Addressing the Tent Protest

Frustration is running high in Ashland as the tent protesters are moved on from one location and establish themselves in another - only to be given another 72 hour warning and moved on again. That frustration is not limited to residents - elected officials and City staff are also very frustrated. There is quite a lot of concern about this situation, particularly given the interaction our high school students are having with the protesters when they are in Triangle Park.

The City of Ashland has been working hard to find a solution to this issue. Ashland has a couple of laws that, on their face, prohibit such camping. However, there are two federal court rulings, one stemming from a Boise case and the other from a Grants Pass case, each of which limits the effective use of our local ordinances. The best guidance that our legal department has given us is to be very sparing in trying to use our local law while the cases work themselves out.

Also, there is a forthcoming new state law that will be in effect in the coming months that further limits the manner in which cities can regulate camping.

There is, however, an allowance in state law that allows for a campsite’s removal after having been posted for 72 hours, and that is the tool the City has been using to move them along.

Our City Manager, Police Chief, and City Attorney have been working together to figure out a more effective response to the campsites as they go down in one place and attempt to go up in another, while staying within the bounds of the law. The City anticipates making a formal announcement about this within the 1-2 weeks.

I have also reached out to Representative Pam Marsh to communicate our concern and frustration about this situation and to find out what can happen at the state level to give communities like Ashland more tools to deal with situations like this.

This Ashland.news article has more details about this particular protest situation and the motivation of the campers.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions related to this issue, please reach out to me at my City of Ashland email address: tonya@council.ashland.or.us