News

NEWS Can’t Camp Here

Bend City Council adopts a policy for the removal of houseless camps on public right of ways. With shelters at capacity, where will they go?

By Jack Harvel

The Bend City Council unanimously approved a new policy on campsite removals for camps in City right of ways at its meeting June 2. The Council tailored the conversation to one of the City’s most visible camps, on Emerson Avenue. On Monday social service providers received the notice to engage with camp residents to prepare for the camp’s removal.

The policy sets benchmarks for declaring a camp unsafe, and the process for removing them. Fire hazards, accumulation of trash, calls for police service, public urination and impeding on roadways could all be cited as reasons for deeming a camp unsafe, according to the new policy. The City will give at least two week’s notice to residents, and coordinate with service providers before removing a camp, and they must store any confiscated property for at least 30 days for retrieval.

The City Council’s input on the policy made it specific to Emerson until the policy can be further analyzed, to coordinate with St. Charles Medical Center and Mosaic Medical to ensure COVID safety, a longer notice given to residents and to explore using American Rescue Plan Act funds for a managed camp.

The policy was met with criticism from people who work with the camps. Eleven people called in for public comment during the June 2 meeting to oppose the camp’s removal. Some said the City’s new criteria didn’t apply to the camp on Emerson because the area offers resources for people there.

“The camp at Emerson is actually one of the locations where we have trash collection and restrooms at no cost to the City, so you cannot justify the eviction for those reasons,” said Eric Garrity, who volunteers with Street Kitchen Collective distributing food to camps, during public comment.

Others argued evicting camps is contrary to advice given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The decision to move these individuals from their home without a proper plan is cruel,” Kay Vincent, a member of Bend’s Human Rights and Equity Commission, commented during the work session. “The CDC guidelines clearly state that houseless camps should not be moved. Not only is it a public health concern but an individual concern as their providers will not know where they will go which will disrupt the care that they’re receiving.”

The camp is the most diverse camp in the city, Vincent alleged, and that their needs can’t be met by the newly opened Shepherd’s House shelter nearby on Second Street, which will not be housing people between 7am-6pm.

“With this heat wave it creates another concern that these human beings will be forced to move in extreme conditions. Being outside right now is already uncomfortable. Imagine having to move every single item that you own on foot across town,” they said.

The Council set a goal of attracting 500 additional beds for houseless people, during its most recent goal setting, but at the time of the camp’s removal, Bend’s shelters don’t have the capacity to house them, nor do they have designated safe camping sites.

“Until we are able to walk on to Emerson and say we’re closing Emerson, but we have these three locations that have been designated safe camping where you can go, what we will be doing, and it’s happening already, is we are pushing people back to China Hat, back to Hunnell, people are going right back into areas right by people’s residential neighborhoods,” said Stacey Witte, founder and director of the houseless nonprofit REACH.

Bend City Councilor Anthony Broadman said he’s received a lot of input requesting more aggressive action in camp removal. Creating a policy was necessary, he said, so that both housed and houseless populations can be aware of the removal process as the houseless population steadily grows in Bend. The rate has gone up by double digits for several years in a row, according to the Point In Time Homeless Count from the Homeless Leadership Coalition.

“I don’t think it’s fair to staff, I don’t think it’s fair to campers, I don’t think it’s fair to the housed community to not have a policy about how we’re going to deal with this,” Broadman said during the meeting. “This is a dress rehearsal for problems we’re having in other areas of our community. You saw the 13% number of homelessness increase, that’s the same number as the year before.”

Jack Harvel

Camps line both sides of Emerson Avenue in Bend. On Wednesday, June 2, Bend City Council adopted policies that set criteria for camp removals in public right of ways.

Too Hot To Handle

Oregon’s fire season is starting earlier than it has in recorded history. How are agencies preparing?

By Jack Harvel

With the entire state in some form of drought, Oregon’s fire season is starting earlier than it has in recorded history. The season could be as devastating as last year’s wildfires that swept over 1 million acres and destroyed thousands of homes, officials say.

The potential for disaster has spurred public officials across the state to start outreach early, promoting fire safety to Oregonians.

“Everywhere you go the message is that the days ahead look like scorching temperatures bumping up against a cold reality,” Sen. Ron Wyden said during a briefing with firefighters in Bend June 3. “These are not your grandfathers’ fires. Modern fires are bigger,” he said.

In a briefing from the governor’s office, Oregon Fire Marshall Mariana Ruiz-Temple agreed with that assessment, saying fires in the last 10 to 20 years have lasted longer and been more complex.

“I think the biggest thing that we are looking at is really transitioning from the concept of a seasonal fire season and more of a fire year,” Ruiz-Temple said.

With the high risk for fires, officials are advocating for safe fire use and promoting what people should do if they spot a fire.

“I would say human-caused fires has definitely been the problem so far this year, and in general it’s at least 50% of our fire load here in Central Oregon on a normal year,” said Kevin Stock, fire and aviation staff officer for the Central Oregon Fire Management Service.

COFMS produced videos on safe fire use and has promoted them on its website and social media. The agency is also trying to make the process for reporting a fire clear for Oregonians.

“If it’s a fire that’s doing something, a fire that’s obviously a problem, it’s moving, that’s a 911 call,” Stock said. “If you see someone who’s having a campfire and it looks inappropriate, you can look up your local dispatch center or you can call the non-emergency number for your local sheriff and they will get that message to an appropriate agency.”

