Homeless advocates: City is ‘waging war on the poor’

For the past 20 years, Oregon cities like Eugene have failed to plan enough housing for all income levels, forcing the state to take over some of the planning with sweeping mandates. But rather than accept responsibility for its role, the city of Eugene is punishing the victims of its own failures.

Presenter: Activists disrupt the last City Council public comment before summer break. The forced relocation of unhoused people has continued since the Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass. On Facebook, Steven Kimes:

Steven Kimes: Hey there. So I’m here on 5th and Wallis where they are stealing people’s possessions they already stole a couple of days ago, and they’re forcing people to move and they’ve arrested some folks for living while not having a place to go. Yesterday the city came over and dropped off this sign.

[00:00:44] This sign says that they put the sign here yesterday, and that they have 72 hours before anybody comes and ‘cleans.’ Well, that’s not true, because they came in less than 24 hours, to take everybody’s stuff, and that’s what they’re doing right now. So call the city, call the police, and let them know that this is an illegal act.

[00:01:10] Presenter: At Theo’s Whirled Pies on July 19, a meeting of homeless advocates. Lynn Porter:

[00:01:15] Lynn Porter (Homeless Action): Yeah, can I have a few minutes? Sure. All right. For anyone who doesn’t know me, I’m Lynn Porter. I run the Homeless Action page on Facebook since 2010. I want to focus on what Richard (Self) intended this (meeting) to be about. (Right.) Thank you, Richard. I’m totally fed up.

I’m really angry at what is being done to the homeless. I’m not there physically like some of you are because I’m 84 years old and I have transportation issues, not owning a car. But I’m with you in spirit. Let me try to focus here. I think what the city is doing to the homeless, the sweeps, it’s just pure meanness. (Yeah.) It’s, you know, it’s evil. There’s no excuse for what they’re doing. I mean, giving people 15 minutes to pack up and leave, taking their stuff, ticketing people, ticketing volunteers who are trying to help them. You know, this is totally outrageous. And I blame the City Council for this.

They’re the ones who made these policies that are being enforced. Five, as I said in my letter to the editor last week in Eugene Weekly, five of the Eugene city councilors are really bad people. You know, the other three, I think, are our friends. Our friends are (Lyndsie) Leech, (Jennifer) Yeh, and (Alan) Zelenka. Yeah. And all the rest are a bunch of a——-.

And I’ve tried to communicate with them. I was very impressed a while back when the BareFoot Defenders spoke to the City Council, they were brilliant. I was just more, I felt like, ‘Okay, now I can pass the torch, you know, after all these years.’ But they, most of the City Council just sat there stone-faced and then they voted for Randy Groves’s proposal.

He’s the worst, you know, to make it easier to impound homeless RVs, you know, this is their policy. I’ve tried communicating with ’em. I exchanged emails with Leech, who’s my city councilor, and she’s good, you know, she’s the leader in standing up for us. But she couldn’t. She tried to stop that, but she couldn’t.

It may be a different story in January when we get a new mayor and one new city councilor, (Eliza) Kashinsky will replace (Emily) Semple, who, in my opinion, has been a waste of good food. (Yeah, there you go.) You know, she’s weak and she’s arbitrary and you can’t depend on her for anything. I also really dislike (Matt) Keating.

But let me try to get to my point here. Everything is connected to everything, so it’s hard to focus in. But I see the city right now as waging war on the poor. And what I want to do is, I want to wage war on the city, just pure and simple.

You know, that’s what past movements for people’s rights have always done throughout history. That’s what the unions did, the Civil Rights Movement did, the anti-war movement did in the ‘60s (which I was part of). You know, the politicians do not move until they’re forced to, until you really get out there and push and you do something that hurts them.

I know a lot of people don’t like to hear that language, but that’s where it’s at. And the only time we’ve gotten more shelter in Eugene is when we got out there and pushed, you know, like the SLEEPS (Safe Legally Entitled Emergency Places to Sleep) group did some years ago (2013). I think they got us the rest stops. Eric Jackson got us the safe sleep sites.

I mean, it was a chain of events, but that’s what works. What doesn’t work anymore, I mean, damn good try, but going to the City Council and talking at them, they just sit there stone-faced and then they vote against you. You know, I really wish we’d run somebody against Randy Groves, but nobody wanted to.

You know, mainly because it doesn’t pay a living wage. So working-class people don’t want to be on the City Council. Yeah. So, I can’t see this coming out of this group, but I want a war on the city and I want to (let me finish, Wayne), I want to target downtown because downtown is the apple of the Eugene City Council’s eye, you know, they call it ‘the beating heart of Eugene.’

