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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2011)
15 Street roots Feb. 18. 2011 EDITORIAL Old Town needs a larger vision to reclaim its streets n some ways, the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood embodies the changes Portland has undergone over the past decade. It is the home to both new and familiar residents. It is an enterprising business network, gaining steam. It is the community of social service organizations that work to alleviate poverty and homelessness, to fill the gaps in addiction treatment and health care. And it is the broad shoulders for the people these organizations serve. The neighborhood also has a history and culture of open drug dealing. The Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association, it’s business and community partners are calling for We believe, and renewing the Drug Free neighborhoods have Zone ordinance, which proven, that there are would give police greater more constructive authority to stop, question solutions to turning this and search individuals on environment around. the street, and allow the courts to exclude selected street offenders from the neighborhood. It was dropped from the city books three years ago under former mayor Tom Potter following accounts of racial disparity and civil rights violations. We believe, and neighborhoods have proven, that there are more constructive solutions to turning this, environment around and taking back our streets. We need leaders in the neighborhood who have vision and can think outside the box. We offer a few examples that could be used drive out drug dealing during the early morning rush hour, and throughout the day in Old Town Chinatown. We can do so supporting local businesses and promoting a healthy living environment fo r o u r n e ig h b o r h o o d a n d th e City of Portland. On the economic front, we need to make our sidewalks vibrant with opportunity, much as it is on many otherwise discarded city blocks at breakfast, lunch and after work. We should work to create a small number of food carts and other street-side attractions in Old Town Chinatown that would serve neighborhood workers, tenants and tourists. The options are almost endless, including an extension of local establishments, Asian and Latino enterprises, and social-service projects such as Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream employment program through New Avenues for Youth. These endeavors rely on the neighborhood’s support and vision, including incentives to foster a marketplace for workers, friends and patrons. As an entry point to many bus and train visitors to the city, Old Town is a ripe location for tourist information and business vendors to set up shop and welcome the stream of people to the city. The resources could be generated from the Portland Development Commission, and working with the Portland Business Alliance, the City of Portland, local businesses and non-profits, could set a foundation to launch the projects. In the end, it means celebrating this community, drawing people to, not away from, a destination. We ye seen it happen in neighborhoods throughout the city, and it should happen here, in downtown’s backyard. Public safety is equally in the mix. We need officers walking the beat. Not on horsqs, not in cars, but on the sidewalks, knowing the people who come and go at all hours. It is a presence that has paid off in the past, and can once again, to create a safe environment. On a simpler note, put in more streetlights. There are stretches of sidewalks in Old Town that suffer from the lack of fundamental illumination. Light the streets. None of this will change things overnight. But nothing happens if nothing is pursued. i ! STREET ROOTS’ EDITORIAL BOARD The views expressed in the editorials in Street Roots are the consensus of members of the editorial board and contributing volunteers. Vendors, readers make winter brighter treet Roots wants to take the time to That’s why it’s important to call out the give special thanks to all of our hard vendors, and to thank them for staying working vendors. It’s this time of the upbeat and maintaining paper sales and for year that we call the "February freak out” being at involved in neighborhoods around the ' SR. We’re months into city. the rainy season and Saying that, we can’t thank the vendors without thanking the readers. We so DIRECTOR'S tensions are high, appreciate the relationships being built and W PQ ST people are cranky and the city is in a bad / maintained every day throughout the city. r, T , n mood. For someone It’s these relationships that make SR B j- /s w d B ayer experiencing special. The newspaper is just an added homelessness, all of bonus. these elements are We’ve have a lot of great things coming Israel B ayer is the compounded, and living on the streets up over the horizon, including our popular executive director o f becomes a living hell. Street Roots. You can April First edition and the first ever SR reach h im a t The health and wellbeing of individuals awards that will be presented in the paper streetroots@ hotmail.com. can become life and death in a m atter of this spring. Having a street paper in our hours. Things like walking pneumonia and community is not a given and we all work the flu are commonplace, and being able to hard to deliver you something that is prepare for the temperature changes can be professional and engaging. Enjoy the read. a real challenge. It’s the pits for many. g LETTERS Vendor's reflections on Egypt draws support WHAT DO YOU THINK? Street Roots encourages readers to submit letters and columns for publication. Send letters to the editor to the Street Roots office, 211 NW Davis St., Portland, OR 4 97209, or e-mailed to streetrootsnews® gmail.com. gyptians are providing us a lessen in who wandered out of a tavern in th e democracy. I also love my country, neighborhood. He also stole my cellular but love is not blind acquiescence to < telephone sq I could not call th e police. I empire. It is hardly surprising that a nation did not call the police anyway, because I knew the police will question me why I was whose psyche evolved through westward expansion and pioneer mentality would seek homeless, and will blame me for being in a wrong place. It would be my word against global expansion and empire eventually. As the police or even against the words of the you noted at the beginning of your article rapist, who is white and American. through the telling of the story of Irish MIRANDA immigrants enslaved for trying to be free, American history is full of nightmares. It | would be nice if American exceptionalism Come back soon, Art! meant that our country would be a shinning I will surely miss Art Garcia’s column — example if justice, stop supporting his sense of humor and unique writing style. dictators, and put people above corporate But, hey, he has to take advantage of the profit. opportunity that has come his way! I can I stand in solidarity with Egyptians hardly wait for his return and reading about seeking justice and peace. And at the same his latest adventures (or misadventures). time I wonder what we can learn from the And, Art, as you travel about this country Egyptians about standing up against the be sure to check out the Badlands of North bullies. and*South Dakota. I try to do my part every day with limited MARYPACIOS resources to live free, to resist forces of Portland tyranny and oppression, to elect leaders and sign petitions, to be informed and organic Police commentary reflects community; It hardly Seems enough. When do we collectively get fed up concerns on resources enough to take to the streets, without guns Another amazing piece from Officer and violence, without hate and bigotry, and Pickett. Thank you for bringing some sense demand that each and every one of us, to the conversation. We need real solutions, across the globe, have a fair shake at life? and relying on the police to solve our much No more to protecting war criminals while larger, systemic problems is unsustainable. imprisoning and torturing the STEVE whistleblowers. No more to corporate Portland. welfare, tax cuts for the wealthiest and entitlement cuts for the poor. When do we get as fed up as the Egyptians? Thank you Officer Pickett for writing this E - ERIC KURTZ Portland ICE, police crossover has real consequences Re: “Under their thumbs, ” Street Roots, Jan. 21: I was undocumented and homeless, I was sleeping on a back porch of a church ill northeast of Portland in the summer of 2008.1 was one night raped by a drunk man and giving us your perspective. I have a question for you. While I was helping with the homeless street count the week before last I heard about another homeless bashing and the search for a yellow truck spotted at the scene. Last week one of my disabled homeless clients told me about another incident From someone who is a little more in the know, than we generally are how prevalent is Violence against people experiencing homelessness? MELLANI CALVIN . Portland C O N T A C T Y O U R C IT Y C O U N C IL Sam Adams Mayor 1221SW 4th Ave, Room 340,97204 (503)823-4120 mayorsam - p0rtlahd0reg0n.gov Amanda Fritz 1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 220,97204 (503)823-3Q08 amanda® portlandoregpn.gov Dan Saltzman 1221 SW 4thAve, Room 230,97204 (503)823-4151 dan® portlandoregon.gov Nick Fish 1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 240,97204 (503)823-3589 nick® portlandoregon.gov Randy Leonard 1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 210,97204 (503)823-4682 randy® portlandoregon.gov
