A Portland, Oregon, homeowner spent weeks attempting to remove a homeless camp from his backyard. Jim Jensvold first discovered the camp when the person who trims his trees mentioned an uninvited guest on the wooded property below his home, according to KATU. The single camper soon became a larger encampment. Cleaning everything out ended up taking far, far longer than Jensvoid expected.
He initially thought a single conversation would resolve it. He had acted by telling the camper the lot was private property, and she agreed to leave. When he and his wife returned from a trip out of town, though, the camp had expanded even further. It included a tent, tarps, and other belongings.
Jensvold called the police three times. He learned that giving the camper time to leave on the first visit had worked against him. At one point, the camper started a fire that the fire department needed to be called to put out. Neighbors were concerned that the fire might spread toward Forest Park nearby…