Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2024

Subjects

Discrimination, Eviction -- Oregon -- Sociological aspects, Housing -- Law and legislation -- Oregon, Eviction -- Oregon -- Statistics, Social justice

Abstract

Drawing on focus groups with 101 Oregon tenants who have experienced an eviction since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this report examines the role that discrimination plays in Oregon evictions. As this is not a legal investigation, we do not focus solely on legally-actionable or provable claims. Rather, we include a wide range of tenants’ descriptions of their experiences with unfair, malicious, or prejudicial treatment. We find that many tenants are specifically targeted for eviction or experience prejudicial treatment during the eviction process because of their identity or background. This includes being treated unfairly based on tenants’ race, language, criminal record, gender, sexual orientation, or disabilities. Tenants faced harassment, threats, utility shut-offs, and other forms of prejudicial treatment. Additionally, some tenants said that they either did not challenge their eviction or did not report the discrimination they encountered because they did not expect to be treated fairly by the legal system.

Rights

© 2024 Portland State University
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/42491

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