These people live here, in the Cut. Some of them have made this camp their home for over 4 years. Many of the occupants of this camp grew up in St. John’s and in some cases have roots going back generations, but have been forced out of their family homes by greedy landlords and bankers. Landlords and bankers who see housing as a way to realize profit, instead of an essential component to living a full, complete life. The only difference between you and the folks of the Cut is money. They can’t afford houses, but this camp is their home.
On www.thebelmontgoats.org, the five goats are described like this:
“Our goats are privately owned pets and are not raised to produce anything… They are goats of leisure.”
Very cute. We believe all beings deserve a life of leisure.
These goats are not at fault for the fact that their owners have decided to move them to a new enclosure, and that this new enclosure happens to be located where over fifteen people are currently living. And that these people, a community of our unhoused neighbors, will simply be forced to leave.
The City of Portland has been talking about their great Safe Rest Village plan for years now. Almost none have been built, and it’s clear that even when they are built, they will be woefully inadequate. The people who are supposed to be displaced by these goats have been told they won’t be getting a spot in the new SRV. Instead, it’ll be used as an excuse to further ban camping in the area.
People don’t know where to go. People are desperate. Sweeps are a cruel, inhuman, and murderous way for the city to push people around, to appease developers and business owners, to keep unhoused people from forming communities and networks of support that might allow them to survive. To kick the can down the road and avoid addressing the real issues, which are the astronomical rise in the cost of housing, and that housing is not a commodity- but a human right!
The more than fifteen people who are supposed to be displaced have received a helpful notice: “For information about shelter and other services, call 2-1-1.”
Fuck that. That’s not our reality. In our reality, when we see cruelty and injustice, we push back. So it’s time for the Belmont Goats to enjoy a little walk in the park. All goats are born escape artists, so we’re sure they won’t mind.
Housing for all!
You sweep, we strike!
-some anarchists