Right 2 Dream Too, a tent city and rest center for houseless people in Portland Oregon, got started after a Direct Action called Pitch-A-Tent by Right 2 Survive (R2S--a houseless people-led organization working for houseless people’s rights).
The Pitch-A-Tent Direct Action is called that because the city officials buy a permit once a year for the housed people to come outside and put up a tent overnight on the sidewalks in order to get a good place to watch the Rose Festival Parade--even while criminalizing the houseless community for putting tents up as a means and way of life and survival. So we of R2S started putting up tents on 2 1/2 blocks and letting houseless people squat in them overnight. We not only did that, we also fed them, gave out hygiene items and clothes--and had guest speakers and musical entertainment.
After the event was over, the houseless people told us that that was the best sleep they had in days, and where do they go now or what do they do to continue to get a good night’s rest? We all looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders and said we don't know.
Then one of our members, Trillium Shannon, said that there was a Rainbow Gathering nearby. So we went to that...and while we were there I got a call from Dale Hardaway and Leo Rhodes saying that a disgruntled landowner was upset with the city officials and was willing to lease his land to “the houseless guy that did Dignity Village” (a self-governed encampment community on the outskirts of Portland for houseless people).
Since I was the only one of the seven originals that did D.V. I left early to talk with him. While on my way to meet with this landowner I kept visualizing what I saw at the Rainbow and pictured a houseless compound. After a couple of months of negotiations we got the ok to do what we wanted with the land. That's how we became a thorn in the City of Portland Oregon’s side.
After we got the land, I started my concept of how I believe a houseless person can get back to being productive. But first I asked people living on the streets what it would take. _99 1/2 % of them said a good safe place to sleep. So we formed Right 2 Dream Too and called it a Rest Area where people can get anywhere from 8 to 12 hrs of safe uninterrupted sleep. Right 2 Dream Too opened on World Homeless Action Day, Oct 10, 2011. Then we started educating the houseless community about their human, civil and constitutional rights, to help other houseless people and address issues that criminalize people experiencing poverty. That was the beginning.
The Pitch-A-Tent Direct Action is called that because the city officials buy a permit once a year for the housed people to come outside and put up a tent overnight on the sidewalks in order to get a good place to watch the Rose Festival Parade--even while criminalizing the houseless community for putting tents up as a means and way of life and survival. So we of R2S started putting up tents on 2 1/2 blocks and letting houseless people squat in them overnight. We not only did that, we also fed them, gave out hygiene items and clothes--and had guest speakers and musical entertainment.
After the event was over, the houseless people told us that that was the best sleep they had in days, and where do they go now or what do they do to continue to get a good night’s rest? We all looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders and said we don't know.
Then one of our members, Trillium Shannon, said that there was a Rainbow Gathering nearby. So we went to that...and while we were there I got a call from Dale Hardaway and Leo Rhodes saying that a disgruntled landowner was upset with the city officials and was willing to lease his land to “the houseless guy that did Dignity Village” (a self-governed encampment community on the outskirts of Portland for houseless people).
Since I was the only one of the seven originals that did D.V. I left early to talk with him. While on my way to meet with this landowner I kept visualizing what I saw at the Rainbow and pictured a houseless compound. After a couple of months of negotiations we got the ok to do what we wanted with the land. That's how we became a thorn in the City of Portland Oregon’s side.
After we got the land, I started my concept of how I believe a houseless person can get back to being productive. But first I asked people living on the streets what it would take. _99 1/2 % of them said a good safe place to sleep. So we formed Right 2 Dream Too and called it a Rest Area where people can get anywhere from 8 to 12 hrs of safe uninterrupted sleep. Right 2 Dream Too opened on World Homeless Action Day, Oct 10, 2011. Then we started educating the houseless community about their human, civil and constitutional rights, to help other houseless people and address issues that criminalize people experiencing poverty. That was the beginning.
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