Portland anarchists attack goat refuge as revenge over homeless encampment removal

The suspects slashed part of a fence surrounding the Belmont Goats, as they've become known, causing seven of them to escape. They also pinned threatening notes to the fence, wherein they blamed the goats' owners for the city's decision to move the homeless encampment.

According to KATU2, the Belmont Goats were later discovered by a homeless man near a grove of rhododendron bushes, which if ingested are poisonous to the animals, and taken back to their enclosure. The fence was quickly repaired with zip ties.

The anarchists explained that their anger stemmed from the fact that in order for the city to make room for a "safe rest village" for homeless people, the Belmont Goats are set to be moved from their plot of land to a space currently occupied by tents just around the block.

"People don't know where to go," the anarchists wrote. "People are desperate. Sweeps are a cruel, inhuman, and murderous way for the city to push people around, to appease developers and business owners, to keep unhoused people from forming communities at networks of support that might allow them to survive."

"These goats are not at fault for the fact that their owners have decided to move them to a new enclosure, and that this enclosure happens to be located where over fifteen people are currently living," they continued, adding that nonetheless, "it's time for the Belmont Goats to enjoy a little walk in the park."

A Belmont Goats representative pushed back against the insinuation that they had anything to do with the planned move.

"They clearly don’t understand that we are essentially being 'swept' too," they told KATU2. "We haven't gone to the media about our move prior to now because the city has been so poor at communicating their plans with us."

According to Belmont Goats co-owner Robin Casey, Portland officials informed them in 2022 that they'd have to vacate and gave them a number of possible options. They chose the plot of land around the block because it was the cheapest, and it allowed them to remain in the area, where Belmont Goats have been "offering an oasis of rural community amidst the built, urban environment."