Trash spills down to Bear Creek at a homeless camp in Medford. Medford City Council will consider an ordinance Thursday that would prohibit camping within 50 feet of the top of the banks along Bear Creek and other local streams.

Medford City Council decided Thursday to immediately begin removing tent campsites in public spaces after increasing problems blamed on homeless people sparked community anger and frustration.

“We all look around and see that our city of Medford has turned into a dump,” said resident Linda McFadden. “People don’t want to be in the downtown.”

She said she can’t take her grandkids to the library because homeless people are defecating outside or having sex in the bathroom.

On a 6-1 vote, with Councilor Sarah Spansail casting the “no” vote, the council gave Medford police the ability to immediately start clearing tents from parks, open spaces, the Bear Creek Greenway and other city-owned property.

“It’s going to happen in pretty short order,” said Medford police Chief Justin Ivens.

The city has attempted to move homeless people into the low-barrier Rogue Crossings campground off Biddle Road, but Ivens said it has low vacancy. Another option, which requires homeless people to abstain from drugs and alcohol, has up to 15 open beds, Ivens said.

He said police have been cleaning up campsites in one area, only to see them return as soon as city vehicles leave the area.

It will likely take some time to remove the tents because a considerable amount of work is required to clear out trash and other debris.

Many cities throughout the state have struggled to deal with an Oregon law that requires police to give illegal tent campers 72 hours notice to move their belongings. Previously the state law provided only 24 hours notice, but was changed in 2021.

A recent interpretation by city legal staff of state law is that the 72-hour notice applies to “established camping sites,” which have been in a location for more than five days.

However, if it is a new camping site created within five days, it wouldn’t be considered “established” and wouldn’t require the 72-hour notice, according to the reasoning behind the new ordinance.

“Setting up a tent in Hawthorne Park is a violation of the order,” said City Attorney Eric Mitton.

Despite the tent ban, homeless people can still put down a bedroll on the grass in Hawthorne Park and sleep through the night, he said.

The city’s new ordinance could face a court challenge.

The council heard from residents supportive of the ordinance as well as from those who denounced targeting the homeless.

“You are killing people by disrupting their lives,” said Medford resident Lexi Sylvester.

Councilor Spansail said many more people in Medford are on the verge of homelessness, and she decried the ordinance for removing the only form of shelter available to vulnerable members of the community.

She said banning tent camping is not the solution to the problems associated with homelessness.

“Arguably, it will make them worse,” she said.

Councilor Kevin Stine said he didn’t agree with the assessment that the ordinance would cause the homeless to die. He said he also didn’t agree with people that enforcing the tent ban would solve the homeless problem.

“The city can only do so much,” he said.

The jail, which is run by Jackson County, doesn’t have the bed space to house everyone who is engaged in criminal behavior, and there aren’t sufficient mental health facilities in the area, Stine said.

Councilor Nick Card said homelessness is a deep social problem that includes drug addiction and mental health.

“The city has put millions of dollars into the problem,” Card said, noting that some efforts have been successful while others haven’t.

Councilor Chad Miller said most residents in the city would be slapped with a fine if they didn’t dispose of their trash and other debris properly. He said those same standards are ignored when it comes to homeless residents.

Miller said the ordinance is just one step in dealing with the issue.

“It’s not going to be the end of the problem,” he said. “It’s just the beginning of steps into a solution.”

David Stepp, owner of Rogue Camera Guys, told the council he has seen an uptick in requests for video surveillance equipment from many local businesses.

“What 99% of our clients are venting about is homelessness,” he said.

He said he brought someone to Medford recently who saw the “sea of tents” near the freeway exits.

His friend said, “You live in this dump?”

Stepp said he agreed, and his friend said, “I didn’t think Southern Oregon was going to be like this.”