Intern Spotlight: The Case Laws You Need to Know for Camping Rights
Name: Bea Baker
Title: Intern
Pronouns: She/Hers
We did not originally plan on having an intern, but when Bea Baker reached out and applied we were very excited to have her join our team. Bea is a recent high school graduate and aspires to become a lawyer. She brings her experience in mock trial, Model United Nations, and community organizing to her work with Sisters. She also, sometimes, brings her delightful and tiny dog named Martha Stewart. What was slated to only be a three month internship will now continue through next summer!
Bea started interning with us this past summer to support our Know Your Rights workshop in anticipation of the revised Portland Daytime Camping Ban. Even though there is now an injunction preventing the enforcement of the ban, unsheltered residents are still subject to forced displacement.
Contrary to popular belief, the Martin v. Boise didn’t stop the sweeping of people. Bea created a resource explaining why people are still being swept.
We published her slide deck diving into Martin v Boise, and other case laws that affect the civil liberties of people experiencing the violence of poverty and homelessness on our website.
In celebration, we wanted to share the person behind the scenes!
What drew you to work at Sisters of the Road?
Before working at Sisters, I met Kat through the Parkrose-Argay Opportunity Coalition. She talked with us about how to fight back against Prologis. When I was thinking about getting a job, I wanted something where I was actually learning skills and making a difference, so I applied to Sisters.
Which of Sisters' philosophies do you relate to the most and why?
"Change is possible" and "big change doesn't happen overnight.” It's hard to stay motivated when it feels that in the moment nothing is happening, but Sisters is right. Life isn't a movie, it's unrealistic to think you can swoop in and save the day, most change is long haul.
What do you think people misunderstand or get wrong about homelessness or poverty?
People look at poverty and homelessness as a punishment, a cautionary tale, and a choice. It's why they feel so comfortable looking down on them, because they think they did something to deserve it, and they believe that if homeless or impoverished people tried harder they could just stop being poor. In reality, poverty is exhausting and capitalism is a flawed system that inherently needs poverty for the rich to exist. When you add to that oppression and an apathetic society, it's an uphill battle just to get your needs met.
What work are you most proud of from your time at Sisters so far?
My second presentation on conversion.* I did a lot of research into local laws and looked at how Portlanders are being affected by sweeps.
*Lauren here, I had to look this up and here is my simple definition for it: in short, “conversion” is an intentional act when a party (person, organization, etc.) takes the material property of another with the intent to deprive them of it (like, I took your favorite sweater with the intention of keeping it so that you can never get it back *insert evil laugh here*). Conversion can come into play when possessions are taken from people during sweeps. There is more to conversion than simple theft, but we’ll go deeper into this in a future presentation.
What do you do for fun outside of work?
I'm really really into mock trial and Taylor Swift. I also paint, play piano (very badly), and do Model United Nations.
What’s one book or film that you recommend?
If there was one book everyone should read, Beartown by Fredrik Backman (and its sequels) I thought about Beartown for months after reading it.
We look forward to seeing what Bea accomplishes after completing her internship at Sisters. In the meantime, we’ll make sure to share the amazing resources she’s creating, and, perhaps, more pictures of Martha.
