Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association and a police officer for 27 years slammed the mayor for his response to the homelessness crisis, claiming Oregon's largest city has "become a cesspool".
"Aggressive panhandlers block the sidewalks, storefronts, and landmarks like Pioneer Square, discouraging people from enjoying our City. Garbage-filled RVs and vehicles are strewn throughout our neighborhoods. Used needles, drug paraphernalia, and trash are common sights lining the streets and sidewalks of the downtown core area, under our bridges, and freeway overpasses."
Turner's comments came after Mayor Ted Wheeler said in an interview with The Oregonian that he wanted to review arrest data after an analysis by the newspaper found more than half of the arrests that police made in Portland last year were of homeless people. (Fox News, July 17, 2018)
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This is not a new problem for Portland. KPTV 12 Oregon reported in August 2016 that businesses in Portland are unhappy with what they consider an increasingly confrontational homeless population in the area, with reports of aggressive panhandling, vandalism and even death threats. Those issues, in particular, present a problem for Portland police officers. According to the department's policy and state law, an officer can't take a person suffering from a mental health condition anywhere unless they're suspected of committing a crime or are considered a danger to themselves or others.
The Center for Problem-Oriented Policing has published a guide, Responses to the Problem of Panhandling that offers guidance for dealing with panhandling.
WikiHow offers tips for individuals on How to Deal with Aggressive Panhandlers.
It is important to understand that homelessness and panhandling are not the same thing. Not all homeless panhandle, and not all panhandlers are homeless. It is also very important to note that being homeless is not in and of itself a crime.
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