Street roots
15
July 22, 2011
editorial
Resource Guide on the streets
Drug Impact Area’s raise
questions and concerns
Did you know that progressive Portland has a
marijuana free zone? SR didn’t either until a city official
dropped by the office with neighborhood maps that
outlined the new Drug Impact Area, formerly known as
the drug-free zones.
We were shocked to learn that Portland tax-payer
money may be used by law enforcement to potentially
target and arrest marijuana users in the downtown core
for possible exclusion on repeat offenses. The marijuana
drug impact area is one of three areas targeting both
repeat users, and dealers in downtown. (See article on
page 3.) The other twb areas are for cocaine and heroin.
*
As many readers know
SR
isn’t crazy about drug-
We know that there Is a
free zones, or drug impact
direct correlation
areas. Simply put, we think
between the lack of
they have the potential to
education and
create
systematic profiling,
employment
and target people
opportunities for
experiencing poverty.
minorities and poor
The system can pat itself
folk In Portland, and
on
the back around these
the uptick In gang
issues all they want, saying
violence and open-air
they’re getting individuals
drug dealing.
help through recovery
programs, and people are
moving on. For the people that have moved on through
recovery programs, that’s fantastic. Unfortunately,
that’s not the reality for many.
We know that there is a direct correlation between the
lack of education and employment opportunities for
minorities and poor folk in Portland, and the uptick in
gang violence and open-air drug dealing. Giving law-
enforcement more tools to put people in jajl, o£,to
exclude them from certain parts of the city isn’t the
answer. In fact, it’s a product of horrible policies that
have been played out time and, again for decades in ,
urban cores.
Instead of innovative economic measures and harm
reduction approaches on the ground - we are left with
an ancient broken window philosophy that says you have
to target the street level users and dealers. We can
think of a million reasons, literally, sitting in jail cells in
fhe United States that says that philosophy is wrong.
Not to mention it’s costly, and overwhelmingly slanted
towards punishing minorities. '
After seeing the maps for the drug impact area, SR
made a public records request for a number of
documents, guidelines, and protocols related to the new
drug policy downtown. The problem is there’s not alot
on paper that exists, in fact, other than an ordinance
passed by the city to fund more police on the ground,
and to pay for a special District Attorney to oversee the
program — there’s hardly anything. It’s one thing for
community organizations to respectively disagree with a
policy, which we do. It’s another to be left in the dark
long after people are starting to be excluded before any
kind of guidelines, public process, or education has
taken place in our community. It feels yucky, because it
is yucky. It’s business as usual.
SR isn’t just blowing hot air. We have outlined on
several occasions how to target street corners through a
variety of harm reduction models. The current policy
will most likely become another embarrassment for the
city. A judge (not the one signing the exclusions) will
declare this unconstitutional, and/or we’ll see that it
targets almost exclusively minorities and poor people.
If we’re wrong, we’ll eat our words on these pages,
and be glad to write an apology for taking such a harsh
tone. If not, we hope Portland has the leadership to do
the same, and change this policy.
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.
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach him a t
streetroots@hotmail.com.
The Rose City Resource Guide will hit
the streets next week. The program is
supported by many organizations
throughout thè Portland area ranging from
social sendee and
health providers to,
area, churches and
DIRECTOR'S local
government
DESK
The 104-page guide
is the most extensive
B y Israel Bayer
list of resources
available for people
on the streets and
experiencing poverty.
The guide has become so popular among
different groups interfacing with people on
the streets that we have secured funding for
106,000 guides this year, up from 60,000.
Groups using the guide come from all
ends of the spectrum — from local law
enforcement agencies and first responders
to emergency rooms and hospitals to
neighborhood and church groups to local
businesses and judicial system. Each group
uses the guide to have a better relationship
with people seeking help, but also to fast
track individuals to the service they need
and deserve.
Currently, SR works alongside 211 Info
which does amazing work. We are
constantly working with one another to
improve communication and how people
access services. It's important for both of
our organizations to work together to
diminish the red-tape many individuals and
families have to go through, often times in
crisis, when looking for a helping hand.
We are living in extraordinary economic
times. SR continues to serve thousands of
people trying to prevent homelessness or
break themselves from its demonstrative
chains. We see it day-in and day-out, like
clockwork. People faced with the
unimaginable. The resource guide is one
tool, and offering of peace in a world that
isn’t kind or in many cases forgiving.
SR works hard to be the information arm
of homelessness and poverty in the region.
From our in-depth reporting on issues that
matter to being a vehicle for other
organizations doing important work and
publishing people who otherwise would go
completely ignored. The guide serves as a
tool for local agencies and groups to save
staff time, and to be able to build
relationships on the streets. From the
smallest grassroots non-profits to some of
the largest institutions in the city — you will
find the Rose City Resource Guide.
If you’re in need of just one guide, or a
small amount, local neighborhood vendors
will have guides available. Last year SR
vendors passed along more than 7,000
guides peer-to-peer on the streets. We hope
to continue this trend. The majority of non
profits throughout Multnomah and
Washington Counties along with others will
have the guide available. It takes a village to
make a difference, and we’re glad to world
alongside all of the groups to make our
community a better place.
H appenings
WHAT DO
YOU THINK?
Street Roots
encourages readers
to subm it letters and
columns for
publication. Send
letters to the editor
to the Street Roots
office, 211 NW Davis
St., Portland, OR
97209, or e-mailed
to streetrootsnews®
gm ail.com .
On Friday, August 5th Project Grow and The Gallery at Port City proudly announce Street Art: A Group Show.
The opening reception win be held from 6pm to 10pm. This group show will feature local and national artists
and will showcase and celebrate the art o f the streets. The show will be held in The Gallery at Port City, an
engaging space open to change, located at 2156 N. Williams Ave. Portland, OR 97227. for the month of
August. Three-doflar suggested donation. Project Grow is a space for community collaboration where people
can engage in conversation and action to advocate for human rights, the value of art in society, urban farming
and the pursuit of passions. To learn more about Project Grow visit www.growinginalldirections.org.The
artwork above is byTravis Bonneau.
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