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How Do I Stereotype Thee, Homeless People?
While the City plays political football with homeless rest area Right to Dream, Too (R2DToo), they've expanded their gentrification of City Hall and are looking to reintroduce legislation to strengthen Sit/Lie laws. In a January 2013 count, there were 16,000 homeless people in Portland, either living on the streets, in shelters or with friends. In PPR #60, we reported on Mayor Hales clearing the sidewalk of campers to make the area safe for food carts and $4,000 tables and chairs. Meanwhile, there are plans to install showers in City Hall for those who ride bikes to work or who run during their lunch periods. No mention of showers for those who have no bathroom facilities. In September, Commissioner Amanda Fritz brokered a plan whereby the residents of R2DToo would move from their current site at SW 4th and Burnside to a city-owned site under the Broadway Bridge ramp by October 28. On October 3, a five hour public hearing included heartless and dismaying testimony by residents and developers of the swanky Pearl District. Surprisingly, much of this testimony was given by older women who lived in Station Place Tower, which has a number of subsidized units. Some of the comments regarding R2DToo's residents included: "There will be one hundred strangers. They will sneak into the buildings. There are problems with health, drugs, alcohol and dogs without shots. There are mental health and physical issues. They may hear voices telling them to come across the street and attack women. We will not be safe. There will be parking issues for residents and tourists. There are convicts and sex offenders. The Pearl District is a Show and Tell area all over the world and you are establishing a slum." Next, the Pearl moneyed interests gave their testimony. One resident stated many dollars would be lost due to the loss of parking, a loss of rentals, and a large decline in property values. Another condo tower resident indicated, "We have worked too hard to be THE Pearl. There is fear among the residents, especially the women. R2DToo is a detriment." Others argued that the rules for this move were not followed and that the city had no respect for process-- "This isn't the Portland way." Shockingly, one man indicated that if this move took place, the Pearl would soon become a dumping ground for nuclear waste. A woman from the Pearl District Neighborhood Association testified that the move would result in unregulated camping throughout the whole city and that codes would be undermined. She mentioned the possibility of moving R2DToo into a building. Developers Dike Dame and Homer Williams testified, arguing the move would impact livability and future investment. Williams offered to commit resources over the next 30 days, something that never materialized because their offers were not acceptable to R2DToo. Current and past residents of R2DToo also testified and talked about fear and being unsafe on the streets, and how lack of sleep impacts so many aspects of life. Others testified about the self policing by R2DToo and that, in two years in their current space, there have been no complaints to the Portland Police Bureau. Others discussed the long waiting lists for low income housing and the difficulty in staying warm and dry while living on the streets. One woman stated she had been homeless for 20 days and already attacked twice but "R2DToo offered me a tent and now nobody harms me as there is 24 hour security." A man described R2DToo as "just people trying to survive." Another said he had been at R2DToo for several years and described it as a safe shelter where there was food, adding that he was soon getting into housing. One man stated he resented being compared to toxic waste. Despite the impact of these testimonies, three women from the Pearl were overheard during a break period describing them as "sob stories." At the end of the hearing, Mayor Hales remarked upon the "good faith" of Williams and Dame, and postponed the vote. The issue still has not been back to Council. The developers filed an appeal with the Land Use Board of Appeals, purportedly only to preserve the right to appeal. The fallout for R2DToo, their attorney and their current landlord has been considerable. Demonstrating where his loyalties lie, Mayor Hales, on October 24, sent an e-mail to Dike Dame in which he stated, "I will not facilitate or assist moving the Right 2 Dream Too camp/community to any other location while you are working in good faith toward a solution over the next 60 days" (Portland Mercury, November 6). On another front, fearing they might not have done enough to make miserable the lives of homeless people, the City is leaning toward pressing the February 2014 legislative session to pass a law prohibiting the state from preempting the authority of a city to control or regulate the use of its sidewalks. A previous attempt (HB 2963), sponsored by the Portland Business Alliance, failed to pass the 2013 session of the legislature (PPR #60). If such a bill becomes law, it could effectively criminalize homelessness and have a strong negative effect on free speech. While patrolling the downtown core in late August, Portland Copwatch discovered a few more mis- steps by the Hales administration and others. For example, a sign posted by City Hall warning of camp sweeps told violators they might have to pay $2 to retrieve property confiscated and put into storage. The City recanted, saying that language was copied from Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) notices (Mercury blog, September 11). Also, several people camping at nearby Chapman Square reported harassment and violence perpetrated on their members by Portland Police, as well as incorrect information from Park Rangers scaring people from entering the park. At least one Park Ranger had told them they could not bring bedrolls into parks, even though the rule is that you can't unroll and lie on them. In another display of inhumanity, in October ODOT moved out a homeless camp from under I-205 at Foster Road and installed huge boulders in the area. They plan to replant grass and add trees and bushes and, if there are further "problems," more boulders will be added and could be put into other "problem" areas such as I-5 near the Eastbank Esplanade (KATU-TV, October 24). |
January, 2014
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Portland Copwatch Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.
People's Police Report
#61 Table of Contents
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