“I once sat transfixed listening to a bipolar patient deliver this remarkable narrative about how he had become God,” says Alex Bassos—chief attorney for special courts with Metropolitan Public Defenders. “Honestly, it was as good as anything a novelist could come up with. He talked about all these tunnels that he’d gone down and people who’d spoken to him. It was incredible, although of course, it didn’t help his chances at the commitment hearing.”

We’re talking about delusions. Specifically, the kind of delusions that might accompany behavior making you a danger to yourself or others, and that might land you up, if you’re lucky enough, or unlucky enough depending on how you look at it, here:
CIVIL COMMITMENT COURT: Can deprive mentally ill people of their liberty…

I’ve followed two of Bassos’ colleagues around over the last month—community court defender Chris O’Connor, and criminal court supervising defender Liz Wakefield. Both experiences were real eye-openers, but in terms of my eyes, and how open or closed they were and are now, yesterday’s morning with Bassos was a real doozy. Thanks to him for showing me around.

Plus: Britney Spears was recently committed! Read more after the jump…

"I see two monks sitting with their palms together," says Bassos. We're looking at one of the Rorschach blots that are framed on the wall of his downtown office. "My legal assistant sees the gaps in between—she says it looks like a skull."
BASSOS: Good taste in wall art and neckties...

Introductions

Bassos, 38, has been doing this work in Portland for five years. He was a criminal defender in Michigan before he decided he hated the place, and moved to Portland to take the bar. The son of two therapists who is now married to one, there's no denying Bassos' interest in the inner workings of the human mind.

If people's minds are like iPods, one senses you would have to upload a hell of a lot of material onto Bassos's before it overloaded. He likes to think "big picture," he admits, which apart from defending each and every client on a very specific basis, is what he enjoys so much about the work he's now doing.

We begin by going through a presentation he'd designed for doctors about the civil commitment process—Bassos is also currently writing a book on the subject, too—then, to continue the iTunes-related metaphor, we set the conversation to "party shuffle." Perhaps "grim, Samuel Beckettian shuffle," might be a more appropriate for discussing Oregon's mental health system, but Bassos hardly seems beaten down by his job, so it's hard to feel downhearted.

After coming to Portland, Bassos moved, with his wife, to the Thai city of Chiang Mai for a year—they wanted to "have an adventure." Bassos learned to read and write Thai, which he taught to expatriates, and the pair of them took a series of self-improvement courses together, including a 10-day class in meditation, ("it was all internal, they wouldn't even let you nod to each other, or speak, or write, or anything...it was the hardest thing I've ever done," he says) and a three day Reiki retreat—for which the Grade One Reiki Practitioner's certificate is his wall's reward.

"That was more of a joke," he explains. "You're supposed to channel the universal energy of the universe to heal the person. But the initiation ceremony was like a fraternity hazing, they had us all wear blindfolds and blew on our backs. That was the final nail in the coffin for me. Still, who knows, maybe my channel is now open!"

After the Rorschach blots, Bassos teaches me a few Thai characters using some of the labeled blocks he made in Chiang Mai for the expatriates, which now sit on his bookshelf—then we head out to the courthouse, room 220.

In Commitment Court

"I love you, Dad," says the allegedly mentally ill person. "There's no hard feelings, it's court."

This is the second of four commitment hearings this morning, of which I'll see two--they tend to last around two hours. The man talking is about 35, white, dressed in a thick navy coat with a high collar. His hair is closely cropped, and he reminds me of Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Bassos and I are watching proceedings from the back row of the audience, in a courtroom that looks like this:
COMMITMENT COURT: Set up to feel less adversarial than criminal court...

The man's father has just finished testifying about his son's alleged mental illness as a witness and gone back to the audience. Next, the District Attorney calls the man's brother, who steps up to the witness stand.

"Oh boy," says the man. "Who do I get to call?"

His defense attorney, Rachel Phillips, who works for Bassos, tries to calm him down. It won't help his case if he's speaking out of turn, even if it is to tell his father he loves him, or simply to express bewilderment. In ten minutes since we entered, he's asked for more water to drink, several times.

