the city says it's going to
really be a phased in approach.
No word exactly on what that me,
by the way you all had questions about it.
Jim is asking what a lot of
people are thinking.
How does the mayor think he's
going to enforce this ban?
There are not enough police to
deal with the existing problems.
And if not the police, then who?
Jim's right. We already do know.
The Portland police are understaffed.
They've told us that themselves.
Several times that they just can't respond
to all the crime that happens in the city.
In the beginning,
it does sound like police
maybe would not be involved.
The city says they plan to focus more
on outreach workers and connectg
people with services rather than
punishing them with jail time
or fines on the city's website,
officials wrote.
If our outreach teams come into
contact with someone who is notn
compliance with the ordinance ar
the educational phased in perio,
we would coordinate with our puc
safety partners on the next ste.
Again, no word on how long that educational,
phased in period is supposed to last.
The mayor's office says there
will be a meeting to discuss wht
enforcement does look like.
They told us Mayor Wheeler's
team will convene a meeting with
the City Attorney's Office,
the Portland Police Bureau,
outreach teams and the Street Services
Coordination Center to review the ordinance,
discuss operations and conduct
training before enforcement beg.
Portland City Commissioner Renee Gonzalez
told us that almost no one is actually
going to go to jail over this camping ban.
The city also says the district
attorney's office is going to be
focused on seeking alternative
sentences rather than actual jail time,
Karen wrote.
I'm wondering where these folks will go.
Sounds like there is not an alternative
in housing or places they can c.
Just chasing folks from place
to place is inhumane.
That is one of the things that we're going
to be following as the ban takes effect.
The city says they have a plan to release
a map of where people can and cannot camp,
but they don't have it ready ye.
There are a few day shelters around the city.
Homeless people can go there to sleep,
take a shower,
get a meal or get connected with services.
But several of those people
running the shelters told the
city they do not have the
capacity to deal with a big
influx of people if needed.
Here's Liz Starkey with Rose Ha.
That's a shelter for women
and gender diverse people.
This is going to be really
hard for us as a day shelter,
which the city doesn't fund
day services currently.
And we are already serving about
120 to 150 people a day here.
So to ask folks to come in
with all of their belongings is
going to be even more difficult.
And then of course we see
escalated mental health crises n
people are disrupted and moved.
But especially for women and pee
who are marginalized by their gender,
this is really hard because a lf
those folks stay up all night to stay safe.
And they sleep during the day,
so it's going to be particularly
disruptive for the women in our
community that are experiencing
homelessness and living outside.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said.
He plans to work with the day shelters.
He also says he wants to open six large
camping sites throughout the ci,
places where people can go and p
and get connected with services.
So far, none of them have opene.
Wheeler's office says one of the campsites,
with space for about 140 people,
is set to open within weeks
in Southeast Portland.
They say the second one could
be open by the end of the year,
but they have not said where
that will be located.
The city still has not opened,
by the way, all of its safe rest villages,
which were announced all the
way back in May of 2021,
more than two years ago now.
We're going to keep you posted
on this camping ban and how well
it is or is not enforced.
In the meantime, what do you th?
Send us any more questions you might have,
We'll look for answers.
You can write to the story at
kgw.com or call and leave a voicemail
5 O3 226-5090.