Street Roots
March 31 -April 6, 2017
O p in io n
Page 3
Mayor needs courage, vision on homeless front
eople ask me all of the time, “What do you think
of Mayor Wheeler?”
gap between promises broken in the past and
generating the necessary political will to address things
such as police accountability, gentrification, racial
I tell them, I don’t know the mayor well, but
justice, homelessness and housing policy, the
from my short time working with him he’s one of the
environment and more?
sm artest individuals I’ve ever met. He also isn’t afraid
Throw in a Trump administration that seems hell
to tell you exactly what he thinks, and he can juggle
bent on tearing down anything good that we have all
more things than your average bear. Saying that, as
collectively worked for and it can feel impossible for
with many mayors, being smart doesn’t always translate
both the community and a mayor to find a space to be
to being able to bring the people with you.
able to work toward the common good of the
Trying to thread the needle
community.
and find justice on so many
The reality is Ted Wheeler faces an almost
issues at one time can feel
impossible task as it relates to many of these issues. On
almost impossible for the larger
the police accountability front, until changes are made,
community and any mayor,
nobody - and I mean nobody - is actually listening.
especially a new mayor.
Possibly it’s unfair to the mayor, given all of the
By Israel Bayer
It doesn’t help that the
circumstances, but then again, he did run to the left of
_________________
current mayor is inheriting a
his opponent on reforming the police bureau. The time
social justice community that
is now.
feels beaten down. After all, Ted
front - I think it’s
. On the housing and homeless
*
Wheeler is our fifth mayor in the past 20 years.
important to give the mayor and his team some space.
Every time the community gets going in one
It’s such a complex issue. I’d much rather have a mayor
direction, the brakes are put on due to the nature of
come in and evaluate the playing field before acting
having to change administrations. Mayor Vera Katz had
than simply delivering on a bunch of campaign slogans
a long run, for better or worse. Tom Potter, Sam Adams
that may or may not work given the information he has
and Charlie Hales were one and done.
now. It may be frustrating to some, but it’s the right
Who among us can even remember all of the political
move.
promises and slogans we’ve heard over the past decades
Protestors can shout until they are blue in the face,
in city politics? Bureaus have been shuffled, time and
but I’m grateful the mayor isn’t leading with heavy law
again. Proclamations are made. Massive public planning
enforcement and the criminalization of the homeless
and visioning work has been done and then abruptly
agenda. I’m grateful for his work already to support
dumped, only to start all over again.
tenants and what I hope he does to continue to support
It all makes for great political theater and sensational
tent cities and alternative housing pilots throughout the
headlines in the newspaper, but it’s hard for
city.
maintaining a long-term strategy on critical issues
The reality is every special interest group in the city
facing our city.
w a n ts s o m e th in g d o n e o n h o m e le s s n e s s , y e ste rd a y .
Portland has paid the price. The changeover in
You’re never going to please everyone. It’s my opinion
political leadership is one of the biggest reasons I
that the mayor has already set the stage for being a
believe the housing crisis occurred without any real
great mayor on the issue. It’s a m atter of execution and
housing policy in place to counter the harsh reality of
bringing the people along. If the end goal is to manage
years of gentrification, skyrocketing rents and the lack
the problem than, yes, it will eventually go sideways. We
of affordable housing stock.
need courage and vision and to continue to go big on
I suppose hindsight is 20/20, but the pain is real.
the housing front.
Portland, that funky little West Coast town, is losing its
So, to the question, what do I think of Mayor
ability to support people of color and the middle class.
Wheeler? I think he’s a mayor that cares a great deal
Some would argue we’ve already lost our city, and I
about the city he lives. I also believe that he doesn’t
wouldn’t argue with them. It’s almost impossible to see
have history on his side. It will be up to him and his
a future for yourself in Portland if you don’t have the
administration to write the next chapter and change
capital to play the game.
that story. Time will tell.
So the question looms — how does one bridge the
P
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach h im at
israel@streetroots. org
or follow h im on
Twitter @israelbayer.
Sheeptoast
by Elizabeth Considine
IMy company setts it by the botde!
<Wfio needs dean water?
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frave air, too!
contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhi at
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