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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2018)
Street Roots » J u ly 27-Aug. 2, 2018 Community Page 7 Vendor voices: What would you do to improve police relations? BY HELEN HILL S T A FF W R ITE R A s part of Street Roots continuing ZA effort to shed light on the relationship JL Jibetw een the Portland Police and those who live on the streets, we recently asked our vendors to tell us their thoughts on how they would improve relations with the police force. Our vendors on the whole were sympathetic to the difficulties of police work, but also desirous of a more compassionate attitude towards the difficulties of extreme poverty. So we asked: What would you do to improve relations between the police and people living on the street? “The majority of police are educated and caring human beings who struggle through bureaucracy and rules to benefit community. There are some there who are there to do violence and discredit the housed and un-housed and those with mental health issues. I get treated well, but I’m white and I can communicate. Only a few I’ve met have an attitude of intimidation. We have to weaken the police union so they are allowed to fire th e m .... There’s lots of PTSD. It’s the rare individual who can deal with what they do, and there is massive overtime.” - Dan Newth New Seasons at Northeast 33rd Avenue “The police need to be more understanding and not so forceful* Abusive, force is not necessary. You have to have them, and not all are bad. Just like any group, I think they are working on weeding out the bad ones, but it takes a while. They are getting better, but they are slow to change. It’s a slow process. Cell phone videos help. Portland has a huge drug problem, and considering, overall, they are doing a pretty good job.” - David Wheat Starbucks on Grand “It’s a dichotomy. They do good and bad. Personally I haven’t had experiences lately because I quit drinking. They used to wait for me outside stores. Some are good people who want to help, but as a system, they need tougher standards and more education for people who have authority over others.” - Ron Sanford Food Carts on Stark “I was walking through a mall, there was ä guy the police were harassing. He was homeless, he had bags. I offered him a cigarette and walked him outside. Smoking calms me down. He calmed down right away. They should help like t h a t ” - Char SCRAP Ron Sanford “I think there are good ones. I know one really good one. And I was impressed with that statem ent from the police (Daryl Turner, Police Union President). He said it was the services that need to improve. He said the services for homeless people are “Sometimes on Max, if I don’t have fare, I think they should just kick us off, but to write up a ticket and give us a court date, when they know we have no money to pay .... I think law enforcement posing big fines on people who can’t afford fare, it’s like they are thumbing their nose at us. We have to get from one place to another. If we don’t have fare, just kick us off. “Other than that, I don’t think cops are harassing us. I see at homeless shelters if someone is causing problems, they remove them. They don’t throw them to the ground, they don’t bully. I saw two Portland cops at the front door peeking their heads in, they weren’t getting in his face, they were diligent and patient. I’ve seen them talk guys down. “I think the lack "of restrooms is a big “I have seven brothers and sisters, nephews, on the police force, so I’m in the middle. I don’t think they are doing that much good. Police should get specific. I wish they would familiarize themselveswithwho problem. People gerarrested for that, byt the habitual offenders are, not just scoping they don’t want to do that, they don’t want to expose themselves but there’s nowhere to go. We need day jphns or Porta Potties. It isn’t that expensive.” - John Kadubec Standard Insurance Building and OHSU and eyeballing people. I respect the police but they should be more aware when they walk a beat. There are some habitual offenders trashing things, screaming and yelling.” - Robert Waters Downtown Nordstrom SISTERS OFTHE ROAD . Charles M C rherSO n underfunded.... I think instead of hiring more police, they should pay to have mental health specialists in the cár with the police, and they have to listen to them.” - Charles McPherson Southwest Second Avenue and Morrison Street “I don’t think it’s all them. The police can’t be the first responders. We need other responders, especially for mental health calls. We need more trauma care. I watched when the people at Safeway (on 10th and Jefferson) called the police for a lady who was screaming and yelling, they made the call for her safety. Five cop cars showed up, 10 cops surrounded one tiny lady. Why call them? I could have handled her myself, I could have palmed her down and I’m five foot three. They just freaked her out more. Why not have a mental health unit that can respond? Also, we need to stop the blue line‘of silence. There needs to be accountability from outside the system.” - Kris Beck “I was at Sixth and Burnside and this woman was there, all beat up. There were policemen everywhere. I asked one what happened to her, who did this to her, and the policeman said, ‘We didn’t do i u j £ very one is a t o d d s w itti each. ^ other and defensive. How did we get here?” - Mark Rodriguez Goose Hollow “They are needed, but I would tell them to be patient with (people with mental illness). Be kind. Truly try to be helpful.” -J a n K. Powell’s on Burnside © MEAL COUPONS $2.00 / EACH A Loving way to respond to panhandling! Meal Coupons can be used at Sisters of the Road for a healthy meal and a drink. Give someone a meal, start a conversation, and maybe make a new friend. www.slstersoftheroad.org 133 NW Sixth Avenue, POX 97209 jnfo@sistersoftheroad.org (503)222-5694 L A U G H IN G P L A N E T .C O M
