‘Too Dangerous’ Homeless Camp Forces Women’s Pro Golf to Move Tournament
Imagine a scenario where a homeless camp encroached - not only on private property - but on to the parking lot at Shreveport's Southern Trace or East Ridge Country Clubs.
Well, that's the current situation in Portland, Oregon, where a camp of hundreds of homeless people has spilled over from the area bordering on the exclusive Columbia Edgewater Country Club onto the golf course grounds, including the club's parking lot.
And because of city leaders unwillingness to act, the Ladies Professional Golf Association's Cambia Portland Classic, will have to be moved to another location.
From Golfweek:
"A large homeless encampment now surrounds the parking lot that nearly everyone who comes to the event utilizes, and tournament organizers felt it necessary to move the event for health and safety reasons."
And perhaps the most frustrated is Ken Smith, president of the exclusive club, who explained to members what they already knew. That the area is increasingly unsafe. From Yahoo News:
"Their reason for departure center around the City of Portland response to safety and security around the city," Smith wrote, "With LPGA players, media, sponsors, and thousands of spectators coming into town this fall, the tournament organizers had concerns about the safety of the city and opted to find a venue out of the city limits."
Meanwhile, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, perhaps the government's most strident defender of the rights of the homeless, publicly applauded the LPGA's decision to move the tourney to another area course.
The Portland Classic will take place in mid-September. The four day tournament has a total purse of $1.4 million.