Skip to main contentSince its founding last month, the Portland Peace Encampment in Terry Schrunk Plaza has been flooded with tasty donations, including homemade sandwiches, organic blue corn chips, and tubs of fresh salsa. Lately, the camp has also attracted a few street people, many of whom are apparently anti-war and--predictably--pro-food.
The influx of scroungers has caused some friction, says Portland State University student Tom Mooney, who co-founded the camp: "Some people who are there for the specific purpose of protesting the war think...that there are people there that aren't there with a purpose."
Launched by Mooney and Portland Community College student Justin Elder in the early hours of the war, the encampment morphed into a 24-hour sidewalk sit-in after campers learned that pitching tents in the plaza is a federal offense. (See "Camping for Peace: How Justin Elder spent his spring break," WW, April 2, 2003.)
Spring break is over, and Mooney and Elder have gone back to class. But the vigil remains. New faces have appeared, armed with placards and lawn chairs. Many seem down on their luck, but their presence doesn't bother Mooney. "Homeless people should be there," he says. "It gives them food; it gives them a voice."
Not everyone agrees. Peace camper Todd Kurylowicz, 26, originally vowed to hold out until the war ended. Now, he says, the experience is wearing thin. The project is overrun, he says dispiritedly, with "freeloaders, people looking for handouts."
On Thursday, Portland police issued an ultimatum, telling the half-dozen remaining protesters to pack up within 24 hours or face arrest. Last time WW checked in, however, they hadn't budged.
WWeek 2015