PORTLAND – A Portland property owner’s unusual protest against a new homeless shelter landed him in handcuffs, drawing attention to the city’s mounting tensions over homelessness policy.
Business Owner’s Protest
On Tuesday, 64-year-old Paul Rudinsky, who owns the Oro Apartments in the Pearl District, set up a tent just steps away from City Hall. His intent was symbolic: to show city leaders how close his own building will soon be to a newly approved “low barrier” homeless shelter on Northwest Northrup Street.
Within hours, police officers arrived and arrested Rudinsky for trespassing. “If I’m about to have tents 15 yards from my property every night, then City Hall should see what that looks like outside their own doors,” he explained before being taken into custody.
Concerns Over Low Barrier Shelters
The new shelter, scheduled to open next week, will provide overnight beds from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. using a reservation system. City officials argue this will reduce loitering and offer stability by allowing guests to keep their beds from one night to the next.
But Rudinsky and other nearby business owners see it differently. Because the shelter does not require sobriety or employment, critics believe it could invite disorder and further strain a neighborhood already struggling with open drug use and crime…