How cool are The Chocolate Watchband? Well, if the above video is any indication, their rollicking live version of “Don’t Need Your Lovin” won’t stop even when a couple Ken Dolls in the crowd start socking each other. That is so cool.

The above clip is from the film Riot on Sunset Strip, but the band is playing for real (in person, not on film) tonight at Mt. Tabor Legacy as part of Fuzzfest. There, they’ll be joined by Strawberry Alarm Clock (in a very rare appearance), Electric Prunes and tons more.

Did I mention it’s also The Chocolate Watchband’s final performance ever. No? Well, I just did. Now you have no excuse. This is rock history, take part in it.

From the Oregonian:

Portland police say a 47-year-old driver appears to have intentionally used his car to bowl over two bicyclists who were riding along Southeast Clinton Street Friday afternoon.

The male cyclists — Ben Ramsdell, 25, and Timothy Mastne, 41 — were brought by ambulance from the 1000 block of Southeast Clinton Street to Oregon Health & Science University with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz said he didn’t know what injuries they suffered.

Schmautz said the driver, Johnny Jerry Eschweiler, has been charged with two counts of attempted first-degree assault and was being booked into jail Friday evening.

“Apparently the bicyclists were hit by the car and knocked off,” Schmautz said. “…He (Eschweiler) dragged the bikes about 100 feet before he came to a stop.”

SE Clinton is a bike boulevard, too…

If you’re anything like me, you are thrilled to your juicy bits about MANDY MOORE playing the Crystal tomorrow night (Saturday, Aug 18)! And while our esteemed music editor Ezra was too weirdly ashamed to post her seminal pop song on our site yesterday, I HAVE NO SUCH QUALMS. In fact, here is the video for one of the most awesome pedophil-ific songs of the early ’90s, Mandy Moore’s “Candy.” (OMG. I feel so dirty. I’m expecting a visit from NBC’s “To Catch a Predator” at any moment.)

Talib Kweli’s show at the Crystal last night would have been great, I suspect, if it weren’t for two things. Okay, wait, hold up a sec: We’ve written about Talib Kweli a few times in the paper before (here and here); I think we can agree the guy can be pretty amazing. But the show last night wasn’t so amazing.

First, the sound at the Crystal—I know, yeah, it’s always pretty crappy there, but last night it was ridiculous, the aural equivalent of turning the static on a television up to full blast and laying a super-fuzzy beat behind it. That’s the second show I’ve been to at the Crystal where the muddy, broken sound has just flat-out ruined the whole deal. I don’t know if it’s a capacity thing or a bass thing or what, ‘cause I’ve seen good-sounding shows there (Built to Spill) and I’ve heard horrible-sounding shows there (Of Montreal), and there’s seemingly no way to tell who’s going to be listenable or who might as well be shouting into a megaphone and playing a Sax-o-boom. (More confusion: It wasn’t great, but the sound was at least passable last time he came through.)

But the second thing was actually way more annoying: At least 15-20 times, Talib Kweli told his near-capacity crowd about his album that comes out on Tuesday. Honestly, it was like before every song, after every song, whenever he had two seconds to spare, he was urging us all to go out and get the album on August 21 (see, I even have the date memorized). This wasn’t helped by the fact that for almost every single song, corresponding album covers were projected up behind his DJ—so just in case you were wondering on which album you could find the song he was doing, there it was, projected ten feet tall above the stage. (Cue Talib Kweli letting the crowd know that this particular track was off of his album with Mad Lib, which they had for sale right over there, and also, his new album drops Tuesday August 21, just in case you were wondering.)

While Talib Kweli’s never had the popularity of some of his collaborators, and likely never will, I still figured the dude was doing alright—the Crystal was packed last night, and everyone who’s into hiphop (and a few people who aren’t) know who the dude is. He gets a lot of respect and, I would think, at least decent album/ticket sales. But jesus, if I didn’t know better last night, I’d think that the guy had loan collectors after him or something, or that he’d made a deal with the devil that unless his new album (out August 21!) sells a billion copies when it comes out (it drops August 21!), he’s gonna lose his soul or something (probably on August 21, which while we’re talking about it, is the same day that his new album comes out—pick it up!). It was just overkill, and annoying, and fairly insulting, but mostly, and combined with the sound problems, it was really, really tiresome. If my ears are gonna be ringing/numb the whole next day after I go to a show, I wish I could remember something more about it, and not just the fact that one of my favorite hiphop artists really, really, really wants my money.

Since we seem to be having a media ethics day in Portland, here’s an idea of what newspapers are up against: When somebody says something about somebody being gay in a tribute to them, and then all traces of having said so disappear from the internet, who’s responsible? Nobody, it seems. Or at least, nobody who’s willing to say so. These things just happen. Local blogger Kevin Allman has the scoop, along with an interview with the Hollywood Reporter writer whose content got “disappeared.” Allman writes:

I don’t care a fig about Merv Griffin, but I damn sure do care when journalism is ‘vanished’ from the Internet, whether it’s political speech or anything else.

Me too. Fortunately I’ve just googled “duct tape” and “The Portland Business Alliance are evil fascist bastards,” and they’re both still turning up plenty of results. Thank Goodness for a free press, eh?

Take a looksie at what website has been snatched up: SamForMayor.com.

Ok, ok. So nothing loads. but if you do a little whois search, it comes up registered to P.O. Box 821650, Vancouver, WA, 98682, registered on August 6. There’s an anonymous email address, and the phone number goes to an automatic message that directs all questions to the email address or the P.O. box.

Of course, it could mean anything. Maybe someone named Sam is planning to run for mayor in Skamania. Maybe someone has purchased the domain in the hopes that Sam Adams will run for mayor, and then will try to sell it to him (but then why would it be anonymous and hidden?). Maybe it was purchased by a political opponent who wants to embarrass him.

Or maybe it was purchased by Adams, on the chance that he’ll run. Given that we’re only a couple of weeks away from Potter making a decision about his future, the timing is certainly curious. Plus, Adams has shown a knack for grabbing URLs, with his own CommissionerSam.com site running outside of city servers, plus project-specific sites like PortlandCreates.com and CreativeCapacity.org. I put in a call to political consultants Winning Mark, who will likely help with any campaign Adams runs. The company’s Jeff Lennan said they didn’t buy the domain, and that this was the first he’d heard of it.

The news could be a relief to Charles Lewis, who’s banking his candidacy for city council on the belief that Adams is mayor-bound.

But it’ll also be good news to Portland Public Schools Development Director John Branam, who told me this morning that he’s considering a run for city council—but only if Adams leaves his current seat. Branam says he’ll be making his decision in the next three weeks, and that if he does run, he’ll “absolutely, no doubt about it,” use the city’s public campaign fund. “It’s a great system that allows candidates to focus primarily on the issues,” he says.

Branam grew up in Corvallis, went east to get a degree in political science, spent two years in South Africa with the Peace Corps, got his law degree from University of Oregon, and has been at PPS for the past two years.

Interesting side note: His father was a city council member in Corvallis—one of two African American council members in a city with a very small African American population.

Of course, his candidacy depends on Adams’ decision, which in turn depends on Potter’s. If there’s an open seat, it’s bound to be a huge field of candidates.

