Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2011)
5 street roots Dec. 23, 2011 SMITH, from page 4 housing support, it is a perniciously thin reed upon which to restall our hopes. At some point, we’ll have a lot of urban renewal zones. We already do. J.T. What are your ideas to sustain or increase funding for affordable housing? J.S.: To some degree, I’m looking to the housing community for their best ideas. The first I’d say is a commitment not to make it worse. The second is to work with our federal delegation to make housing a priority. Third is to consistently communicate that the 30-percent set-aside needs to be a floor not a ceiling. Four, we need to highlight the challenges of housing and homelessness in our community and the public dialogue. I’m not prepared to call it a silver lining, it’s a bronze lining at best, that the economic crisis reminded people how connected our homes are to our lives and our economy. The other thing that I’m looking to — and it’s different than sustaining, hopefully amplifying — is for mechanisms to increase funding, including potentially using currently vacant property that will help us with resources as distinct from tax increases and tax breaks. J.T.: I was hoping you could talk about getting communities that haven’t been engaged in politics to become politically active. J.S.: Somebody said something to me recently that I’m pretty close to adopting: “The only ideology I have that I’m sure about is civic engagement.” There has to be a city in America where the people rule. I’ve spent a better part of my adult life on that question, imperfectly, but, working on •it And here are some thoughts. Generally, it takes two things to get somebody engaged: a relationship, or a set of relationships, and so m e th in g th e y ca re about. And as w e look at a changing city a city that’s not getting whiter, we need to be thinking about how to engage new communities, both by expanding on our relationship sets and by working on relevant purposes. That is one of the reasons why I think I’m orie of the only candidates not to come out swinging against the Communities of Color proposal for an Office of Equity. Because we should get smarter about our changing city, and because we have to be looking for ways to engage communities in a political discourse. There are still issues about reducing barriers to government, making it easier for us to understand what we do, bringing City Hall to the people. I can’t promise it in the first or second year, until we get a handle on our genera) fund, but I think we should get orie telephone number for all non-emergency government telephone calls as they’ve done in Minneapolis and New York. It also doesn’t answer questions of barriers in peoples’ lives, from having to work a bunch of jobs, and facing a more challenging situation of having the wherewithal to engage in community activities. J.T. Do you have any ideas on how the county and the city can collaborate on meeting the needs of people living in poverty? limited to our homeless and low-income populations. We have youth passes for Portland Public Schools students. We don’t have them for Parkrose, David Douglas, J.T. You mentioned the Office of Equity. I ’d J.S.: At least more joint-budgeting. Reynolds and Centennial school district like to get your thoughts on it, and if there’s We risk forgetting that we have to worry ’ And those are in areas where it’s harder to anything you’d like to see come out of that about both the big C City and the little c ride a bike and harder to walk and more office. city. For instance, when I came in I said, I dangerous. But it also limits opportunities to want to reduce crime, and one way I want to get an after school or summer job, or be J.S.: I hope that we would do at least do that is by increasing police officers on part of an after school or summer program. three things. One is to improve our the beat and by increasing our presence that So having access to transportation has occasionally good track record on minority- would also increase the need for jail beds appropriately been a priority for the city. women-emerging-small-business contracting. and for services at the county. If I’m mayor, Two, improve our ability to hire and retain it’s not my problem. But of course it is my J.T.: There’s been a lot of money raised in top-flight people from various walks. Three, problem. It is all of our problem; we are all the mayor’s race. I wanted to know if you have a better sense of evaluating and how in this together. worry that there’s too much private money in we can come to grips with our changing Politics? Portland and making sure that an J.T.: Every year public transportation gets increasingly diverse Portland is not more expensive and free public transportation J.S.: There is. The interface of political decaying, but is one that is getting more in downtown keeps getting chipped away. I power with the money that dominates our rich and more robust and more competitive know that TriMet is beyond the purview of City campaigns and the linkage between that Council, but I was wondering if you had any and more compassionate. money and largely narrower and generally And that third one is where I think there ideas of how to preserve the Free Rail Zone. economic self-interest is tied to the biggest was some consternation among critics that problem facing our system of governance. somehow learning things is some how a If there is a book written about the failure J.S.: We have seen the advantage in wasteful exercise in government. I t isn’t of the United States democratic