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August 26, 2009
Page A3
Rider Advocates on Chopping Block
N/NE Neighborhood group
petitions to keep safety team
N o rth o a st C o a litio n ot N cighoorhoods'T ri-M ct
f nvunrtfl
«f pwWc U.ytvl
do not intervene physically in
problem situations - but they
T he P ortland O bserver
D avid M iller loves his jo b as do w ork to defuse confronta­
a TriM et R ider A dvocate. He tions that could becom e fights,
works to tap down potential dis­ and urge riders to “play by the
turbances on P ortland's transit rules.”
“ If we see people w ho are
system w hile helping people
about
to get into a fight, we try
and generally making life safer
and m ore pleasant for riders. to find out what the issues are
U nfortunately because o f bud­ and if there’s another way to
get cuts, M iller and his seven resolve them,” Miller says. “We
co-w orkers w o n ’t be doing it s o m e tim e s h av e to re m in d
people to do things like keep
much longer.
T riM et D irector o f T ransit their feet off the seats. We say,
O perations Peggy Hanson has ‘If som eone com es on wearing
informed Northeast Coalition of their best clothes, do you think
N eighborhoods Executive D i­ they’d want to sit where you’ve
rector Paige Colem an that the b e e n p u ttin g y o u r d irty
transit agency w ould end its b o o ts ? ” ’ T h ey m ay re m in d
contract with NECN to operate young people to give up front
the Rider A dvocates program. seats so seniors and the e ld ­
U nless som e other funding erly can use them.
“We might say, ‘If you d o n ’t
source can som ehow be se ­
cured, the eight A dvocates will want to talk to me, I can call the
transit police and you can talk
be laid off on Sept. 30.
D re sse d in g re e n T riM e t to them ,” ’ M iller says. U sually
shirts, R ider A dvocates have this is not necessary. T ransit
been riding TriM et buses and riders “see me as being ju st like
M A X L ight Rail trains since them, not an authority figure,”
1994, prim arily in north and he says. "They relate to me bet­
northeast Portland but in other ter than they w ould a transit
p arts o f the system as w ell. policem an.” They are au th o ­
They are not a security force - rized to give out courtesy bus
they do not carry weapons and passes to help defuse any lin-
gering bad feeling.
T he advocates m onitor p o ­
te n tia l flash p o in ts, such as
when school lets out at Benson,
G rant, Jefferson and Roosevelt
high schools, and B eaum ont
M iddle School, because these
g ath erin g s som etim es attract
gang members looking to recruit
or start a fight. A nother flash
p o in t is H o llad ay Park n ear
Lloyd Center. There, the Rider
A dvocates may also ask beg­
Dear Deanna!
Dear Deanna!
Dear Confused:
I m et a guy a few years ago and
we really felt a spark. I w as
d a tin g s o m e o n e e ls e b u t
d u m p ed him fo r the new guy.
He had also m et an o th er fe ­
m ale at the sam e tim e. A s luck
w ould have it, I said o r did
so m eth in g that spooked him
and he started d atin g the oth er
lady. I w ent on w ith my life.
A fter tw o years o f stay in g in
to u ch , his relatio n sh ip ended
a n d h e ’s b a c k . H e ’s s till
friendly with th isex -g irlfrien d
and I ’m scared to go back for
fear h e ’ll do the sam e thing
again. W hat do I do? —Con­
This isn’t the only man you can
have a relationship with and I
suggest you look elsew here. If
he dum ped you the first time for
som eone else, h e’ll do it again.
However, if yo u 're still feeling
the spark, observe him much
closer and take yourtim e before
getting too serious. A w om an’s
sixth sense is real. If your gut
feeling is telling you to run or
so m eth in g ’s not right, spare
yourself some pain and follow
your instincts.
by L ee P eri . man
My best friend wants me to be a
bridesmaid in her wedding. 1 want
to decline because her future
husband is cheating. H e’s been
seeing someone else the whole
tim ehe'sdated my friend. I don’t
want to tell her because it would
break her heart but I don't want
her to marry him either. Do I need
to go through with the wedding
to make her happy or risk the
friendship by telling her? - S h ­
annon; Omaha, Neb.
Dear Shannon:
Y ou’re a lousy friend because
you should be able to tell your
best friend anything. You would
be as guilty as the future hus-
Ask Deannal
Real People,
Real Advice
An advice
cal uni n
known far
reality based
subjects!
»n North a r j
TrMttet
David Miller is slated to lose his job as one of eight TriMet
Rider Advocates working to make Portland's transit system
safe. The advocates are scheduled for elimination be­
cause of budget cuts.
band if you know h e’s cheating
but w on’t tell it. T h ey ’re going
before G od with adultery on the
plate and you can prevent this
by being mature and doing the
right thing. Pray for strength
and w ords o f w isdom as you get
the facts. Tell your friend about
the situation and y o u ’ll be able fused; Sacramento, Calif.
to sleep better at night.
gars at MAX platform s not to
p an h an d le p assen g ers. T hey
help m ove crow ds along after
sporting events.
In the ev en t o f in ju ries or
medical em ergencies, “We try
to keep the victim s calm , and
the other passengers calm, un­
til m edics arrive,” M iller ex ­
plained.
Colem an says the advocates
also serve as community am bas­
sadors to “targeted audiences”
Dear Deanna!
In my marriage I always listened
such as youths and seniors.
"T hey've done a great jo b of
ta k in g o u tre a c h to a n o th e r
level," she says. "W e've had a
lot o f feedback from senior citi­
zens about this program .’’
N o rth east C o alitio n board
m em ber Ron Laster says some
transit riders have pointed to
th e r id e r a d v o c a te s as th e
added safety m easure needed
to m ake it possible to continue
to ride the bus without fear, es­
pecially after school starts.
