Downtown Portland’s safe and self-sufficient homeless resting site, Right to Dream Too, is facing stiff fines from the City for violating city planning codes. 50 to 70 people a night are sheltered at West Burnside and 4th Avenue— and unlike the excuse the City used to shut down Occupy Portland, the camp has had few complaints for noise, violence or crime. (Though some neighbors are against it.) The City cannot provide for all the homeless in Portland, and it’s ridiculous to try and stop people on private property from fulfilling such an essential need. The City exempted sites from city codes for the car camping ordinance, and the same can and should be done for R2D2.

There’s going to be a slumber party Tuesday night at City Hall to encourage our City Council to waive the fines agains R2D2. The resting site owes $641.30 for the month of February and the fines keep going up over time. The City’s Bureau of Development Services denied an initial request to waive the fines— and said an official appeal would have come with a fee of $1,215. So now we have to pay to even have the chance to receive justice?

You can also contact City Councilperson and BDS head Dan Saltzman at dan@portlandoregon.gov or by calling 503-823-4151 and let him know what you think should be done about R2D2. R2D2 contact: right2dreamtoo@gmail.com.

Portland City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Avenue * slumber party evening of 1/31 – 2/1, rally at 8:30 am