Liberal US cities change course, now clearing homeless camps

Associated Press

FILE - In this aerial photo taken with a drone, tents housing people experiencing homelessness are set up on a vacant parking lot in Portland, Ore., on Dec. 8, 2020. In Feb. 2022, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, banned camping on the sides of certain roadways, and officials are exploring other aggressive options to combat homelessness. In an increasing numbers of liberal cities like Portland, Seattle and New York, officials are cracking down on encampments after years of tolerating growing numbers of people living in tents. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File)

FILE - A person sleeps next to a shopping cart as a pedestrian walks past a store-window sign advertising the future opening of a Rolex watch store on Jan. 31, 2022, in downtown Seattle. In Feb. 2022, the mayor of Portland, Ore., banned camping on the sides of certain roadways, and officials are exploring other aggressive options to combat homelessness. In an increasing numbers of liberal cities like Portland, Seattle and New York, officials are cracking down on encampments after years of tolerating growing numbers of people living in tents. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Tents and other shelters used by people experiencing homelessness stand along the American River Parkway in Sacramento, Calif., Feb. 24, 2022. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York, Seattle and other cities are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

FILE - Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler poses for a photo, Aug. 5, 2019, in Portland, Ore. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York and Seattle are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. In early 2022, Wheeler used emergency powers to ban camping on the sides of certain roadways in the city. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File)

FILE - Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, center, talks to supporters at an election night rally, Nov. 2, 2021, in Seattle as his wife, Joanne Harrell, right, looks on. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York and Seattle are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. Harrell ran on a platform that called for action on encampments and the city has focused on certain highly visible tent cities in his first few months in office. Across from City Hall, two blocks worth of tents and belongings were removed Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Sean Barry covers his tent with a plastic tarp to help shield him from cold temperatures as prepares for the night in downtown Sacramento, Calif., on Feb. 24, 2022. In Feb. 2022, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, banned camping on the sides of certain roadways, and officials are exploring other aggressive options to combat homelessness. In an increasing numbers of liberal cities like Portland, Seattle and New York, officials are cracking down on encampments after years of tolerating growing numbers of people living in tents. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

FILE - Tents line the sidewalk on SW Clay St. in downtown Portland, Ore., on Dec. 9, 2020. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York and Seattle are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File)

FILE - A man sleeps in a subway car in New York on Feb. 21, 2022. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York and Seattle are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. In New York, Mayor Eric Adams is making a push to try to remove people experiencing homelessness from the city's sprawling subway system with a plan to start barring people from sleeping on trains or riding the same lines all night. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

A person at left walks toward the entrance of a tent used by people experiencing homelessness, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in downtown Seattle across the street from City Hall. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York and Seattle are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

A person walks past a tent used by people experiencing homelessness with a sign on it that reads "services not sweeps,

FILE - Frank, who is experiencing homelessness, sits in his tent in Portland, Ore., next to the Willamette River on June 5, 2021. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York and Seattle are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein, File)

Mark Bannister plays with his dog, Amelia, where he lives in a camp for people experiencing homelessness along the American River Parkway in Sacramento, Calif., on Feb. 24, 2022. Bannister said many people lacking housing do not want to go to shelters in Sacramento because pets are not allowed. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York, Seattle and other cities are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

FILE - New York Mayor Eric Adams rides the subway to City Hall on his first day in office in New York, Jan. 1, 2022. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York and Seattle are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. In New York, Adams is making a push to try to remove people experiencing homelessness from the city's sprawling subway system with a plan to start barring people from sleeping on trains or riding the same lines all night. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

FILE - Los Angeles City Councilman and candidate for Mayor Joe Buscaino speaks during a news conferee as advocates for people experiencing homelessness hold signs behind him Aug. 16, 2021, in Los Angeles. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York, Seattle and other cities are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. Buscaino proposes a ballot measure that would prohibit people from sleeping outdoors in public spaces if they have turned down offers of shelter. (Sarah Reingewirtz/The Orange County Register via AP, File)

FILE - Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, center-right, walks with Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee III, center-left, before a news conference on Feb. 28, 2022, in Washington. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York, Seattle and other cities are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. In the summer of 2021, Bowser launched a pilot program to permanently clear several homeless encampments. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - A person cycles past tents used by people experiencing homelessness set up along a pathway in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 19, 2017. For years, liberal cities in the U.S have tolerated people living in tents in parks and public spaces, but increasingly leaders in places like Portland, Oregon, New York and Seattle are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures that would've been unheard of a few years ago. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

FILE - In this aerial photo taken with a drone, tents housing people experiencing homelessness are set up on a vacant parking lot in Portland, Ore., on Dec. 8, 2020. In Feb. 2022, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, banned camping on the sides of certain roadways, and officials are exploring other aggressive options to combat homelessness. In an increasing numbers of liberal cities like Portland, Seattle and New York, officials are cracking down on encampments after years of tolerating growing numbers of people living in tents. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File)

The city of Portland, Ore. Tent cities line sidewalks, tarps cover broken-down cars, and sleeping bags are tucked into storefront doorways. There is a homelessness crisis in Oregon's largest city.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said recently that things are better than five years ago with regard to homelessness. They can open their eyes.

