Blogtown, PDX

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

News BREAKING NEWS! Sit/Lie Enforcement Delayed!

Posted by Matt Davis on Wed, Jun 13 at 2:06 PM

It’s a great day for Portland. Or a good day, at least. Portland just voted to delay all enforcement, even verbal warnings, on the city’s sit/lie ordinance until a shower is open at the Street Access For Everyone (SAFE) group’s day access center, showers and lockers are open under the freeway on NW Lovejoy, 25 more benches are in place, and an operating 24-hour bathroom is installed.

That should give the oversight committee something to get moving on when it meets tomorrow morning. Council did not set a deadline for these things to be achieved, but Sten said he’d be comfortable moving ahead when those measures are in place, “whether it’s next week or October.”

The mayor’s public safety manager Maria Rubio said “I’d just like you to keep in mind the hundreds of hours the committee has spent on this. I would just like you to keep in mind that the committee did its work and that if there was any misunderstanding, I apologize for that, but this committee maintained its integrity.”

Saltzman voted no. “We keep moving the goalposts,” he said.

Potter voted no. “I’m disappointed that it’s come down to this,” he said.

“I actually think that the result of this resolution passing will cause these very important amenities to be put in place sooner,” said Leonard. Adams and Sten voted with him.

Well done, city council! Good day.

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Comments

Excellent work Commissioners Leonard, Adams and Sten!
I'm giving you all high fives in my mind

Posted by rico | June 13, 2007 2:41 PM

gee, you know, i really fucking love showers. nothing feels better than one after a long day.

but how about setting some benchmarks for affordable/free mental health services while you're at it?

yeah, it's part of the bigger problem in this country, where unless you're drooling on yourself and others you really should just pull yourself up by your bootstraps, but in reality we need a better approach towards helping people who are in crisis. which, would probably constitute about 75% of people on the street.

Posted by lyle | June 13, 2007 2:50 PM

The two stupidest things said in what I managed to see of this hearing were said by Saltzman (are we calling him City Hall's Coatrack yet?) and Potter.

Saltzman actually said that Council should respect the committee and leave things as they were because the committee accomplished the task Council charged it with EVEN IF COUNCIL DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT CHARGED THE COMMITTEE TO DO.

Potter argued that with rights come responsibilities, but was speaking only of the responsibility of the homeless to behave, and nowhere did he speak of the responsibility to those interests who want to push out the homeless to first give them someplace to go.

These may truly be the two stupidest people in the City of Portland.

Posted by b!X | June 13, 2007 2:54 PM

Bravo to Commissioners Leonard and Adams, and tepid applause for Sten.

Posted by Ben Hubbird | June 13, 2007 3:08 PM

It was unmasking time at City Hall today,
and we saw the ugly creatures behind the
Tom Potter & whatshisname Saltzman masks!
The creatures behind the Leonard, Adams and Sten masks were angelic in comparison.
Three cheers for these heros and endless
boos for Tom & whatshisname. Let's uplift
the angelic three and kick the demonic two
to the curb...just kick their nasty asses
to the curb!

Posted by Curb Kicker | June 13, 2007 4:27 PM

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