Homeless people have erected a ramshackle encampment on a no man’s land across from the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon – creating an eyesore for the nearby upscale enclave’s residents who don’t know where to turn to for help evicting them.
Nearby residents Larry Purtle and Ric Scaramella told KOIN they have complained to the city up to 40 times about the dwellings, which have sprouted across from their condo over the past six years.
The couple stressed that the rickety cabins are “not tents, these are structures” – featuring doors, windows and even solar panels — marring the views from the upscale homes.
The men said they are worried about possible pollution entering the river from the shacks, which are isolated by the adjacent Union Pacific rail yard.
But they also said they are worried for the residents, who lack city services.
A KOIN news crew recently visited the site, where they observed garbage strewn along the blighted shore.
A woman who identified herself as Paula told the outlet that she has been living near the Daimler Truck North America headquarters “off and on about a year-and-a-half.”
“I have anxiety issues and I think I have personality disorders too, that I’m dealing with. I think that’s what’s kept me out here so long,” she said, adding that she is addicted to meth.
“There’s a few shelters I like. They would have been great, except for the no drugs thing. That sucks. I don’t think drugs are my problem,” she told KOIN. “I think my problem is I have no place to wash my hair and go to the bathroom.”
It is unclear if the city, county, the deep-blue state, the US government or private owners control the shoreline property, according to the outlet.
“Pretty much everyone comes back and says that they don’t have jurisdiction because it’s Union Pacific — it’s a railroad,” Scaramella told the outlet.
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According to property records cited by KOIN, the area appears to belong to Union Pacific.
Railroad rep Daryl Bjoraas told the outlet in an email that “Union Pacific Police regularly patrol our property and enforce trespassing laws; however, this area is particularly challenging to enforce, because cabins are near the water’s edge.
“Under Ordinary High Water Mark common law, the boundary separating public land from private land is determined by natural fluctuations of the water, making it a legal gray area,” Bjoraas added.
The city, which is responsible for cleaning up homeless camps, declined to be interviewed by KOIN because the property belongs to Union Pacific.
A rep for Multnomah County, which funds nonprofit organizations that do outreach with the homeless, told the outlet it was possible one of the groups has contacted the residents but could not say for sure.
Oregon Department of State Lands spokesperson Ali Ryan Hansen said in a statement: “The bad news is, at this point, it’s hard to say if we have a role. Where public ownership of the riverbed/bank ends and upland ownership begins is complicated.”
The state Department of Environmental Quality and the Army Corps of Engineers said they don’t play a role in the matter.
Several days after the news crew visited the spot by boat, a joint effort between Portland, the Department of State Lands, the Oregon Marine Board, Metro and the Port of Portland removed 10 tons of debris and two abandoned vessels.
Meanwhile, there is some encouraging news for Paula, who said she is on a waiting list for a county-sponsored rehab clinic.
“You get PTSD out here, for sure,” she told KOIN. “What do I say to people who are frustrated? You know love is everything. It’s how we treat each other. People are so quick to be angry.”
