Christina Spicer  |  May 24, 2021

Category: Legal News

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

(Photo Credit: olly18/DepositPhotos.com)

Houseless individuals in Portland, Oregon say that they lost nearly all of their property after contractors hired to disperse homeless encampments in the city discarded possessions.  

Lead plaintiffs, Mark Usher, Steven Black, Scoot Rupp, and Jennifer Bryant, filed the class action lawsuit in Oregon state court Monday. They accuse the City of Portland of using third-party contractors, including Rapid Response, to clean up homeless sites without ensuring that property collected during these “sweeps” are retained for at least 30 days as required under state law.  

Each of the plaintiffs say that they have lost valuable possessions in these sweeps and they seek to represent others who have been unable to retrieve property as well.  

“Everything’s thrown into one truck. They don’t know who you are. How do they know what is yours?” Bryant, who said she has experienced four sweeps in the last six months, told Oregon Public Broadcasting. “It would be like going to the city dump and saying ‘Okay here you go, find your stuff.’” 

Indeed, the plaintiffs detail sweeps in which they lost many personal possessions. They say that contractors and Portland City police officers start these sweeps without warning and only give them minutes to pack. Often, say the plaintiffs, contractors indiscriminately fill black trash bags with houseless individuals’ items during these sweeps. They say that they fail to use labels or organize items in any way that would make it possible for the owner to retrieve them.  

The plaintiffs say that those who attempt to retrieve their items from Rapid Response are unsuccessful. They say that they are unable to find items, including valuable bicycles and tents, and are forced to sleep in doorways and sidewalks as a result.  

The class action lawsuit says that the court must issue an injunction against the homeless sweeps today.  

“Each of the plaintiffs in this case are currently camping in the very sites that the City says it intends to target starting today, creating a substantial likelihood that plaintiffs will experience irreparable harm, including the loss of personal property without due process of law, absent intervention from the Court,” states the complaint.  

The class action lawsuit accuses the City of Portland of violating the constitutional rights of houseless individuals by taking their property without due process. The plaintiffs argue that the policies the city uses to conduct homeless sweeps are unreasonably vague and the city and its contractors fail to follow the rules when it comes to collecting and storing Class Members’ property.  

The class action lawsuit says the plaintiffs are not seeking compensation for their lost property at this time. The plaintiffs say that they just want the homeless sweeps to stop.  

What do you think of the homeless sweeps in Portland or other cities? Tell us in the comment section below! 

The lead plaintiffs are represented by Michael Fuller of OlsenDaines, Juan Chavez, and Franz H Bruggemeier of the Oregon Justice Resource Center, and Kelly Donovan Hones, of the Law Office of Kelly D. Jones.  

The Portland Homeless Sweeps Class Action Lawsuit is Usher, et al. v. City of Portland, Case No. Unknown in the Circuit Court for the State of Oregon for Multnomah County.  


Don’t Miss Out!

Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!


Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.

One thought on City of Portland Illegally Tosses Property After Homeless Sweeps, Says Class Action Lawsuit

  1. PAMELA COMSTOCK says:

    I am baffled. There are homeless all over Portland, Oregon and piles of trash they leave everywhere. I don’t agree with lawsuits making others responsible for homeless people’s property. I don’t have an answer for the homeless problem, but I suppose we can all pay higher taxes and put a roof over their heads, but I see help wanted signs on most businesses, and have told many of the homeless about the jobs available….but they are not running to get a job. I wonder if many of the homeless choose to be homeless since the prospect of a job didn’t spark much interest in the ones I spoke to. And, this is in Portland. One told me he makes money panhandling and likes it…no one can tell him what to do. So, if a homeless person camps out on places he/she chooses and makes a mess causing sanitation problems not to mention bugging people for a handout, and they are such a problem that they are made to move, we the taxpayers get to pay the lawsuits because their property is now our responsibility? Seems like Bull—- to me, and the attys. make out like bandits. And we the taxpayers foot the bill. Either way, we are the losers. We put up with the garbage and bad behavior of homeless, or we get clobbered with paying the lawsuit. Attys. and bums win. Taxpayers lose.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. By submitting your comment and contact information, you agree to receive marketing emails from Top Class Actions regarding this and/or similar lawsuits or settlements, and/or to be contacted by an attorney or law firm to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you if you qualify. Required fields are marked *

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.