The public backlash was brutal when Oregon lawmakers came up with a new progressive policy. One of their more radically liberal lawmakers introduced a bill which promptly went down in flames. That didn’t stop them from scheduling a public comment hearing. As soon as the public saw the notice they came unglued. They didn’t wait for the meeting to voice their overwhelming displeasure. The proposal allowed “homeless people to camp in public places and sue if told to leave.”
Policy causes phone line meltdown
After word of the suggested new policy hit the streets, phone lines started melting down from all the angry calls pouring in. Oregon lawmakers “canceled a public hearing on a bill that would allow homeless people to camp in public places and sue if told to leave” in the wake of “a massive backlash.” They called House Bill 3501 the “Right to Rest Act.”
It would have “granted homeless individuals a ‘reasonable expectation of privacy in any property belonging to the person, regardless of whether the property is located in a public space.‘” Apparently, they never heard of “planning and zoning.”
Another controversial part of the policy “would have allowed homeless individuals to sue for up to $1,000 if they were told to move.” Responsible hard working citizens who actually live in houses and pay property taxes don’t like threading their way through bums to get to work. Especially because the bums are chasing away their customers.
Oregon Democrats propose 'Right to Rest Act' decriminalizing public camping as homeless crisis surges https://t.co/nt3DMaN4zd
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 28, 2023
Retailers are going broke because the only ones coming in to their stores take what they want and walk back out without paying. Police refuse to even think about stopping the trend. As a result, businesses and responsible citizens are driving away in droves.
Liberal lawmakers aren’t real good about obeying rules so HB 3501 “had missed key deadlines and would not have been able to advance this legislative session anyway.” House Majority Leader Julie Fahey put out a statement to calm the public and assure them the policy is DOA.
“Thursday’s now-canceled hearing was to be purely for public input.” They got plenty of that already. “The bill received more than 2,000 written opposition statements on the legislature’s website, along with a handful of statements of support.” Not to mention all the angry and threatening phone calls.
Not clear in reports
According to Ms. Fahey, the “fact that the bill is dead and can’t become law hasn’t been made clear in press reports, leading to an enormous amount of confusion and consternation among many.” She also adds that even though she’s a bona fide, card carrying, Democrat she “does not support the policy in the bill.”
Life for lawmakers has been nerve wracking because the bill became a “significant distraction” from representatives’ work. So bad it prompted the Committee on Housing to pull the plug on the hearing.
Backlash to the policy certainly woke up the woke lawmakers. “I think that it’s getting to a point where we’re literally going to have to reach this level of lunacy for people to wake up,” Portland security guard Damian Bunting observes.
As if Oregon needed any more insane laws enacted, HB 3501 or the "Right to Rest Act" might be the most insane one yet. Not only does the bill decriminalize camping in public places, but allows homeless people to sue individuals who ask them to move along.https://t.co/v8U7uv4bBD
— PDX Real (@PDXReal1) April 25, 2023
Unchecked homelessness and general anarchy have made most of the state appear “dystopian.” Not only is the homelessness allowed, it’s encouraged.
The pro-homeless policy decisions made in the past caused the state’s homeless population to spike by “about 22.5% from 2020 to 2022.” The crisis is becoming a “focal point” for voters and taxpayers. Especially the ones who wonder what happened to the police protection and why laws are considered relics of the past.
Even the social workers on the streets can’t figure out how it’s been allowed to happen. “Explain to me how this serves any meaningful purpose to end this humanitarian crisis,” outreach worker Kevin Dahlgren challenges. “This is backwards thinking.“
