Finding Willard: A Life On The Street

By John Sepulvado (OPB)
Oct. 12, 2015 1 p.m.
Willard Peterson lived in a fabric tent in a homeless camp in Portland's Montavilla, Neighborhood overlooking Interstate 84 when OPB report John Sepulvado met him.

Willard Peterson lived in a fabric tent in a homeless camp in Portland's Montavilla, Neighborhood overlooking Interstate 84 when OPB report John Sepulvado met him.

John Sepulvado / OPB

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Portland Mayor Charlie Hales said he feels “wounded” when he sees homeless people in Portland.

"I feel wounded for them, and I feel wounded for our city," Hales said on OPB's Weekend Edition. "Because each of those folks that's sleeping on the street, that's a tragedy. Whether they made bad choices, or got addicted to drugs, whether they lost their lease, there's a tragedy there.

"And we as people, particularly in a caring city like Portland, need to respond," he said.

As part of that response, Hales has announced his plan to call for a state of emergency on housing and homelessness.

After Hales announced his plans, OPB’s John Sepulvado went to see how people without housing are living in Portland. He went to a homeless camp that had popped up in his Montavilla neighborhood. It was there he met 27-year-old Willard Peterson.


Willard Peterson is in a relationship with a 52-year-old woman who would only identify herself as "Jaime."

"Yeah, I like them young," Jaime said. "We've been together over five years."

During the two weeks I visited them, the couple were living in a thin fabric tent on a plot of land overlooking Interstate 84. Peterson and Jaime lived in an area with six other tents.

At their first meeting, Peterson wasn't wearing shoes or a shirt. He sat in a broken folding chair with an package of raw bratwurst sausage on his lap.

"I eat them as I get them," Peterson said. "I eat them all as soon as I get them because I don't know when my next meal is going to be."

I ask Willard and Jaime what it would take for them to get out of the tent and into a home. What kind of help would they need?

"Don’t make it just for families," Jaime said. "Me and him are a couple, but we don’t have any kids. So, that makes us on the bottom of the list, or whatever."

"It’s all material," Peterson said. "If you know how to keep up your material things, and you sat in a square long enough to use whatever tool that you got to sharpen that up, then you’re no longer homeless. Period."

Jaime said she wanted to have a home one day. A home with door and a key to that door.

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"I know. I know you do," said Peterson. "But just, see.."

Peterson trailed off, shook his head and left.

A day later I was driving when I saw Willard on a rusty, purple girls bicycle. The back tire was flat. I followed him to the parking lot behind a Chinese restaurant.

Moments later, Peterson came back carrying a large, plastic tub typically used for carrying grease.

"It’s a grease bucket, you can never really get it clean, but it’s alright," he said.

Peterson planned to use the bucket to store water. He hoped that would help keep his neighbors happy that he wasn't drinking from outdoor spigots as often.

As I talked to Peterson, his eyes trailed off to a concrete block in the parking lot. He peddled over and picked it up. As he started to pedal away, I told him that I would take it and drive it to his camp.

Willard Peterson described homelessness as a state of mind, a state he said he was still in.

Willard Peterson described homelessness as a state of mind, a state he said he was still in.

John Sepulvado / OPB

The next morning, I stopped by the camp. One of Peterson's neighbors told me Jaime was gone too. The two got in a fight and she left, the neighbor said.

The cinder block I dropped off has charred wood inside and is topped with a metal grate that's been used as a grill. Next to it is the empty sausage container.

Near the couple's tent, I found Peterson. He told me he was sick and said I should go away.

When I returned the following day, Willard was gone. I texted Jaime's burner cellphone. No response. The tent's entrance was covered in blood and feces.

A few minutes later, police officers came by and started taking pictures. An hour later, the camp was empty, the tents were packed.

A woman rummaged through Peterson and Jaime's possessions, taking anything of value. I asked her if she knew where Peterson went.

She said an ambulance took him away.

I think back on the first time I met Peterson. I asked him about Mayor Charlie Hales and housing state of emergency declared in Portland

"Homeless is a state of mind to me. It’s up here," Peterson said, pointing to his head. "I’m still going through that stage right now, but I’m almost at the end."

"It’s interesting because the mayor is saying it’s a state of emergency, but you’re saying it’s a state of mind," I said.

"It is a state of mind. It is a state of mind," is all he said.

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