2
street roots
Jan. 20, 2012
W S5Ä W M L
ì W
» i « w x ®
■
«
»
fit
lid
ft* w l i l Ä l l
All of us can play a part in a safer winter
F
Walking beats key to
keeping our streets safe
treet Roots and its vendors witness and experience both
legal policies and illegal activities that play out on the
streets of Portland.
That’s why when law enforcement and community groups
target one neighborhood or area of the city, we see first hand
how it affects a geographical area or a population of people in
another. When things flare up, or there is a heavy push by law
enforcement to target a specific population such as drug
dealers, drug users or homeless people, it sets off a chain
reaction that often times comes with consequences.
For example, when law enforcement targets Old Town-
Chinatown for drug dealing, the game simply shifts to the
Pioneer Courthouse Square area. When Pioneer Courthouse
Square becomes the target,
dealers may move to Third
Having police officers
and Fourth Avenues, and so
on.
assigned to a walking beat
Unfortunately, what
in the downtown core would
create a presence for which
happens in this process is
drug-dealers couldn't hide
that other groups of people,
from.
those some consider the
H undeserving poor
(panhandlers, drug users),
and the deserving poor (Street Roots vendors, canvassers, etc.)
are then affected. Businesses are almost always caught in the
crossfire, hence, the Portland Business Alliance advocates for
strict laws across the board to protect the interests it
represents. Finding the balance is tricky business.
When these events are set into motion, the streets often
become tense and unsafe. If you push dealers, users and
aggressive panhandlers out of one area, once-stable street
corners that have Street Roots vendors, canvassers and others
suddenly become the target of the more aggressive population.
These are the turf wars we see repeated throughout the city.
Recently, drug dealers have been targeting Street Roots
vendors in the central core of the city, especially near Pioneer
Courthouse Square. After two months of squeezing out the Old
Town-Chinatown neighborhood th ro u g h th e newly created drug-
impact areas, dealers are now mowng their operations fo a
more densely populated area where Portlanders become the
cover for drug transactions.
It’s impossible to staunch the flow of drugs into Portland or
any other community in the United States with our reactionary
policies. It’s impossible to slay the dragon with police sweeps of
drug dealers that are equal parts political theater and squeaky
wheel grease. It simply will not curtail the problem.
What’s the answer? In the long-term, it’s much more
complicated and something the city with the current budget
crisis simply doesn’t have the resources to achieve — outreach
workers, economic development and other harm reduction
models. In the short term, we believe it’s simple. Put more
police officers on a walking beat, something Street Roots and
other community groups have advocated for years as a proven
means of keeping our streets safe.
This doesn’t mean more uniforms on bikes or Segways, which
reinforce the distance, but officers actually engaged with the
streets, top to bottom. Having police officers assigned to a
walking beat in the downtown core would create a presence for
which drug-dealers couldn’t hide from. Police officers would
become better acquainted with business owners, neighbors and
others living, working and surviving on the streets. Real
relationships would be forged and together we could face the
problem head on. Walking officers could also cut down on fuels
consumption, carbon emissions, and even boost physical fitness
opportunities among the ranks.
Chasing crime around this city doesn’t make us any safer. But
we can fill the vacuum that attracts criminal activity with a
positive presence that walks in our shoes.
S
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach him a t israel@
streetroots.org
Street Roots
211 NW Davis St.
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-5657
Fax: 503-227-3117
www.streetroots.org
www.streetroots.wordpress.com
anything specific, and remind them about
the Street Roots Rose City Resource, a
pocket-sized booklet listing available
services. The guide is available at most
social service agencies in the region. If
people are in need of a hand-warmer, socks,
something warm to drink, have a heart.
You can also call 211 and find out the
latest information about emergency shelters
and what be available on any given night.
The 211call center is open in Multnomah
County daily from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. from Nov. 1
through March 31. If you fear that someone
may be experiencing a medical emergency,
or if someone is not responding, it’s always
best to go with your gut instinct and call
911. In the age of smartphones, there’s
really no reason that the entire community
can’t help in these situations.
If you’re looking to donate materials like
socks, blankets, sleeping bags, etc. Check
out 211’s website or tune in to the 211 and
Street Roots’ Facebook page where we are
constantly giving updates and the most
up-to-date information.
Being aware of your environment is
always important. Being a good citizen is
equally important. We know SR readers
care. Being tuned in and knowing what one
can do for individuals and families on the
skids is something we all can be proud of.
Following the campaign money leads to interesting ends
reat work. (Movers, shakers and
moneymakers, Street Roots, Jan. 6) It’s
awesome to see the numbers laid out like
this.
The value of this
analysis is how
desperately Oregon (and
the nation) needs
campaign finance reform.
