Lawsuit Dropped Against Mayor Hales Dropped After He Reinstates Camping Ban

A lawsuit charging Mayor Hales acted without authority when he declared an emergency and set rules allowing people to sleep in public spaces or on sidewalks has been dropped now that he has dropped the policy.

Hales announced Tuesday that the rules that went into effect allowing groups of up to six to set up tents in public spaces between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. were being discontinued.

While the lawsuit - filed by a coalition that included the Portland Business Alliance and several neighborhood associations - had been dismissed by a judge, he had left open the possibility that they could re-file it.

Now that the policy is no longer in effect, that won't happen.

In a statement ending the policy, the mayor's office said the rules had "caused confusion. People believed that camping was made legal, and outreach workers and law enforcement struggled to educate people about the difference between a safe night's sleep and unsanctioned camping.

"Houseless people, housed people, and the Police Bureau indicaed the guidelines were not practicable."

The guidelines were part of a series of actions taken by Hales who declared a "State of Emergency in Housing and Homelessness."

"The State of Emergency means three things: first, rapid action; second, deliberate experimentation; and third, real money," Hales said.

"We quickly launched several pilot programs in response to livability issues associated with the homeless crisis. They were deliberate experiments to determine how we should allocate resources."

In addition to the camping policy included several other programs that, unlike the camping program, are being continued.

A sanitation program that involved the city placing dumpsters and portable toilets in certain locations is being continued.

One that is not only being continued but expanded is a day storage program that allows homeless people to have a safe place to store belongings while they go see a doctor, attend a job interview, or meet with a counselor, or just need a place to store stuff.