The courtroom feels both familiar and alien, simultaneously. Like most others in the building, it is bathed in institutional fluorescent light, has some dogged gray carpet, and solid wood doors. The judge wears a robe, there's a court clerk, and two sheriff's deputies, dressed in green, to ensure order. Yet this court is unlike any other: It makes judgments about a person's mental wellbeing, not their guilt of any crime.

That's not to say the cops aren't usually involved. This man was brought to Emanuel Hospital by police five days ago, when the civil commitment clock started ticking—the state has five days to commit a person, or let them go free. It's not clear what prompted the officers to engage the man to begin with.

When the man arrived in hospital he was agitated, disorientated and delusional, and told a doctor he thought the ER machines were weapons. He's been sleeping on the streets for several weeks now, and has lost a considerable amount of weight since his last arrest at the end of last year, judging from his appearance compared to a booking photo I can see being waved around by his parole officer, who should probably be a little more discrete with it.

Because of his behavior, the doctor placed an initial "hold" on the man, committing him to Emanuel's psych ward. Emanuel is one of six hospitals in Portland with a certified psychiatric ward: OHSU, Emanuel, Adventist, Providence, Good Samaritan and the Veteran's Association Hospital.

Such wards are locked, they have rooms with nurses, medication and so on. But they very often fill up. That means doctors have no option but to hold psych patients in the ER, where they sometimes have to remain for the entire five days, ideally with proper supervision, until a bed opens up on the psych ward.

"Emanuel was telling me three months ago that they were on a complete divert because their ER was completely filled with people on psychiatric holds," says Bassos. "That means they couldn't even take patients having heart attacks."

It costs the state roughly $1000 a day to keep someone in a psych bed, and more to keep them in an ER bed. Most patients, once stabilized, only need 3 hot meals a day, a bed, and medication, in order to stay that way. But there are few "post-acute" or "sub-acute" facilities for people with mental illness in Oregon, so they only usually end up in hospital once their situation has gotten particularly dire, and for the state, particularly expensive.

"We're left with this conveyor belt system that can't move because it's overloaded," Bassos explains.

Proving Someone is Mentally Ill

Committing someone to be treated in a psych ward against their will is obviously not something to be done lightly—depending on how seriously ill the person is, they can end up staying in hospital for some time, although the usual length of involuntary commitment is around 3 weeks, according to Bassos. Nevertheless, the state statutes on commitment are written to entitle the alleged mentally ill person to a fair shake.

In the mid '70s, a precedent was set by a case called O'Connor vs.Donaldson, when a man was committed against his will in Florida for many years, without actually suffering from any mental illness. The civil rights movement has since grabbed hold of mental health issues, and so has the Multnomah County appeals court—it has overturned 50 civil commitments in the past two years, Bassos estimates. So it's no easy task for the state to commit somebody.

On the day that the person has been issued a hold, a Multnomah County mental health investigator visits them to prepare a report for the court. Mental health investigators need to be masters-level clinical psychiatrists, or above. It's their job to decide by talking with the person, their doctors and any witnesses, whether the person is willing to be voluntarily treated, is able to be let out soon, or whether to proceed to a hearing to commit.

In the case of "Bruce Willis," the county investigator met him sitting in the quiet room in Emanuel's psychiatric ward. He was difficult to redirect, loud, diverting, tangential, and demanded, "Where's my fucking cigarettes, why am I in here?". When the investigator left the room to walk out of the hospital, he heard yelling and banging coming from the room.
WILLIS: Pissed...but is he mentally ill?

The issue, of course, is that the man's behavior could also be consistent with somebody who wasn't mentally ill, but had in fact been held against their will in a hospital for three days. It's up to the commitment process to figure out the difference.

On day 3 of the hold, the county has to decide whether to proceed to a hearing or get the patient into some kind of diversion program. If the patient agrees, and a doctor agrees, then that's usually what happens. Only about 10% of initial holds ever proceed to a commitment hearing. In "Willis's" case, the patient doesn't believe he has a mental illness and doesn't want to remain in hospital, so the investigator decided to proceed to a hearing.

