Stepping up: Bend woman clearing Deschutes River bank of trash
'Just to know it's getting put in a bag and hauled out of here makes me feel good.'
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Along the banks of the Deschutes River on the north end of Bend, trash left behind from homeless campers is building up.
Raemi Poitras said she was shocked to see a social media post of what the river bank looked like in the area.
"I'm just finding that no matter where I look, there's garbage and evidence of household, living-type items that belong in the dump and not on our river,” the Bend native told NewsChannel 21 on Monday.
So instead of complaining about the trash buildup, Poitras started doing something about it.
"This is my third day out here," she said while bagging up some of the garbage.
Poitras is working her way from the Mount Washington Drive Bridge, clearing the trash on the river's west bank. She hopes to make it to the dam upriver by spring.
"And I feel like if those of us who can don't get out there and do something, it's just going to get worse," she said.
It's not easy either, as the area is filled with large boulders and mud to navigate. It’s the same spot were a homeless man fell 40 feet from the cliff above last August.
"Just to know it's getting put in a bag and hauled out of here makes me feel good," Poitras said.
And besides, she has some down time to spare, due to slow times with her pet care business because of the pandemic.
"I like to help my community in any way that I can,” Poitras said. ”I've been trying to help the homeless community for the last three to five years, I'd say."
It's a problem she understands all too well.
"I never had to live like this,” Poitras said, recalling a time when she was homeless herself. “I lived in a Volkswagen bug with my kids when they were small, but we lived up in the mountains, and we survived on very little. So I understand it."
And the location doesn't make hauling the trash out too easy.
"If we as a community can help the people that are out here,” she said. “Bring them garbage bags. Do dump runs for them."
She’s still got a long way to go to reach her goal. One bag of trash at a time.
“instead of complaining” – she decided just to do something about it – good job and thank you.
Bless her. A shame people are pigs with no accountability. But good on her for stepping up to help.
Though, her thought of putting garbage bags
and cans out there for the homeless would be fruitless. I’ve seen the entitled folk who clearly have a home and money toss their litter in the streets downtown when as rubbish bin was two feet away.
Is there a rule that says if you are homeless you must leave huge amounts of trash where ever you go?
Why not? COB and ODOT doesn’t have problem with it!
I am glad to see someone stepping up to help. I have been doing it for years to a limited degree myself but had concerns about being alone out there and I became somewhat discouraged as the problem grew faster than I could make any progress. I would love to join her and help and would think others would too. The litter problem here in Bend is not limited to the homeless camps, it is shameful! I have lived in and seen many other towns and big cities and Bend has the worse litter problem of anywhere I have seen. She should not be doing this on her alone and on her own! Be safe please!
Nice job, thanks, if I lived closer I would help
Those who have moved here from cities not only bring their crime, rudeness, attitude, but also complete disrespect for the area. And the thing is most people who now live in Bend think it is beneath them to pickup the litter. Take a trip down to CA trash everywhere.
Some areas of California have been a garbage dump for years, but you don’t have to drive all the way to California to see a lot of trash, all you have to do is drive to Portland.
You’re so full of it. The Lapinesse ruined crane prairie and many more lakes years ago with all their trash left at all the lakes. Own your nasty people’s habits.
TAKE YOUR ASS BACK TO CALIFORNIA BOY!
Or go to Portland or to Seattle. Ca has it’s issues but it isn’t only there…
I appreciate what she’s doing however, it’s just like giving money to these people on the corner. As long as you coddle the homeless society they will keep taking advantage of you. Bend should have a homeless patrol, and issue tickets that can be worked off by picking up trash for a week. This will instill in their minds how wrong it is to trash our city who has allowed them to camp there to begin with.
I agree and it should apply to all types of nonviolent bad behavior. Graffiti artists should remove their “art.” Vandals should make repairs. Litterbugs and trash dumpers should haul out garbage. Drug possessors should have to work at a drug addiction facility. All should be judge-sentenced community service and liable for any expenses incurred to attain the desired repairs/result. The taxpayer may have to pay for their supervision while they do the work, but we or the property owner shouldn’t have to pay to repair any damage.
It’s great to see someone stepping up to help clean up the endless mess
that the homeless leave scattered around wherever they have camped…
I wonder if the county lets her dispose of the garbage free or if another
agency picks up the full bags ?
If they can haul it in on foot they can haul it out on foot. In the distant past I was homeless for awhile and didn’t litter or accumulate junk. I backpack a lot and always pack out every bit of trash. Some of these folks have fallen on hard times that are not their fault others are just straight up lazy.
Kudos to her for showing that actions speak louder than words.