Businesses and residents in different parts of Portland are complaining about crimes they believe are being committed by people living in nearby homeless camps.
A decades-old small business in North Portland says a homeless camp next door is causing tens of thousands of dollars worth of damages in theft, and they're getting no help from the city.
The goal of Curt's RV Storage in St. Johns is to give people a safe place to store their recreational vehicles, but the company tells KOIN 6 News that the well-established homeless camp nearby is making it impossible for them to do their job.
The camp is built out with boats, numerous RVs, grills, pop-up tents, stacks of propane and a water tank.
"They got in, they took a brand-new motor home and took it right out the gate. They're just really bold. They don't care," said Tamera White, with Curt's RV Storage. A D V E R T I S I N G | Continue reading below
"They need drugs. They have to have them. And so in order to feed that habit, they have to steal stuff," added Douglas Bartee, who also runs a small business near the camp.
The business owners at the RV storage company say the constant criminal activity of theft and break-ins on their lot has cost them upward of $100,000. They told KOIN 6 News that even their brick wall hasn't stopped anyone from getting over and that they constantly find ladders from people climbing over on either side.
From noise and partying at all hours, to stolen cars being parted out and gunshots fired at night, the company is at a loss, which is why they began putting out jersey barriers to block their gate at night as a last resort.
"It's frustrating," Bartee said. "And for Curtis and this family-owned business here, it's pretty devastating because they get a situation where people can't trust to have their property stored here."
"I wish the city could step up and do something" White added. "I wish the police would follow through with their obligations and arrest the ones who have warrants."
The city of Portland said they've completed seven risk assessments at this site since the beginning of July, and due to the high number of vehicles, the city said it requires the Portland Bureau of Transportation's Parking Enforcement Division to play a lead role in site cleanup and removal. The city also said they prioritize sites based on the risk that sites pose to the community. A D V E R T I S I N G | Continue reading below
A Portland Police Bureau sergeant from the North Precinct told KOIN 6 News that the camp is concerning and definitely on their radar. However, police admitted that they're bogged down with four other massive camp cleanups in North Portland right now, including both Cross Levee/Columbia Slough and the Big Four Corners Natural Area.
"Cross Levee/Columbia Slough is nearly complete. We will need to do some follow-up work in the next several weeks, but the bulk of the work is complete," said Heather Hafer, communications strategist for the Street Services Coordination Center.
"We anticipate starting Big Four Corners next week, but that project will take several weeks to finish," she said.
Police and the city say as soon as they're done addressing those camps, they'll take a look at the camp by Curt's RV Storage again.
In Southeast Portland, neighbors are growing even more concerned about troubles on their streets, complaining about what they believe is curbside drug dealing and prostitution in the Mount Scott-Arleta area.
Some neighbors told KOIN 6 News they can handle people parking in their neighborhood temporarily, but setting up criminal activity is too much. A D V E R T I S I N G | Continue reading below
One homeowner who lives in the area of Southeast 72nd Avenue and Martins Street said he's upset with what he believes are drug sales and prostitution at a camper and a motorhome illegally parked in the neighborhood for weeks. He wished to remain anonymous out of fear for his family's safety.
He also said one neighbor recently sold their home because of what was happening. He has called the Bureau of Transportation and police but says the evening activity is still happening:
"Within the last two months, the prostitutes have moved into a trailer next to the camper," the man said. "The sex, the drugs, all the people it attracts are just more than we can stand."
And in a different Southeast Portland neighborhood, a man living in a homeless camp has been throwing objects at cars from a bike, smashing their windshields as they're driving.
After two people shared their own stories online, other neighbors came forward to say they've also been targeted in the Sunnyside neighborhood just west of Mount Tabor.
The attacks come out of nowhere, according to victims. Last weekend, Steve Magnuson was driving along Southeast 49th Avenue near Hawthorne Boulevard when a man on a bike smashed his windshield — all caught on dashcam. A D V E R T I S I N G | Continue reading below
"He stood up and sort of steadied himself and just took a big swing with a rock or something hard, right into my windshield," said Magnuson, who went on to add he didn't see where the man went off to but later found the same bike with a cart attached in a nearby homeless camp.
When he contacted police, they say they recognized the suspect, identifying him as 51-year-old Robert Casey McClatchey. He has a long criminal history according to court records, including a similar 2021 case, involving throwing heavy items at a windshield. Police say McClatchey faces second-degree criminal mischief in this case, as well, and is expected in court soon.
Magnuson says he also was frustrated at the seemingly low charge for the crime, but at the same time, expressed sympathy for the homeless and says he recognizes they need help and until that happens, instances like this will only continue.
"I know the system doesn't work for them. Just to have a regular job, you have to have a brain that works and be willing to go to work and function at your job," Magnuson said. "That's a bar right now that's too high for a lot of people, and without that changing, things are bound to get worst."
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