Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler on the city’s homeless camping ban

Think Out Loud

In May, the Portland City Council approved an ordinance that would allow homeless people who camp on public property and reject offers of shelter to be fined up to $100 or sentenced to up to seven days in jail. That ordinance went into effect at the beginning of July, but was put on hold because of extreme heat. At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that cities have the right to penalize people for living outside. Then a few weeks ago Portland police made their first arrest under the new rule, but county deputies at the Multnomah County Detention Center refused to process the man. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler joins us to talk about how the city is addressing unsanctioned camping.