The Roseburg, Oregon, City Council is weighing an ordinance that would prohibit harm reduction programs from distributing syringes in public spaces, namely parks. Support for the ordinance is driven in large part by claims of needlestick injuries during encampment sweeps.
Roseburg is the county seat and most populous city of Douglas County in southern Oregon, about 70 miles from Eugene. In a council hearing on May 12, the police chief claimed that several city employees have reported needlestick injuries incurred while removing tents and personal belongings from local parks.
Syringe distribution in the city is operated by HIV Alliance. Prevention Manager Dane Zahner noted at that same meeting that the language of the ordinance could possibly restrict groups like his from distributing injectable naloxone. He suggested mutually agreed-upon public outreach locations where syringe service programs could be authorized to continue distribution, and offered to “help provide some training for the officers” who had reported needlestick injuries. HIV Alliance has already suspended its operations in parks.
Roseburg has been escalating enforcement against people sleeping outside.
The council members debated possible scenarios if Zahner’s suggestions were adopted, with some calling for greater surveillance. They expressed particular interest in an account of an estimated 300 syringes found in one tent. Zahner explained that it’s a common harm reduction practice in unhoused communities for someone to collect syringes from those around them and return them to an SSP all at once. Ultimately the ordinance was advanced by a vote of 5-2, but still needs final approval.
Roseburg has been escalating enforcement against people sleeping outside. A recent agenda noted that Mayor Larry Rich, who has held that position since 1998, had questions about “whether individuals or groups of tents are considered an illegal camp” as well as the “reasoning for someone to have so many needles in their tent.”
In August 2024, the city voted unanimously for more crackdowns on encampments, with increasing fines and possible jail time for repeated citations. In January, Roseburg police targeted Deer Creek Park, where more than 100 people had been staying. In February, the department reported it had seized so many belongings that it had run out of space to store them.
Image via National Institute on Drug Abuse
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