The situation has reached a boiling point for neighbors of a homeless camp in Southeast Portland, Oregon.
KGW 8 reported Wednesday that the area on Southeast Knapp Street where RVs and tents line the roadway is considered dangerous due to backed-up traffic and drivers allegedly trying to run over the homeless.
A neighbor, Angie Toops, said the camp has worsened in the past few years, noting, “We have garbage and stuff impeding into the street, and it’s getting out of hand.”
Another resident, Nancy Shannon, said she feels deeply for the homeless living there and has called city officials numerous times about the situation to try and get help. According to Toops, no one from the city ever returns their calls, and it makes the neighbors feel “defeated.”
In July, another Southeast Portland resident who spoke with KATU said he does not believe officials “really give a damn” about the homeless situation:
In June, Breitbart News reported that an analysis found that in the counties of Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas, local governments and nonprofit groups apparently spent $531 million for homeless interventions in 2023.
The outlet also noted that Portland city leaders bought 100 tiny home pods at $16,510 each for homeless people in the area.
One neighbor concerned about homeless vehicles lined up on Southeast 94th Avenue said his two children have seen drug deals from their home’s window.
“We have issues with human waste and drug paraphernalia in our yard, in our neighbor’s yard. Our kids can’t play out front. There’s a general level of danger pretty much at all times,” the man said. He also claimed some of the people living in the vehicles carry weapons, such as machetes and bats:
Local leaders have been grappling with the deadly fentanyl crisis sweeping through Oregon, Breitbart News reported in February.
