Oregon homelessness crackdown collapses as jail fails to report first person arrested under new rules

Oregon officials' attempts to crack down on homeless encampments in Portland have already hit a snag.

Despite the first arrest made under the city's new rules against camping on public property, the county jail refused to cooperate and did not book the individual, leaving Mayor Ted Wheeler “disappointed.”

A spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau said Fox News Digital that the man arrested last week had allegedly turned down repeated offers of shelter and even a small house, opting instead to stay in the homeless camp. Although he was arrested and taken to the Multnomah County Detention Center downtown, he was eventually released after staff refused to process him.

The man was identified as Alasdair Macdonald by KGW News, who was able to interview him about his experience.

(Video credit: KGW News)

“Macdonald was told his options were to accept services or he would be arrested,” the Portland Police Bureau said. “Macdonald said he would rather be arrested than go to the little house.”

“I woke up on Friday with the police surrounding me – I wasn't free to go,” Macdonald told the news station. “They offered me a small house, I really appreciated it. I was willing to accept it, but was told it wasn't really a choice you had to make. “You go to a small house.” I put my brakes on in a way.”

Deputy John Plock, a spokesman for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), which operates two jails in the city, told Willamette Week that the county jail would only hold those arrested for violating state laws, but not for violating city rules.

“As an elected official charged with running the prison, I believe we need to use the corrections system as a place for people who pose a genuine danger to the public, and that doesn't include people whose only crime is living without shelter,” Sheriff Nicole said. Morrisey O'Donnell said in a statement.

A directive issued by Morrisey O'Donnell in August 2023 defined the policy “after the sheriff's office reduced the scope of crimes for which it would book during the pandemic,” according to Willamette Week.

A spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, Mike Benner, said he “cannot speak to any disconnect between the sheriff's office and the city of Portland,” but confirmed that the homeless man was “cited and released” after prison staff refused. to reserve it.

“PPB officers simply made the arrest, which is their role in this process,” Benner said. “PPB does not make decisions about who is reserved and who is not.”

The new rules were approved by the Portland City Council in May and went into effect on July 1. Those who violate the ordinance risk a $100 fine and/or up to seven days in jail.

“I am disappointed in the sheriff's decision to refuse to book people arrested for violating the law,” Mayor Ted Wheeler told Fox News Digital in a statement. “I am deeply concerned about this disconnect and what it may mean for future efforts to improve public safety.”

The Democratic mayor said his office met with Morrisey O'Donnell and others “several times over the last year and a half to get input on the city's public camping laws.”

Wheeler said sheriff's representatives “stated publicly in an explicit manner that the booking restrictions had been lifted.”

“Clearly that's not the case,” he said. “I urge the sheriff to reconsider his position.”

“Portland officials, including Wheeler, have long expressed frustration with state laws and other legal barriers that have hampered the city's ability to address issues such as homeless encampment and public drug use” , Fox News reported.

“The sheriff's office has budgeted for 1,130 beds between its two jails and has previously warned that overcrowding could lead to the release of incarcerated people,” the outlet added. “The daily average inmate population has been about 80% of capacity or less since the sheriff's August 2023 directive, according to MCSO data.”

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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida, where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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