Check out the front page of the Oregonian’s Friday street edition:

I love that the Oregonian’s finally got some life to it—check out that juicy headline! And the subhead is even better… though it does sound quite a bit like the fear-based teasers television news love to shout just before they go to commercial: “Portland police didn’t think you needed to know…”

The cops responded to the story—about a heroin addict who flagged down a man for a ride, who then drove her to “a remote campsite” and raped her repeatedly before she “tricked her captor” and got away. (In the car of a “clean-cut man with a Bible on the front seat,” no less. Sounds like a made-for-TV movie to me.) Obviously, the cops aren’t thrilled at the O’s spin… and they turn it back on the O:

During the investigation, the Police Bureau became aware that the Oregonian had learned about this sexual assault through another law enforcement source. The Oregonian also knew that the suspect had a felony warrant for his arrest. The Oregonian contacted the Police Bureau in an attempt to confirm information regarding this ongoing sexual assault investigation. Based on decisions made by the investigator, the Police Bureau confirmed the suspect had a felony warrant for his arrest and was armed and dangerous, but chose not to disclose information regarding the sexual assault investigation and compromise the investigation. Repeatedly, the Police Bureau asked the Oregonian to publish the suspect’s photo and warrant information to alert the community about the warrant and hopefully, assist in his capture. The Police Bureau was told that the Oregonian would not print this information unless the Police Bureau confirmed the connection to the sexual assault.

No matter how hard I try, some days I just can’t concentrate long enough to do my job. So while I should be writing about all the awesome new music happening in town this weekend, all I am doing is just listening to this Mountain Goats song again and again.

MP3: Mountain Goats - Pinklon

It’s from their Daytrotter (again!) session at SXSW, and it’s an unreleased gem of a song, in honor of pink-trunked heavyweight boxer Pinklon Thomas. This isn’t John Darnielle’s first ode to the sweet science, he penned an article about Sonny Liston for this very paper. That article was far more successful than that time we hired Tommy “Tommy Gunn” Morrison to write about PDX Pop Now!. That guy doesn’t know a darn thing about local music.

If you’re up for making the drive north to Rochester, WA tonight, and camping out for the weekend, a damn fine-looking festival of local film and music await you. Located on the Helsing Junction farm, the Helsing Junction Sleepover Extreme boasts the sweetest line-up of the weekend, including (but certainly not limited to): Mirah, Mt. Eerie, Calvin Johnson, and Old Time Relijun, plus short films by Matt McCormick and Vanessa Renwick.

From what I understand, the farm is on the banks of the Chehalis River (swimming!), and you’re served organic, fresh-picked meals from the farm. The whole shebang, including entertainment, camping, and meals goes for a whopping $20!

Sound too good to be true? Sort of. Here’s the fine print: “Hackeysack and djembe and firespinning shit too!” Damn you, fine print!!!
More info here.

Check out this awesome article about people using old-timey cassette tapes to make new, fashionistic clothing and accessories (including Transformer toys). Here’s a sneaky peek…

The Cassette Belt

The Cassette Dress (made from the tape inside the cassette)

And of course, the Cassette Wallet

HEY!! DID YOU STEAL THAT MADONNA CASSETTE OUT OF MY TOYOTA COROLLA??

More fashion fun at MOD!

Join us next Tuesday for the August installment of Debate Club.

We’re hosting it a week early this month, so the 2007 PolitiCorps Summer Fellows at the Bus Project can run the show before they split. They’ve chosen a doozy of a topic: Gentrification. Specifically, our esteemed panel will be looking at gentrification through a lens of growth in the Portland area, and what that has meant (and will mean in the future) when it comes to displacement. With all the growth we’re anticipating over the next decade or two, can we prevent displacing current citizens? If so, where do the new residents go? How do we manage this conflict?

Metro Council President David Bragdon—who’s charged with keeping an eye on this issue from a regional perspective—will be moderating the conversation.

From Bragdon’s Plan for Quality Growth page:

But there are 1.1 million more people expected to arrive here in the next 25 years. Many (like most of the people living here now) will have been born someplace else and will come here for the reasons we came here, but a third to half will be our own children and grandchildren.

In most metropolitan areas, growth has meant crowding and congestion, loss of precious farm and forestland to development, and degraded rivers and streams. That doesn’t have to happen here. With good planning and preparation, we can maintain and even improve on the way of life that sets us apart from other places. David initiated the New Look at Regional Choices to achieve two results: 1) attract investment into our existing urban areas to increase capacity and make them even better places for new and existing residents to live and 2) when the region must grow, find ways to do it sensibly.

Our panelists include Jill Fuglister of the Coalition for a Liveable Future, a group that works toward a “just and sustainable region,” by doing things like creating and preserving affordable housing. We’ll also have Rich Rogers from City Commissioner Erik Sten’s office—you might recognize Rich from past Bus Project-Portland Mercury forums, such as one on Charter Reform, when he offered to leg wrestle over the “strong mayor” issue. Rich also heads up Sten’s Schools, Families & Housing Initiative, which tries to stabilize neighborhoods and public schools. He’s also worked on Metro’s 2040 plan, which outlined a regional strategy for managing growth.

We’ll also have John Charles, President of the Cascade Policy Institute, who’s area of expertise on their site really sums it up: “The Dark Side of Growth Controls.” Charles will share with us the perils of policies aimed at controlling the area’s anticipated growth. Meanwhile, we’re working to confirm a North Portland businesses owner who’s been at the center of this debate, having moved into the neighborhood recently (weirdly, every developer we contacted politely declined to participate).

Please join us at rontoms at 7 pm on August 21, as we drink, eat deviled eggs (they’re quite delicious!), and “get nitty gritty into the politics of neighborhoods,” as one Bus Projecter put it.

Think your public pool is crowded? Check out this horrifying wave pool in Tokyo! I have only two comments: 1) Are they swimming in chocolate milk? And 2) I think that guy in the middle may be drowning.

This week on So Hot Right Now, host Mike Williams gets you excited for tomorrow night’s party at Holocene called The Get Down, featuring DJs Copy, Linoleum, Linger & Quiet + Live Dance Sets by Arohan & this week’s So Hot Right Now guest, Atole. What are you waiting for? Go get your sneak peek and booty freak on!

Last night’s wonderful 1984 tribute at the Doug Fir was a fantastic evening of playful cover songs in honor of a pretty impeccable year in music. But it was The Jolenes’ (a band now taken over with Mercury employees) cover of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” that made my night.

At age six, that song was my little anthem, as I watched that video too many times to mention. I also blamed Dee Snider for that one time I pushed my dad out of a second story window. Take that, old man!

It’s been about 15 years since I last heard “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” so getting the live experience last night was a nice treat, especially since it made me realize that the song is essentially a slight tempo change away from being a perfect punk song—that wouldn’t be out of place in The Buzzcocks catalog—that was unfortunately performed by a piss-poor hair metal band.

Also, has there ever been an uglier band than Twisted Sister circa 1984? The video looks like a home invasion robbery by the world’s ugliest drag queens.

My favorite part of the video? When the entire band is crammed in the window together. It’s so cute.

James X over at Loaded Orygun has an interesting post this morning about a local alternative weekly’s several-page insert for the chewing tobacco, Snus.

