At the end of a marathon four-and-a-half-hour meeting, which included an hour-and-a-half executive session, The Dalles City Council took an unusual step last night as Councilor Tim McGlothlin offered this motion:
“I move to authorize the city attorney to file a public nuisance action against St. Vincent de Paul Society of The Dalles in Wasco County Circuit Court.”
The motion passed on a four to zero report. That was because councilor Darcy Long had to leave before that vote.
It came in response to an hour of public testimony from 15 people at the beginning of the session who outlined their concerns about homeless people gathering near the St. Vincent de Paul’s location. Rian Beech summarized some of those concerns this way:
“Trespass and fires, littering, fights, disorderly conduct, harassment, public urination and defecation, illegal parking, open air narcotics sales and use, public sex acts, abandoned vehicles, menacing, destruction of public and private property and blocking the sidewalks.”
Neighbors who testified said St. Vincent de Paul was the cause of their problems and that those running the charity told residents their concerns were not the charity’s problem.
If the court were to agree with city’s filing that St. Vincent de Paul is a public nuisance, the court could order the facility closed from three months to a full year.