Good morning Housing Not Handcuffs supporters,

We are writing to share updates and calls to action regarding Trump's scheduled May 1st eviction of about 150 homeless Oregonians currently living in the Deschutes National Forest.  

We spoke with somebody living in the forest recently, and she shared that residents are feeling panic, disbelief, and uncertainty. Things are moving rapidly, and we need your help to show nationwide opposition to this cruel action. 

Below are four things you can do right now to support those living in the forest.  

What we are asking you to do:  

1. Email Trump and demand that he stops the eviction.  

Your voice has power. Take two minutes and send a quick email (don’t worry, we have a pre-written option) to make your voice heard. 

2. Donate to people living in the forest.  

Your donation will support clients with bail, vehicle-related expenses for towing/repairs, emergency supplies, and legal costs associated with this eviction. 

3. Attend Monday’s Housing Not Handcuffs mass organizing call.  

Join us on April 28th at 8 PM EST/ 5 PM PT along with our partners working on the ground in Oregon and people living in the Deschutes Forest to discuss the potential impacts of this eviction, its connection to Trump's order to open more national forests for logging, and how local organizers are working to protect their unhoused neighbors. 

4. Watch and share the first video in a series that directly lifts up the voices of people living in the forest.  

Hear directly from Greg, who lives in the Deschutes Forest, and will be evicted on May 1st.  

 

Please look below for more information and updates.  

 

Onward,

Housing Not Handcuffs

Background and updates:  

Last week, the Bend Equity Project, on behalf of community members living in the Deschutes National Forest, filed a request for a Temporary Restraining Order with the District Court of Oregon in an attempt to stop the Trump administration’s forced eviction of over 150 unhoused Oregonians living in Deschutes National Forest, scheduled for May 1st. A judge has ordered the government to respond by 5 PM on Monday, April 28th.  This request for a TRO comes on requests for reconsiderations, both on the grounds of disability claims and failure to conduct an accurate environmental impact assessment. 

  

Currently, the Forest Service is set to close the China Hat section of the forest, and anybody there after the May 1 deadline will face 1 year in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both. Weeks before the eviction, the Trump administration announced that national forests, including Deschutes, would be opened for logging. This harmful eviction comes as the Trump administration proposes cuts and policy changes that will make homelessness worse, and amid threats to force homeless people into government-run detention camps. Following last summer’s Grants Pass ruling, over 150 cities have passed laws that make it illegal to be homeless but do not help anybody.