EUGENE, Ore. — The SLEEPS strike team protested outside of an abandoned home in Eugene Saturday.
The homeless rights activists pitched tents in front of the Kaufman House, a home they said should be a shelter to homeless children and their parents.
The City of Eugene currently owns the home that’s been vacant for nearly two years, but advocates say the city should lease out the property to a non-profit instead of letting it sit unused.
“It’s a darn shame that we have so many children on the streets with single moms or single dads living in cars or under tarps when they could be living here,” said Hedin Brugh, SLEEPS event coordinator.
Activists stood in front of the home with signs and clown outfits, to raise awareness of passersby of the anti-camping code that prohibits sleeping in a tent or sleeping bag outside.
6 comments
No ping yet
Ron says:
February 9, 2013 at 9:32 pm (UTC -7)
Go to Portland then!!
RB says:
February 10, 2013 at 11:58 am (UTC -7)
Maybe Portland sent them here. They should survey all the homeless and see how many came here from elsewhere in the last year. Then give them a one-way bus ticket back to where they came from.
Dan says:
February 10, 2013 at 2:20 pm (UTC -7)
Have you seen what the homeless do to the places they “occupy”? Those places end up very trashed. The sleeps group does not have the right to demand houses be occupied by those with no interest in maintaining the property in good condition.
What we need is to demand more logging. That provided plenty of jobs in the past, and would give lots of jobs in the future. Protest the politicians killing jobs, not empty houses.
Oh Come On says:
February 10, 2013 at 3:43 pm (UTC -7)
This kind of thing would be a lot easier sell for me if I hadn’t spent an hour this week literally cleaning a camper’s feces off my business’ front porch.
And before someone starts talking about how capitalism is the problem…we’re a nonprofit. We have no problem with campers who clean up after themselves. But the majority of campers aren’t good neighbors, and that’s why they’re not welcome. It’s not because everyone in this city is heartless, it’s because campers literally crap on everyone else.
Postone says:
February 11, 2013 at 10:56 am (UTC -7)
The Mayor and City Counsel of Eugene do NOT care about the homeless! If they did, they would have already fixed it! It wouldn’t be hard to allocate land for those Conestoga Huts to be built on. They could also allocate millions toward fixing the homeless problem instead of spending that money (millions) they are taking about on a retrofitted or new City hall, which is not needed! They say the old building isn’t up to quake standards.
We are talking about children who are also sleeping outside! That is unconscionable! You’d have to be a pretty cold individual to ignore the plight of children!
I can’t remember when there was a significant earthquake in Eugene, can you? Besides a little rubble on the heads of those who don’t give two SH*** about the homeless wouldn’t cause me to lose any sleep anyway!
Valerie Goodness says:
February 12, 2013 at 3:46 am (UTC -7)
There are cultures and countries that would never allow their fellow beings to ever be homeless or go hungry.It is no wonder that the country who is the biggest bully on the planet is also the richest industrial country with the greatest number of homeless. THAT is the problem. It isn’t just capitalism per say, but this new breed of predatory capitalism where EuroAmericans give each other permission to screw others over, then look down their noses and blame their victims. It is insidious. Businesses firing their employees out of protest to Obama care, those employees and their children can’t afford their mortgage from a predatory lender and have no family or church that gives a darn so where do they go? This is Eugene, and we expect better from you! Listen, these homeless brothers and sisters aren’t hobos from the 30′s….When did it become so easy to hate others and take away their rights, and voices? Each and every one of us could be homeless for one reason or another, our daughters or sons. We can do better. We have to take our city back from the jerks who have absconded with reason, critical thinking, and humility like Liane Richardson and the county counsel the extremist nuts who have made the problem worse and tarnished our good name. I would welcome any homeless person as my neighbor, it is those heartless that posted the rude comments here that I wish would leave.