Learn how Portland is standing up for our community at Portland.gov/Federal.

Portland values the constitutional right to free speech, and we will defend those rights. We will continue fighting in court and working with state and community partners to ensure public safety, protect civil rights, and stand up for our immigrant community.

I believe this effort will save lives and restore vibrancy and livability to our city. Like you, we’ll be monitoring every step. We’ll scale up our successes, and we’ll learn from our failures. Thank you for all your support.

Finally, I want to say thank you to our City Outreach Team and Portland Police. It's important that they have the resources they need to work with vulnerable individuals on a case-by-case basis.

We've put our heart and soul into our emergency shelter beds and day centers. We have resources available for those who need them. Every person deserves a safe bed every night and to live in a safe, sanitary, and accessible city.

Our courts have an important role in helping individuals make better choices. That’s why I’ve been meeting with representatives of our court system to find ways we can help connect individuals with the services they need.

Again, no one will be arrested simply for camping, nor should they. However, we will arrest those who have open warrants or who have broken the law in ways that prey on our community.

I’ve asked our police to issue citations for these violations. They’ll be focusing on lawbreaking behavior and actions that harm our community.

There are two pieces to this ordinance. First, if we have enough shelter, which we now do, camping isn’t allowed in public spaces. Second, any camping must be responsible. Encampments can’t block pedestrian access, set fires, dump trash, hurt people, or damage the environment.

You may have heard that we will return to enforcing city laws on camping on November 1st. I want to clarify what that means for those experiencing homelessness and our city.

I call on federal decision-makers to stop these deployments, honor local governance, and partner with us on real public-safety solutions that respect civil rights and protect our community.

We will not stand by while federal agencies sidestep local authority. Our legal team, working with the Oregon Department of Justice, will use every lawful tool to prevent this overreach.

Our National Guard members are our neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones, and they deserve better than this unnecessary, unwanted deployment.

In Washington, D.C., we see shutdown and chaos. In Portland, we see unity, support of our neighbors, and love for our community. That's the Portland way, and that’s what will see us through the coming days.

I am so proud of the Portlanders who have raised their voices with peace and purpose in recent days, and how our public safety first responders continue to meet the call of service.

As I said in my piece, there is no squaring the federal administration's irresponsible and wrongheaded words about our city with "... the Portland I see every day, a Portland of creativity and natural beauty, of kindness and compassion, and of community principles and purpose."