Homeowners in the city of Portland, Oregon, say a group of homeless people built their own makeshift cabins overlooking the scenic Willamette River without planning permission.
The rickety shacks and tents were built on what is considered no man’s land next to the Union Pacific rail yard.
But for those who live across the river and have paid up to a million dollars for a beautiful, uninterrupted view, the facilities are a disgrace to the landscape.
One of the main problems is that the area is difficult to access and as it is not directly on the marshalling yard site it is unclear who is in charge of the shoreline.
Some ownership records show that part of the beach does in fact belong to the rail yard, but there appears to be little to no inclination to encroach.
Homeowners in Portland, Oregon, are complaining about a group of people who have built makeshift cabins and tents on a piece of land overlooking the river
From the other side of the river bank, the luxury apartment blocks and are also clearly visible
Views of what appears to be camps on the banks of the Willamette River in Portland
The settlement lies on a narrow strip of land between the river and the marshalling yard
The strip of land seen on the far left is so thin that there is no clear indication of who owns it
Huts were built on an inaccessible no man’s land
Tents have also been erected, but it is unclear who is responsible for the shoreline
Larry Purtle and Ric Scaramella have observed people erecting about nine makeshift shacks across from their own homes over the past five years and say they have complained to authorities about 40 times.
The couple say they are “concerned” about the people living in the shacks and worried about pollution in the river.
“These aren’t tents. Those are structures. Pretty much everyone comes back and says they don’t have jurisdiction because it’s Union Pacific, it’s a railroad,” Scaramella told KOIN.
Built of driftwood, the shacks have an almost slum-like feel, with no bathrooms or running water — though some have solar panels to power residents. Rubbish lies scattered on the shore.
One of the cabin dwellers is Paula, who prefers to be in an emergency shelter.
“There are a couple of places I like. They would have been great, except for the no-drug thing. That sucks. I don’t think drugs are my problem,” Paula told KOIN News.
“I think my problem is that I don’t have a place to wash my hair and go to the toilet.”
Larry Purtle and Ric Scaramella have raised concerns about pollution and the lack of facilities for people in the area, but no one is taking responsibility
Purtle and Scaramella live in luxury apartments across the river and want the authorities to take responsibility
Garbage has been left strewn along the coast with no one taking responsibility
The settlers appear to have made a home for themselves over the last five years
The area has also become a kind of garbage dump
A map showing where homeless camps have been reported across the city of Portland — with many along the river
Recently, the City of Portland, the Oregon Department of State Lands, the Oregon Marine Board, the Metro and the Port of Portland pulled 10 tons of debris and two abandoned boats from the area called Lindbergh’s Beach owned by the Portland Port.
Union Pacific spokesman Daryl Bjoraas said when it came to owning the land, it was complicated.
“This area is particularly difficult to enforce as the cabins are close to the water. Under the common law of the ordinary high water mark, the boundary separating public lands from private lands is determined by natural variations in water, making it a legal gray area,” explained Bjoraas.
Similarly, the Oregon Department of State Lands, which regulates rivers, is also tackling the problem hands-on.
“The bad news is that at this point it’s hard to tell if we’re going to matter. Where public ownership ends at the riverbed/bank and upland ownership begins, it’s complicated,” a spokesman said.
Multnomah County funds nonprofits that reach the homeless, but it’s unclear if the shack residents have been spoken to.
“There are a couple of places I like. They would have been great, except for the no-drug thing. That sucks. I don’t think drugs are my problem,” said a woman named Paula, who lived in a KOIN News shack. “I think my problem is that I don’t have a place to wash my hair and go to the toilet.”
Homelessness – seen along the Oregon River
Some of the cabins even appear to have solar panels to provide electricity
Those living across the river now have a view of the coastal wasteland
Workers from the non-profit group Willamette Riverkeeper clean up trash along the banks of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. Photos of the garbage released in June 2022.
Huge amounts of garbage lie on the banks of the river in Portland
What looks like a pleasant stretch of forest actually contains a lot of rubbish left behind by the residents of the makeshift settlements
The riverfront camps are just the latest problem in Portland, which has suffered from rising crime and homeless encampments that have spread from downtown to the suburbs, displacing countless businesses and residents.
Dilapidated RVs are used by homeless people across the city and are often spotted parked near encampments.
The democratic city has one of the least crowded downtown areas in the United States as rising crime rates and homelessness scare both locals and tourists alike.
2021 saw 90 homicides amid a spike in gun violence that shattered the city’s previous record high of 66, set more than three decades ago.
In 2022, 101 murders were registered – a new record for the city.
Portland currently has more than 700 homeless camps located across the city within less than 150 square miles.
Some of the Pacific Northwest city’s most charming, trendiest, and expensive neighborhoods are now overrun with tent cities that crowd residential sidewalks and are littered with trash — and the problem is putting off locals and tourists alike.
Portland currently has more than 700 homeless encampments located across the city within less than 150 square miles, and the ordeal has also led to skyrocketing crime in the area
Some of the Pacific Northwest city’s most charming, trendiest, and expensive neighborhoods are now overrun with tent cities that crowd residential sidewalks and are littered with trash — and the problem is putting off locals and tourists alike
The Portland City Council rushed to reimburse police in November 2021 after defunding them by more than $15 million in 2020. Officials instead voted to add $5.4 million to the force’s budget.
When the police were stripped of funds in 2020, the Portland Police Bureau suffered a series of retirements and layoffs.
Portland saw a dramatic spike in shootings and homicides following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The city saw a 250 percent increase in homicides within the first six months after Floyd’s death, and shootings increased nearly 175 percent.