Do you think it’s irresponsible for the Mercury put tobacco ads in its papers? Do you think these massive ad buys create a conflict of interest when the Merc lampoons efforts to raise cigarette taxes? Or do you think it’s free speech? Is not taking tobacco money a form of censorship?

Then he has a little survey you can vote on. As I say, it’s an interesting issue, and one I can only really address as a writer for the paper in question. I gave up smoking last month and honestly, think I’ve kicked the habit this time. I don’t like tobacco companies. But I do like my paycheck every two weeks. Very much. And I know for a fact there isn’t a single other news outlet in town that would let me speak so freely as to respond to James’s questions on this issue. Or to question the motivations of the Portland Business Alliance when it comes to clearing downtown of the homeless with fascist laws about sitting on the sidewalk, just so it can sell more Kitchenaids to suburban shoppers. So I guess what I’m saying, James, is that I can stomach it if you can. But thanks for posting.

That great disturbance in the force you just felt, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced? That was Jenna Bush and her boyfriend, Henry Hager—a former intern for Karl Rove—formalizing their hell-spawned relationship by getting engaged. To mark the occasion, Hager gave Jenna a ring forged in a lake of burning sulfur, and Jenna devoured the souls of 1,000 orphans.

For NASA astronauts, the good news is they don’t have to go out and repair the tile damage on their shuttle. The bad news? It’s the same sort of damage that caused the Columbia to disintegrate upon reentry. Gulp.

This shouldn’t make anyone nervous at all: Vladimir Putin says Russia will resume strategic flights of long-range bombers for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union. On a related note, who’s up for watching Red Dawn sometime this weekend?

What does presidential hopeful Bill Richardson have against the free market? He’s just fired one of his top aides, Kristian Forland, after it was revealed that Forland once worked as a bookkeeper/property manager for a brothel in Nevada.

Alice Cooper is… building a Christian teen center? What’s next? Iggy Pop acting on kids’ TV shows?

Things go from bad to worse in Utah, as three rescue workers were killed and six injured in a cave-in, as they attempted to reach six trapped miners.

In more ways than one, this week’s drinking issue signaled the pinnacle of my professional and personal lives.

It wasn’t just the opportunity to drink expensive cocktails with my boss, Wm. Steven Humphrey (which is a treat I highly recommend you accept if it’s ever offered), nor was it the ensuing baseless ridicule I endured in print, nor was it the excellent, dapper photo of me that appeared in the paper:

It was none of those things. I realized how far I had come in my short 29.83 years when I opened up this week’s Mercury and found out who my new neighbor was (after the jump, for those of you suckahs whose bosses can’t handle a little nudity):

Hello there, naked dude in the Rock N' Rose ad. When the paper is closed, your bare ass rests on my hip, and my elbow caresses your upper back. I have no idea who you are, but there are tens of thousands of pairs of us, smashed together, floating around the city tonight, and there's nothing we can do to stop it. For the sake of our families, if you ever see me out in public, do us both a favor, and pretend you have no idea what I'm talking about.

But when I grab your ass, just play along.

The mayor has been addressing his racial profiling committee this afternoon. It’s the first time he’s shown up since it first got together in January, and has faced questions about how he’s going to generate money and political will to continue support for its work.POTTER: Copping flack over secure funding…

“The issue about resources is important,” says Potter. “Although people think of me as a liberal mayor, I’m conservative when it comes to money. But I want to make sure that you have the resources necessary to do the job. Maybe not the Cadillac version, but certainly a good, sturdy Kia. I want us as a city to understand that this is part of the core work that we’re doing. I want this committee to be seen as an institution by the city.”

Potter was also asked how he’s going to bring about the political will to make sure that the change the committee brings about is meaningful and real.

“I’m very optimistic about the effect that this group can have as a committee, on the effect that this can have in the police bureau but also in the broader community,” Potter said. “All of us having a part I think is really important. I believe in ownership, and it’s my responsibility as the mayor to make this work.”

In other words? It’s up to the Kia to drive itself…

State Representative Chip Shields also showed up to watch. “As a legislator I think it’s critically important to look at the laws and ordinances that are playing a role in racial profiling,” he says. “It’s very difficult to look into the heart of a police officer and ask them to do something differently, but we can provide a framework in which for them to work.”

He’s particularly focused on the city’s controversial drug free zones—which are coming up for renewal in September. He wants to tie them to actual convictions, rather than simply arrests, as is the case at the moment. The problem with the zones, which are wholeheartedly supported by the Portland Business Alliance [ALARM BELLS RINGING!], is that they effectively criminalize people, the vast majority of them African American, without due process. I asked Shields whether he thinks council might come through and change the structure of the zones in September.

“City council and the mayor haven’t had the best track record of delivering in this area,” he said. “But they may surprise me.”

There’s been interesting discussion amongst the various subcommittees, too. In the community relations group, Sergeant Dave Hendrie was asked by Jo Ann Bowman of Oregon Action what it would take to get more officers to come to a community event, and he said most officers, especially new officers, work such long and unsociable hours that they prioritize their families during their time off. Meanwhile, in the policies and practices group, the mayor’s public safety policy manager Maria Rubio suggested offering officers cash rewards for positive policing. This is “blue sky” thinking, although Assistant Chief Brian Martinek (who’s sitting in for Rosie Sizer today) said he’d “love to be able to do that.” There are contractual obstacles, of course. But it’s not out of the question. Lastly, the group on measuring data appears to be looking to narrow its focus—if anything, to just analyze the data the bureau already has, more deeply. Statistics are a minefield when it comes to this issue, of course. But the group is particularly interested in looking at data on pedestrian stops.

As many of you know, Portland Fashion Week is happening again this year, and its organizers are making a concerted effort to have it grab the attention of the national and international press, eventually making it an annual mecca for designers working within a sustainable/ethical model to show their work. Local designers who aren’t specifically working with a sustainable focus are also encouraged to audition for the show (buying locally being an arguably sustainable act itself). So far, the week has been written up by Book Moda, an international trade publication covering runways around the world. Each issue costs something like $80+, but it’s quite the souvenier, and should be hitting the world’s streets in the next couple weeks. They will be covering the event as, apparently, will WWD, and hopefully many more memebers of the press. I’m on the advisory committee this year, and also part of the selection commitee along with designer Anna Cohen and other local buyers and editors.

With yesterday’s 3-1 vote to begin endorsing the Sit-Lie Ordinance, city council has put the last, disappointing touch on their big, dragged-out letdown.

It put an end to a process that began more than a year ago with the creation of the Street Access For Everyone (SAFE) committee, which came after numerous failed attempts to renew the city’s embattled Sit-Lie law. At the time, it seemed like a stall tactic from Mayor Potter’s office—he didn’t have the votes to extend the law, and sticking homeless activists, the police, and the Portland Business Alliance together was a surefire way to kill some time.

What emerged from the committee, however, should go down as one of the most politically brilliant things the mayor’s office and the PBA have ever done.

And it stinks. Find out why after the jump.