Eugene does not have a heart, beating or otherwise. And it’s also, according to Groves, an important part of their tax base. So I want to attack downtown, you know, and I want to do it by being very, very public and doing everything we can to aggravate them. And I’m going to stop there because I don’t know if any of you would want to do this.

Richard Self: Before anyone jumps in, I just want to elaborate on that. Lynn is advocating here for a way to do what we’re trying to do through, he’s talking about, disruption. (Yeah, disruption). Disruption. What was your idea you texted me there—going to City Council as a group and everybody doing the Queen dance and yelling ‘F— you,’ until City Council started listening to us. Disruption might be one of the avenues to go.

Presenter: At the KEPW News Team meeting, Sam Broadway:

[00:07:44] Richard Self: There was an action Monday by the BareFoot Defenders and others at the Municipal Court Building where they sat and protested for stopping the sweeps with signs, being vocal, and then they went to the City Council meeting. Some of them went over to the old Harris Hall and found out there’s no City Council there. Some of them made it to the new EWEB building and completely apparently disrupted that whole meeting with yelling, ‘Stop the sweeps’ and carrying their signs, and it was an act of disruption.

[00:08:33] This didn’t come out of the meeting at Theo’s, but that was one thing that Lynn is advocating, so. And I don’t know how far that’ll get us. It might get us more hated. I read up on (California Gov.) Gavin Newsom’s plan to get rid of thousands of homeless in California. And they’re all going to have nowhere to go, and that seems to me like since the Supreme Court ruling, the judgment of all municipalities is going to be: ‘Let them die.’

[00:09:04] It seems much more blatant and obvious that their solution to the homeless problem is to let them die. That really puts a damper on everybody’s work, trying to get a solution to all of this. Now those solutions are out the window, except ‘Let them die.’

[00:08:36] Presenter: At the July 22 City Council meeting, Mayor Lucy Vinis:

[00:09:25] Mayor Lucy Vinis: And as a reminder, we have a few rules in the room: No flags, signs, loud or disruptive language, noise, or any conduct that obstructs the business of Council. We’re seeking to create a quiet, respectful space so that everyone can speak and be heard and feel safe doing so. You are always welcome to wave your fingers in silent support. And then we are a packed house tonight…

[00:09:52] Presenter: Later in the meeting, Robert Jackson.

[00:09:54] Robert Jackson: Good evening Council, Mayor. I’m going to speak a little bit about climate change. So, ladies and gentlemen, if we decide to push for a fossil-free future, it’s crucial to confront the dark side of this transition, and that would be the severe impacts on both the environment and the people who mine the essential elements for electric vehicles and other so-called necessities. The skyrocketing demand for lithium, cobalt, and other rare earth metals is leading to environmental devastation. Mining operations cause deforestation, water contamination and soil damage—

Demonstrators (repeating):  Stop the sweeps and death on the streets!

[00:10:58] Presenter: When the meeting resumed, Mayor Lucy Vinis:

[00:11:01] Mayor Lucy Vinis: Well, I’m reconvening the meeting. We went into recess because as I announced in the beginning, that kind of protest vote is not allowed in this chamber and if people don’t listen, then we don’t listen to them. So, thank you for your patience and your forbearance and thank you to staff. So we are back in session.

City: Would Robert like to start over? I know you were interrupted.

Mayor Lucy Vinis: Yeah, Robert, do you want to begin again?

Robert Jackson: Alright, well, I’m not nervous anymore, so: Hello, I’m Robert Jackson. I’m just here to talk a little bit about climate change. 

[00:11:32] Presenter: On Wednesday, looking back at the demonstration on Monday night, Mayor Lucy Vinis:

[00:11:38] Mayor Lucy Vinis: On Monday night, it was complicated and a little bit scary. And we had staff, right, kind of, in the line of this very aggressive demonstration and were competent, on top of it, cool and collected, did what they needed to do. So thank you all for that. And I guess a special shout-out to (Deputy City Recorder) Sarah McKinney, for being really, really, really on it and really strong. So she deserves the Medal of Honor really, for how capably she managed that.

[00:12:09] Presenter: Activists disrupt the City Council to protest the city’s ongoing confiscation of property from the most vulnerable people in our community. To learn more, visit the BareFoot Defenders on Facebook or Instagram.

UPDATE (Aug. 1, 2024): The KEPW News team emphasizes that the activists at Theo’s had nothing to do with the activists at City Hall July 22, as Richard Self states at 8:33: “This didn’t come out of the meeting at Theo’s…”

Meeting at Theo’s organized by Richard Self, meeting audio provided by Julie Lambert, with update from Curtis Blankinship of the KEPW News Team. Eugene City Council meetings are available online.