On day 4 of the hold, the Defense Attorney (that's Bassos, or one of the attorneys he works for) sends a legal assistant to the hospital to write up a report of their own on the alleged mentally ill person.

On day 5, the hearing happens.

So Many Commitments, So Little Time

The upshot of the quick, 5-day process is that Bassos, or one of the attorneys he supervises, only gets to meet the client 5 minutes before the hearing. That's very different from a criminal case and obviously has an impact on the defense attorney's ability to adequately defend the person against the accusations being made against them.

During the hearing, the District Attorney has to prove a clear and convincing case to the judge that the person is mentally ill. That means, specifically, that the person not only has a mental disorder, but is likely to pose an imminent danger either to themselves or others. The DA can rely on witnesses, such as the person's family, or a police officer, or an alleged victim of the person's behavior to prove the case. Today's judge is Connie Isgro.

The person is also examined, in public, by two mental health examiners from the county, during the hearing. Today's mental health examiners are David Mohler and Linda O'Malia.

"They are two of the most competent examiners in the county," Bassos tells me. "But there's a catch. An examination is supposed to include a whole slew of different things in terms of taking the patient's history, talking about medications and observing behavior and so on. But what actually happens in civil commitments is the examiner gets to talk with the client for 10 or 15 minutes, and they have to form an opinion based on that."

"No psychologist would do a patient evaluation in public," Bassos says. "Much less while the District Attorney was cross-examining their patient, sometimes quite aggressively."

No Winners

Today's hearing could have go either way. "Willis" is homeless, and has shown up at his family's house over recent weeks with a heavily bleeding face and they say, has threatened suicide if his family won't help. He's also come into contact with a cop, following an alleged altercation at a Shell gas station—where his face was also covered in blood, according to the officer, who also testifies at the hearing.

Bassos writes notes on his legal pad as the case proceeds, and tells me this case is fairly typical of a commitment hearing.

As "Willis" is questioned by the county examiner, he tells her he has recently fallen into the Willamette River. He's unspecific about how or why—he says "a wave came over" while he was sitting on a pier, then, that someone may have pushed him.

These incidents are weird, but not sufficient in and of themselves to prove the nexus between the person's mental disorder and his imminent danger to himself or others. It's not the court's role to take good care of the person, only to ensure he isn't dangerous, or in danger. And there's a whopping gulf in between.

In a 1995 case, State vs.Sea, the committed person had a lot of weight loss, delusions, cessation of contact with their case worker, and blackouts. But the state didn't prove the nexus between those incidents and the person being a danger to themselves or others, thought the appeals court, when it overturned the commitment. It said the commitment court had taken an "overly paternalistic" approach to the alleged mentally ill person.

It is not the commitment court's job to replace a parent. Perhaps the biggest irony of today's hearing is that if "Willis" wins, he'll probably be little better off than if he loses. If he's let out this evening, he'll continue to wander the streets, or perhaps end up in a shelter, if he's lucky. Or perhaps, if he's really lucky, with a room at the Joyce Hotel on Stark Street.

Either way it's likely his mental health will continue to deteriorate. People are frequently kicked out on the courtroom steps after winning a hearing, with no money, no bus ticket, and nowhere to go. Is that a recipe for their continued success in life? Probably not. But it's their right, in this country, to live free, or die hard.

This Bruce Willis obsession is ridiculous. I apologize.

"I Work For The FBI..."

In "Willis's" case, the court decides to commit him not only based on the evidence presented, but on the manner of his conduct in the courtroom. After demanding water repeatedly he left the room to pee, only to return with the following statement:

"Okay. I'm going to lay it out for you. I work for the FBI. I do pedestrian reconnaissance. You can contact the senators Binder and Binder, they represent me."

FBI JOB: Unlikely...

He repeatedly refers to being an FBI agent when the court examiner asks him how he's going to pay for shelter if he's let out, and on several occasions interrupts proceedings, calling his brother a "liar" for alleging he has shown up at his work "causing mayhem," and at one point, accused someone in my general direction of being an FBI agent, too.