The first task of the committee was tying the Sit-Lie law, which the PBA desperately wanted in place, with the delivery of homeless services, like benches, restrooms, a day access center, etc., and then required that all of the committee's recommendations be unanimous. There'd be no sit-lie law without the PBA giving money to fund the services, and there'd be no money to fund the services if homeless advocates didn't get on board with the sit-lie law.

Effectively, that meant that if homeless advocates wanted to deliver services that the city and county had otherwise refused to fund, they'd have to not only agree to, but champion, a law that they should never have been in a position of advancing--banning people from sitting or lying on the sidewalk.

By doing this, the mayor and the PBA immediately swept the legs out from under the sit-lie ordinance's then-biggest, loudest, and most credible critics, and they did it by luring those critics in with the promise of better amenities for the homeless population. But, of course, homeless advocates couldn't praise the law, since they were diametrically opposed to its principle, so instead, they praised "the process." "The process" of drafting the recommendations was so great, they've testified repeatedly, that they were able to support a law that strips away the rights of the people they've pledged to support. And it's all been done with a smile and a ton of back patting.

Perhaps the biggest coup, though, was hooking Commissioner Erik Sten, council's chief homeless advocate. The mayor dangled funding for a permanent day access center in front of him, in exchange for a yes vote on the ordinance, and Sten bit. This isn't political conjecture--Sten has admitted that he voted yes on the ordinance in order to secure the day access center funding. "Right now, there are already plenty of tools that police officers can use to move homeless along if they want," he told me this past spring. "The Sit-Lie rule doesn't really change anything." Except placate the Portland Business Alliance.

If you really want to get cynical, you could argue that the SAFE committee also attempted to buy off Street Roots, one of the few organizations (along with the Mercury) that's been critical of the process. The street newspaper was given a nice chunk of money to produce a quarterly resource guide for the homeless, directing them to services. Luckily, Israel Bayer and the rest of that team is ballsy enough to still speak out in whatever way they please.

Tying the ordinance to the services also served to frame the debate completely away from the merits of the ordinance itself. The question is no longer "is this the right thing for the City of Portland to do?" It's "how much do we have to pay to get it?" So let's do what council refused to, and stop for a minute to consider the law: It makes it illegal--as in, against the law--to sit or lie on the sidewalk in all of downtown and the Lloyd Center. Without even going into its impact on transitory people, it is on its face a draconian law, which treads all the way to the edge of constitutionality. You don't even need to care about the homeless--that council has so flippantly imposed this law, telling you where you can and can't sit on public space, should enrage you.

Not only that, it but its effect is miles away from the problem it is attempting to solve. If the point of the ordinance is to keep sidewalk traffic moving, and to limit "disorderly" behavior, why wouldn't council enact a law that simply bans blocking sidewalk traffic, whether it's with a body or a sign or a pile of boxes?

The cynical answer is because it's not actually about keeping traffic moving on sidewalks--one little trip downtown can confirm that that isn't currently a problem. Instead, the point was to move "undesirables" out of the retail centers. As if that wasn't obvious, yesterday's testimony by Tim Greve of Carl Greve Jewelers should clinch it. He praised council's support of the law by saying how much it's going to help his business, and the soon-to-open Brooks Brothers store. Blatantly, he wants downtown to be clear of the homeless, so suburban shoppers will be less scared to come to his shop and spend more money. His speech should have made everybody on the SAFE committee--as well as council and everyone in the mayor's office--cringe. They just allowed themselves to be implicated in the fervent belief that downtown should only be for the wealthy.

(As a side note, Greve also thanked Potter and Sam Adams for helping him relocate his business recently--Potter even attended the ceremonial grand reopening of the store on June 22. Potter may have campaigned on a pledge to be a man of the community, but what Portland apparently got was a mayor for the jewelers.)

That's a long way of saying that Potter and the PBA locked in the city council vote a year ago. Yesterday's council hearing, which should have been about the wisdom of enacting the Sit-Lie law, instead became a surreal argument about where to put a restroom. Even Randy Leonard was stuck arguing about the number of people who use the city hall bathrooms over night, and whether a ten-minute wait for a security guard was too long. Nobody could vote no on the ordinance on the principle of civil rights; they'd also be voting no to funding services for the homeless.

In the end, the long, tedious process was enough the justify the product. Slapping back Leonard's last ditch effort to get another restroom opened closer to the downtown homeless population, Dan Saltzman said, "I think that we've reached the milestones for this committee but it's time to accept this report as is, and move on. This committee has labored long and hard but it's time to move on." He used the same rationale to advance the charter reform package earlier this year.

Yes, process in this city can drag on endlessly, but when it comes to shockingly bad policy, "process" should never be enough to get to a yes vote. No matter how much work the committee put in, it's still the duty of city council members to protect the city from bad law.

As I said, the strategy was brilliant. But also? Cynical. Also? Reprehensible.

The Sit-Lie law should be a lasting stain on this city council. When it comes to yuppie policies like recycling and green streets and saving the trees, they trip over themselves trying to out-liberal the rest of council. But when it comes to the civil rights of our city's most vulnerable population, they can't be distinguished from Bill O'Reilly.

Sad news. Full Times obit here.

Max Roach, a founder of modern jazz who rewrote the rules of drumming in the 1940’s and spent the rest of his career breaking musical barriers and defying listeners’ expectations, died early today in Manhattan. He was 83.

His death was announced today by a spokesman for Blue Note records, on which he frequently appeared. No cause was given. Mr. Roach had been known to be ill for several years.

As a young man, Mr. Roach, a percussion virtuoso capable of playing at the most brutal tempos with subtlety as well as power, was among a small circle of adventurous musicians who brought about wholesale changes in jazz.

Here are two of my favorites featuring Roach, both off of ‘62’s excellent Money Jungle, an album he did with two other greats, Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus.

Duke Ellington, Charlie Mingus, Max Roach - Money Jungle.

Duke Ellington, Charlie Mingus, Max Roach - A Little Max (Parfait).

Bob Odenkirk (of the late but great Mr. Show with Bob and Dave) has issued his latest instructional film on “How to be Funny,” in which one can employ “Funny Names” in order to get “laughs”—or more appropriately “laffs.” So why don’t you try it, Mr. Jonathan Livingston Dick Farm?

The last time Hrishikesh Hirway and The One AM Radio played Portland, I was stuck on a plane, desperately trying to return home. Now that I am firmly on the ground, I’m eager to finally witness one of my favorite songwriters in a live setting. If you are not familiar with the bedroom/electronic/pop of Hirway, hopefully this MP3 will make you a believer.

MP3: The One AM Radio - Lest I Forget

Need more? How about your two favorite words: Lesbian Boxers. Check out the million dollar babies, here:

The One AM Radio plays tonight at the Holocene.

If there’s one filmmaker who deserves the success he’s got right now, its director/producer/writer Judd Apatow. Dude’s on fire of late, with all sorts of Apatow-related projects, from Knocked Up to Superbad, continuing his tradition of directing and producing some really killer comedy (Freaks and Geeks, Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The TV Set).

And if there’s one tired, stale genre that deserves a punch to the face, it’s the sappy, overly reverential music star biopic, from Ray to Walk the Line to El Cantante to Talk to Me. Luckily, the Apatow-produced, Jake Kasdan-directed Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is coming out soon, and I suspect it’ll do just that. Here’s the trailer, and keep an eye out for Jack Black, Kristen Wiig, Jenna Fischer, and, yes, Lyle Lovett. Kasdan’s last flick (The TV Set) was excellent, Apatow’s been batting 1000 of late (well, except for Talledega Nights), and John C. Reilly can be hilarious. This one’s probably worth getting excited about.

