Portland’s rent-a-cops are to get a two-hour training on homelessness, as part of ongoing negotiations on better oversight for the firm—Portland Patrol, Inc (PPI).
SPOT THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY DIFFERENCE: It’s more glaring than the uniforms…

Street Roots, Sisters of the Road and the Oregon Law Center met with PPI boss John Hren yesterday, and agreed that one of them would go through a rent-a-cop training session.

Street Roots also agreed to create the two-hour training for the officers, including an overview of homelessness, the Rose City Resource Guide, and to establish an ongoing strategy so that someone is talking to security guards about laws affecting people on the streets, specifically park exclusions, on an ongoing basis.

It’s extremely satisfying to see PPI and homeless advocates working towards a constructive solution to this important public safety and civil rights issue, about which, incidentally, the Oregonian remains yet to publish a single sentence.

It’s regretful that I even have to ask, but why not? Because the O’s managing editor, Therese Bottomley, is the sister of the lobbyist for the Portland Business Alliance—Bernie Bottomley? (The PBA funds the rent-a-cops). Because the PBA’s director, Sandra McDonough, is a former O reporter? Or because the Oregonian doesn’t care about the civil rights of homeless people?

Either way it doesn’t matter now, because change is afoot, regardless. But I remain sickened by what seems such obvious and undeniable complicity, and will continue to call bullshit. It’s small town, people. Small town.