Meanwhile the Oregon Public Utility Commission has established rules for public safety power shutoffs to reduce the risk of severed power lines starting a fire during intense weather. The shutoff is the last resort, but could occur if winds are strong enough to dislodge branches and trees.

“With the earliest official opening to Oregon’s wildfire season in 40 years, the establishment of these rules was extremely important and timely,” said OPUC Commissioner Letha Tawney in a press release. “They are designed to help keep Oregonians safe by establishing criteria on how the utilities communicate and coordinate during a PSPS, and particularly how they issue notifications before, during, and after a potential PSPS in order to provide the PUC, public safety partners and the general public useful and timely information.”

Por Jack Harvel / Traducido por Jéssica Sánchez-Millar

La temporada de incendios en Oregon está comenzando más pronto de lo registrado en la historia

Dado que todo el estado se encuentra con algún tipo de sequía, la temporada de incendios en Oregon está comenzando más pronto de lo registrado en la historia. La temporada podría ser tan devastadora como la de los incendios forestales del año pasado que arrasaron con más de 1 millón de acres y destruyeron miles de casas, indicaron las autoridades.

La posibilidad de desastre ha propiciado que los funcionarios públicos de todo el estado empiecen a promover con anticipación la seguridad contra incendios para los habitantes de Oregon.

“Dondequiera que vaya, el mensaje es que los días que vienen en camino se ven con temperaturas altas y enfrentando una fría realidad,” dijo el senador Ron Wayden durante una reunión informativa el día 3 de junio con los bomberos de Bend. Estos no son los incendios de antaño. Los incendios de hoy en día son más intensos., dijo Wayden

En una reunión informativa de la oficina de la gobernadora, la jefa de bomberos de Oregon, Mariana Ruiz-Temple, estuvo de acuerdo con esa evaluación, indicando que los incendios en los últimos 10 a 20 años han durado más tiempo y han sido más complejos.

“Yo diría que los incendios causados por el ser humano definitivamente han sido el problema en lo que va del año y por lo general, es al menos el 50% de nuestra carga de incendios aquí en la zona centro de Oregon en un año común y corriente, dijo Kevin Stock, oficial del personal de bomberos y aviación del servicio de manejo de incendios en la zona centro de Oregon (COFMS por sus siglas en inglés).

COFMS publico videos sobre el uso seguro del fuego y los ha promocionado en su sitio web y en las redes sociales. La agencia también está tratando de aclarar a los habitantes de Oregon como llevar a cabo el proceso para reportar un incendio. “Si es un incendio lo que está causando algo, un incendio que obviamente es un problema, que está avanzando, esto es un indicativo de una llamada al 911,” dijo Stock. Si ve que alguien está haciendo una fogata y le parece ser inapropiado, puede buscar a el departamento de despacho local o llamar al número telefónico de la oficina del alguacil local, al número que no es para reportar emergencias, y ellos le enviaran el mensaje a la agencia apropiada.

El consejo municipal de la ciudad de Bend adopta una política para quitar de los pasos públicos los campamentos de personas sin hogar

En su junta del 2 de junio, el consejo municipal de la ciudad de Bend aprobó por unanimidad una nueva política para quitar los campamentos del paso público de la ciudad de Bend. El consejo adaptó la conversación a uno de los campamentos más visibles de la ciudad, el de la avenida Emerson. El lunes, los prestadores de servicios recibieron el aviso para que se involucraran con los pobladores del campamento y para prepararlos para quitar el campamento.

La política establece parámetros de referencia para declarar un campamento inseguro y el proceso para quitarlos. De acuerdo con la nueva política, los riesgos de incendio, la acumulación de basura, las llamadas a la policía, el orinar en zona pública y obstaculizar los caminos, podrían citarse como las razones para considerar a un campamento inseguro. La ciudad dará por lo menos un aviso de dos semanas a los habitantes de esos campamentos y se coordinará con los prestadores de servicios antes de quitar un campamento y deberán guardar cualquier artículo confiscado por lo menos durante 30 días para así poder recuperarlo.

El aporte del consejo municipal de la ciudad de Bend sobre la política lo hizo especifico a la avenida Emerson hasta que la política se pueda analizar más a fondo para coordinarse con St. Charles Medical Center y Mosaic Medical y garantizar el mantenerse a salvo durante COVID, dar un aviso a los habitantes del campamento con más anticipación y explorar el uso de la ley del plan de rescate estadounidense y de los fondos para un campamento controlado.

La política fue recibida con críticas de parte de personas que trabajan con los campamentos. Once personas convocaron comentarios públicos durante la junta del 2 de junio para oponerse a que quiten el campamento. Algunos dijeron que los nuevos parámetros de la ciudad no aplican para el campamento de Emerson ya que la zona ofrece recursos para las personas que están establecidas allí.

“El campamento Emerson es uno en los que tenemos recolección de basura y servicio de baños sin costo para la ciudad, así que no se puede justificar el que quiten este campamento por esas razones,” dijo Eric Garraty, voluntario con Street Kitchen Collective, quien reparte comida a los campamentos.

Otras personas discutieron que desalojar los campamentos va con lo opuesto a los consejos dados por los Centros para el Control y Prevención de Enfermedades.