Oregon Democrats pushing bill to allow homeless to sue property owners if told to leave
Portland resident Damian Bunting joins Fox & Friends to discuss a Democrat-backed bill that would allow homeless encampments in Oregon.
Some Portland residents are furious over a Democrat-backed bill that would allow members of the homeless community to sue property owners if they as them to leave their residence.
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" with an "expectation of privacy."
Damian Bunting, one of the city's residents outraged by the push, slammed it as "lunacy" Tuesday on "Fox & Friends."
Tents line the sidewalk on SW Clay St in Portland, Ore., on Dec. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File)
"When I was working last night, we had someone who was standing in front of our property and, lawfully and legally, [we asked] them to move from one place to another. That person told me ‘You know, there’s a bill right now that just got passed that says I can sue you for $1,000, so the word is out,'" he told Fox News' Steve Doocy.
Bunting, who has regularly addressed growing concerns over crime and homelessness in the city, previously warned that lawlessness will persist if the state doesn't reverse course.
Residents of a Portland neighborhood say they've dealt with a homeless encampment for about 5 years (Fox 12 Oregon)
"I think that it's getting to a point where we're literally going to have to reach this level of lunacy for people to wake up," he said.
"I watched the mayor come on FOX… the complete disconnect, absolute unmitigated gall to come onto your shows and [say] things here in Portland are not as bad as… people are portraying throughout social media and all across these other platforms…"
Bunting claimed residents are beginning to "wake up" to the insanity and said the number of locals voicing their outrage is "overwhelming," including those who had voted for politicians backing the bill.
"In many of the interviews [bill sponsor Rep. Farrah Chaichi (D)] gave before being elected, she talked about the homeless issue and their right to housing being her number one priority and that she was going to try to push this bill," he continued.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox