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Oregon Right to Rest (HB 2367) Hearing April 13th – Media Advisory

April 8, 2021 by Jonathan 2 Comments

Media Advisory: Right to Rest Act (HB 2367)
For Immediate Release April 5, 2021 Salem, OR

The bill they can’t kill, the Sweeps that do!

Oregon’s houseless face life and death each day on the streets and deserve the dignity The Right to Rest Act provides.

Community members from across Oregon have pressured the House Judiciary Committee to act on the Right to Rest Act (HB 2367) first introduced by Freshman Representative Campos. HB 2367 was scheduled for a Judiciary Committee Hearing on March 9 when Chair Janelle Bynum abruptly pulled the bill on March 8. Also pulled were over 80 written testimonies in support of the Act as community members plead for the “sweeps,” which is when cities force our houseless neighbors to move over and over again while seizing all their possessions, to stop.

The Act is now scheduled for a hearing on April 13, 2021 at 1pm and co-sponsored by Representatives Pham, Grayber, and Dexter.

“Oregon’s homeless folks deserve dignity and they deserve to be heard. Our office recognizes the value and importance of centering the voices of our most vulnerable communities and will continue to push for policy that elevates the issues impacting these communities.” – Rep. Wlnsvey Campos

House Bill 2367 is critical life-saving legislation for our houseless communities across the state. John, a Portland houseless neighbor who supports HB 2367, talks about the barriers that “sweeps” pose to houseless neighbors who want to work:

“The biggest and loudest complaint I hear from people is that they want to look for a job and they can’t because we can be “swept” at any time. We are afraid to leave our things because when we come back, they will be gone. Our entire existence is to wake up, eat, and wonder when we will be moved. And this is America.” – John, Houseless neighbor

The Right to Rest Act would prohibit law enforcement, security personnel, or public employees from harassing, citing, or arresting houseless people for exercising their rights to to use and move freely in public spaces, rest (sit, stand, and sleep), eat and share food, pray and occupy a legally parked vehicle and will effectively end the daily “sweeps” of houseless camps.

    

Lynn, a Portland houseless neighbor, shared:

“My husband and I have been houseless for nine years. Everybody thinks we are drug addicts and alcoholics. That’s not the case. We are under the poverty level so there is no place for us but the streets. Sweeps disrupt everything. When our belongings are destroyed or seized during a sweep the City is stealing our money, our belongings and our time that could be spent working. We are prisoners of the City because we can’t leave our home.”

 

Homeless people are most often prosecuted for “crimes of survival,” like sitting, lying down, or sleeping in public space. Out of 565 street outreach surveys conducted by the Western Regional Advocacy Project in Oregon, 88% of homeless people were harassed, cited or arrested for sleeping, 83% for sitting or lying down and 78% for loitering or “hanging out”.

HB 2367 is not just a “homeless bill”. Unhoused people are not the only people who are targeted for police contact solely for being in public space, as shown by the myriad of racially violent stories in which the police are called on people for #WalkingWhileBlack. When laws exist that can arbitrarily criminalize anyone, there is an immense risk that our legal system will continue to reinforce the oppression of and brutality against non-white, poor citizens, whom police have historically been able to kill and maim with impunity. HB 2367 directly states that people have the right to exist in public space and participate in social and economic life without facing constant threats from discriminatory policing. Adele, a Portland houseless neighbor who lives in her car, stated,

“Sweeps are like being raped. The anxiety of not knowing when my stuff will be taken is overwhelming. I don’t have a chance to have a place where I can rest, and gather things that are important for me to survive. I’m lost when they take my belongings because I know anything I gather again will be taken away again. They are supposed to keep your belongings but one friend of mine who was swept later found his stuff by the side of the road where Rapid Response dumped it.”

…I know of a couple who froze to death in their tent during the snowstorm because they were afraid to leave their stuff. The sweeps kill.”

Video:
Click here to see the City of Eugene bulldozing a houseless neighbor’s tent on Dec. 2, 2020.

###

 

Contact Information:

Lynn, Portland houseless neighbor Mobile, 503-496-6836

Adele, Portland houseless neighbor Mobile, 971-212-9215

John, Portland houseless neighbor Mobile, 503-805-2718

Paul Boden, Western Regional Advocacy Project Mobile, 415-430-7358
Email, stopthesweepspdx@gmail.com
Website, wrap@wraphome.org

 

Endorsers:

Download the PDF file .

