Cannabis Club
Owners Scramble
Look for ways to
keep doors open in
New Year
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‘City of Roses’
Volume XLIV
Number 52
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • December 16, 2015
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
photo by o livia o livia /t he p ortland o bserver
José Serrica stands at the base of the Hazelnut Grove camp along North Greeley Avenue, a controversial community that has brought together dozens of houseless people
in an effort to get them safe and warm for the upcoming winter.
No Where Left To Go
Homeless campers hold tight amid tensions with neighbors
by o livia o livia
t he p ortland o bserver
A group of men stand over a pot of boiling water, stir-
ring in vegetables and pasta, as the sun sets early on the
Hazelnut Grove homeless camp along North Greeley Av-
enue. Dogs run around, barking and welcoming guests,
before José Serrica, one of the camp’s leaders, calls ev-
eryone to dinner.
This is daily life at the camp where dozens of adult
males and a few females struggle to put together some
semblance of normal life as a collective community. There
is no running water. There is no Internet. There is no elec-
tricity. The campers are making due with what little they
have.
Serrica says he doesn’t know what’s in store for the
camp, with calls to close it from the adjacent Overlook
Neighborhood Association, and support to keep in open
from the Mayor as part of a housing emergency.
He maintains that the campers are peaceful, and self-po-
licing.
“We have a no drug-use policy, and monitor the com-
munity in shifts, allowing everyone to take a turn doing
something, whether it’s cooking, cleaning, helping out
with supplies, or looking out for others,” he says. “But
despite this I think people are worried we are bad for the
community, and some might want us gone.”
Only a week ago, the Overlook Neighborhood Associa-
tion issued a blistering letter lambasting the Portland City
Council for allowing the homeless camp and another near-
by camp to exist and called for them to be disbanded. The
city is preparing to issue a permit to allow Hazelnut Grove
for up to 25 of the campers to stay, but the permit can be
revoked and another camp nearby was not included and
looks like it will soon be forced to disband.
C ontinued on p age 4