Jack Tafari

Jack Tafari (born 31 October 1946 in Gravesend, Kent, United Kingdom, died 20 April 2016 in Accra, Ghana, Africa), was a sometimes homeless Rastafari activist who advocated for himself and other homeless people, in the USA and the UK. He was best known for promoting "sanctioned tent cities" as transitional housing for homeless people, including himself, in Portland, Oregon, United States.

In February 2000, Tafari moved from Salem, Oregon to Portland, Oregon after being fired from a job. He was homeless, and he, with others, created Dignity Village in 2000, as a 'sanctioned tent city' (self governing homeless shelter) in Portland, Oregon.

In December 2000, Tafari was sleeping rough under bridges and in doorways in Portland, Oregon, United States. There weren’t enough shelter spaces for all of Portland's homeless, and Tafari found himself sharing the streets with others. With seven others, Tafari began occupying city properties and pitching tents. "Confronted by police for their unlicensed use of public land, the initial group of eight men and women had the benefit of a forceful voice in the person of homeless activist Jack Tafari, and the early support of a few local politicians and associated coverage in the local media. The Portland police department eventually realized that the group, then calling themselves Camp Dignity, was engaged in complicated Constitutional issues of redress of grievance, and deferred the political issue to the local political authority: The Portland City Council and Mayor".

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