Dieselboi at Metroblogging Portland uncovered something very interesting—Mayor Tom Potter posted a “Quick Link” to the César E. Chávez Boulevard petition on his website (which then went out over the PortlandOnline RSS feed… who knew the city had an RSS feed?).

The link heads straight to a generic web-based petition site, where you can add your support to the idea. There’s no way to voice opposition to it, though. (“If I get a No on Rename petition put together, will you host it in your sidebar Mayor Potter? It is only fair,” dieselboi points out.)

I’ve got a call in to the city’s Office of Transportation, to ask the staffer who heads up the official street renaming process whether the Chávez Boulevard committee has filed an application, signaling that they’d like to follow the official city process for changing a street name.

This link on Potter’s site makes it look like the Chávez Boulevard plans to follow in Rosa Parks Way’s footsteps: find a sympathetic politician to override city code, and push it through. What an honor.

Just got back from a screening of King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, which was one of the most entertaining and sharp documentaries I’ve seen in a quite a while. It seriously kicked all sorts of ass.

A lot of people don’t go to documentaries in theaters—instead waiting for DVD or, you know, just never seeing them at all—but this one’s definitely worth seeking out and going to. The film’s absolutely hilarious, but it’s also surprisingly moving, genuine, and intense. Check it out for sure. Anyway, we’ll be reviewing the film next week (it opens at Cinema 21 on August 24), but in the meantime, here’s the trailer.

Mayor Tom Potter has decided to stand by his May decision to fire Portland Police Lieutenant Jeffrey Kaer over Kaer’s fatal shooting of 28-year-old Dennis Young in January 2006, but police oversight activists say the mayor’s language in firing Kaer is designed to avoid the city being sued, rather than create true accountability for the police.

Potter has accused Kaer of bad performance in the run-up to the shooting, but not in actually pulling the trigger.

“The mayor is saying ‘you shouldn’t have pulled the trigger towards a moving car,’ but he isn’t saying ‘you shouldn’t have shot this human being,’” says Copwatch activist Dan Handelman. “They’re accusing Kaer of poor decision-making in everything leading up to the shooting, but not in the shooting itself. This is the same thing that happened with Officer Scott McCollister over the Kendra James shooting in 2003.”

Legalistic wrangling aside, Potter’s termination of Kaer represents a tougher approach from the city than that taken by Mayor Vera Katz in 2003 over the Kendra James Shooting—McCollister was given five-and-a-half months’ suspension without pay for shooting James, although as a Lieutenant, Kaer is arguably supposed to set a better example, given his experience.NO QUESTIONS: TV cameras await Potter’s 1pm statement outside his office…although he won’t answer press questions on the decision.

Police Chief Rosie Sizer has made public her opposition to Potter’s decision, but is unavailable for comment today.

Kaer shot at Young even though he was driving a moving vehicle, which was against a new Police Bureau policy at the time. The vehicle had been parked in front of the home of Kaer’s sister, whose son had been shot in a road-rage incident six weeks earlier, when Kaer first made contact with Young. In his decision letter to Kaer in May, Potter listed 10 examples of “poor judgement and decision-making” which led to the shooting. But he also wrote that Kaer’s “decision to use force” was not at issue in the disciplinary process.

Kaer held an arbitration meeting with Potter on Monday, July 30, along with his represenative from the Portland Police Commanding Officers’ Association (PPCOA), of which Kaer, as a lieutenant, is a member. A PPCOA representative did not immediately return a call for comment.

The mayor will make a statement to the media outside his office at 1pm, but copies of Kaer’s termination letter from Potter—which essentially repeats the charges Potter made in May—are being made available to the press right now. Potter will not be answering press questions on the decision since Kaer can still appeal, although he is also scheduled to attend his committee on racial profiling in North Portland at 3pm today, and may face questions there. In conclusion to his letter to Kaer, Potter writes:

You are not being disciplined for political or religious reasons, but in good faith, and for the purpose of improving public service.

Update, 1pm: NO QUESTIONS: Potter reads statement to the press, with communications director John Doussard in the background…

The mayor says:

“This has been a difficult decision for me to make, and not one I make lightly. But I believe our community must hold its police officers to the highest standards of behavior, and on the evening of January 4th, 2006, Lt.Kaer failed to meet those standards. Ultimately, that failure contributed to the death of a human being.”

“It is especially troubling to me that an experienced commanding officer who was once charged with training others in patrol tactics would ignore Bureau policies and training protocols.”

“While it is undeniable that the decision by Lt.Kaeer to fire at the car had to be made in a split second, none of the decisions leading up to that moment had to be made under any such pressure. It was Lt.Kaer who escalated the situation by not following Bureau training or policy, and in the end those failures contributed to a death.”

Potter added that while Kaer’s decision to shoot “was not unlawful,” it violated bureau directive 1010.10 about Bureau Members not placing themselves or others in jeopardy by engaging in actions inconsistent with their training.

“There is no denying that this is a tragedy for the families of everyone involved, including Mr.Yound and Lt.Kaer. But I believe Lt.Kaer’s actions on January 4th, 2006 demonstrated serious deficiency in judgment and disregard for established training procedures.”

In this week’s news section, I’ve got a short piece on a project at the Peninsula Park Rose Garden. Rejuvenation Inc and the Neil Kelly family donated $50,000, and the Parks department wants to put it toward making the rose garden handicap accessible.

That’s all well and good, but the neighborhood association is feeling blindsided by the project—and they’re frustrated by what Parks is telling them, that the project’s got to get started by October, so the donors can announce it at a company picnic.

I just spoke with Jim Kelly, owner and founder of Rejuvenation, who wants to correct the record: He and his brother have put no pressure on Parks to speed the project. Moreover, when they first approached Parks, they wanted to make sure the neighborhood would be involved.

What happened in this case is we approached the Parks department about making a donation. They presented us with four different [project] possiblities.

We told them we want to do that [Rose Garden] project, we asked what their schedule would be, they said they’d be able to do the work in the fall.

So we said oh good, maybe we want to have our company picnic then, and have that as our kickoff.

Kelly stresses that the picnic was planned after Parks laid out the schedule. There was “no pressure, no nothing” from his family. (Parks staff, meanwhile, has been describing the process as having been driven by the donors’ timeline.)

Now, he says, he’s grumpy that what was a “no strings” civic contribution is stirring up controversy. “We’re at the point where we’ve got a neighborhood association that has not given us any assurances that they’ll support going forward,” Kelly says. “We support the neighborhood having the appropriate input, but this [process] is not of our doing.”

Eek. Sounds like quite a mess over such a beautiful garden. (And I certainly haven’t helped, by focusing on the neighborhood-parks back and forth, without getting the Kelly’s side until now.)

Another week of music, just in time to celebrate the life of the second most talented Presley. Lisa Marie is number one, of course.

