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--> --> Portland leaders seek tent city for homeless near the airport PORTLAND (AP) - City leaders say they want a tent city for homeless to move near Portland International Airport's runways for 60 days until a more permanent arrangement can be worked out. About 75 homeless campers, who have banded together to form what they call Dignity Village, will face police sweeps at any other campground they choose, jeopardizing negotiations with the city for a more permanent site, officials said. The new site is called the Sunderland Yard, a city-owned composting facility where leaves are trucked in the fall. "We told them if you don't take this, the goodwill will dissipate," said Mayor Vera Katz, who met with village leaders Tuesday. Villagers had agreed to move by Friday from state-owned land under the Fremont Bridge. City and village leaders have been negotiating for weeks to find a short-term alternative. Ibrahim Mubarak, the group's spokesman, said the Sunderland site won't work. The city will begin crushing rock at the site next month, and crews already frequently use noisy heavy machinery, he said. He also said the asphalt is too hard and that the site is too close to a jail. "I think we've been hoodwinked. This is not something that's going to work for us," he said. Mubarak scoffed at the city's threats of police sweeps. The village has proved its legitimacy, he and others campers say. It pays for garbage service, runs 24-hour security patrols and a host of other programs. "There's always going to be a Dignity Village. It may not be where they want it but it's going to go somewhere," Mubarak said. Dignity Village was formed last year by homeless people who dislike the city's shelter system. Many complain that the shelters are overcrowded or dirty, have antiquated rules, split up families and don't allow pets. The move to Sunderland Yard would mark the sixth time in eight months that the campers have had to move. Marshall Runkel, aide to housing Commissioner Erik Sten, has been negotiating with village leaders for weeks and trying to get various city bureaus to agree on an acceptable short-term site. On Thursday, the city council will vote on a resolution that would support working with Dignity Village in the next 60 days to develop a longer-term "pilot project." The resolution calls on villagers to comply with a set of tasks, including how to remain crime free and limiting camp occupancy to 60 people. The villagers would have to find transitional or alternative housing within six months. Runkel said police would not sweep a campground without posting 24-hour notice. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing