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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2017)
Street Roots • March 17-23, 2017 Opinion Page 3 Time for lawmakers to go big on housing n the past few months, a bar owner brandished an assault rifle at police. He was drunk and upset at individuals experiencing homelessness in the community. Another man tossed a homemade bomb under an RV frustrated at people experiencing homelessness camping outside his residence. The bomb didn’t go off, thank goodness. Both of the individuals walked with only By Israel Bayer _________________ a slap on the w rist Last month, a business owner shot and killed an individual experiencing a mental health crisis in his parking lot. The individual was homeless. The Portland Mercury reported this week that a Multnomah County grand jury decided the business owner was justified in killing the homeless that all people have a right to restful sleep and equal access to public space preserved. Call you state reps today! Speaking of it being a crime to be broke in America, the unwavering attacks on health care and the possibility of a $6 billion federal budget cut for housing and homeless programs and mental health services is enough to make your brain explode. Let’s not forgot that nearly 40 years ago the Reagan administration began to dismantle housing investments around the United States. It’s the reason we have modern- day homelessness to begin with. Today, the Trump administration appears ready to burn the entire house to the ground. It’s all the more reason I believe local elected officials should be less concerned about homeless shelters and more concerned about how they’re going to obtain long term revenue options to support homeless programs and All of the individuals walked with only probation or more affordable housing. If we as a community continue to nothing at all. • get lost playing small ball instead of keeping our eyes, on Now, I’m not saying the police and the district the bigger prize we are in deep trouble. attorney’s office aren’t doing everything they can or aren’t If only a fraction of what the Trump administration has getting it right in these specific cases. Regardless, it sure threatened comes true, it’s going be absolute madness on does send an interesting message to the general public our streets. Not to mention that there’s no reason to think about how we can treat people experiencing that in the coming years we’re going to get anywhere near homelessness. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a crime-and- the relief we need from Salem. They continue to give us punishment kind of guy. Still, there’s a big difference in bread and expect poor people to find the roses. It’s a being frustrated due to homeless camps or having to deal crying shame. with someone having a mental health collapse, and pulling The mayor of Seattle is doubling down on the homeless out an assault rifle, throwing a bomb or actually killing an and housing emergency there and going back out to voters individual. (after just passing a housing levy) to support investment The twisted irony is that the very system that isn’t in mental health sendees and housing. In Los Angeles, punishing any of these individuals for their action^ is more the City passed a sales tax this week for $355 million than willing to spend an enormous amount of resources . annually for homeless services. This.comes only four • • > m o n th s a f te r p a s s in g a $ 1 b illio n h o u s in g b o n d . T alk a b o u t a n d e n e r g y to e n fo rc e a n d p r o s e c u te “q u a lity o f life ” law s big time. criminalizing people experiencing homelessness. I believe our regional leaders should be thinking about Meanwhile, the homeless person ends up actually doing the same thing. To let up on the gas at this point would be time in the county jail for not having the resources to play a grave failure. We just might be on the verge of seeing the game. It truly is a ¿rime to be broke in, America. one of the largest spikes in homelessness and poverty in It’s all the more reason to support Oregon House Bill American cities in our lifetime, possibly since the Great 2215, Oregon’s Right to Rest Act. The bill would end the Depression. Now is not the time to be managing the criminalization of sleeping while homeless, while working problem. Now is the time to go big or - eventually - go to support the basic human and civil rights for all people, home. If there’s a home left that is..Time will tell. regardless of their housing status. The bill would ensure I DIRECTOR'S DESK Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots.org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. • Sheeptoast by Elizabeth Considine Write in If you would like toriave something / X / that you’ve written published in our pages, or would ^ x * \ \ ___ \ ^ \ X / like to get involved as a member of our reporting staff, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503-228-5657, joanne@streetroots.org. We ask that all submissions include the author's name and contact information, If available. Street Roots 211 NW Davis St. Portland, OR 97209 503-228-5657 Fax:503-227-3117 www.stroetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org Hours: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. and 7:30-1 p.m. Sun. Advertising Interested in advertising in Street Roots? Contact Israel Bayer at israel$$treetroots.org starr Israel Bayer israel@streetroots,org Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl Executive Director Vendor Program Director cW tfcrk e i 4 coie@streetroots.org ' Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Development Director Sarah Cloud Program Assistant Meghann Van Pelt, Jesuit Volunteer Development Assistant Patricia Romero Editorial Assistant Monica Kwasnik Reporters Emily Green, SuzanneZalokar, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Amanda Waldroupe, Stephen Quirke Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode Canvasser Desmond Hardison. ; , Board of Directors Chairman Brad Taylor Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford. Treasurer Heather Stadick - Secretary Dan Jones Directors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Sandra Hahn and John Brown Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Anjali Rathore, Zoe Klingmann, Dan Jones, Daryl Hogan, Monica McKune, Susan Wolfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Buell Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoleymani, Jason Cohen, Tom fey, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning, Paul and Madeline Gefroh, Mary Anne Joyce, Del Shawn Davidson, Gillian Floren, Mark OIDee, Meg Holden, Bridget Brown, Cody Travels, Bianca Butler, Robb Hengerer, Alex Cherin, Tom Vandel, Grace Gallagher, Jenny Farres, Evan Firsick, Camber Hansen-Karr, Miranda Woods and Helen Hill. If you're interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots. org/volunteer. Or you can call for more information at 503-228-5657.