My peyote dealer is stoked, The Strawberry Alarm Clock are coming to Portland! No, seriously, along with bands like Love, the Alarm Clock are one of the most interesting (and overlooked) bands in the long history of rock music.
MP3: Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense & Peppermints

The folks behind Cloud Cult overcome tragedy and sing about all that is good in this world.
MP3: Cloud Cult - Transistor Radio

Like a good tennis match, the ex-Uncle Tupelo battle between Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar has gone back and forth. First set went to Farrar, as early Son Volt was far superior than Wilco’s sloppy start. But then Tweedy roared back and seemingly finished off his old bandmate for good with a flawless trio of releases (Being There, Summerteeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot). But then the unexpected happened, Wilco got really boring. Let’s just hope at the end of their respective careers, the winner hops the net to congratulate the loser.
MP3: Wilco - Either Way

Before his stripe was white (and red), Jack White used to be in The Go, who are now back and paying homage to the vintage days of rock.
MP3: The Go - Caroline

Also, don’t forget Mandy Moore. She’s like totally serious these days. Yeah, seriously adorable!
MP3: Oh, hell no. We’ll write about her, but it ends there.

OMG! Finally, after years of searching for one of my favorite songs from the ’80s, it’s finally surfaced on the web… and in video form! If you haven’t heard it, prepare to experience the crazy awesomeness of “Your Mama’s on Crack Rock.”
(“Unh-Unh! My mama’s in rehab!”)

Holy crap!

Magic, Bruce Springsteen’s new studio recording and his first with the E Street Band in five years, is set for release by Columbia Records on October 2, 2007. Produced and mixed by Brendan O’Brien, the album features eleven new Springsteen songs and was recorded at Southern Tracks Recording Studio in Atlanta, GA.

Holy crap!

This means another tour with the full band, which also means I will be emptying my bank account to attend as many shows as possible. Hopefully the new material sounds like this weird 1984 bootleg where the Boss gets a little greedy with the synth.

MP3:
Bruce Springsteen - Out In The Streets (from The Unplanned Gig bootleg)

This morning, as always, I was flipping through my copy of the Memphis Flyer, where I leared that Elvis Presley tragically died “Monday, August 6th [2007], of cardiac arrest, at his Horn Lake, Mississippi, home. He was 72 years old.”

WHA? I said, foolishly thinking that the King had died 30 years ago today. Thankfully, the Flyer set me straight.

On August 16th, 1977, Presley was found at his Graceland home around noon — unconscious and unresponsive — by fiancée Ginger Alden. According to never-confirmed rumors, Alden discovered Presley lying on the floor of his bathroom; all he would say later was that it was “a shameful scene.” Rushed to Baptist Memorial Hospital by paramedics, Presley, apparently a victim of a prescription drug overdose, slipped into a coma, and fears were high that he might not survive… But the next day, Presley awoke and was discharged from the hospital three days later. He checked into Hazelden Clinic in Minnesota, a leading drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation center, where he would stay for a month.

Flash forward a few decades, and this is what became of the Big E:

In a part written specifically for him, Presley returned to the big screen as the title character in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. “Bill” was the first of Presley’s roles to reference his martial-arts background. Presley hadn’t starred in a film since 1969’s Change of Habit.

See, I always thought that was the guy from Kung Fu playing the most slow-talking, chatty, goldfish-sympathizing character in movie history. Turns out it was just a simple man from Tupelo, MS. Thanks for clearing that up, internet. Elvis Presley, RIP.

The Dog House (2845 E Burnside) is gearing up for their 5th Annual Dog Show. Always an adorable blast, on September 16th, dogs and their owners will compete in three categories: The Top Dog Award will go to the judges favorite all-around pooch; there is a Pet Tricks award for your dog to show the judges what a talent he or she is; and a Lookalike award, in which you have the chance to demonstrate the uncanny tendency for dogs to look like their owners. But HURRY! they already have about 25 dogs and owners signed up to compete, and there’s only about 15 more slots left! So swing by, grab some lunch, and sign up to show off your prize beast.

• Buffett hosts a $500 a head fundraiser for Barack Obama! Oh yeah!! Waaaastin’ awaaaay again in Margaritaville! Oh. Wait. That’s Warren Buffett. In that case, who gives a crap?

• U of O professor discovers that less than 2% of factual errors made by the daily papers are corrected. For example, in today’s Oregonian? The weather says it’s 78 degrees and it’s FREEZING!

• Karl Rove claims that people who criticize Bush are “sort of elite, effete snobs who can’t hold a candle to this guy. What they don’t like about him is that he is common sense, that he is Middle America.” Riddle: How many effete snobs does it take to hold a candle to Bush? Answer: Only one… unless he’s mentally retarded.

• Elvis Presley: Still dead, still bewilderingly popular.

The mayor’s controversial sit/lie law, which officially began enforcement following a council vote yesterday, appears to be focusing anti-homeless sentiment here on Blogtown. I draw your attention to the discussion going on here because despite what the mayor’s office may claim, or what the Portland Business Alliance may say in one of its cack-handedly spun on-air statements about ensuring “Street Access For Everyone,” the sit/lie ordinance is really the nexus of the following debate:

I lived next door to a homeless shelter for a year and had to deal with homeless people passing out in my front yard, passing out on my porch, we had a knife covered in blood thrown into our yard, garbage tossed in our yard daily, and car break ins during the day while groups of homeless people lay 10-15 feet away.The answer to the problem is for this community and this state to stop offering services. Unless you have had to deal with the homeless situation either with your business or home, you should keep your opinion to yourself if you feel so inclined, invite a homeless person to live with you if you really want to be a good samaritan. Posted by tired | August 15, 2007 7:02 PM

Hear hear to post 11. Homeless bums here have some holier-than-thou sense of entitlement which makes me cringe. Too many people here think they deserve charity services even though many of them actively chose to live the way they are. It doesn’t take too long of watching these people to know that not many of them are mentally ill or otherwise afflicted in a way that keeps them from holding a job and being a member of society in general. They are straight out LAZY. I’m tired of smelling their piss, empty beer bottles, cigarettes and weed (gotta love broke people getting pot). Sit/Lie is a good start but the property owners need to boot out their bleeding heart tenants who run these boo-hoo services for the “needy”.Posted by Logan 5 | August 15, 2007 9:03 PM

There are interesting responses in the comments on that post, including one by Patrick Nolen of Sisters of the Road, who was homeless for 8 years, which includes this phrase:

We are treating them like animals. when you treat someone like an animal, it has been my experience that eventually they start acting as one.

Someone else writes:

The homeless are not a safety problem. Nobody sitting or lying on a sidewalk is a safety problem. At worst, they’re a cosmetic problem for commercial interests. And I don’t think people with badges and guns should be empowered to enforce cosmetic standards for Brooks Brothers. It’s a waste of law enforcement.

Thanks to everyone who has commented so far.

I miss Black Star. But since album number two is just a dream at this point (Mos Def has never seen a script he didn’t like), I’ll happily settle for Talib Kweli. Below is the video for his best single, 2002’s “Get By,” produced by some college dropout who went on to have a decent solo career.

Talib Kweli performs at the Crystal Ballroom tonight.

Schnitzer Theater, August 29. Get your tickets NOW.

