Two candidates offered starkly different takes on Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell’s decision not to book the first person arrested under Portland’s public camping ban, which went into effect on July 1.
On July 26, Portland police officers made their first arrest under the new ordinance, which bans public camping during daytime hours and allows for fines of up to $100 or seven days in jail for those who repeatedly refuse available shelter. However, once the man arrived at the Multnomah County Jail, the sheriff’s office declined to book him. Sheriff Morrisey O’Donnell later issued a statement, saying, “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.”
Angelita Morillo, a progressive candidate running in District 3, applauded the sheriff’s decision in an Instagram video, saying Morrisey O’Donnell made the right choice and “stood strong in her values.”
“It is reprehensible for the city and the county to push off the responsibility of housing our citizens and keeping them safe onto the criminal justice system and to expect that sheriffs and police officers are going to act as social workers to repair all of the ills that have happened because we haven’t addressed income inequality in this city,” said Morillo, who experienced homelessness for nearly a year as a college student.
“Let’s hope that our new generation of City Council will have the courage and the wherewithal to actually address the long-term impacts of poverty in our city and instead invest in housing and anti-poverty measures,” she added.
Meanwhile, Eli Arnold, a police officer running for office in District 4, joined city council members in expressing surprise and disappointment in the sheriff’s decision.
“The camping ban is a humane law. It says that we’re going to offer you a place to stay before we arrest you. The goal is not arrest, it’s to get you off that sidewalk to make it passable again for someone in a wheelchair and get you into a place that’s going to help you get back on your feet,” Arnold said.
“If we have a rule, we have to enforce it. Otherwise, it’s not really a rule,” he concluded.
