This Oregon act, a sort of homeless bill of rights, comes into effect at the start of next month. Cities are scrambling to add additional restrictions on the homeless, but it's doubtful if any of these measures will hold up in the courts as objectively reasonable.

A lot of these rules extend to nighttime camping as well

It's written in such a way that you can be arrested at any time of day or night for absolutely no reason if you have a tent set up, and that's exactly what it'll be used for

Shed dwellers aren't homeless but they're damn close.

Eugene Oregon has the highest per Capita homelessness in the US. They just had some ordinance changes go into effect today restricting where and how people are permitted to survive on public property.

In brief fines are doubled and jail time is added to previous penalties. Camping is prohibited in these places:

- Property intended for vehicles

- Publicly owned parking lots and on-street parking areas

- Property intended to provide buffer between lanes of traffic if there is not 5 feet between traffic and campsite

- Sidewalks, access ways and shared-use paths

- Property adjacent to a building if campsite blocks building access

- Within 100 ft. of top of high bank of open waterways

- Within 1000 ft. of schools and educational facilities

Camping is also disallowed at all times in parks, and all parks close before 11pm. Eugene has a habit of buying up any awkward parcel of land and designating it a park for the express purpose of keeping homeless people away.

Now, a lot of people are living in their cars, RVs, travel trailers, and other things with wheels. The new ordinance prohibits this by forcing this activity into privately owned lots, or off-road, where other ordinances would apply.

"A willful violation of section 4.815 is punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 or confinement in jail for a period not to exceed ten days, or both. In addition to the foregoing penalties, a vehicle used in a willful violation of section 4.815 may be immobilized or impounded pursuant to sections 5.693 through 5.705 of this code."

The amendments aren't even updated on the city website, but I was able to get a list of the changes from the most recent council meeting. I'll put that in the comments.

Mental health day

OC: Learning the quirks of my 50 year old RV.