Many cities stopped sweeps of homeless camps following guidance from federal health officials, as COVID-19 took root in the U.S. Extreme forms of poverty are playing out on city streets, with frustrated residents calling for action as a result of the lack of remediation.

Wheeler has used emergency powers to ban camping along certain roads and says homelessness is the most important issue facing our community.

In liberal cities, where people living in tents in public spaces have long been accepted, leaders are pushing other strict measures to address homelessness that would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

In Seattle, the new Mayor ran on a platform that called for action on tent cities in his first few months in office. Two blocks of tents and belongings were removed across from City Hall. The camp was cleared after a two and a half week standoff between the mayor and the activists who were there.

In Washington, D.C., the Mayor launched a pilot program to clear homeless camps. Lawmakers voted on a bill in December that would ban clearings until April. It failed 4-7.

In California, home to more than 160,000 homeless people, cities are rethinking how they address the crisis. The Los Angeles City Council banned camping in 54 locations. LA Mayoral candidate Joe Buscaino wants to put a measure on the ballot that would prohibit people from sleeping outdoors if they have turned down shelter.

In December of last year, San Francisco Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency in the Tenderloin neighborhood, which has been the scene of many overdose deaths and drug dealing. She said it was time to get aggressive and less tolerant of the bull that had destroyed the city.

In November, voters in Sacramento may decide on a number of proposed homeless-related ballot measures, including prohibiting people from storing hazardous waste on public and private property, and requiring the city to create thousands of homeless people. A group of people camping in a natural corridor of the American River are being demanded to leave the area by city officials.

Advocates for the homeless say the problem is being treated as a chance for cheap political gains instead of a humanitarian crisis.

Donald H. Whitehead Jr., executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said at least 65 U.S. cities are criminalizing or sweeping homeless people out of their homes.

The homeless crisis in Portland has grown more visible in recent years. An estimated 4,015 people were experiencing homelessness, with half of them sleeping outside, during the area's yearly point-in-time count. The advocates think the numbers have increased.

Wheeler used his emergency powers last month to ban camping on the sides of high-crash roads, which encompass 8% of the total area of the city. A report showed that 19 of 27 pedestrians killed by cars in Portland last year were homeless. People were given 72 hours to leave.

It has been made clear that people are dying.

Wheeler's top adviser, Sam Adams, a former Portland mayor, has outlined a controversial plan that would force up to 3,000 homeless people into massive temporary shelters staffed by Oregon National Guard members. The move, which marks a major shift in tone and policy, would criminalize homelessness according to advocates.

I understand my suggestions are big ideas, Adams wrote.

The Democratic governor of Oregon rejected the idea. Ballot measures that crack down on homelessness may emerge if liberal cities don't take drastic action.

That happened in Austin, Texas. The voters there made it a crime to ask for money in certain areas and times, as well as making it a crime to camp downtown and near the University of Texas.

People who work with the homeless want mayors to find long-term solutions such as permanent housing and addressing root causes like addiction and affordability instead of temporary ones.

In places like Portland, the number of campsites removed each week plummeted from 50 to five after the COVID-19 hit.

Employers are asking officials to do more because of the situation. The Portland Classic, Oregon's largest annual golf tournament, relocated from Portland last year due to safety concerns related to a nearby homeless camp.

The director of the Oregon Water Science Center told the City Council about his experience working in an area populated with people.

Four years ago, the biggest security concerns were car break-ins. Employees are often confronted by people and forced to sidestep discarded needles.

The division of the U.S. Geological Survey spent $300,000 on security and implemented a buddy system for workers to be outdoors.

I don't blame the campers. There are other options for housing. There is a plague of meth and opiates and a world that offers them no hope and little assistance.

In New York City, where a homeless man is accused of pushing a woman to her death in front of the subway, the mayor announced a plan to stop people from sleeping on trains or riding the same lines all night.

Adams has likened homelessness to a "cancerous sore", which advocates say is a negative and inaccurate narrative that villainizes the population.

Laura Recko, associate director of external communications for Central City, said that homelessness can happen to anyone.

Some question whether the tougher approach is legal, citing a federal court decision that said cities cannot make it illegal for people to sleep or rest outside.

The National Coalition for the Homeless thought the ruling would force elected officials to make long-term fixes and create enough shelter beds for emergency needs. He said that some areas are ignoring the decision.

He said that if cities become as creative about solutions as they are about criminalization, we could end homelessness tomorrow.

There is a

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