He has trouble controlling his impulses to interrupt and speak out, and goes off at repeated tangents, saying at one point, he had exhumed several bodies from a pit underneath a toxic waste plant. He is refusing his medication at the hospital, he admits.

The court examiners say they believe the man is in the manic phase of bipolar disorder, and that his grandiose delusions are consistent with such a diagnosis. They say the disorder's symptoms are likely to put him "up in people's faces," hence the evidence of possible fights having taken placed, and that it's unlikely, if released, he can care for himself. It's also likely, the judge agrees, that he will end up in a dangerous altercation if he is released.

"I hope you rot in hell you cock-sucking whore," the man shouts at the judge, as he's led off, following her ruling. And I can't help but thinking that's probably something Bruce Willis might have said.

Axes and Butcher's Knives.

The next commitment candidate was found trespassing in an apartment complex in Southeast with a butcher's knife. He alleges having the knife because he was frightened of someone chasing him with an axe. In court, he presents well, but after half an hour, Bassos and I leave the courtroom to go and get some lunch.

"Any time you hear the words 'knife' and 'axe'," Bassos says, "you can be pretty confident the person is going to be committed."

Which is probably a good thing, right?

What do the mayoral candidates have to say about this week’s question?

Portland is in year three of the 10-year plan to end homelessness, and the city council is about to lose that plan’s biggest advocate, Erik Sten. Can homelessness actually be ended, and is the 10-year-plan on track to accomplish that goal?

Let’s find out, shall we?

Beryl McNair—a candidate we hadn’t heard from until this week—was the first to respond.

Beryl McNair
Position sought: Mayor
Website: none
Public financing status: Participated, did not submit any contributions

I want to answer the question about homelessness in my view the homeless problem can be solved with vouchers from the Housing Authority of Portland.

The homeless can use the shelters that house them for the short term, use this address and then get housing with the Section 8 program for the long term.

The housing provided by the Housing Authority is in place to help those in need, and the homeless men and women with/without children need somewhere to live in and a place they can call home for the next ten years and pass it alone, to the next generation, as need to be, we must start with the Housing Authority program.

There are many buildings in this city that are boarded up, there are many buildings being renovated.

There are many buildings that are being rehabilitated and the homeless people can benefit from the works off the backs of those who like to change the infrastructures in buildings, i.e. developers, interior designers and the rest of this industyr and make these places the next homes for the underserved the “homeless”.

The tax dollars and the interior designers, real estate developers, other construction companies that build can make a difference in peoples lives who are less fortunate than they are and put their talents into designing and creating homes for others, they will be using their God given talents while partnering with the most creative as well, with the city, county and state to make it possible. The “think green” housing for the community for that matter the less fortunate citizens will be thanking you for what you do a lifetime, and why not give back to a city what God has giving to you in the beginning.

Candidate Beryl McNair

Craig Gier
Position sought: Mayor
Website: myspace.com/craiggierformayor
Public financing status: Not participating

There will never be an end to homelessness, thats just not possible. Anyone who says they can get rid of it all is just plain lying to your face(especially in a ten year time frame). What we can do is try to do our best within our communities to help reduce the number of homeless people. I would like to take money from other areas that don't work and put it to good use helping people that need a little boost. I don't intend to give a free ride to anyone, only the essentials such as job training and placement, day to day living skills, and basic education. These are all things we can help with. This way we can insure that something is actually given back to our city rather than another empty promise from the city council and city hall.

Jim Lee
Position sought: Mayor
Website: blogmayor.com
Public financing status: Not participating

Spent a week in California, visiting friends and biking in San Luis Obispo, and biking in Santa Barbara while reconnoitering Channel Islands National Park and National Marine Sanctuary for a future visit.

Those islands and surrounding waters are magnificent. Great whales, huge pinnipeds, species of fish and invertebrates without number, birds of every shape, common and rare plants, are at home here, or pass through as migrants. People too made homes here: the oldest human remains in North America lay on Santa Rosa Island for 13,000 years.

The trip home was hard--plane 5 hours late. Then I got shoved out of the bus shelter by a homeless man with a big backpack and a serious attitude. His buddy was on crutches with one foot in a cast and wrapped in a plastic bag; more polite, but still did not want me close. Both hassled me all the way to the Hawthorne district.

