»
c e l e b b a t in g
a
decade
Street roots
Education ♦ Dialogue * Independence
EDITORU » » • «
Sit-tie a cliche of
obstructionism
he new ruling that the sit-lie law is
unconstitutional caught Street Roots off guard.
According to sources at City Hall, it also caught
the city on its heels. Rumor has it that staffers there
are scrambling to try to figure out what exactly the
ruling means.
Street Roots thinks it’s clear to the broader public
what the ruling means and.what City Hall should do.
For years, seven to be exact; the sit-lie ordinance has
become a wedge issue in our community. Not to
mention that the law infringes on the rights of
Portlanders, specifically homeless folks.
,
/
The sit-lie ordinance is
being evaluated in
We can develop a
community-wide
relationship In the
discussions, led by City
spirit of collaboration
Commissioners Nick Fish
Instead of
and Amanda Fritz, to
confrontation, and
determine the long-term
share the concept that
viability of the law. We
the people on the
have a hunch that the
streets are a part of the process will not shed any
solutions we a ll seek.
new light on the subject.
This law is more or less a
- waste of everyone’s time.
' i t ’s time to cut bait. Stop beating a dead horse. The
police bureau, private security groups and the business
community need to learn to live without the sit-lie
ordinance.
|
I j |H H | I
The simple fact of the matter is, we have individuals .
experiencing homelessness and poverty that live and
contribute in our community. We may not always like
the way a few bad apples create tension on the streets,
but it’s time to turn over a new leaf and look at more |
progressive and innovative ideas when thinking about
these issues.
The Street Access For Everyone (SAFE) workgroup,
made up of members from the business community,
homeless advocates and concerned; citizens, has
created a framework on which" to work together. We
don’t think this should be lost.
Street Roots recently joined the Portland Business;
Alliance (PBA) in the same vein. We believe .that while
we don’t always agree on specific issues, the PBA and
the larger business community do care about people
experiencing homelessness. And we have to find a way T
to breakthrough the tired rhetoric. Here’s our chance.
In the past two years, the city and the PBA have
supported the SAFE committee to help build more
park benches and to open public restrooms downtown
- things that benefit both the housed and homeless
communities. They have worked to create day'access
space for people on the streets to have a welcoming
place to go and have created the capacity fora
homeless women’s shelter to increase its hours to.24/7.
The shame of the sit-lie law only tarnished these
worthy efforts.
What if the discussion could move on to what
homeless folks can do alongside the business
community? How can we be involved in cleaning
blighted areas or helping police drug dealers and
predators that prey on people on the streets? We can
develop a relationship in the spirit of collaboration
instead of confrontation, and share the concept that the
people on the streets are a part of the solutions we all
seek.
A
None of this is possible with an ordinance that tells
people not be a part of the community at-large. It’s time
to move along.
■
STREET ROOTS' EDITORIAL BOARD
The views expressed in the editorials in Street Roots are the
consensusof members of the editorial board and
contributing volunteers.
Addiction letter draws vendor, reader response
brightened our day when we are newly
exposed to the dark angles and hard
realities of real life. If we do so, we are
basically saying by example that it’s OK for
’m a 30-year-old Street Roots vendor
someone , to do the same to uâ when we a re ,
who has been.clean and sober for more
than six and a half years. I also have past in our darkest hour. I don’t think this Js
experiences with homelessness. The issue what we want. It is in thèse times when
the depths of pain and suffering is revealed
about vendors being “ alcoholic/drug
— that we must seek and share the deeper
addicts” is class discrimination.
love and compassion that only a greater
All people from various social classes
süpportive community can accomplish
experience alcohol/drug addiction, even i
together.
doctors who practice medicine. Should the
, STOOP
doctor’s not work? They have access to
, Portland/San Francisco
pretty expensive alcohol/drugs yet the U.S.
society doesn’t tend ió focus on the higher
I am indoors now, working a full time job
classes alcohol/drug addictions that often.
- in the technical field. But, when I was
People who are homeless or poverty
outside, getting a bit of alcohol or maybe ;
stricken áre stereotyped and marginalized
even doing a ligna was one very effective
(National Coalition for the Homeless;
solution to enduring the cold, can this
“Report accuses US cities of criminalizing
the homeless” (June 21, 2009). I completed • country, ever warm up to the idea o f the
empowerment model?
my Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary
ANONYMOUS.
Studies aLMarylhurst University with
grants, scholarships, and student loans in
2008.
City to fix any Section 8
I grew up in a single-parent family and
have been a Street Roots vendor since"
problems in Portland
January IB, 2009. Please do n o t'
discriminate towards any social class,
F I thanks for shining a light on the
especially the homeless and poverty
I Section 8 problem. (“The Letter,”
stricken; Street Roots does a good thing by
A June 12, 2009) We are working to fix
employing the marginalized.
the problems with the Section 8 program,
JANELLE JEFFRIES
including:
Portland
1. County Commissioner Kafoury and I
are chairing a task force to address barriers
Please don’t let people believe that most
facing voucher-holders.
homeless are addicts, and even many of the
2 . 1 am working with HAP and the. VÁ
substance abusers only became that way
Hospital to get to full utilization of all VASH
after they gave up on getting out — pr
vouchers within 60 days.
should I say “in.”
I 3. HAP and the City of Portlandhave
I am female, multi-disabiled and not a
offered technical assistance to Northwest
substance abuser (unless you count coffee
Oregon.
cigs and carnitas). I was homeless almost
We are committed to 100 percent
nine years. We need help, not judging,
utilization of existing vouchers, and to
please.
D.C. MATTHEWS
removing barriers faced by too* many
voucher-holders.
NICK FISH
Thanks for this article. We must not turn
Portland CityCommissioner
our backs to those whohave at oné time
Editors Note: Israel Bayer’s Director Desk, (Page 14, this
Í
edition) was posted on our blog, www.streetroots.wordpress.com,
prior to this publication., Here are some o f the responses:
'
I
WHAT DO
YOU THINK?
Street Roots
encourages readers
to submit letters
and columns for
publication. Letters
to the editor may;
be submitted to the
Street Roots office,
211 NW Davis St., /
Portland, OR 97209,
faxed to 503-227-
3117 or
e-mailed to
streetroots
©email.com. Please
address your
submissions as
letters to the editor.