Street roots., October 14, 2011, Page 3, Image 3

Street roots
O ct 14, 2011
* l O
3
íN
Right 2 Dream Too
begins to build
STAFF REPORTS
n Monday, O ct 10, a group of homeless
people set up a new community on an
empty lot oh the com er of Northwest
Fourth Avenue and Burnside. The group says it
is trying to establish a safe and stable place for
people experiencing homelessness in Portland.
“We’re out here because there is no place for
people who have no place to sleep to sleep.' So
we want to bring in a good place where they can
come and rest,” says Ibrahim Mubarak, one of
the leaders of the small group and one of the
founders of-Dignity Village.
The group - calling itself Right 2 Dream Too
- is an offshoot of the Right 2 Survive
organization.. Right 2 Survive is composed of
homeless and housed people advocating for civil
and human rights for people on the street.
They’re calling the site at Fourth and Burnside
a “membership space,” with the purpose of
raising awareness on the importance of safe and
secure place for undisturbed sleep.
Street Roots talked to city officials with the
Bureau of Development Services (BDS) who
oversee both the permitting and zoning process
for the lo t According to the BDS, a complaint
has befen filed with the city, and they are
currently investigating if the group or the
landowners are in violation of any city codes.
BDS says it intends to follow due process if code
violations are found, which could mean fines or
liens against the property owners.
The group started out with eight individuals,
but soon swelled to nearly 40. The Portland
Housing Bureau, which oversees Portland’s
housing and homeless services, declined to
comment.
According to the people a t the site,, the
property owners, Dan Cossette and Michael
Wright, have agreed to a one-year lease to Right
2 Survive in order to provide a space for people
O
Above, R ig h t 2 Dream Too begins to fill the lot a t the com er o f Fourth Avenue a n d Burnside. Bottom left, Volunteers help build platforms
to keep tents above the wet gravel. Bottom right, blueprints drawn up fo r the site show a set o f tents an d restrooms fo r people on the streets
with a barrier around the property constructed o f recycled doors, seen above.
e x p e r ie n c in g h o m e l e s s n e s s t o s l e e p .
Cosette and Wright were the owners of
Cindy’s Adult Bookstore, once located on the
same plot. But that business was closed and the
building demolished in 2008 after City
Commissioner Randy Leonard’s controversial
“HIT” squad concluded it was a chronic code
violator.
According to the City of Portiand/Multnomah
County 2011 homeless count, 1,718 people were
unsheltered (sleeping outside, in a vehicle or
abandoned building) in January 2011.
1O Y e a r s in A f g h a n i s t a n :
n iN M lM
1 PM R ALLY
at Shemanski Park
(South Park Blocks at Salmon)
1 :3 0 P M M A R C H
2 :3 0 P M F O R U M
at First Unitarian Church
(SW 12th and Main)
Cosponsors include: Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group • Portland Peaceful
Response Coalition • Peace Action Committee of the First Unitarian Church • Alliance for
Democracy-Portland Chapter • Metanoia Peace Community .• East Timor Action
Network/Portland • Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility • Portland Jobs with
Justice • KBOO Community Radio 90.7 FM, and others.
www.streetroots.wordpress.com
E n d o r s e r s in c lu d e : Little Light o f Mine Friends Worship Group • RecruiterWatch PDX • Jewish Voice
for Peace-Portland • Freedom Socialist Party • Women in Black-Portland • Students United for Palestinian
Equal Rights (SUPER) * International Socialist Organization • Portland Alliance (media endorser), and others.
For more information: Peace and Justice Works 503-236-3065 www.pjw.info