Thread by @JoAnnPDX

Upon entering City Hall, one of my goals has been to increase hygiene services for our houseless neighbors.
Recently HUCIRP began distributing 100 additional portable bathrooms throughout the City, which has been met with some unacceptable hostility. Full Statement in thread.

Recently the Homeless Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program (HUCIRP) began distributing 100 additional portable bathrooms throughout the City, with locations based on extensive research and data to make sure they are distributed equitably and where they are most needed.

I am enthusiastically in support of this FEMA & CARES Act funded effort, which could not be more important than during a global health pandemic where risks of COVID-19 exposure can be mitigated through good hygiene practices such as washing your hands.

This effort has been complicated by disturbing activity, with some community members harassing & threatening employees involved with the program, physically preventing bathroom placement through intimidation tactics, stealing, vandalizing, & padlocking these life safety resources

Let me be clear - this behavior is reprehensible, unacceptable, and potentially illegal. Those involved with this abhorrent behavior should be ashamed of themselves and know there will be consequences for their actions.

These are the type of incidents our police should prioritize responding to - protecting our most vulnerable community members, such as BIPOC and houseless communities that trust law enforcement the least, in efforts to rebuild that trust.

Unfortunately, some reports have included information that certain PPB officers have been less than helpful in this endeavor. I’m demanding that changes immediately.

Many members of our community have called for a houseless Bill of Rights and I think it’s past time we take that discussion seriously.

I thank the hardworking team at HUCIRP for their work aiding our vulnerable neighbors & hope to see the program continue to move in a direction that is focused on solutions that provide our houseless neighbors with a basic sense of dignity that so many of us take for granted.

Even before COVID-19 hit, many Portlanders were one missed paycheck, one unpaid bill, or one unlucky life event away from losing their home.

These are difficult times for all of us as we expect to see increased economic despair and many more potentially becoming houseless than are already sleeping in our streets, in cars, or on a friend’s couch.

There is an anxiety about the future that doesn’t always bring out our best selves, but we need to come together & care for one another to get through this. That’s the Portland I know & love & that’s what we need to be to get through these difficult times & build a better future.