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Campers at new Portland homeless camp vow to stay

Portland park rangers passed out written warnings to campers at the "Village of Hope" to leave the property.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Campers at a new self-managed homeless camp in Northeast Portland are vowing to stay despite pressure from the city of Portland to get out.

Monday afternoon, Portland park rangers passed out written warnings to campers at the "Village of Hope" to leave the property.

But the campers say they are going to stay.

The Village of Hope sprung up Monday near the Columbia Slough in Northeast Portland.

Camp organizers say their goal is to move 20 people in over the next few days. They are in the process of interviewing potential residents now.

The goal of the camp is to give people in need of a home a stable, safe and managed place to live so they can get a job and eventually find a permanent home.

"Right now we are planning on being here and we are going to be moving in more folks onto platforms today and tomorrow," said organizer and homeless advocate Steve Kimes.

The campers say they will stay put despite direction from the city to leave the property, which is owned by Portland Parks & Recreation and considered an important natural area.

Late Monday, Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz said park rangers will be working to move the campers off the land.

So why are the campers still there?

It's not as simple as just kicking people out of the camp.

The parks bureau must follow directions from a previous legal settlement. It requires them to post notice in advance before clearing any camp.

A parks bureau spokesman told KGW they will be meeting with the mayor’s office to come up with a plan. But until that happens, the camp will remain and grow along with some neighbor's frustrations.

"It's the Columbia Slough, I think it should be protected. There's a lot of great animals out here that use that area," said Ron Dodge, who works in the area. "I think it should remain that way."

Once rangers post notice for the campers to vacate the property, the notice has to be up for at least 24 hours before the city can clear the camp.

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