EIZER times
$1.00/ ISSUE
Vol. 43 • No. 6
NOVEMBER 26, 2021
‘ Every time we fi nd a home they kick us out’
ODOT carried out eight site restorations in 16 days. Here’s the story of one.
On Monday, Nov. 15, ODOT officials and local law enforcement officers told Indian School Road campers that they had 26 hours to find a new place to live.
By Joey Cappelletti
Of the KEIZERTIMES
Less than a half-mile east of Keizer
Station, on the outskirts of Salem, sits
a homeless camp. The camp is located
along Indian School Road on land
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owned by the Oregon Department of
Transportation (ODOT). At 8 a.m. on
Monday, Nov. 15, residents at the camp
were told that they had until 10 a.m. on
Tuesday, Nov. 16 to vacate the premises.
ODOT calls these sweeps of camps “site
restorations.”
Between Nov. 2 and Nov. 17, ODOT
carried out eight site restorations in
Marion County. This is the story of one.
Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 9 a.m.
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Residents of an Indian School Road
encampment race against the clock.
Occupants must leave by 10 a.m. — or
risk losing their homes.
“Is there something you can do to
help us?” a woman asks me. “We just
need more time. We will move, we just
need more time. I can’t lose my RV.”
The woman’s RV is trapped. It’s been
parked at the end of Indian School Road
for around four months, she says. In front
of it sits four cars, all of which look like
they haven’t moved in months. To the left
of the RV is Indian School Road, blocked
by thick metal beams installed the day
before. Once the cleanup eff ort is com-
plete, a metal rope will be strung through
the beams to ensure no one can camp on
the land going forward.
ODOT offi cials, Oregon State Police
Photo by JOEY CAPPELLETTI of Keizertimes
and Salem Police stand along the road
and watch the campers.
“It seems like every time we fi nd a
home they want to kick us out,” said Tim,
a man staying at the camp. “I’m tired of
getting used to a spot and then getting
kicked out just because of other people’s
wrongdoings or people being lazy.”
Next to Tim is his bike, which carries
his belongings strapped on the back. I
ask him if I can take a photo of his bike.
“No,” Tim says. “It isn’t something I’m
proud of.”
See CAMP, page 3
A Salem police officer and state trooper watch over as campers pack their belongings into a car on Nov. 16.
Photo by JOEY CAPPELLETTI of Keizertimes