A Portland family is being terrorized by squatters who have set up camp next door and even set fire to their property.
Jacob and Beth Adams live next door to an abandoned house that has been taken over by several homeless people.
The couple caught the homeless people overdosing and stealing from their backyard – but said the final straw came when the group set fire to their property.
“There are always fires. Size. This last one actually came and set fire to our property,” Jacob told Fox12.
The Adams’ official neighbor, a Vietnam veteran, reiterated his concerns, adding that the squatters made his living conditions worse than his military deployment in Vietnam.
“When I was in Vietnam, I felt safer walking around downtown Saigon than here in Portland,” Armand Martens, 83, told the news outlet.
The horrific moment showed squatters terrorizing a family in Portland, as many say they feel unsafe as the homelessness crisis worsens. The fire caught Jacob and Beth Adams’ property on fire
Jacob Adams said squatters have moved into his Portland neighborhood and he always catches them screaming or overdosing. Pictured: a squatter who lives next door to Jacob Adams
Jacob Adams said the city’s changing politics was affecting his neighborhood as he recalled the past five years of drug use in the area and the constant fires, including the most recent one
Jacob said the city’s changing politics was affecting his neighborhood as he recalled the past five years of drug use in the area and the constant fires, including the most recent blaze.
“Within 12 hours of this fire, another fire appeared,” Jacob recalled. “My wife screamed and propane cylinders ignited from the fire.”
Footage of the fire showed the fire coming from the squatters’ home when a woman could be heard screaming in the background.
The unknown danger prompted Jacob to buy his own fire extinguisher in case of an emergency.
Jacob kept calling the police to report his squatter neighbors, but apparently nothing has changed.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve spoken to the police because of people screaming or someone overdosing,” he told the news outlet. “It’s just countless, countless calls from first responders.”
Red eviction notices are posted on the outside walls of the squatter, but it seems the current residents are not heeding the notice
Multnomah County, where Portland is located, counted 6,633 people homeless on the night of January 26, 2022. Homelessness statistics can be difficult to verify as individuals move house every day. Pictured: a homeless man in Portland in October
Video footage captured from the Adams’ front door showed Jacob speaking to a man who allegedly stole firewood from his backyard. The theft was one of many disturbances by intruders.
“We must all love our neighbors, no matter who they are. But at the point where they start setting fire to your place, it gets a little more difficult,” Jacobs told the news outlet.
Red eviction notices are posted on the outside walls of the squatter, but it seems the current residents are not heeding the notice.
“The police’s hands are tied because they can’t release people because we’re calling, but what’s the point?” said Jacob.
A line of RVs are stationed along a street where homeless people are sleeping (Pictured: Portland homeless encampment in October)
Of the 6,633 people counted as homeless, 3,611 were living on the streets and in homeless camps, and another 2,222 people were sleeping in city emergency shelters
Portland currently has more than 700 homeless encampments across the city. The increase in homelessness has also led to an increase in crime in the city
Multnomah County, where Portland is located, counted 6,633 people homeless on the night of January 26, 2022. Homelessness statistics can be difficult to verify as individuals move house every day.
Of the 6,633 people counted as homeless, 3,611 were living on the streets and in homeless camps, and another 2,222 people were sleeping in city emergency shelters. Another 800 were in temporary accommodation.
Vietnam veteran Armand Martens, 83, reiterated his concerns, adding that he feels safer in Saigon than in his own neighborhood
The rise in homelessness has also led to an increase in crime in the city.
It is believed that there were approximately 93 homicides in Portland in 2022. However, data from the Metropolitan Police Department has yet to confirm that number and only released statistics up to October of this year, identifying 82 murders.
That number would set a new record for homicides in 2022, up from the previous year’s record of 88 in 2021, surpassing the homicide rate in 2020, where there were 57 homicides by comparison.