In case you’re on the fence about going, I offer up this video as definitive proof that Hall and Oates were the greatest pop/soul duo of the ’80s.

Miraculously, that’s even more embarrassing than the Yacht Rock parody of them.

If Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins joined them at the Schnitz, I’d poop in a hat and wear it.

This Friday, from 5-9 pm, Mabel & Zora (1468 NE Alberta) is putting all of their summer merchandise on sale at 20-50% off. Plus, check out new arrivals from Fall including Kersh, 525, Tulle, Beau Bois, SweetPea, and French Connection.

More info on fashion style here and abroad on M.O.D.

Still wondering about those 1500 Filipino prisoners performing Thriller? Let’s all thank god then for ABC News who continue to avoid the war in Iraq to go behind the scenes and get us the full story! (Plus an interview with the transvestite!) Best quote: “Some prisoners are dancing until they’re bleeding in their shoes.”

The eastside streetcar, which will run across the Broadway Bridge and down MLK/Grand, is still four years away from being completed, but the city is undergoing the process of how it’s going to get funded. I’ll have more on that after the jump, including how the OHSU tram fiasco is haunting the process.

But first! Here’s something you might actually be interested in. In the current plan, there will be a bridge that takes the streetcar over the railroad lines in the SE as it approaches OMSI. There was some discussion of widening the bridge for bikes and pedestrians, so they could bypass the rail tracks. Currently, it’s a bit of a pain to cross, especially when a train comes, and it’s not entirely safe. The catch: Widening the overpass would cost $3.1 million.

That’s a fat chunk of money, especially considering the trade off—and especially considering that there’s already a bike/pedestrian bridge over the rails. It’s called the Hawthorne Bridge. The plan’s been ditched because of the price tag, but it could get resurrected if there’s a.) political support for it and b.) money to build it.

What do you think, bikers? Is a bridge over the SE train tracks worth $3.1 million?

Now, before I get to the super wonky stuff, check out this video from yesterday’s city council work session on tax increment funding options to pay for the streetcar:

The price tag for the eastside streetcar extension is a whopping $146,917,000. Here's how that breaks down:

$75 million from federal funds
$20 million from the state for the streetcar vehicles
$3.7 million from Metro transportation funds
$6 million from transportation system development charges
$27.18 million from three Urban Renewal Districts ($17 million from the River District, $4 million from the Convention Center district, and $6.184 million from the Central Eastside District)
and $15 million from business owners along the route, through Local Improvement District funds

That funding adds up exactly with the current projected costs, but those costs are considered "low confidence." So what happens if the costs go up? Who pays for it?

That question was discussed at yesterday's city council work session, with the specter of the tram floating through council chambers. When the tram's construction costs skyrocketed, there wasn't a clear plan on who would pick up the rest of the bill, and it nearly shelved the project. For the streetcar, it's been answered up front--in part. It will get funded by more tax increment dollars from the Urban Renewal Areas (which could extend their debt AND threaten other projects in those areas), from yet another LID charge on business owners--or the city will just shorten the route to save money.

When Randy Leonard asked Sam Adams if the city's general fund would get tapped to make up the cost difference, Adams responded, "No... unless you absolutely insist on it." But a few minutes further into his powerpoint presentation, "general fund participation" did, in fact, show up on the list of possible sources of revenue. "Disregard that bullet point," Adams quickly responded.

There was also the question of project management, which will be handled for the city by Portland Streetcar Inc. (PSI)--much in the same way Portland Aerial Tram Inc. managed the tram project. While Adams praised the fact that there would be numerous decision makers, Leonard reminded him that that was one of the tram's major problems; there wasn't a clear leader and clear accountability for the project.

At this morning's streetcar hearing at council, Powell's Books' Michael Powell, who's also the chair of PSI, assured council that the streetcar projects so far "haven't caused any embarrassment to the city or to the PSI board," a clear reference to PATI and the tram project.

As for the Local Improvement District funding... the retail businesses along the route are thrilled to be paying the fee, since the streetcar is projected to add to business development, bring in more customers, and increase their property values. But there are also numerous industrial businesses along the route that have to pitch in, and they're less than confident that the streetcar will bring them much benefit.

Marcus Smith, a property owner along SE 7th, polled 46 of his industrial neighbors, and they universally opposed the project and the LID. Unfortunately for them, the remonstrance (or objection) rate among business owners in the LID was just a bit over 2 percent. In order to derail the project, it needed to be closer to 60 percent.

Council is set to vote on creating the LID on September 6th--just in time for the September 7th deadline to apply for the federal funding for the project.

There’s a story in this week’s paper about a new complaints procedure for Portland’s rent-a-cops. SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: RENT-A-COP/REAL COP…

Since the news moves fast, you’re going need to know what the story says before tonight, so here’s a preview:

Rent-a-Cops Get New Complaints Procedure

The mayor’s office has asked the Portland Business Alliance to create an official complaints procedure for its rent-a-cop firm, Portland Patrol Inc (PPI), in response to community concerns over lack of oversight.

“We were getting questions about not having a way to complain,” explains Maria Rubio, the mayor’s public safety policy manager.

PPI officers patrol Old Town and downtown dressed like real cops [“Trust Me, I’m A Rent-a-Cop,” Feature, May 3]. Many of them carry guns, and they have issued more than 1100 park exclusions since last November. But there has been no public complaints procedure since the private security firm started its patrols in 1998. Now, the PBA has apparently drafted one and given it to the mayor’s office.

According to Rubio, PPI officers will give out business cards to people who wish to make a complaint, and the firm will provide the mayor’s office on a quarterly basis with a list of all the complaints it has received, and how they were resolved. The first of these complaint lists is due next month and will be public record.

PPI head John Hren has refused comment, while the mayor’s office and the PBA were unable to furnish the Mercury with a copy of PPI’s complaints procedure by press time.

Police oversight activists say it’s too early to tell if the new policy goes far enough.

“I’m glad the message is getting through to the city that there needs to be accountability for anyone with the power to police,” says Alejandro Queral of the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center. “But I won’t be able to comment beyond that until we know how the disciplinary process is being conducted, and whether there are any consequences to it.”

“The fact that the city has asked for this is a good sign,” says Dan Handelman of activist group Portland Copwatch. “Considering community activists have been on them about this for some time.”

Since we went to press last night, Street Roots has managed to get hold of the complaints procedure, and has this to say:

Offering a card to someone who believes their civil rights are being violated and having the Portland Business Alliance offer a quarterly report is NOT public oversight and transparency.

The card is a step in the right direction, but the people of Portland deserve a direct line to City Hall for oversight and transparency of any private agencies that does business on public lands – especially in the case of the Portland Business Alliance who has shown a history of advocating for institutionalizing laws that violate the human and civil rights of poor people.

Street Roots also accuses the PBA of spinning “half truths” to city council about its relationship with the Portland Police Bureau when it signed a deal to buy off three city cops last week. Tsk tsk. Both the mayor’s office and the PBA must try harder when it comes to oversight for the city’s rent-a-cops.

