BikePortland Publisher and Editor Jonathan Maus has been reporting on a growing concern that some homeless camps in Portland have become “chop shops” for stolen bicycles. One recent headline stated, “Police search suspected Springwater chop shop, find stolen frame,” referring to an abandoned homeless camp.
This comes after Maus himself had his bicycle stolen and then hours later found it in what appeared to be an abandoned camp littered with bicycle parts.
After the incident, BikePortland organized a well-attended Portland Bike Theft Summit where panelists talked about the challenges facing Portlanders and the relationship between people experiencing homelessness and stolen bicycles, among other things.
Since that time, BikePortland has been offering commentary on the issue, including posting photos of what appears to be homeless camps with a number of bicycles and bicycle parts.
It’s understandable that people are pissed. I don’t blame them. Having anything stolen can be a traumatic and infuriating experience. Any time something is stolen from us, there’s a feeling of vulnerability. I understand the frustration.
What I don’t understand is the message some people in the cycling community are choosing to deliver when talking about people experiencing homelessness and bike theft.
In one article, BikePortland quotes an unnamed source as saying, “They’re considering getting some friends together, rolling up on cargo bikes, and simply carting away the parts themselves. Vigilante actions are the result of frustration and a feeling that the police and other agencies are not taking care of the problem quickly enough.”
Vigilante actions? That’s a terrible idea.
Adding fuel to the fire, the group Bike Index that tracks stolen bicycles also distributes and sells stickers that state “Death to bike thieves.”
Of course, I don’t believe that any of these individuals have any ill will toward people experiencing homelessness. However, it’s not funny or ironic when you’re claiming that people on the streets are running chop shops, which I believe is naïve to say, and then having an organization promoting “Death to bike thieves” as a sensational way to make a statement.
The reality is, regardless of this particular conversation, targeting people experiencing homelessness through verbal and physical violence is all too real.
Individually, these things might not add up to much. All of them together ends up making for a tasteless and dehumanizing narrative.
To be fair, Maus and BikePortland have always been champions for people experiencing poverty and the many cycling programs that exist in the region. He has always been fair in reporting that individuals in the camps should not be assumed guilty — trying to capture the complexity of the situation.
In the end, there might be a real opportunity to do some great things in the community. Recovering people’s bikes is one of them. Maus also suggested possibly selling the bikes confiscated by police to support an agency working with people on the streets.
The reality is that besides TriMet, cycling is the No. 1 form of transportation for the vast majority of people experiencing homelessness. Possibly, “Cyclists for housing” could be our next mantra.