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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2010)
Street roots Feb. 5, 2010 CAMPING, from page 8 referencing the settlement negotiations taking pince anti asking the commissioners to not support them. “We do not support a negotiated ~ settlement that diminishes the city’s authority to manage its public spices,” the letter states. * Fish saysthat he has not responded to the letter. Laurel Butman, the public information officer for the city’s Office of Management and Finance, which encompasses the • Office of Risk Management»; says that the content of settlement documents are not alwaysposted online along with the ordinance. ' “What we usually do is get the ordinance passed so that we can go ahead and settle,” Butman says. “Then the details of the settlement will get settled out after that.” Fish says it was an error on the Office of Risk Management’s-part to post the settlement document online. “We had no settlement,” Fish says, “It was unfortunate that happened. It raised expectations? . . But Butman says it was not the Office of Risk Management’s call to post the document online. “The City Attorney’s office asked us to post it up, and we did,” she says. Fish, Woboril and Doern all say that the PBA’s letter was not written to influence thè settlement negotiations. “It didn’t work .that way at all,” Woboril says. Fish and Doern both say that thè PBA knew about the work being done to create ? new camping guidelines well before the document became public. “There were different corpmeDts.and, ? ii; different things were going around for a few.weeks,” Doern says. “I don’t think it was in reaction to whatever was posted on the 16th.” Because the city was pursuing changing policy in addition to settling the lawSuit, Fish sàys, thè conversations happening around creating the new guidelines were “not strictly confidential.” . In addition to the nèw guidelines around the physical camps themselves, the city will also pursue obtaining spaces for . homeless individuals to store then- belongings. Fish says he is working with City Commissioner Randy Leonard to “fast- track” more public toilets as well. “It occurs to me that the lawsuit may be being pursued to get the city’s attention on some other issues,” Woboril says. ?? “It is my hope that all of the stakeholders including the PBA and the police look for alternatives to the status quo when incomes to camping,” John says. Downtown businesses weigh in on camping laws he Portland Business Alliance, should not be made available for camping which has supported the camping now or in the future. In many cases the ban and the now defunct sidewalk, existing posting of these areas results o r sit-lie, ordinance, issued a letter Dec. from the negative impact on adjacent 18 addressed to all city commissioners landowners and tenants of past camping arguing the Alliance’s side in the camping activity. Adjacent landowners and tenants debate. • should not be subject to renewed impacts , The letter outlines concerns the PBA through the adoption of a settlement has with regard to the class-action lawsuit agreement. •'.> ' * s ..? ? ? ' ’ ■ , < and settlement negotiations underway • No Trespassing Designation, Any between the city and attorneys for the settlement should not reduce the city’s homeless affected by the city’s policy. authority to designate additional public What follows are the major points taken lands as no trespassing areas under any directly from the letter. agreement, even if those areas have been used for camping in the past The city “if the city moves forward with a must retain the authority to address negotiated settlement, we believe there problem areas through no trespassing are a number of important factors that designation at its sole discretion and should be incorporated into any without the need to renegotiate with the agreement to ensure its workability for. all litigants. parties. -.V; • Dispersed Impact Strict and • Sidewalks. We do not believe that enforceable limits.of no more than four camping in any form should be allowed on individuals per location should be sidewalks or property access or required to mitigate camping impacts. transportation facilities, whether in the Likewise, a second camp should not be central city or elsewhere. Sidewalks, allowed within sight or sound of another property access and transportation * camp. Under no circumstances should a facilities must be kept free at all hours for “tent city” be allowed. These rules must the purpose for which they were created; be self enforced by the campers. Public namely, transportation. safety personnel should not be put in the • Parks. No camping should be position of trying to determine who allowed in parks at any time. These arrived first e tc The Alliance is .public facilities are fragile public spaces intrigued by the option of allowing social » that are heavily impacted by camping service providers, such as churches to both in terms of their physical character allow camping on their land. We believe and in terms of their function as areas for tins option should be farther explored as public use and recreation. it holds the prospect of not only • Public Lands. No camping should be dispersing camping impacts but also the permitted on public lands that are not potential for toilet facilities to be made open to public use. Areas that are available to campers. currently posted as no trespassing areas • Hours. Camping should be restricted B to between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. exclusively so that commuters, shop owners and residents can make usé of public facilities and so that the camps do not become de facto permanent facilities. • Enforcement Portland police must be free to actively enforce the rules in an agreement with the full support of the City Council and the District Attorney. The Settlement should make it dear that the enforcement mechanisms, including . prohibitions on camping on sidewalks and posted no trespassing areas will be actively implemented? Two additional points outline the need for ensuring security for both camp occupants and those that approach them, and that the settlement be seen as a temporary option with a firm ending date as other resources come on line. Thé letter is signed by: Central Eastside Industrial Council Downtown Public Safety Action . 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