I share a nice small house with a good friend--lived there longer than anywhere else. Not nearly so nice as my friends in San Luis, but just as pleasant. I’m pretty lucky.

We can treat the symptoms of homelessness, but we won’t solve the problem until we accept that it’s rich people who cause poor people. During most of my life I’ve been in one camp or the other. Not what I had planned: I don’t want more than anyone else, but I don’t want less, either. The happy middle is what I’ve always aspired to, but seldom realized.

It’s said that Erik Sten has been a great advocate for the homeless. But he has lived well in an expensive house in Irvington and now in an even more expensive house in Southwest. Erik makes me think of the current run of “This Old House:” a couple with two children in a $750,000 house of 4,000 square feet that ABSOLUTELY REQUIRES a $1,500,000 house of 6,000 square feet!

Carl Gustave Jung said that something must be done about our psychology. We are greedy and we are wasteful. Social problems are caused by human societies. This is one we have made all by ourselves.

Sam Adams
Position sought: Mayor
Website: samforpdx.com
Public financing status: Not participating, capping contributions

We all know that a person or family can work very hard and still not get by. This strikes our hearts more closely today as national markets and economic trends are in flux. Our community does not accept homelessness as a necessary evil. We know that merely recycling people through shelters and short-term programs is expensive and does little to help people off of the street permanently.

The intention of the 10-Year Plan is to end chronic homelessness. It’s a joint City/County effort intended to address individuals or families that have been homeless for more than one year.

The plan is on track. One of the plan's great features is that it has measurable performance goals. These goals hold us all accountable for the plan's success, and our community has been successful.

A recent audit shows that through the first two years of implementation, 660 chronically homeless people and 407 homeless families were moved into permanent housing—well above our goals of 175 individuals and 250 families.

The City should celebrate these results, and we should acknowledge the leadership and contribution of our partner, Multnomah County.

Nevertheless, much work remains. Commissioner Sten has consistently led and challenged us to do more. He helped build the 10-Year Plan as an excellent road map for our community and a model for the nation. We must continue.

Can we end all homelessness? No, because we can't control all of the factors that cause homelessness. We can, however, be a community that does not accept it. The 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness is call to action and I hope that you will join me in answering that call. I am committed to working with all of you (including those who are homeless or have experienced homelessness) to end homelessness in our community one person and one family at a time.

Kyle Burris
Position sought: Mayor
Website: site not up yet
Public financing status: Not participating

Can homelessness actually be ended? Sure. Is Portland going to be doing it any time soon? I don't think so.

The fact is, when you build a capitalistic society like ours - one that's based on winners and losers - you're going to have people that lose. And when you have a government that's spent so much of its time trying to keep the working man in his place, you're going to end up with just that many more people on the edge. Sten's ten year plan - which you can checkout for yourself here - works to treat the symptoms of this system, but dose nothing to deal with the real causes.

We can work to get every person off the streets, and into assisted housing - but then what? Housing prices continue to rise, and living wage jobs for the kind of people who might find themselves homeless are continuing to disappear. Are these people just going to spend the rest of their lives in this housing, as state subsidized wage slaves? And when the next batch of people find themselves suddenly unable to make their next rent check, what then?

The fact is, subsidizing small chunks of the housing market is expensive, and it dose nothing to stop the causes of homelessness. What we really need to be doing is attacking the market, head on. We need to drive down the cost of living, across the board. As mayor, I will implement a two point plan to make this happen.

First, as mentioned before, I plan to ban most cars. This will free up untold amounts of space currently being wasted on parking lots and car dealerships. As mayor, I'll work to create a system that imposes serious taxes on those who leave their lots empty, and offers tax brakes to those who build housing. This will lead to a new housing surplus that will drive down costs for everyone.

Secondly, I want to end the concept of landlordism. As mayor, I will work with any renters, be they commercial or residential, to make them the owners of their own property. I will set up a system in which the city uses the power of eminent domain to take property from the so called owners, and give it to the people who're actually using it. Once these people no longer have to worry about paying rent, they'll be more free to take care of the other aspects of their lives, and they'll be far less likely to find they selves out on the streets.

