PORTLAND, Oregon — The Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) purchased the historic Canton Grill in Southeast Portland back in February. And with their purchase, an APANO official told KGW that they allowed a few people who were homeless to camp out on their property.
But they now wish for a different outcome — as the entire parking lot has grown in popularity for camping.
"I think honestly we should have been more clear about what our expectations were and planned ahead,” said Duncan Hwang with APANO. “You know, as a nonprofit, I think we have to uphold our values as much as possible, but also we are members of this community.”
And they are working to clean things up.
Just this weekend, Hwang said APANO handed out pamphlets and posted signs throughout the site giving people a two-week notice to pack up their things and leave by Monday, May 22.
Businesses nearby said that this should never have been allowed in the first place.
“Every day there is dumping of garbage, people pulling up, I mean there is totally stuff going on over there and it absolutely reeks,” said Austin Jones, the store manager at nearby 4 Wheel Parts.
Other neighboring businesses told KGW they are frustrated with the situation, saying they have encountered homeless individuals from across the street leaving human feces in the bathrooms and using drugs. Some have seen a decrease in customers since the site was bought and overtaken by the homeless.
“It is really frustrating for us because we try to keep our stuff clean,” said Jones. “We want it to be a good shopping experience for our customers and obviously, when they are pulling up and they’re seeing that happen they really don’t want to leave their vehicles.”
Whang says APANO will be putting up a permanent fence around the facility to stop people from camping again. He also wants the community to know they understand this is a challenge for local businesses and people living nearby and are working to "make things right."
"I think it's something that we're all in this together and we're going to work through it and all build the neighborhood that we want to see," said Hwang.