To Roust Or Not To Roust
 

Here is a question.

There is a couple who lives in a van. They have been parking on the busy street by my house. I live on a corner lot, they are parked on the busy "side street" of my house, not the quiet "front street" of my house. I don't see the van from my house - there is an 8 foot fence on that side of the property, and then a 6 foot slope down to the street. I go to that side only to maintain the sidewalk strip, i.e. maybe once every other week. So they are not bothering me. They must move around, because I don't see the van there every night. I actually had no idea people were living in it, until my neighbor across the street let me know. I live in a nice residential neighborhood. There aren't any street people here, until now anyway.

The question is, what would you do? I think (not positive) it is illegal to camp in a car on public roads in Portland. Most likely I could call the police and get this couple rousted and told to find some other location. Should I? Would you?

I think your answer is there.

maybe talk to them before putting a plan together?

Having lived in and out of my car for nearly 7 years of my life when I was younger, I'd give them some food. And blankets, since winter is coming. Maybe a shower.

Thats a tough call, On one hand I don't think I would like them parking in front of my place and the other side of me sees that some people have no options right now.
Either way you go it's gonna be rough for you. Worry about them robbing you or worry because you took away the last option they have.
I do agree there could be better places to camp out.

Stealth camping perhaps?
I spent a few months in the Toyota Motel in the mid '70's. Rarely consecutive nights in the same spot though.
Jim

Hmmm, put yourself in their position, then ask again. Unless they are pissing in public, making a mess, stealing stuff, maybe just acknowledge their presence and be cool?

Whenever I have visited Oregon, people living in vehicles has been the norm, so not too sure why you're asking yourself any questions. There's probably a whole generation of people there who grew up in a schoolbus overgrown with weeds :)

You live in Portland. They arent bothering you.

According to my neighbor they are peeing in the pile of leaves that I'm raking up there. But honestly that doesn't bother me either. I don't see it. My neighbor sees it, she can call if she wishes to.

I'm not much worried about being robbed by them, or having any trouble from them. They have been discreet.

Undecided here. The whole range from "call the cops" to "give them money" is in consideration.

By the way, I want to express my appreciation for you guys chiming in. I have both a moral compass and a sensibility scale, but sometimes they need a bit of calibrating.

Do what the little voice inside you tells you is the "right' thing.

That's what I always do when faced with a decision of this nature.

Wolfe's answer was a good one, I thought.

No such thing as too much Karma in your soul...:p

A good friend of mine here is homeless by choice. He's got plenty of money, could buy a house outright if he wanted to. He's just a man of principle.

I don't question him. I just offer a couch to sleep on sometimes.

If it was me? ... I would report it to the police and get them to move.

Also... I worked hard to buy my house and I continue to work hard to maintain it. That's my "castle" and they're camped on my wall.

That may seem cruel but you know what. It's not your problem so do make it "yours".
You don't know anything about them or what got them into that situation in the first place.

Who knows what they're planning or what they're into.

Give them the address to the local WalMart, they allow camping in their parking lots.

it's interesting how experience shapes perception. I would normally fall into the camp of leave them be. After watching a junk truck steal a dismounted wheel (had a flat) from my wagon the other day, I am a bit more cautious, and a bit less trusting.

My net though is if they are peeing in a pile of leaves, they've got to go, wheel stolen or not.

I'd go meet them and then decide -

IF they are cooking crystal meth in the van, that leads to one decision.

IF they are hungry and pregnant and desperate, that leads a different direction.

best case - they might provide an added level of protection to your pad! Particularly if you buy them a burrito and a beer and ask them to 'keep an eye on things' and give up your cell phone number.

I think a lot of better options by being nice than rousting them....

td

I would consider Gulianni's Broken Windows concept. It was people turning a blind eye to the petty stuff that leads to an eventual lower quality of life. I would ask them not to park there, and if the kept coming back I would call the police.

I'd bring them out a care package of food...or a nice couple of plates if you have left overs for dinner.

Imagine being in their place and how much it must suck. And act of kindness such as this would mean a lot to them, and they'd still feel like humans. Plus you'd feel pretty good for helping out.

I bet it would also guarantee that they would stop peeing on your lot. :)

Funny you mention that. There was a street person who we always saw. I told him if he watched my car, he'd have a meal on us when we came back to the car. Sure enough, every single time we came back he was still by the car guarding it.

True generosity and kindness is when you give to someone knowing that there is no way you will get something back in return. Everyone sucks up to the rich and beautiful folks hoping to get something back.
There are places (besides homeless shelters) that assist people in that position. This place helps families have a place to stay, create a resume, find work... Wolfe is on the right track but I suggest that you also give a hand up not just a hand out.