We can end homelessness, but it's going to require us, as a society, to seriously reconsider how we function. It's going to require real change.

Sho Dozono
Position sought: Mayor
Website: shoformayor.com
Public financing status: Turned in 4,010 contributions and request for certification on 1/31

Yes, I believe that homelessness can end in Portland and the 10 year plan is a great start. Commissioner Sten should be commended for his tireless work on the issue. While he may no longer work for the City, I think he will remain active and continue to work to find solutions. As mayor, I look forward to working with the council to shepard in the end to homelessness for all citizens.

Jeff Taylor
Position sought: Mayor
Website: portland123.com
Public financing status: Participated, has not submitted any contributions

Did not respond by deadline.

Vladislav Davidzon
Position sought: Mayor
Website: ourportland.org
Public financing status: Not participating

Did not respond by deadline.

So, in this week’s Mercury, we got a collection of stories, from our writers and readers—about love gone good (but mostly bad) and most importantly, crazy. Here’s one that didn’t make it to print, which is unfortunate, because it’s pretty good:

So, I would occasionally see this beautiful girl wandering the art department at odd hours. None of my friends knew who she was, and we didn’t share any classes but, by luck, one day I attended an open drawing session and she was there, pencils and paper in hand. During one of our breaks, while the model was out having a smoke, the beautiful girl jumped up onto the platform and, after striking a few unnecessary poses, asked the few of us sitting there if anyone was heading into Chicago for the weekend. There was a big art expo going on, only two hours away, but she’d never been there, and offered to drive if someone would go with her and help her get around. Coincidentally, my grandfather had just died, and I was planning on going to north Chicago for the funeral, to dance on the ol’ bastard’s grave, and to cross my fingers for some undeserved inheritance. We discussed some details and made plans to leave from the art building the next morning. Now, I did A LOT of drugs during college, before and after, come to think of it, but, I don’t think I could have been so spaced out that I would have forgotten an entire conversation. Somehow, this beautiful girl knew who I was, my major, and a few of my classes, and I had no idea even what her name was. It was a little awkward but, rather than do the smart thing, I chose to take on the role of detective, discover her name, and pretend I knew it all the time. Bad idea. There was nothing I could do to persuade her to show me her driver’s license, there was no information in her glove box, and the purse she let me hold onto when she went to the restroom held no clues. She was even nice enough to come to my grandfather’s funeral, but none of my relatives would play the “no introduction so ask her what her what her name is and then tell me” game. My mother told me to be an adult and just ask her with an apology, but we both knew that wasn’t about to happen. At the expo, she bought a book from one of the artists and asked to have it autographed. When he asked her who he should sign it to, I pricked up my ears, only to hear “you don’t know me and I don’t know you, so for you to address it to me like you do is insincere. Just sign your name, please.” What a bitch, I thought, yet brilliantly deceptive. After the funeral and expo, we began a relationship—a very superficial relationship, obviously—that went on for three weeks until the event i’m leading up to. Once you’ve exchanged bodily fluids, the option to suck it up and just ask for the name flies right out the proverbial window. She never told me her class schedule, if she was even actually enrolled. No one in the department seemed to know her name. When she called, it was always a “hi, it’s me!” My roommates’ attempts to find out were similar to a Seinfeld episode, only not as funny. She always came to my place, but I did trail her successfully one afternoon back to her apartment. No name on the mailbox. Anyway, after three weeks of this, and lame excuses why I couldn’t get her flowers or write her notes, I came home one night after a late class. I unlocked the back door, flipped on the living room light, and who was sitting there (in the dark for who knows how long, I may add) but… her! After the girly scream I let out, I wanted to yell “how the hell did you get in my house ,you crazy bitch? I hope you didn’t hurt yourself climbing in through the goddamned window, you nut job, and by the way, WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR NAME?!” Instead I gave her a kiss and a heartfelt “hey you, good to see ya.” “My name is Kimberly,” she said. A short, awkward silence (only awkward on my part, of course) followed, and then, the retort. “Yeah, I know your name, Kimberly, duh. What, are you kidding?” “No you don’t, and no i’m not, ” she replied. “You know, at first it was kind of cute, but after a couple of weeks it’s just gotten pathetic. You kind of make me sick. How long was this going to go on?” We dated for two years. Two horrid, manipulative, and unforgiving years filled with deception, anger, and cowardice. And in those two years, I never found out her parents’ names.

