PORTLAND, Ore. — Off Southeast 124th and Division Street, Jeff saws through slabs of wood to make a new shoe rack for his camper he lives out of. He tries to carve out a life for himself with limited tools and limited time. His camper was just posted for removal, and he has seven days to move.
"I think that Rapid Response is a waste of money," Trinity, a 22-year-old who lives a few tents down, said of Portland's contracted camp removal crews. Her pit bull, her only protection from street life, growled at people passing by.
"He scares the scary people away," she said.
Trinity's site was just cleared from the Wells Fargo two blocks away on Southeast 121st Avenue and Division Street, and she's been through this cycle before.
"We kind of move back and forth from here to the bank," Trinity said.
Earlier this week, the bank temporarily closed due to safety concerns.
"The safety of our customers and employees is a top priority. We have temporarily closed the 121st and Division branch while we work with the city and police department to address the safety concerns," a spokesperson for Wells Fargo said in statement Wednesday. "We will reopen as soon as we can do so safely. We encourage customers to visit our nearby branches at 122nd and Halsey, 103rd and Washington, or 181st and Stark or use our online and mobile banking options."
"When it comes to a point when you have to access your funds and your money and get in and out of establishment like a bank, and you can’t do that, it's kind of a problem," said Anthony Kondos, who runs a State Farm branch a few blocks away.
The Wells Fargo branch reopened Thursday morning, one day after city crews cleared a nearby homeless camp, which has since moved two blocks away.
"Oh my gosh, I want to say it’s been going on for three, four years now. … Our kids can't even go outside and play because of what’s going on," said a neighbor who lives near the camp but didn't want to be identified.
"They’ll be back; they’ve been back for the last two years. Right now, we have a clean street for three weeks," added another neighbor, Gary Donovan.
So far this month, Portland police officers have responded to the camp on Southeast 121st four times for things such as assault and theft. They have been working with the surrounding community to address the safety concerns.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's office told KGW they have received 40 complaints about the camp in the past month, and they removed it twice since the middle of June.
"Just moving people around doesn't solve the issue, but at the same time, I see both perspectives: these guys need a solution and everyone else needs to feel safe," said another neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous.
The mayor's office said their outreach teams have repeatedly engaged with people there, and they may enforce the camping ban in this case, which is jail time or fines if someone refuses the offer of shelter.