elected cities, not just in terms of social justice, but republic, one of the most important The best institutions in the public, private also in terms of economic development and chapters will be that we were unable to and nonprofit sectors are learning retail. Denver, Colorado’s downtown has make a good amount of decisions based on made its relatively spread-out downtown institutions that are figuring out what functioning, in public interest outcomes. We were too often they’re doing better. making them based on who was paying the significant part, That’s not a waste of because you can hop freight resources; that’s a on free rail and go The campaign contribution is the only valuable thing. We "If we're not doing can have a plan to everything we can to reduce around. When we had financial transaction, that I’m aware, after greater support for which both parties insist that nothing has learn from the homelessness on the front changed. This is why I have proposed free rail, my success and failures end or provide services to impression is that campaign finance bills in each of my of other sessions in the Legislature. That’s why I was one elemerit of that municipalities that end people's experiences one of the leading fund raisers, ironically, in have faced a changing initiative is that it with homelessness on the population. That’s would help with the the public-financing campaign in Portland. back end, then It feels functioning of one of the most The failure of that is one of the reasons I important things we am running for mayor. If that’s restored, it downtown retail. So somewhat disingenuous to will be a question for the people not the one answer is can do in the next 30 make It a crime to find thinking about the years of our city. A mayor. It reflects some of the challenges somewhere to sleep." that our city is facing. I wish and hope that politics and the single office, or a single employee, or the candidates for mayor would agree upon economics of a a maximum spending limit on each of our revitalized downtown even a few isn’t i campaigns. There needs to be a city and that has even the enough to do that, country where the people rule. business owners wanting free rail. I don’t but if they can help shape the culture and Let me say something else. The problem have a brilliant funding idea. Although I’m shape the strategy of what the City is facing is not too much money, or at least we should hoping to. then that’s a noble pursuit. state the problem differently. Think about I have a question that I haven’t yet got how much money gets spent on marketing a answered, which, is, if depending on what J.T.: I ’d like to get your thoughts on the product. Do you know how much money happens with the elimination of the free rail Right to Dream Too encampment and the Coca Cola spends to sell a product you can camping ordinance that the city has. zone, what is the desirability or doability get in any location just about any time just with charging, but then having a remote about any day and it gives you a sweet taste J.S.: I’m about a week behind in what’s system of vouchers to allow for a Street on your lips? We have to do something, I currently happening with the camping Roots vendor or somebody who goes to lawsuit, but I have said, and will repeat here, Outside In or somebody who is working with don’t mean canvas, we have to do something to communicate with people about engaging that a settlement offers us a good JOIN to get rail passes? And I acknowledge in an activity that has to be done in a opportunity to look at what Eugene is doing, that it is not only beyond the area of control relatively particular way in a relatively which is using willing church properly as a of the office of which I seek, but the particular time at a relatively particular camping opportunity. We can’t make granularities are beyond my ambit of expertise, but I am probably at least as open place and doesn’t give you an obvious sweet homelessness itself a crime. If we’re not taste on your lips. I do think that somebody as you are to thinking about how we can doing everything we can to reduce has to communicate with the people, but we make it possible for people to get around. homelessness on the front end or provide I was talking to the parks department and have to make sure that we are cognizant of services to end people’s experiences with how much that looks like purchasing those that do summer programs, and they homelessness on the back end, then it feels influence or access and how much it looks somewhat disingenuous to make it a crime were saying that one of the biggest barriers like engagement of the public. to summer and after school programs is to find somewhere to sleep. transportation. The challenge isn’t just H ave your donation matched 'f o r just a little longer! \ {Join the Matching Gift Challenge - until Dec. 31st } Y o u r d o n a tio n c a n m a k e a w o rld o f d iffe re n c e - rig h t here in o ur c o m m u n ity . D o n a te to d ay d u rin g our m a tc h and y o u r d o n a tio n goes ev en further! , http://bitly.com/soldonsisters?r=qr SISTERS OF THE ROAD I f you have already donated - thank you. w w w .s is te rs o fth e ro a d .o rg 133 NW 6th Ave., Portland, OR 97209 503-222-5694 Check out Street Roots Vendor Sam Al-Jondi'S new book, "Code of Conduct." Al-Jondi writes about his experiences and offers a fresh perspective about the world we live in. The books can be purchased at the Multnomah County Central Library on SW 10th Ave., on Kindle, Amazon, and for $10 through Street Roots at 211 NW Davis St., Portland, OR 97209.
