Drug Clinic
Investigation
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‘City of Roses’
Volume XLV
Number 50
Willie Taggart
Era Begins
Opioid addiction
expert fights to
keep doors open
Oregon’s new
coach aims for a
championship
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Wednesday • December 14, 2016
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
photo by Z achary S enn /t he p ortland o bServer
Joe Bennie, 48, stands in front of a small wood structure that provides a library to residents of Hazelnut Grove, the name of a homeless camp that started one year ago on
a strip of unused property located between North Interstate and Greeley avenues.
Staying Put
by Z achary S enn
t he p ortland o bServer
Just beneath North Interstate Avenue’s
rapidly redeveloping landscape lies one of
Portland’s most innovative encampments
for people experiencing homelessness.
Hazelnut Grove took root one year ago
as a direct result of City Hall’s declaration
of a State of Emergency in dealing with
homelessness in Portland which saw a re-
laxation of policies that are often construed
as criminalizing homelessness. The camp
was supposed to be temporarily, but it has
persevered through the occasionally vol-
atile political climate and a host of other
obstacles.
The Overlook Neighborhood Associa-
tion, which advocates for the surrounding
neighborhood, has called on Portland May-
or Charlie Hales to honor his commitment
to relocate the camp before his term ends
later this month. But in the likelihood that
won’t happen and Hales making no such
pronouncements, Hazelnut Grove resi-
dents continue to take actions to enhance
their community for the long run.
In addition to providing sleeping pods
for its residents, Hazelnut Grove has devel-
Building a community
on a controversial site
oped the hallmarks of a thriving communi-
ty: a communal and well-decorated gazebo
area, a cook-tent filled with propane grills,
and a library. Solar panels dot the camp.
Hazelnut Grove resident Joe Bennie,
a 48-year-old veteran who also serves on
the board of directors of the 501(c)(3) non-
profit organization that has been set up in
support of the community, speaks optimis-
tically about future plans for outfitting the
camp with more renewable energy sources
and rainwater filtration systems.
Bennie explains that the homeless
camp’s library, which began as a pallet
filled with books inside of a tent, was one
of the community’s first solid structures:
“This is really important… if you’re not
educated, you’re not going to figure your
way out of this thing.”
He takes issue with the neighborhood
association’s continued opposition and
cites friendships that have been made
with nearby residents who have visited the
camp who have brought in donations of vi-
tal supplies and building materials.
In a description that harkens back to Or-
c ontinued on p age 5