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The City of Portland, Oregon

Nick Fish (In Memoriam)

City of Portland Commissioner

phone: 503-823-3589

Email: nick@portlandoregon.gov

1221 S.W. 4th, Room 240, Portland, OR 97204

Statement from Commissioner Fish regarding Cameron Whitten's hunger strike

July 19, 2012

As many of you know, a young man named Cameron Whitten has been staging a hunger strike in front of City Hall for over a month to draw support for people experiencing homelessness in our community.

When I met with Cameron recently, I told him I admired his passion for the issues of housing and homelessness, and urged him to become involved in our community’s housing movement.

Every day in this city, a coalition of advocates drawn from government, non-profits, business, philanthropy and the faith community work hard to address our local housing crisis.  Their efforts are marked by the quiet determination that no problem is unsolvable.  They are the unsung heroes, dedicated to serving our community’s most vulnerable. 

Cameron's hunger strike has shined a light on the plight of those who live on our streets.  He reminds us that every one in our city deserves a safe and decent place to call home.

I hope Cameron will end his hunger strike, get his strength back, roll up his sleeves, and join us in our fight to end homelessness.