PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The focus of near-nightly protests in Portland turned away from police violence and racial injustice and instead swiveled to evictions Wednesday night.
A group gathered near a home at N Mississippi Avenue and N Albina Avenue to protest evictions with many holding signs that read “Evictions Hurt Everyone” and “Stop the Foreclosure.” More than 50 people held a sit-in demonstration to support a family they say is facing imminent eviction.
Late last month, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners approved an extension on the residential renters’ eviction moratorium through the end of 2020.
The existing moratorium was set to expire September 30, meaning renters would have only been covered by a limited federal moratorium by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“When renters wake up on October 1, they’ll know that they’ll be covered by the same protections as they were the day before,” Chair Deborah Kafoury said in a statement. She said this would help to limit “as much anxiety and confusion as possible.”
The board of commissioners also voted to extend the Multnomah County state of emergency over the pandemic through January 8, 2021.
Simply put, “renters in Multnomah County cannot be evicted from their homes just because they can’t pay their rent” through that January date.
Read: Multnomah County extends COVID-19 eviction moratorium
Renters in the county still have to pay their back rent, but will have 6 months to do that, with the grace period beginning January 8, 2021. That means back rent will be due in full by July 2021.