Group rallies in downtown Portland, urging city to end 'Clean & Safe' contract

PORTLAND, Ore — A group rallied in downtown Portland on Tuesday, urging the city not to renew its contract with "Clean and Safe" - the service district that cleans and patrols the neighborhood, including homeless camps.

At the rally, protesters said the service district is harmful to the local homeless population. They say the city needs to focus on resources, rather than displacing those who have nowhere else to go.

Juan Chavez is the Director for the Civil Rights Project at the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

"We're not going to break the cycle of houselessness, we're not going to allow people the opportunity to move on with their lives, if we keep displacing them," Chavez said. "We need to see services, we need to see housing. We need to see opportunities for people rather than handcuffs."

RELATED: Portland to remove Laurelhurst Park homeless camp after safety, health deteriorates

The contract for the service district needs to be renewed every ten years. The city council has until September to decide whether they'll continue their contract with Clean and Safe.

KATU News has reached out to the city council about the contract, but we have not yet heard back.

This comes just one day after the city posted notice to sweep a homeless camp at Laurelhurst Park in Northeast Portland. In that case, the city council said the camp was unsafe and unhealthy, and they couldn't provide adequate services for those living there.

"Displacing folks isn't going to stop any perceived crime. It's not going to stop addiction. It's not going to stop any other types of property crimes. It's just going to move it 300 feet," Chavez said.

Campers at Laurelhurst Park have to relocate by Thursday morning.