Oregon activist sounds alarm on bill that gives the homeless rights in public spaces: 'Backwards thinking'

An Oregon-based homeless advocate is sounding the alarm about a proposed bill in his state that would decriminalize camping in public spaces. 

House Bill 3501, commonly known as the "Right to Rest Act," would allow "persons experiencing homelessness" to "use public spaces in the same manner as any other person without discrimination based on their housing status."

Kevin Dahlgreen told "Jesse Watters Primetime" the bill is "madness." 

"Explain to me how this serves any meaningful purpose to end this humanitarian crisis. This is backwards thinking," he said. "This is the kind of thinking that got us into this mess in the first place. So, no, I am not OK with this."

HB 3501, sponsored by Democratic state Reps. Farrah Chaichi and Khanh Pham, states that homeless people should be able to have a reasonable expectation of privacy in any property that belongs to them, regardless if the property is located in a public space.  

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The bill defines public space as "any property that is owned, in whole or in part, by state government or a local government, or upon which there is an easement for public use, and that is held open to the public." It clarifies that public space does not mean a private business establishment.

Dahlgreen said decriminalizing homelessness would "open the floodgates" and incentivize more people to come to the state. 

"People come to these, you know, more progressive type cities anyway because of these progressive policies. [If] we do this, the Portland homeless population is going to explode and that is not OK," he told guest host Pete Hegseth. 

The longtime drug counselor added that the state needs to take an "outreach" approach to get the crisis under control. He said it would serve two purposes: building trust and deterring negative behavior. 

"If you saw established teams out there every day, every encampment, engaging with them and building that trust and bringing back hope, you know, they're going to come around and accept the services you are offering," he predicted. "What we do is we simply leave them alone out there and it's become this almost post-apocalyptic feeling."

HB 3501 also states it is an "unlawful practice" for any person to "deny, refuse, restrict or withhold from a person experiencing homelessness" any of the following rights. 

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If a homeless person believes their rights have been violated in a public space, they can file a complaint and potentially receive compensatory damages or $1,000 per violation, whichever is greater, according to the bill’s text. 

The bill also adds that homeless people can exercise their above rights "without being subject to harassment, citation or arrest by law enforcement officers, public or private security personnel or employees of local governments."

Dahlgreen said the bill as a whole is "quite frustrating." 

"We have a lot of citizens who are frustrated and be like, ‘where are our rights?’ The homeless in our community in many ways are treated like a protected class," he said. "And yes, I have a heart for the homeless. I want to end this crisis because if I do, it'll benefit them and the entire community. We got to work together and solve this."

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The bill is scheduled for a public hearing before the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness on May 4.