Even in its Aug. 6 termination
letter, TriMet praised the profes­
sionalism and shared com m it­
ment o f the Rider Advocates.
The $472,(XX) contract is not
being term in ated because o f
dissatisfaction with the service,
Hanson told the Portland O b­
server, explaining how the cuts
are part of a $25 million budget
shortfall that has caused the
agency to lay o ff more than 100
o f its ow n em ployees.
In June, H anson suggested
cutting the program by 75 per­
cent in order to keep it in opera­
tion. “We looked at w hat we
could accom plish under those
circum stances, what would be
in the best interests o f the com ­
m unity and N ECN ,” Colem an
says. “We decided to continue
as we w ere even though we
knew w e’d be taking a chance
the program w ould be elim i­
nated this way.”
The neighborhood coalition
is fighting to get the funding
back.
T he g ro u p is circu latin g a
p etitio n th at arg u es that the
loss will drastically reduce the
sense o f security and service
o f the TriM et system. D istur­
bances will increase without the
mediation and skilled outreach
o f the R ider A dvocates team,
the petition states.
Colem an hopes the program
will be back.
"We were assured that as we
come out of the recession, w e’ll
all look for ways for the pro­
gram to resurface in some form,"
she says.
H a n so n sa y s, “ A s th e
econom y improves and w e’re
able to restore our service cuts,
there are all sorts o f possibili­
ties.”
For now, however, Coleman
says, “A lot o f good people will
be out o f a job, and there’ll no
longer be advocates to stop in­
cidents from escalating.”
As for Miller, he says, “Am 1
bitter or mad? No. I’m sad, but
not mad. I’d like to go back to
doing outreach with youth at
risk, as 1 did before and maybe
one day come back to this pro­
gram.”
to my husband, let him make de­ support, and everything else as a
cisions and manage the finances. result o f his decision to commit
Recently I was devastated to lean) adultery, bea liar andatw o timing
that he has a double life with bigamist. As the first wife, you
another wife, chi Idren and a home. have the court’s favor as well as
I’m ready to stand up and fight the favor of God as you proceed.
but h e's a bully and scaring me. Your husband didn't think of
Is it worth it to get w hat’s right for you, your kids or the other woman
me and my chi Idren or should 1 let while doing his dirt so why should
him go and let things catch up in you. Call the judge, handle your
the long run? -Anonymous; business and keep it moving.
Dallas, Texas
Dear Anonymous:
You can wait for the long run but
you'll find yourself on the curb
with your kids looking stupid.
You' re entitled to alimony, child
Ask Deanna is written by Deanna
M. Write Ask Deanna! at the
email askdeannal @yahoo.com
or 264 S. LaCienega Blvd. Suite
1283 Beverly Hills, CA 90211.
Website: tnctc. askdeanna. com
Vancouver Votes to a Draw
A d e a d h e a t in
V ancouver’s Prim ary
E le c tio n sh o w s that
M ayor Royce Pollard
m ight be in a fight for
his p o litical life b e­
cause o f a controver­
sial stance on tolls for
a new 1-5 bridge over
the Colum bia River.
T he larg est public
w o rk s p r o je c t e v e r
proposed in the Pacific
Royce Pollard
Tim Leavitt
Northwest is em erging
as a wedge issue in the election victory in the past, barely cam e
that pits Pollard, who has held in second place in the Aug. 18
the office since 1996, against primary, with 42.2 percent o f the
Tim Leavitt, an environm ental vote, com pared to 42.4 percent
e n g in e e r a n d m e m b e r o f for Leavitt. About 23 percent of
eligible voters participated in
Vancouver City Council.
Pollard, w ho has coasted to the election.
A third candidate,
C harlie S teinper re ­
ceived about 15 per­
ce n t o f the p rim ary
v o te an d w ill n o t
qualify in the general
elec tio n ru n o ff th is
November.
Pollard has jo in ed
Portland M ayor Sam
A d a m s an d m o st
o th e r sta te an d r e ­
gional g o v ern m en ts
in supporting tolls on
both the 1-5 crossing and the I-
205 bridge to help pay a share
o f the $4.2 billion C olum bia
R iv er C ro ssin g p ro je c t and
serve as a brake to expanding
traffic w hile also stim ulating
mass transit use.
E d u c a tio n in its b ro a d e st sense is a n y a ct o r ex p e rie n c e th a t has a
f o r m a t iv e effect on th e m in d , character, o r p h y s ic a l a b ilittfto f an
in d iv id u a l.
,
Alive!
MAX Yellow Line Service
Moves to 5th and 6th Avenues
August 30
On the Portland Mall, the MAX Yellow Line w ill
begin service August 30, and the new Green Line
w ill make simulated service trips Aug. 30-Sept. 11.
B ack to Sch ool H ai
Septem ber 1 - 12
$10 for A ll Youth
G rades K - 12 Jflnra
Stay safe and travel legally:
• Obey all signals
• Drive and bike only in the left lane
• Don’t tu rn right from the Mall unless perm itted
by signs and signals
• Don’t stop to pick up or drop off passengers
or deliveries
C O M M U N IT Y BUILDS C H A M P I O N S
BE O N E
MAX Green Line service begins September 12. For
more inform ation, visit trim et.org.
H O U R S 9 - 7 T U E S D A Y -S A T U R D A Y
3 8 2 7 N E. M LK JR B LVD P O R T L A N D 9 7 2 1 2
SHOP PHO NE: 9 7 1 -2 5 5 -1 2 8 8
cards n o w available!
TR I ^ M E T
See w h e re it takes you.