Protesters to Charlie Hales: "You Can't Sweep People, You Can Only Sweep Garbage"

Small group of activists demand Hales cancel sweep of Springwater Corridor, now set for Sept. 1.

Mayor Charlie Hales' deal to delay planned sweeps of homeless camps from the Springwater Corridor reduced protesters at Portland City Hall on Thursday.

But it didn't satisfy them.

About 45 people organized by Portland Tenants United gathered in front of City Hall on Thursday afternoon, calling on Hales to cancel the sweep of camps from the Springwater Corridor, where as many as 500 homeless people reside.

The protest was planned before Hales' announcement Wednesday that the date of the sweep will be pushed back from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1.

But the protesters argued that few of their demands were met by the date change, which was prompted by the threat of a class-action lawsuit.

"While we appreciate the postponement of a month, nothing's really changed," said Jamie Partridge, one of the organizers of the protest. "There's no guarantee for where these folks can go. There's only a guarantee that they will be evicted as of Sept. 1."

The main demand of the protesters was to stop the sweep. But they also demanded that if the sweep were to occur that the city find a replacement location for the campers, that the police not seize the possessions of the evicted, and that the city provide accommodations for those with disabilities.

The protesters, who stood on the sidewalk in front of City Hall facing Fourth Avenue, held up signs with slogans such as "Being Houseless is Not a Crime," and chanted, "Hey hey, ho ho, Charlie's sweeps have got to go." Protesters were invited to take turns using a megaphone to "project their voices into City Hall."

Thomas Dent, 59, one of the protesters who addressed the crowd, has been living on the Springwater Corridor since January. He says that while he's moving into a homeless shelter soon, he knows that many living in Springwater Corridor will stand their ground on the day of the sweep.

"If Charlie Hales can't come up with something, if the city can't come up with something, some kind of solution, yeah, they're going to stay and fight," Dent said to WW. "And I'm gonna be right there with them."

Rebecca Webster, who is currently living indoors but says she's "one rent check away from being houseless," thinks that Hales isn't solving anything by delaying the sweep.

"You can't sweep people, you can only sweep garbage," she told WW. "It's not a start, it's only the politicians saving face."

Other protesters thought that delaying the sweep was a good move, but not enough. "I think it's helpful but I think we need to do something more long-term," said Rory Lopez, 30, an activist at the rally, of the delay.

"We want to emphasize that this problem has not been solved. It's only been postponed," said Partridge.

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