Three in 100 people in Portland are homeless.
"One in every two arrests made by the Portland Police Bureau last year was of a homeless person," report Rebecca Woolington and Melissa Lewis.
That conclusion followed analysis by the The Oregonian/OregonLive.
"The number of arrests is dramatically disproportionate to Portland's homeless population. People experiencing homelessness represent a tiny fraction of the city's overall population -- well below 3 percent even using the biggest estimates," explain Woolington and Lewis. "Yet in 2017, they accounted for 52 percent of arrests."
The statistics raise several questions. One is whether it is constitutional to criminalize homelessness with such stark severity. Another is about the costs to social welfare that police spend so much time dealing with such a small portion of the population. Another is whether this approach could possibly solve the problem. Tristia Bauman, senior attorney for the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, is quoted in the article saying this response is "wholly ineffective."
According to the article, the number of arrests of homeless people "has grown amid calls from Portland business and neighborhood leaders for police to stop street-level crime, such as disorderly conduct and drug use, outside their front doors."
FULL STORY: Portland homeless accounted for majority of police arrests in 2017, analysis finds
Portland Replaces Camping Ban With New Policy
Unhoused residents can sleep on public property when no shelter space is available, but still face penalties for violating new regulations or not moving into shelter if offered.
Portland Warming Shelters Close Despite Persistent Cold
Advocates say using an arbitrary temperature cutoff to open and close winter shelters ignores the reality of cold weather risks.
Portland Moves Forward With Contentious Homelessness Strategy
The city’s plan to reduce the number of unhoused people has met with criticism, particularly for a proposal to ban encampment on public property citywide.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)