Street roots., July 22, 2011, Page 7, Image 7

Street roots
7
July 22, 2011
- A - * ' .ÎI hi ^ iiit Z
Human Rights Commission, Fritz want foul language out of city charter
Outdated language from a time long ago is set to be looked at by Charter Review Commission
BY STAFF REPORTS
Digging into the weeds of the Portland
City Charter, the city’s Human Rights
Commission came across offensive language
on “paupers” and “cripples” it wants to see
changed.
The commission is recommending to its
members who also serve on the Charter
Review Commission that the following
provisions in the current charter be changed
to reflect human dignity:
2-105 (51) - Vagrancy
51. To define what constitutes vagrancy,
and to provide for the support, restraint,
punishment and employment of vagrants
and paupers.
2-105(54) - Exhibition of cripples;
begging
54. To prohibit the exhibition of deformed
or crippled persons, and to prohibit all
persons from begging upon the streets or in
public places.
“Particularly why those stand out to the
Human Rights Commission is because of
the increase in the homeless population,”
said Donita Fry, chairwoman of the Human
Rights Commission. The commission’s
letter to the Charter Commission members
also said that “referring to individuals as
paupers and cripples is not appropriate in
any setting, much less the “constitution” of
the City of Portland.”
The letter refers to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights of the General
Assembly of the United Nations, which
serves as the guiding document for the
Human Rights Commission. “That
document underscores the inherent dignity
and worth of all members of the human
family. The first article states, “All human
beings are bom free and equal in dignity
and rights.”
“We ask the current Charter Review
Commission to address these two provisions
of the charter and to send to the voters a
clear choice for addressing these offensive
city charter provisions.”
The discovery of the language came as
the Human Rights Commission is looking to
have language inserted into the charter to
make the commission a permanent entity
within in the city.
“These are two of the housekeeping
requests I identified and asked the Charter
Commission to correct at the beginning of
the year,” says City Commissioner Amanda
Fritz referring to the language. “l am glad
the Human Rights Commission agrees the
charter should be amended to remove this
offensive language.”
Fritz goes on to say that in addition to
the foul language on paupers and deformed
persons I also asked the Charter
Commission and Human Rights Commission
to look at language in the charter giving
council the power to prevent and suppress
bawdy houses or places where fornication is
practiced.
“Given the Human Rights Commission’s
concern over Human Trafficking, Which I
share, I hope the commission will consider
advising the Charter Commission on how to
make this language more relevant to the
21st century,” says Fritz.
According to Amy Ruiz with Mayor Sam
Adams office, “The City Council convened
a Charter Commission this year, and made
several requests of the commission. The
council’s first request was for the
commission to prepare a list of
housekeeping amendments’ to be placed on
the ballot in May or November 2011, such
as removing offensive and outdated
language from the charter, while not making
changes with greater policy implications.
The Human Rights Commission’s letter
speaks to that request”
If 15 of 20 Charter Commission
members agree on a recommendation, it
will go straight to the ballot for voters to
decide. If a smaller majority of Charter
Commission members agree on a
recommendation, it will go to the council to
decide whether or not to place it on the
ballot
“The Commission is currently at work on
these housekeeping amendments and other
issues, and the Mayor looks forward to
seeing their recommendations,” says Ruiz.
OOLIGAN
by Jay Thiemeyer
trudging, leaning, shoulders lodged beneath a load,
a nondescript, his .face turned down beneath a rag,
leg s pum ping full bore for th e road;
a young man darkened by the air and
the sun, tramps down the scalding entry way
to Interstate 90 to insist a ride.
Beside him his gravelfy dog,
panting at his heel, in love.
On his back, a pack like a mountain
a hard rock candy mountain.
On his forearm a tattoo
of a rail spike inked from elbow
to gritty black hand, a glove for diving.
Around his head a black bandanna,
his tooth-colored water jug bouncing
like a cork off his rough water thigh
Again and again as the cars pass by
each car a universe of one, he salutes
in the only manner becoming a gentleman surviving
among thieves-
property’s thieves pass him by, all day
if they can until he steps with his dog
into the middle of the road
and someone stops.
sun frying morning haze,
cars crackling past in a skin of light,
he boards the van on the side of the road
and disappears
just disappears
down the highway
just another forgotten moment
happened to be spied by this passerby
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GOTTA FIX THE TICKER
By Thomas E. Rust
Phooey! Bah! Bummer!
Gotta fix the ticker
wrinkled up
going
“Oooooh”
beside the moon
and an adequate
dollop of whiskey
with which to
meet the shadows.
There’s an actual region
of doubt
in every fact.
Merciful heaven
above or below:
rent me some space
in your basement
good, local, food.
ALBERTA
COOPERATIVE
GROCERY
1500 NE Alberta St.
Portland, OR 972Î1
503.287.4333
www.albertagrocery.coop
open to everyone 9-10 daily
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