Portland man struggles to get squatter off his property, says city didn’t help

Don Spiegel is a little nervous as he peeks through the fence to get a look at what’s happening on this property just off Southeast Foster Rd.

The stuff littering the property is not his. The fence on the property, he didn’t build it. He says a squatter built it.

“It is less unsightly than it was six months ago. They have enclosed the whole thing for their little personal space,” said Spiegel.

Spiegel has owned the property for 40 years, and he’s been leasing it to the same ad company for 35 years. For the last few years, he’s been struggling to get rid of that squatter.

It’s a tiny lot just used for billboard space, but that’s not the point.

“It’s a low profile and nobody really cares a whole lot piece of property until it became a nuisance and a hazard,” said Spiegel.

He says that happened a few years ago when the squatters moved in.

“We’ve had neighbors report people in their yards, on the roof. They’re scared to walk the street. It has been a real livability problem for them,” said Spiegel.

His neighbors didn’t want to identify themselves, but they told KATU the same man has consistently lived here for years.

Our news crew found the man passed out behind the wheel of a car, right next to the property. He had a dog in the back seat and the windows rolled up.

Spiegel doesn’t feel comfortable approaching him or asking him to leave. Neighbors put up private property signs for Spiegel, but it didn’t make a difference.

Spiegel reached out to KATU after he said he ran into dead ends with the city.

“I’ve called 311. I’ve written 311. I’ve called the commissioner’s office. I accidentally got connected to 911 a couple of times and they don’t respond. I walked into the East Portland precinct and talked to the desk person there who’s not a sworn officer and he basically was kind of gracious, but said sorry, you know, there’s not a thing you can do,” said Spiegel.

He says he can’t even try to evict the guy through court because they don’t know his name.

“It’s amazing to me that if I file a trespass complaint, I cannot get the trespasser removed. It’s impossible," said Spiegel.

KATU reached out to Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office. They told us the same thing they told Steve Dunn when he helped a restaurant owner dealing with homeless camps on his property earlier this year, call 911.

Spiegel had spoken to 911 before with no luck, but when KATU’s Angelica Thornton stepped in, help arrived.

He called 911 again and told them KATU was there with him.

“They said they’d respond, and they’ve never said they’d respond before,” said Spiegel.

10 minutes later Portland Police rolled up.

Officers talked to the man in the car, told him he had to clear out, and that he’d be arrested if he comes back onto the property.

Spiegel is giving the guy time to move his belongings before he orders a dumpster to haul out all the trash.

He says he knows Portland has bigger fish to fry, but he wants neighbors to feel safe. And for now, he’s cautiously optimistic that he’ll finally get his lot back.

KATU checked in with Speigel about a week after talking with him the first time. The property is getting cleared, and the fence is gone.

https://katu.com/news/local/portland-man-struggles-to-get-squatter-off-his-property-says-city-didnt-help
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Author: KATU News
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News post in at: August 1, 2024, 3:04 am.

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