A small group of residents walked the Springwater Corridor Trail in the Lents neighborhood of Southeast Portland on Sunday -- to survey how the urban greenway is recovering after the city swept out large numbers of homeless campers last fall.
The group “Lents Neighbors for Justice” want to get a better understanding of the current problem -- and raise awareness about neighborhood livability problems that they say have continually been ignored by the city.
“We wanted to see what (the corridor) looks like before the high camping season starts, the weather starts getting nicer and the campers start moving in,” said Char Pennie, who lives in the area.
Pennie said she noticed no-camping signs posted along the corridor, and the area felt safer with a lot of bicyclists pedaling by.
Walkers on Sunday said they also saw a few shopping carts and several tents near the trail’s intersection with the multi-use path that runs along Interstate 205.
The number of homeless campers along the Springwater Corridor Trail increased dramatically after then-Mayor Charlie Hales announced his "safe sleep" policy in February 2016. Hales said the policy was meant to allow the homeless to sleep through the night without worrying that they'd be awoken by police for illegal camping.
The numbers of campers along the corridor grew to 500, by one estimate. Area residents said they saw increased crime, fights, drug use, garbage and noise. Many felt unsafe walking or recreating along the trail.
In August 2016, Hales backed off his policy by giving his blessing for police to enforce the illegal-camping ordinance. In September 2016, the city began its first sweeps of the Springwater Corridor.
Pennie, the Lents resident, said that much of the native greenery -- such as smaller trees, ferns and wildflowers -- were trampled or cleared out by campers. The plants haven’t yet recovered. But she said she did notice a lot of grass growing in spots that were once barren.
Neola Larsen, a Southeast Portland resident who lives several miles away, said she joined the walk to support the Lents neighborhood and the restoration of a trail that people from miles around use.
“What I heard was birds chirping everywhere, and last year I didn’t hear them,” Larsen said. “That’s good. That means nature is coming back.”
-- Aimee Green