Eight hundred and sixty
eight donors is Brady’s
largest pool, yet account
for only 10 percent of the
donations. While that
indicates a large pool of
Movers, shakers and moneymakers
support, it’s disconcerting
»»»£«>•>' owifcUfei xw
w
to see that a far smaller
pool has a larger stake in
the game. While I don’t for one moment
WHAT DO
believe any of the three will allow
themselves to be bought, democracy is not
YOU THINK?
well-served by money in this manner.
G
s «vtteis;
Send letters to the
editor to the Street
Roots office, 211
NW Davis St.,
Portland, OR 97209,
or e-mail to joanne®
streetroots.org.
;>jt f x i t y
>t xtx m {■>
- T .A . BARNHART
Portland
Homeless camp has
reader's support
As a previous residentialy challenged
Portland resident, I am full support of
R2D2. Please, don’t give up the fight to
spread and succeed in making sure every
living soul who wants a stable place to call
home has one. I promise if you all do, I will
also continue my efforts to educate and
inform the housed community of Portland
what the truth about being homeless is, and
that it’s most likely not the fault of the
individual but the greed of wall street and
the federal government.
...........
"
'
.....................
■■■■!■ ■■■H i tLUO' i lKWALt.- J"
Portland
TriM et crackdown an
aggravation fo r riders
I commend Annette White-Parks on her
article, “Free Rail zone a lifeline for poor,
elderly.” It should be sent to Neil
McFarlane. She summed it up by saying "...
hiring inspectors to enforce the crackdown
is costing more than TriMet collects.” I
have even heard that bus drivers do not like
what is happening to our transit system. I
recently talked to a man that was trying to
get home one night at about 8 or 9 p.m.,
and there was no bus service because they
stopped it after a certain hour. He didn’t
know that, though, and had to take a taxi
home. I moved back to Portland for the
wonderful transportation, too. Thank
goodness, I can afford an Honored Citizen
bus pass, since I am over 65. But, I recently
had a bus driver ask me for my ID! So,
everybody on the bus knew my approximate
age. I felt like a criminal and now quickly
show my pass and sit down. Maybe TriMet
needs a new general manager!
-JO Y C E MORRIS
NW Portland
Board of Directors
Venders
Executive Director Israel Bayer
Bruce Anderson (Chairman), Michael Anderson (Vice-
chairman), Heather Stadick (Treasurer), Eddy Barbosa
(Secretary), Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes,
Ken Hawkins
becky@streetroots.org
Operations Director Sarah Beecroft
Program Assistant Cole Merkel
cole@streetroots.org
Grant Writer Sarah Cloud
Accountant Heather Stadick
Reporters Amanda Waldroupe, Stacy Brownhill,
Jake Thomas
Photographers Leah Nash, Ken Hawkins, Jennifer
Jansons, John Ryan Brubaker
Volunteers
Street Roots vendors buy the newspapers for 25 cents
each and sell them for $1, keeping the 75 cents in
profit for themselves. In order to keep the cost low to
our vendors, we receive additional support from
donations and in-kind contributions.
catalysts for individual and social change.
Street Roots publishes every two weeks, launching
on Fridays, and is available exclusively through our
street vendors or by subscription. We are proud
members of the North American Street
Newspaper Association and the International
Network of Street Papers.
or many people on the streets,
including SR vendors, this time of
year can bring a range of hardships
that make every day a matter of life or
death. Any number of ailments and
sicknesses can spiral into an emergency
situation. Making sure
that individuals and
families have proper
cover from the rain
B IB
and cold is
1 UN
challenging.
When
BU SK
temperatures fall
below freezing, it’s
By Israel Bayer
even more
challenging.
Portland has a
great system in place when it comes to
emergency situations and bad weather. A
network of outreach workers and
emergency shelters are in place to respond
to the growing number of people on the
streets. Unfortunately, that’s sometimes not
enough. Sometimes, it is the goodwill of
random strangers that may mean the
difference between someone living and
dying on the streets.
Here are a couple of things you can do to
possibly help someone on the streets. If you
have a relationship with someone on the
streets already, it’s always great to check in
during cold spells. Ask if they are in need of
Christine Gadeholt, Mary Pacios, Leo Rhodes, Jan
Bayer, Eliese Baker, Sue Zalokar, Tave Drake,
Michael Moore, Liz Fosteer, Malka Davis,
Street Roots Rose City Resource
Street Roots publishes the Rose City Resource, a
comprehensive booklet of services for people
experiencing homelessness and poverty.
To inquire about getting an order of the Rose City
Resource for distribution, please write to
pdxrosecityresource@gmail.com. Resources are also
available online at www.rosecityresource.org.
75c
goes directly to the vendor'
who sold you the paper
25c
goes toward
printing costs
Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office.