ODOT clears trash from Revere Avenue homeless camp; eviction averted

(Update: Adding video, comments)

Agency spokesman says 'compromise' reached

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- ODOT crews cleared trash from a homeless camp near the Bend Parkway at Revere Avenue on Thursday, as a small group looked on and one livestreamed, but plans to evict one camper for violating the rules were dropped.

Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Peter Murphy said earlier that a woman was being evicted, "having resisted efforts to clean up" the property and not complying with safety and cleanliness rules the agency established for the site.

However, Murphy later told NewsChannel 21 a compromise had been reached involving Deschutes County and others, and the woman would be allowed to stay.

Residents of the campsite had been given a 10-day notice, alerting them of the cleanup. Murphy said 30 cubic yards of trash was removed and disposed of on Thursday.

"We hear from a variety of different sources about what's going on at a particular camp," Murphy said. "In this case, we've heard of fires being set here, and that kind of exceeds our ability to tolerate. We can't really have fires being established near a highway, so that's not very safe, of course."

ODOT crews have conducted similar clean-ups and evictions at transient encampments around the city in recent months, citing public safety and health issues on state property.

But their efforts have also sparked criticism from homeless advocates who say the city lacks adequate support, resources and a safe place for them to relocate. Several supporters of the city's "houseless" residents have voiced their concerns at recent city council meetings, as the city works in various ways to create more shelter or other space and to connect them with services.

Central Oregon Peacekeepers conducted a Facebook livestream from Thursday's camp cleanup, and founder Luke Richter objected to ODOT's actions involving a vulnerable homeless population.

"Most of us are on the verge of this being us at any given moment," Richter said. "At any point, we don't know if we're going to get hit by a car, or a medical event happening. You just have no idea how close we actually are to being in the same exact position."

Richter said they should be allowed to remain there. He said his group and others have been working to assist the homeless residents in the community in various ways.