The Mental Health association of Portland is inviting people to help prepare for the anniversary of the death in police custody of James Chasse last September 17th, by holding a meeting on September 1 from 2 – 4 PM at Midland Library, 805 S.E. 122nd Avenue.CHASSE AT 17: “Dapper little anarchist…”

“Chasse was attacked, beaten and killed by Portland Police officers Kyle Nice and Christopher Humphreys, and by Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputy Brett Burton,” says the invitation. The Chasse family is still pursuing a lawsuit against the city over his death.

It’s not clear yet, what is planned for the 17th. But if you’re interested in finding out, maybe you’d like to go to the meeting. The MHA has set up a new blog about Chasse, which you can read here. Or of course you can start with the Mercury’s coverage, right here.

Quick! Before they flatten the Red and Black Cafe and turn the space into condos on top of an Ikea on top of a Starbucks, raise some cash for their new space with a fancy vegan dinner.

Guest chef Aaron Adams (who I wrote about when he was doing the all-too-brief vegan dinners at Juniors) is behind Saturday evening’s meal, which will feature “red onion n’ corn mashed taters, garlicky green beans, summery vegetable salad, peach pie,” and more. It’s $9-20 per person, sliding scale, and you need to reserve a spot, otherwise you’ll be stuck eating uncooked Tofu Pups at home by yourself. 503.281.3899 to get yourself a table.

Oh, the delicious food snaps are from the last dinner at the cafe, and are courtesy of the always awesome Get Sconed! blog.

Man, I’m excited for Shoot ‘Em Up, the new action flick starring Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti. The trailer playing in theaters now (which you can see here) is great: goofy, pulpy, and badass, it kinda makes me think of what a Sergio Leone/John Woo collaboration might look like. Shit, it just looks fun.

Okay, but if I was excited before, now I’m fucking stoked, since New Line just released an R-rated trailer for the flick, which shows considerably more gunshots, car crashes, Monica Bellucci nakedness, and cheesy one-liners (“Guns don’t kill people… but they sure help”). I’m a sucker for a great action flick, and this one looks pretty damn promising: loud, cool, fun, and unapologetic, with two of the best actors working today swapping quips and bullets at a lightning-quick pace. Yes. Stoked.

City Council has voted this morning to begin enforcement of the controversial sit/lie law—which will outlaw sitting or lying on the sidewalks downtown. It’s a sad day, since I don’t believe you can compromise when it comes to treating people like human beings, rather than detritus to be swept into the river.

The most telling point in this morning’s testimony was when a downtown jeweler, Tim Greve, from Carl Greve jewelers, told council that the sit/lie ordinance will “directly ensure the success” of the new Brooks Brothers store opening in the Galleria, on SW Morrison.

Selling Seersuckers. That’s what this ordinance is really all about.

The law is targeted at the homeless, despite repeated denials from the mayor’s office, whose Street Access For Everyone (SAFE) committee came up with it. SAFE is comprised of homeless advocates from non-profits JOIN, Sisters of the Road and the Oregon Law Center, as well as law enforcement. But the driving force behind the law is the Portland Business Alliance (PBA)—whose representative Mike Kuykendall has co-chaired the SAFE oversight committee since January. The PBA has also stumped up $150,000 for services to move the process along.

Council last delayed enforcement of the law in June, when Commissioner Randy Leonard said the PBA was pursuing an “enforcement-centric” approach, without ensuring the attendant compromises were in place, including benches for the homeless and adequate restrooms. Now, most of those are here, but Leonard opposed enforcement again this morning, because the SAFE oversight committee has opened a 24-hour restroom in City Hall, nowhere near where the homeless congregate in their largest numbers, in Old Town.OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: PBA’s Mike Kuykendall, Oregon Law Center’s Monica Goracke, and Jared Spencer from the mayor’s office. Testifying before council this morning…

The committee faced questioning from Leonard after delivering its presentation, and he eventually proposed an amendment to the SAFE report proposing to open the Pioneer Courthouse Square restroom, too. But it was voted down by the other City Commissioners, who then voted to adopt the ordinance as it stands.

It just so happens that Pioneer Courthouse Square is Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s property—because it’s technically a park, and he’s the parks commissioner. Saltzman banned smoking there without consulting council, and wants the place to be attractive for suburban shoppers. He’s got no interest in the toilets serving people without money to spend downtown.

That’s the short story, but Leonard’s continued questioning of the committee’s goals and how it has gone about its work has served, I feel, to push the Portland Business Alliance and “family-friendly” commissioners like Dan Saltzman to justify and defend their indefensible motivation on these issues.

Leonard also had some words to the homeless advocates who have been involved in the process. He didn’t say: “you’ve been brainwashed by the Portland Business Alliance,” but he came close:

“I appreciate how hard it is for people advocating particularly for the homeless to find audiences to their concerns. And through that process, you have to compromise. I mean no disrespect in not supporting this report, but I hope you’ll take my words seriously. I oftentimes have to go out to check my frame of references with the community that I represent. I oftentimes check in with the people who aren’t involved in politics, because in spite of our best goals and desires, it’s easy at some times to lose sight of why it is you do what you do. Because you get involved in discussions and compromises, and you lose sight of why it is that you do, what you do.”

Dan Handelman of activist group Portland Copwatch raised the question of whether it’s alright to “trade off people’s civil liberties,” just because you’re giving them a toilet to use. “This law is just about moving people along,” he said.

There’s more detailed council testimony after the jump.

"Can you tell me exactly where homeless people are living near City Hall?" Leonard asked Monica Goracke. "City Hall is eight blocks from Pioneer Square and 15 blocks from Old Town, and late at night, there is nobody in this area or standing at the bus stops, versus Pioneer Square, and honestly, when I wanted to suspend enforcement in June, I honestly just assumed that the Pioneer Square one would be the restroom you would fix. I'm just at a loss to see how City Hall is a viable overnight restroom."

"City Hall is seen as both a symbolic place—a huge message of support for the homeless people," responded Goracke.

"Well I appreciate that, but I wasn't looking for symbolism when somebody wanted to relieve themselves," said Leonard. "I'm feeling a little bit as though this was not a sensible choice. Pioneer Courthouse square has a restroom that's actually set up in a way to have security there. And again, the issue here is serving the population. I have never lost sight of that. It's not about symbolism, or about anyone feeling as if their feelings were hurt. A very important concern for me is the ability for human beings to relieve themselves."

Jared Spencer of the mayor's office told Leonard that 51 people have used the City Hall restrooms from August 2 to yesterday, August 14.

"51 people," says Leonard. "So in two weeks, 51 people have used it. I really think when we said an overnight restroom we were looking at more than four people per night. Why would a person oftentimes mentally ill walk 15 blocks to use this restroom?"

"I'd hope you'd have asked these questions when you were thinking about this. I'm not one that likes to just criticize—the solution that I've offered to the mayor and the PBA is the 1st and Davis, and Pioneer Square option. Why can't we just agree now that we'll pick one of those two, now?"

"My first impression was that [opening City Hall's restrooms] was a cynical recommendation and not intended to fulfill the recommendation."

"I can assure you there was no cynicism or attempt to thwart the mandate," responded Goracke. "We honestly believe that City Hall was a good choice."

"I hope that the entire council would vote to hire security for Pioneer Courthouse Square," said Leonard. "I am really focused on this being really available for people. I'd predict in a year from now, there will be one person a night using the City Hall restroom. I just want it to be convenient, ac