Homeless Camp Hazelnut Grove Hosted a Music Festival, and It Was Pretty Chill

“We want to get more hearts and eyeballs on this side of the fence.”

What's a music festival in a homeless camp like? Pretty chill, actually.

North Portland homeless camp Hazelnut Grove opened its gates Saturday afternoon to local musicians, artists, and friends from neighboring homeless camps, hosting a music festival called Groove in the Grove.

The idea behind the festival was to bring people together from around the city in order to provide an insight into the workings of Hazelnut Grove and its residents, said Jose Serrica, a Hazelnut Grove resident and one of the event organizers.

"We want to get rid of the ugly stereotype that all homeless people are drug addicts and alcoholics," Serrica said.

Event organizers Serrica, Joseph Bennie and Jessie Sponberg said the idea to host a music festival had long been in the back of their minds.

Hazelnut Grove set up tents in Portland's Overlook neighborhood in October 2015, becoming the the third city-authorized homeless camp in Portland last December. The grounds the campers occupy became less of a campsite and more of a community with permanent wooden homes, gravel pathways and a port-a-potty.

On Saturday, a wooden platform was built in the center of the camp with the words "Free Speech Zone" painted in bold across the front. A sign was planted into the ground next to the platform stating, "This is not a stage! But all of life is."

Hazelnut Grove (Johanna Bernhard) Hazelnut Grove (Johanna Bernhard)

The event was advertised on Facebook by members and friends of the Hazelnut Grove community in a bid to spread the word—especially as uproar grows about the impending eviction of homeless campers for East Portland Springwater Corridor.

"We want to get more hearts and eyeballs on this side of the fence," Sponberg said.

The festivities began around noon and the foot traffic flowed until 8 pm. Guests moseyed between groups, dancing, chatting with friends and perusing the local art.

Laryssa Birdseye, a local musician, took to the stage just before 1 p.m. with bandmate Matt Brewster.

Local hip-hop artist Watermelon Jones followed suit, owning the stage in the afternoon sun.

While other rappers took to the stage throughout the day, guests helped themselves to the array of food on the picnic table: burgers, chips and pasta salad.

Hazelnut Grove resident, Tequilah Gordon, 35, enjoyed the afternoon festivities and hoped the event would bring people together.

"We can all come together," he said. "There is something bigger than all of us."

Hazelnut Grove (Johanna Bernhard) Hazelnut Grove (Johanna Bernhard)

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