Another Anti-Homeless "Leader" in Portland
Rene Gonzalez bans Portland Street Response from distributing tents and tarps.
New Portland, Oregon city commissioner Rene Gonzalez, who runs the Fire Department, has Portland Street Response (PSR) in his portfolio as well. He’s using control of the fledgling program to make life harder for his unhoused neighbors.
“In a press release sent Tuesday evening, Gonzalez said he has ordered all bureaus he oversees to temporarily suspend the distribution of both tents and tarps to members of the public. This includes the Portland Fire Bureau, which houses Portland Street Response.
“The ban is due to a number of recent tent fires, according to Gonzalez.
“It has become clear that tent and tarp-related fires are a grave public safety emergency for our city,” Gonzalez said in the press release. “Unsanctioned fires put our first responders, houseless individuals, and our neighborhoods at risk.”
This confirms my fears that Gonzalez intends to undermine PSR—the most important alternative to policing in Portland (and maybe the country). He and current mayor Ted Wheeler have proved their disdain for studied approaches, data, and unhoused people themselves.
By continuing to punch down, Gonzalez, Wheeler, and their ilk are making indefensible choices.
Of possible interest: Civil Unrest Is Here to Stay