In the delta where the Sandy River meets the Columbia, Jerri Boon lives tucked away in the cottonwood trees. She’s part of a community of more than 30 unhoused people who’ve called the Sandy River delta home for years, but this week, the encampment is being forcibly removed as the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) begins a restoration project in the area.

Many in the makeshift village, also known as Thousand Acres, have lived there for years—some claim it’s been more than 20—and they have no desire to leave. Lacking a coordinated agency effort, the DSL restoration and sweep of the encampment has already led to violence.

Large encampment removals in Multnomah County typically happen with coordination among local government agencies and service providers who try to connect those being

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