I would point them to the river.

In my early 20's I preferred a van down near the river. Sparse population, easy washing. ;)

I would guess in Portland there is more car camping than you would imagine.

I'd talk to them directly and/or call Catholic Charities before calling The Man.

My take on this generally is, "there but for the grace of god go i..."

We have a number of random people who "live" various means in/near my neighborhood. To date (knock on wood), no serious issues. They tend to be fairly invisible - a sad reality.

I would have a few words with them, scope them out, see what's up. Folks here have offered a range of options, but I wouldn't choose one until I knew more about them (the people in the van, not the folks here).

Would you have bought your house if it had been next to a trailer park? Didn't think so. So, why would you have the trailer park come to your house and tolerate it?

The main issue is the risk of your campers going non-linear, especially due to drugs. May be the nicest people when sober too. The fact that they live out of their car makes them high risk candidates for trouble.

Call me cold-hearted, but my family's safety is priority #1.

PS: Where do they take craps? ;)

G

My office is a few miles from JYL's home. Both are considered "nice" neighborhoods. His is nicer. We have a pretty good sized parking lot across the street where I often park. It is not a "towed" lot. There has been a couple in a tired Buick there a number of times. Definitely social security age. It tears me up to see Grandma and Grandpa living in a Buick. I tried to give them food once but they had made a departure...

On the other hand, we have had to chase crack heads down the street after car prowling. Damn. This is the sort of thing that has lots of wrong answers.

I think the best idea is to go meet your new neighbors. Whether they live in a house or a van, they are living near you. When you see the nazi tats you will then call the cops. If Granny is shivering in her comforter you might take a different tactic.

Good luck!
Larry

If there is any pattern to their staying near your house, I'd put in some time to scope them out to see what they seem like. Later if I thought they were approachable, I would talk to them to let them know the people in the area are aware of them & had their plate number & description of the van. After that, if you want to do any good deeds, that would be up to you.

Would you poke a skunk with a stick if you found one asleep?

You would watch it though. I see a skunk in the daytime, he is rabid until proven otherwise.


I would scope them out a bit before approaching, the drive by.

Go for a walk, see what the dog thinks of them maybe. If they are living in their car, I am sizing them up.

Are you seeing "drug" trash laying around? If so, they're gone. If not, scope them out and use your gut instinct. Make your decision on what you witness of the way they carry themselves.

What kind of van?

As a former Vandaminium resident myself, I'd touch in with them to get a feel for who they are and then leave them be unless they become a problem. Maybe get them a little work if they seem interested.

I don't feel they are necessarily a detriment to the neighborhood if they are discreet and don't attract others to join the hood.

Cheers Richard

I lived in a VW van back in the day .(Not that I really wanted to)I had little choice, But i never bothered anyone.
If they are being good citizens , who cares? Why should you?
I think this is your opportunity to to offer help if possible .

A simple act of kindness could save a life One never knows the long term impact of being kind to another human being.

To Roust Or Not To Roust
 

Most of us are only a few missed paychecks away from a similar fate. I'd extend them the benefit of the doubt until being given a reason to not. Most likely they're honest people that have fallen upon hard times. In such a case I'd (depending on circumstances, and how the conversation went, etc.) offer them some help - food, blankets, a shower (as has been suggested), maybe a tank of gas. Never money. If OTOH they end up being hippie drug addicts or coming off as drifters/gypsies or whatever I'd report it immediately. That's got trouble written all over it.

We're going to see things like this start happening more and more to our fellow citizens in the months and years to come I'm afraid, and it's important to remember firstly that the true measure of ourselves and our own character is in how we deal with those who we find "undesirable" and secondly that the real enemies out there are the big corporations, the power elite that run government and radical extremists (i.e. people that want to either enslave or kill us all) - not one another. Help is seldom a bad course of action for our fellow man.

Did this just happen recently with the Gov't shutdown of parks and other facilities? Maybe this is just temporary until things get going and they can stay somewhere with bathrooms and open spaces.

I've been there, but I worked at Leo Carrillo Beach and stayed in the campground for free. A long time ago and pretty much carefree life. I'd see how it unfolds, or just talk with them and see what their situation is and go from there.

A lot of good advice here. Do not assume the worse (of them ).

I would ask myself:
Why are they living in a van?
What are they doing for money?
Where did my power tools go?

WOW, Kinda harsh
I lived in my Van for a least a year and a halve . never stole anything from anyone.

Some attitudes (no one in particular) remind me of this:

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Not everyone who has hard times are crooks or druggies. Don't you think that we who are blessed with so much should raise the class average of society by helping others instead of running them off? Again, lets give them help up and not a handout.