For residents living near a homeless camp in Southeast Portland, Oregon, things have reached a boiling point.
KGW8 reported Wednesday that the area of Southeast Knapp Street was home to RVs and tents lined up along the road. Considered It can be dangerous because of traffic jams and drivers potentially trying to run over a homeless person.
Local resident Angie Toopes said the situation at the encampment has worsened in recent years, with “trash and stuff strewn all over the road and it’s getting out of hand.”
Another resident, Nancy Shannon, said she cares deeply about the homeless people living in the area and has called city officials multiple times for help. Toopes said the city never returns her calls, leaving neighbors feeling “failed.”
Another Southeast Portland resident who spoke with KATU in July said: said He doesn’t believe authorities “really care” about the homeless situation.
In June, Breitbart News reported that Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties found that local governments and nonprofits spent $531 million on homelessness in 2023.
The outlet also reported that Portland city leaders purchased 100 tiny housing pods for homeless people in the area at $16,510 apiece.
One neighbor, concerned about the homeless cars lining Southeast 94th Street, said her two children have witnessed drug deals from their window.
“We have problems with human waste and drug paraphernalia in our yard and our neighbors’ yards. Our children can’t play outside. There’s constant danger,” he said, adding that some of the people living in their cars carry weapons such as machetes and bats.
Local leaders are grappling with a deadly fentanyl crisis gripping Oregon, Breitbart News reported in February.
