Street roots
3
TT
Jan. 23,2009
Homeless camping area swept into
park and private security oversight
Roots With a View a new
discussion group for readers
Come discuss some of the latest Street Roots
articles with other vendors and friends in the
neighborhood. Expose yourself to new angles and
ideas, and share some of your own perspectives,
insights, and experiences related to the many issues
affecting our communities. Poverty is complex and
requires creativity. When we come together to
understand our diverse lives, common interests, and
unique gifts in relationship to the difficult times we
are in, we take the first steps towards the strategic
and collective work of challenging broken systems
and replacing them with beautiful solutions.
Roots With A View meets every Tuesday
following publication, at Street Roots, 211 NW Davis
in Portland's Old Town. 6:30pm doors open, 7pm
discussion. Coffee & snacks will be provided. For
more information or questions please contact Stoop
at 503-774-3128.
Our first discussion will be Tuesday, Jan. 27.
Hope to see you there.
City, county conduct one-night
count of people on the street
Outreach workers and a host of volunteers are
gearing up for the biannual one-night street and
shelter count. The count is used to gauge how many
Portland and Multnomah County residents are
experiencing homelessness.
Volunteers will be asking people where they
slept on the night of Jan. 28, including people who
stayed in shelters, slept outside, in vehicles,
abandoned buildings or other places not intended
for human habitation. The count is a requirement of
the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, and is mandated for the last week of
January to capture peak shelter usage. Neither the
shelter count nor the street count include people
who are doubled up with friends or couch surfing.
ordinance, which prohibits setting up
that “there was no other reason than to
bedding on public land. The resolution
clarify and streamline.”
makes them subject to park exclusions
n Jan. 7, Portland City Council
Rubio did not think the resolution
as well. Only police officers can enforce
voted to give park security
would change how park rules and city
the camping ban, but park exclusions can
officers who patrol Tom McCall
codes are enforced under the ramps.
Waterfront Park jurisdiction over a small be issued by
Advocates at
park security
triangle of land under the Steel Bridge’s
nonprofit Sisters of
and officers
eastbound onramps. That will mean that
the Road considered
"We have concern about that
from the private
arguing against the
people who sleep under that bridge may
proposal. (But) the overall
security
firm,
resolution, because
be subject to park exclusions, which bar
problem is that we have a
Portland Patrol
expanding the
individuals who receive citations from
Inc.
citywide camping ban that's
coverage of park
the park for at least 30 days.
Monica
exclusions “has the
City officials call the resolution, which
2 4 /7 , and we think that's
Goracke, an
impact of further
passed unanimously and without
unconstitutional."
attorney with
making it a burden
discussion as part of the council’s
—
VARNER
SEAMAN
the Oregon Law
on people
consent agenda, a simple housekeeping
SISTERS OF THE ROAD CAFE
Center, said the
experiencing
measure meant to clarify park
change may
homelessness,” said
boundaries. Advocates for the homeless
make it easier for law enforcement to
Varner Seaman, Sisters’ associate
say it may increase the burden on people
chase out people sleeping under the
director of systemic change.
forced to sleep outside, and that it
ramps.
Seaman said Sisters decided not to
represents a larger problem in the city’s
“I wish there had been more public
protest the measure because they had
attitude toward homelessness.
discussion of it, because I think it does
not been able to meet with Fish about it,
The resolution specifies that the area
impact people who have traditionally
and they would rather focus on larger law
under the car and MAX onramps will be
taken refuge in that area,” Goracke said.
enforcement issues, of which this
part of the park for law enforcement
Though he confirmed that the
particular piece of land is only a small
purposes. The Office of Transportation,
resolution
extends park exclusions into
part.
which controls the land, will retain
the specified area, Parks Public Safety
“We have concern about that
maintenance and improvement
Manager Mark Warrington said it was
proposal,” Seaman said. “(But) the
responsibilities.
intended only to clarify park boundaries,
overall problem is that we have a
For years, the site has been used as
not to pave the way for specific law
citywide camping ban that’s 24/7, and we
shelter by people experiencing
enforcement
think that’s unconstitutional.”
homelessness. On the morning of Jan.
“It’s just a housekeeping thing,”
The Oregon Law Center is
21, several piles of bedding sat on the
spearheading a class action lawsuit that
Warrington said. The area “looks like a
ground under the onramps, suggesting
challenges the constitutionality of the
park; people use it as a park ... it’ll be
that people had slept there the night
camping ban. The suit, filed Dec. 12,
part of the park for enforcement”
before. A line of people still lay along the
a s s e r ts t h a t c rim in a liz in g s le e p in g
C ity C o m m is sio n e r N ic k F is h , w h o
B Y M A R A GRUNBAUM
S T A F F W R IT E R
O
sid ew alk ju s t o u ts id e th e a r e a th e
.Ihejesul^olthe.coM allow P ortlandaadM 91 • 1 ~ ~ resolution covers^
agencies to qualify for federal funding sources for
P e o p le w h o s le p t in t h a t a r e a w e r e
already subject to the city’s anti-camping
shelter and other needs. In the past, the count has
o v e r s e e s p a r k s a n d h o u s in g , in tr o d u c e d I
the resolution to city council. Carmen
R u b io , F is h ’s s e n io r p o licy ad v iso r, said
tallied between 1,700 and 2,300 people sleeping
outdoors.
o u td o o r s w h e n th e r e is a s h o r ta g e o f
r shelter space in Portland'is cruel and
u n u s u a l p u n is h m e n t.
VENDOR WORK ADS
hO
jw m e r s
m a rk e t
Every Wednesday 2-7pm
CO
Bruce Heino: Available for yard work, general
assistance, four-hour minimum, wage negotiable.
Please call the Street Roots office or contact New
Seasons at 33rd and Killingsworth.
at Street Roots for an appointment. 503-228-5657
(Free Service!)
Bill Atkinson: Yard work, moving, mise. Four-hour
minimum, $10 an hour. Call Street Roots office at
503-228-5657.
Dan & Donna: Need odd jobs? Can do painting,
yardwork, miscellaneous labor. Very dependable.
Call the Street Roots office at 503-228-5657,503
267-4794.
Handy man needs work: moving, painting, yard
work, clean-up. If I can sweat and you can be
doing something else, please call me at 503-803-
2533. Mark Works. 4 hour minimum, $12.50 per
hour start plus lunch.
Small Business Consultant A/R, A/P, money
management, etc. $30 an hour. Call John
Thompson at Street Roots at 503-228-5657
Too much debt? Want to be debt free?
Consumer credit counseling: Call John Thompson
Vida Sittinghawk: House cleaning, very thorough.
References. Call 503-287-4174.
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