PORTLAND, Ore. — On Wednesday morning, crews towed what was left of a car that had been set on fire in a Northeast Portland homeless camp. It was the remains of a street fight that happened a few nights before when someone intentionally lit it on fire in an act of retaliation, homeless people there told a KGW crew.
“It can be bad. It can be real bad,” Terry explained of street life in Portland. His truck that he lives out of was parked behind the burned car.
“It’s nothing I like to wake up and see — no, not at all,” he continued.
Also surrounding his site are businesses that make up Northeast Ainsworth Circle. They are also dealing with the aftermath of the camp.
“We’ve had people entering the facilities; we’ve had our EV lines cut, stolen; we’ve had people just not feeling safe at work,” said Kevin Gleason, the senior director of global brand and marketing for Leatherman, the Portland-based company that makes popular pocket multi-tools.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office told KGW in an email Wednesday that they have been tracking the homeless camp and are prioritizing its removal.
The camp itself is not all burned-out cars and RVs, and it's not all adults: At one end is a family with three toddlers. When KGW was there Wednesday, the toddlers were in diapers playing on the sidewalk, and a city outreach worker was meeting with them, helping them get off the streets.
Surrounding businesses like those at Leatherman have also stepped in to help the homeless family.
“A lot of our employees gave them resources, diapers, food, so again, figuring out a way to solve the problem not just continue to talk about it… You have to balance compassion with an ability to run a business in the city,” Gleason said.
Not far from the camp, one can hear the sounds of more young children playing, but this time, at a daycare.
“We have kids anywhere from six weeks to 5 years old,” said Kurt Hudson, who runs Higher Elevations Learning Place.
The daycare estimates they have spent $15,000 to $20,000 on fences to keep homeless people out of the playground, away from their vans, and on repairing repeat break-ins.
“It’s not in our budget. You can ask anyone in the childcare business — their margins aren’t that great,” Hudson said.
They’ve also dealt with people smoking fentanyl by the bushes nearest the playground.
“These are all things we have to cover because who wants to bring their child to a place that’s not safe?” he said.
Hudson and surrounding business owners have contacted the city numerous times about these safety concerns.
“It’s a one-way communication process. We can reach out; I don’t get anything back,” Hudson said.
“So, they’ve been responsive, but we haven’t seen any action,” added Gleason.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office called the site "problematic" and told KGW they assessed it six times this month, including Wednesday morning. They said they recently spoke with people living and working in that neighborhood and are “working to address this situation with urgency and care.”
The city is partnering with PBOT and PPB to remove many of the vehicles “within the coming weeks.”