As the city of Portland implements its November 1st camping ban enforcement policy, Councilor Mitch Green speaks out against the local and federal tactics targeting the homeless population. In a statement published on October 31st, Green highlighted the inhumanity of these sweeps, comparing them to earlier actions by ICE and the National Guard in other cities. Green warned against Portland police being used to execute similar sweeps, stating, "It is a bad, cruel, and failed policy when the Trump administration does it, and it is a bad, cruel, and failed policy when the city of Portland does it."
According to Councilor Green's statement, these sweeps not only lack compassion but also have lethal consequences, contributing to a quadrupling of deaths among the city's homeless population from 2019 to 2023. He emphasized that policies of criminalizing poverty have proved to be both costly and ineffective. Instead, Green advocates for a shift in strategy toward more compassionate and cost-effective programs.
Green's solution points to fostering stability and dignity among those experiencing homelessness. "We need to focus on programs that move people closer to housing and stability, not policies that punish and further destabilize," Councilor Green stated. He calls for investment in low-barrier jobs, direct rental assistance, food aid, and day shelters that offer essential services like hygiene, clothing, and case management. Green believes these measures can address the visible issue of poverty without displacement and with respect for individual dignity.
Moving beyond immediate relief efforts, Green underscored the need for long-term solutions, urging an aggressive push towards a Social Housing model. Such a model aims to provide "high quality, permanently affordable housing" that would benefit a broad demographic, including the middle class as well as the unhoused. "The only real, lasting solution to homelessness is to provide deeply affordable housing for all," Green stated, positioning housing as a fundamental human right and a keystone in preventing the cycle of homelessness.
In conclusion, Councilor Green's stance presents a choice between continuing counterproductive and inhumane sweeps or embracing policies underpinned by solidarity and care for all citizens. "We can either align ourselves with the politics of division, of sweeps, of cages, and of death, or we can choose the politics of solidarity, of housing, of healthcare, and of life," he told the city's publication. These statements aim to galvanize public and governmental support for a more humane approach to the city's homelessness crisis.
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