Supporting Materials:
Oregon Right to Rest Act | Western Regional Advocacy Project
ACLU 2017 Report, “Decriminalizing Homelessness: Why Right to Rest is the High Road for Oregon”
The Right to Adequate Housing” from the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights
Portland homeless account for majority of police arrests, analysis find

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z7yk2od5Yoo
Dec. 2, 2020 – City of Eugene bulldozing someone’s tent to take to a dumpster

Filed Under: #right2rest, Actions, Events, HBR, Homeless Bill of Rights, Homelessness, Oregon, Press Releases, Sisters of the Road, Stop the Sweeps, Stop the Sweeps Austin, WRAP Members

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Howie Harkema says

    April 13, 2021 at 4:01 pm

    Every person deserves safe sleep. The ordinances written to prevent safe sleep by our houseless communities are inhuman and defy the purpose of the Ninth Circuit Court decision that it is cruel and is a punishment. We must repeal these ordinances once and for all…

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  2. Brent Oyler says

    April 16, 2021 at 2:17 pm

    Sweeps are constant in California.especially in Modesto. My wife and i, both college students , have video of stanislaus county Sherrifs threatening and forcing us to move with a giant back hoe . ripping out trees by the rivers and stealing or demolishing housless neighbors belongings and homes

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San Francisco, CA. Mayor’s Plan to Expand Shelte San Francisco, CA. Mayor’s Plan to Expand Shelter GUTS HOUSING FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES AND YOUTH 
https://wraphome.org/2023/05/31/mayors-plan-to-expand-shelter-guts-housing-for-homeless-families-and-youth/
Nationally, evictions from public housing have sur Nationally, evictions from public housing have surged since late 2021, when the federal government lifted an eviction moratorium put in place to protect renters during the pandemic, according to Peter Hepburn, associate director of Princeton University’s Eviction Lab.  https://conta.cc/3WJco9B
WRAP members and allies always tell us the vital i WRAP members and allies always tell us the vital importance of feeling connected to each other- sharing stories from our own communities, learning from past campaigns, and having artwork that we can share (and wear!) that affirms the life-saving message that we are in this together - we are not alone! 
https://conta.cc/3Wfb5Pw
Join the Coalition On Homelessness San Francisco T Join the Coalition On Homelessness San Francisco Thursday May 11 at 12 noon steps of City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
We are thrilled to announce that yesterday the fin We are thrilled to announce that yesterday the final two Aloft residents, Juilo and Alberto who we asked for the community’s support in advocating for, got a commitment from the State for housing vouchers and the City agreed to bridge them in a hotel like everyone else!! This means that NO Aloft resident was kicked to the shelters or streets due to the closure!! This is a huge testament to what is possible when everyone comes together toward a housing goal and puts their resources toward housing! 
https://conta.cc/3LYOumD
Instagram post 17977559687207330 Instagram post 17977559687207330
Of course, in a time when the poor people are demo Of course, in a time when the poor people are demonized for being poor and homeless people are increasingly seen more as something to fear rather than human beings, it’s unfortunately not all that surprising.
https://conta.cc/3HxZpkV
https://conta.cc/3HwGcQq
We are thrilled to announce that yesterday the fin We are thrilled to announce that yesterday the final two Aloft residents, Juilo and Alberto who we asked for the community’s support in advocating for, got a commitment from the State for housing vouchers and the City agreed to bridge them in a hotel like everyone else!! This means that NO Aloft resident was kicked to the shelters or streets due to the closure!! This is a huge testament to what is possible when everyone comes together toward a housing goal and puts their resources toward housing! 
https://conta.cc/3HsVsOn
Unhoused people are most often prosecuted for "cri Unhoused people are most often prosecuted for "crimes of survival," like sitting, lying down, or sleeping in public space. In order to protect people from discriminatory enforcement of laws that were created deny people their right to exist where they happen to live The Right To Rest Act was created in 2015 and is still being fought for today!!!! 
The Right 2 Rest Act did not meet the threshold to be voted out of committee this term, but this informational hearing will ensure legislators know this bill is necessary to protect our human rights to public space! 
https://conta.cc/3KSclTn
Join us to discuss the specifics of the Right to R Join us to discuss the specifics of the Right to Rest Act, HB3501:  What it is, why we need it and how we make it happen in Oregon.  https://conta.cc/3ZOeMvA
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Mayor’s Plan to Expand Shelter GUTS HOUSING FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES AND YOUTH - WRAP

wraphome.org

Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco  May 30,2023 Mayor’s Plan to Expand Shelter  GUTS HOUSING FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES AND YOUTH Mayor...
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