Oregon bill would allow homeless people to sue residents if they are ‘harassed’

Oregon Democrats propose bill allowing homeless to sue residents for “harassment”

Residents of Oregon are up in arms over a new bill proposed by Democrats that would allow homeless people to sue residents for “harassment.” The bill, known as the Right to Rest Act, would also decriminalize homeless camps and allow aggrieved parties to sue for $1,000 for each incident of harassment.

Many residents complain of harassment and improper behavior on the part of the homeless population in cities such as Portland. In response, the bill blames homelessness on “economic hardship, a shortage of safe and affordable housing, the inability to obtain gainful employment and a disintegrating social safety net system.”

What the bill entails

• Allows homeless people to sue residents for “harassment”
• Decriminalizes homeless camps
• Allows aggrieved parties to sue for $1,000 for each incident of harassment

The bill defines harassment as a “knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a person experiencing homelessness that a reasonable person would consider as seriously alarming, tormenting or terrorizing of the person experiencing homelessness.” However, it does not consider the vice versa of homeless people harassing residents — something many have complained about.

Meanwhile, local residents have complained of increasing crime and harassment from the homeless populations of Oregon’s main cities, especially Portland. In December, a homeless woman was arrested after shoving a 3-year-old girl onto the Gateway Transit Center train tracks in Portland. The girl was waiting for a train with her mother.

Impact on residents

Many residents have reported feeling urged to move for the first time, saying the homelessness crisis makes life unbearable. “It makes you not feel that great about living here. It makes living in the neighborhood harder, not as congenial as it could be,” said 30-year-old Portland resident Greg Dilkes of the homeless encampment near his home. “It’s the first time in a long time that we’ve actually seriously thought about moving.”

“Most people don’t want to have to worry about if they can leave their car parked in their driveway overnight without maybe having it broken into. It’s a pretty testy subject,” another resident said.

Homelessness in Oregon

Homelessness has surged in Oregon over the past several years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of 2020, the state’s three largest counties experienced a 65% increase in homelessness.

It remains to be seen whether the Right to Rest Act will be passed into law, but it has certainly sparked a heated debate among residents of Oregon.