Advisory group warns Eugene could lose ‘Human Rights City’ designation

Presenter: A homelessness work group warns that Eugene could lose its designation as a ‘Human Rights City.’ The city hasn’t moved on recommendations shared last April, which could help the city get back on track after repeatedly violating human rights. At the Homelessness and Poverty Work Group Jan. 7, Blake Burrell:

[00:00:19] Blake Burrell (Human Rights Commission, chair): What we have outlined as a work group is the clearance—especially clearance in / during extreme weather conditions—does present challenges for following / upholding this idea of being a ‘Human Rights City,’ violating Article 3, 5, 7, 17, and 25 being the areas of that Declaration and primary focus.

[00:00:41] Presenter: Those articles appear in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which expanded on the U.S. Bill of Rights, and which the U.S. helped create after WWII. Eugene’s Human Rights Commission has recommended a way to get back on track. Blake Burrell:

[00:00:57] Blake Burrell (Human Rights Commission, chair): The hazardous weather protocols is a recommendation that the HRC passed in early 2024, that we’ve seen really limited progress… It’s predominantly focused on feedback from outreach providers and shelter providers who discussed the harm of camp clearance during extreme weather events and hazardous weather events. And this was something that we distributed at the (Dec. 21, 2024) memorial service and really is a core ask of the Human Rights Commission right now.

[00:01:29] So at our quarterly meeting that we had with the mayor’s office in October, this was a topic of conversation. So at that meeting, we talked about this, and so, the notes from that meeting read: ‘The Human Rights Commission has received feedback from city staff that certain recommendations made by the HRC fall under the category of procedure and protocol when human rights issues occur within specific departments. What are the formal channels for these recommendations and follow-up?’

[00:01:58] And the following topic was looking at the sanction posting protocol: ‘The Human Rights Commission would like to know the outcome of sanction posting protocol recommendations proposed in early 2024 to better understand what protocol recommendations have been implemented by Eugene Police Department, or Parks and Open Space staff.’

[00:02:20] So those were the topics at the quarterly check-in that related to this document.

[00:02:27] What we have asked is that we have modifications to the city of Eugene’s unsanctioned camping protocol and removal weather protocols. And there’s some pretty explicit references to articles of human rights and different codes and state statutes that this relates to.

[00:02:46] Presenter: Member of the Homelessness and Poverty Work Group, Richard Self:

[00:02:50] Richard Self (LEAGUE chair, HAPWG member): Well, what is this now, two years since we proposed that there be some kind of modification in sweeping people during hazardous weather? And still here we are in the same boat as we were two years ago, and I’m sure this has been proposed before.

[00:03:09] So, it looks like one of those areas where we’re moving ahead very slowly or getting nowhere. And I am not optimistic, though I’d like to be about something like that, especially with all the vacant properties and vacant lots with fences around them and weeds growing in them and ‘No Trespassing’ signs in the middle of them. We’re really getting nowhere fast.

[00:03:39] I also want to allude to something that Julie (Lambert) said earlier that, it was in one of our work plan items: It was to get out the word to people in the general population about what’s going on with the unhoused situation, and I think to refute the old tired diatribe that homeless people choose to be homeless and they’re just lazy and all drug addicts and don’t want to get a job, don’t want to follow the rules, and that’s why they’re out there.

[00:04:12] I think there should be information exactly why they became homeless, for the most part, in general. Again, there are wildfire victims, pandemic victims, disability victims, people who were displaced due to a house fire. This just happened, the other day, somebody was displaced and somebody died, displaced means homelessness.

[00:04:35] So if you’re displaced from a wildfire, you might get a hotel for a couple of days, but then you’re homeless. There are people who are evicted, eviction victims. There are people who are lost-their-job victims. There are all kinds of reasons why people are actually homeless, but a lot of the majority of our own populace, our own community here believes sincerely that the homeless choose to be homeless and they’re just out there because they want to do drugs and flout the rules and this is the idea behind them becoming homeless. I think there should be information to dispute that.

[00:05:14] Presenter: Homelessness and Poverty Work Group Member Julie Lambert.

[00:05:18] Julie Lambert (HAPWG): I know we’ve asked for this before. If the city manager, when they decide that yes, sweeps are going out, if we could be notified as well. It’d be nice to keep in the loop and then we could pass it on to our folks on the ground too, so they know, because right now it’s only going to law enforcement and to St. Vinnie’s, as far as I know.

[00:05:38] Presenter: Work Group Chair Blake Burrell.

[00:05:40] Blake Burrell (Human Rights Commission, chair): Yeah. I think that’s a really reasonable aspect of this. Have you all taken a look at ORS 195.505? It’s an area that I think we could ask city government to improve.

So this is the state of Oregon’s ‘Elements of camp removal policies.’ And there is a subsection here that says when 72-hour notice is posted, law enforcement officials shall inform local agency that delivers social services to homeless individuals as to where the notice has been posted. The local agency may arrange for outreach workers to visit the camping site that is subject to the notice to assess the need for social service assistance in arranging shelter and other assistance.

[00:06:29] I could ask the city who they are notifying in order to stay in compliance with (4) section (a) and (b), because this is the state recommendation, is that outreach providers and local agencies shall be informed.

[00:06:45] Presenter: On Jan. 7, Richard Self:

[00:06:47] Richard Self (LEAGUE chair, HAPWG member): Indeed, what about people who are woken up in the wee hours of the morning and given 10 to 15 minutes to get out or else there’s no such 72-hour notice. There’s nothing like that. It’s just go or we’ll take your stuff, which is what happens and is the case. And this is all in the wee hours of the morning when nobody’s seeing what’s going on.

[00:07:11] So, this is commonplace and there’s nothing to say that they can’t do that, nothing that prevents any of that from happening.

[00:07:19] Presenter: Blake Burrell:

[00:07:20] Blake Burrell (Human Rights Commission, chair): We’ve talked a little bit about that definition of established and non-established (camps). I have made a formal recommendation that the two-hour notices should not be used within Parks and Open Spaces.

[00:07:33] So: ‘City staff will neither post non-established nor established sanctioned encampment removal in compliance with this nor remove campsites that have previously been posted during the weather event.’

[00:07:45] Presenter: Human rights violations by Eugene employees threaten the city’s designation as a ‘Human Rights City.’ After the city failed to act in time for summer heat and smoke, a human rights work group is asking for changes to the extreme weather protocols before the next big winter storm.