Attempts by Oregon officials to crack down on homeless camps 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 would not book the individual, leaving Mayor Ted Wheeler “disappointed.”

A spokesperson for the Portland Police Bureau told Fox News Digital that the man arrested last week had allegedly refused repeated offers of shelter and even a tiny home, opting to stay in the homeless camp. Though he was arrested and taken to the Multnomah County Detention Center downtown, he ended up being released after staff refused to process him.

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

(Video Credit: KGW News)

“Macdonald was told his options would be to accept services or he’d be arrested,” the Portland Police Bureau said. “Macdonald stated he would rather be arrested than go to the tiny home.”

“Friday, I woke up to police surrounding me — I was not free to go,” Macdonald told the news station. “They offered me a tiny home, I really appreciated that. I was willing to take it, but they told me it was not really a choice you had to make. ‘You’re going to a tiny home.’ I sort of put my brakes on.”

Deputy John Plock, a spokesperson for Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), which operates two jails in the city, explained to Willamette Week that the county jail would only book those arrested for breaking state laws but not for violating city rules.

“As the elected official charged with managing the jail, I believe we need to utilize the corrections system as a place for people who pose a genuine danger to the public, and that does not include individuals whose only offense is living unsheltered,” Sheriff Nicole 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 narrowed the scope of offenses it would book for during the pandemic,” according to Willamette Week.

A spokesman for the Police Bureau, Mike Benner, stated that he “can’t speak to any sort of disconnect between the sheriff’s office and the city of Portland,” but confirmed that the homeless man was “cited and released” after jail personnel refused to book him.

“PPB officers simply made the arrest, which is their role in this process,” Benner said. “PPB doesn’t make decisions about who’s booked and who isn’t.”

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

The Democrat mayor stated that his office met with Morrisey O’Donnell and others “several times over the last year and a half to receive input on the City’s public camping laws.”

Wheeler addressed that representatives for the sheriff “explicitly stated publicly that booking restrictions had been lifted.”

“That is clearly not the case,” he said. “I urge the Sheriff to reconsider her position.”

“Portland officials, including Wheeler, have long expressed frustration with state laws and other legal barriers that have hindered the city’s ability to address issues like homeless camping and public drug use,” Fox News reported.

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

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Frieda Powers

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Frieda@bizpacreview.com

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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