PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland’s decision to resume enforcing a ban against homeless camping is a “wasteful” investment, according to a local advocacy group.
Friends of Portland Street Response, which backs the unarmed team of people who respond to behavioral health crises throughout the city, condemned the upcoming enforcement changes in an email titled “PSR is Not Law Enforcement or a Taxi Service” on Sunday.
Kotek to Trump: ‘Send all National Guard members home’
“Policies like aggressive sweeps and criminalizing poverty are wasteful investments for addressing our crisis of homelessness and can make it harder for those living unhoused to access the services they need,” Friends of PSR wrote. “It can be a traumatic experience that can also cause more of the mental health crises that PSR was established to respond to.”
The email centered on Mayor Keith Wilson’s September announcement that officials would resume cracking down on unlawful camping in public spaces by issuing citations starting on Nov. 1…