Hi there, I'm here at Hazelnut Grove, where activists are dropping off supplies in preparation for the cold and snow coming our way

This is the same village that Portland has threatened to clear sometime this month

#savehazelnutgrove

I'd never been here before and this is so much more of a permanent camp than I was envisioning. These are robust wood structures, lovingly built

As we walk in, the camp dogs bound towards us, barking. They defend the camp and also gladly accept pats from guests

"it's not right to give us hope and then take it away," one of the residents tells us. Ted Wheeler visited here and said he thought it was great

Now the city wants to clear these people's homes

Portland has promised to move the people who live at Hazelnut Grove space at a village in St. John's Landing. But it's not permanent housing--only 3 years. It's not near a max line, and dogs can't ride the busses. It's not a good solution

And it isn't home

Hazelnut Grove has been here for 5.5 years

People who camped out outside city hall moved here with the city's blessing

"You can't give us hope and then take it away," the activist says again

There are no locks on the doors here. The resident tells us they aren't needed

She shows us her house and yard, where she adopts and rehabilitates abused dogs. She tells us she's rescued more than 50 over the years

Here's a current canine resident

There is also a catio for her two cats

This is not something she could have at the St. John's village. That village has prefab units, all the same, close together

There's robust infrastructure. These solar panels allow residents to charge phones and power light. Off-grid living in the middle of Portland

A walkway through the village

A canine resident reclines regally

One of the residents shows us her impressive garden setup. All this hard work will be gone if the state decides to clear this camp. She shows us her strawberry patch, currently dormant. It's fantastic

The resident showing us through the camp, whose name is Jackie, tells us that the church helped build this originally, many years ago. After the original residents moved, the new residents built an addition

This whole place feels like that. Everyone makes this place there own

Another canine resident

The place the city wants to move these residents to does not allow dogs

This is one of the first shelters built at Hazelwood Grove. Tent-sized, but able to keep the residents warm and dry. "And no one can bash your head in," the resident comments: a concern that has never tormented me as I go to sleep

This is the crown jewel of the entire encampment as far as I'm concerned: a nearly organized and clearly well-loved library

The city has offered to pay the residents $2,000 for this. "It's priceless!" Jackie tells us and she's right

A bath house with a claw bathtub and shower, heated by propane

The water tank costs the camp $400 a month, and it gives them drinking water and a way to bathe

Hazelwood Grove is self-governing. They hold general assemblies every weekend and make decisions for themselves

This is one of the big things that separates the camp from other encampments. They tend to be run by either the church or social services. No autonomy. Too many rules

"I've said it a million times: have social service come down here. Sit in the common area. If someone wants help, they'll come down. I'd not, they won't. I'm 56 years old! I don't want a fucking case worker!"

-Jackie

An unfinished garden plot at the edge of Hazelwood Grove. Work has stopped for now. What's the point, if they get swept?

So many plans on hold. A new house. A windmill for power. Renovations of old structures

Why?

The village at Saint John's, where the city wants the Hazelnut Grove people to move to, won't allow the residents to smoke cigarettes or pot: two things that are legal in the state of Oregon

This paternalism, where the state feels the need to "fix" people, is a goddamm disgrace

Jackie is pretty sure the concern comes from "old money" in nearby Overlook. They fear property values declining. They don't like the fires

Jackie tells us nothing has EVER caught fire down here on accident, and certainly the fire they have going now is well-contained

Jackie tells us about the history of this place

How the original residents camped in front of City Hall for years demanding land to build a village

How the state gave them this land 5.5 years ago

How it's become a community

A different resident, Victor, has been here from the start

It was a lot more transient in the beginning, he tells me. Maybe 100, 150 people came through that first year, 50 people at any given time

Also, the meetings were chaos. Screaming arguments

It's not like that anymore

The city has threatened to clear Hazelwood Grove on and off for the last 2 years. The longest reprieve they've had in that time is six months

Jackie can't sleep anymore. Her mental health has suffered. She's built a life here and it could be taken away in an instant

This is the view from Hazelwood Grove

This is a beautiful place to live

Look. This is a good place

The residents care for it and improve it. It's clean and orderly. People seem relaxed here. And it allows people who would otherwise be on the streets to take control of their own lives and heal

Why
The FUCK
would anyone want to get rid of this?

You could ask commissioner Dan Ryan why he wants to get rid of this camp if you wanted to

https://www.portland.gov/ryan 

You could also keep an eye out for eviction defense events

Because Hazelnut Grove is a treasure

And the people who built this place deserve to keep it