PORTLAND, Ore. — A large campsite has been growing in Normandale Park in Northeast Portland, the site of last week's deadly shooting that left one woman dead and five injured, including the shooter.
The camp formed after the shooting and neighbors are concerned about how large it has gotten. Several neighbors around the park, who didn't want to go on camera, said people started camping at the park the day after the shooting. It's unclear who is staying at the camp. Some people on social media have said it is a vigil.
Demonstrators gathered at the park on the evening of Feb. 19 for a racial justice rally. Prosecutors claim shooting suspect Benjamin Smith came out of his nearby apartment and confronted the group.
Smith allegedly fired a gun into the crowd during the argument, killing a protester named June Knightly, a 60-year-old woman who was known as T-Rex by other protesters, and injuring four others before an armed protester fired back, striking Smith.
A large memorial for Knightly has grown inside the park in the past week, along with the camp. It appears the two are related based on the graffiti, but nobody from the camp would speak with a KGW reporter on Monday morning when asked why they were there and what message they were trying to send.
A building in the middle of the park has become covered in graffiti that appears to reference Knightly, and last week someone dropped off a porta-potty that is also now covered in graffiti.
Earlier Monday morning, a KGW crew saw someone trying to keep warm by a fire, which is against the city code to do in a public park.
Residents say they've seen anywhere from ten to fifteen people camping at the park, they've also seen people drop off food and firewood for the campers.
KGW reached out to Portland's Parks and Recreation Department, which replied with a statement: "Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) staff will continue to follow the direction of our Commissioner’s office and of our management regarding Normandale Park. When the time is right, staff will address maintenance and repair issues."
KGW also reached out to the City of Portland, but has not heard back from the mayor's office.