Portland's camping ban begins Friday, but will it change anything?
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- At 8 a.m. Friday, Portland's new daytime camping ban takes effect.
The ordinance bans camping in public places from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and forbids camping near parks, docks, schools and construction zones. Campers also cannot block home and business entries.
Repeat violators will face a $100-dollar fine or 30 days in jail, but questions still remain about how the ban will actually be enforced.
Portland police said that they are not going to start giving out fines and or arresting folks until they spend the summer educating people on the streets about the new laws. They also said this wasn't an ordinance of their design and are yielding to the mayor's office on the matter.
One caveat of the ban is the need for an available shelter bed for someone to go to if law enforcement is trying to move them from the street.
When D.A. Mike Schmidt was asked how much interest do you have in prosecuting a violation of the camping ban he said it doesn't necessarily align with his values but his office is prepared to do so.
"My interest in doing it, obviously, is hopefully to be that extra layer of accountability that gets people finally connected to the resource if they make it to us," said Schmidt. "And I'm all in on that. I think that getting people connected to those things will actually be a part of making a difference."
Schmidt also added that he does not see jail time as a housing solution for people experiencing chronic homelessness. According to Schmidt, to house someone in jail it's over 300 dollars every day.
He said jail should only be used in the rarest cases and realistically he doesn't see anyone going to jail.
KOIN 6 has reached out to Mayor Wheeler for comment. He has not responded.