The perfect pop “hook” is one of the most elusive elements in songwriting, but when it works? Nothing works better. Take for example this sugar pop hit from 1998, Jennifer Paige’s “CRUSH.” Everything is vanilla enough until we get to the chorus, and then? The combo platter of sensuality and groove leap out of this song like a freight train.
Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Jennifer Paige is easy on the eyes. While she hasn’t done much since this one-hit wonder (not counting 2002’s “Stranded”), she has performed for the Pope—which is more than you can say.
The best part of this video (besides that perfect hook): The Melrose Place vibe and Jennifer’s luminescent dental work.
The worst part: I don’t know who I despise more—the douchebag with the hat that she’s dating, or the douchebag she has a “crush” on!

Here’s a picture I took from the balcony of the performing arts center last night of Israeli director Eran Kolirin, talking with the Portland International Film Festival audience about his movie, “The Band’s Visit.”

PIFF: Question & Answer…

Kolirin admitted having had a few beers, which made him more endearing to listen to, frankly. And he probably needed them to cope with a couple of the inane questions shot at him by the audience. But the movie was excellent. It’s about a fictional visit by the Egyptian Ceremonial Police Orchestra to a town in Israel.

Such a visit is impossible in the real world of Arab/Israeli tensions, of course. Indeed, the film doesn’t feature any Palestinian actors—those playing Palestinian roles had to learn a new language to play the parts. And controversially, the Oscar Board has refused to accept the film as a 2008 “foreign film” entry. Which I find weird, and so does Kolirin.

But, as I say, the movie was excellent. Nothing really happens, but it’s full of romance and longing, and frustrated sexuality. Not to mention Chet Baker. It all reminded me of a story my mother tells from the early ’70s about going to the dentist for a root canal in Saudi Arabia—he was smoking throughout, gave her a lily to hold instead of an anesthetic, and let his soldier friend come into the surgery to watch. The way she tells it, it was one of the best experiences of her life. My mother, eh. Sick!

Want more? Check out the Mercury’s PIFF recommendations here. I’ll see you there…

Don’t forget… you can always find more listings on Found It!

Friday
The Artistery–Michael Griffen Memorial Concert: Eric Ostrowsky, Arrington de Dionyso, Leif Sundstrom, Lars Holmstrom, Kelvin Pittman, Kathleen Keogh, Caroline Buchalter, Gabriel Saloman, Corey Brewer, Mark Kaylor, Paul Hoskin, Doug Theriault, 8 pm, $6, all ages
Crystal Ballroom–Rodrigo y Gabriela, 8 pm, $30-35, all ages
Doug Fir–Talkdemonic, Tu Fawning, Starfucker, 9 pm, $12
East End–Expressway to Your Skull: DJ Misprid, Cityrocker, 9 pm
Holocene–Party & Bullshit: DJ Hannukah Miracle, DJ Pretty Please, 9 pm, free
Hotel–Ovo, The Better to See You With, Silentist, Moodring, 8 pm, $5, all ages
Rotture–Neon: Atole, DJ Koolaid, Pocketrock-it, Tre Slim, 10 pm, $3
Satyricon–Limp Wrist, Lebenden Toten, PRF, Social Graces, 8 pm, $7, all ages
Slabtown–Paper Brain, No Go Know, Love That Dress, 9 pm, $5
Someday Lounge–Chores, Klickitat, H Is for Hellgate, Ferocious Eagle, 9 pm, free
Towne Lounge–Davis Redford Triad, Eternal Tapestry, White Rainbow, 9:30 pm, $6

Eartha Kitt on Saturday at the Schnitz: Meow!

Saturday and Sunday listings after the jump…

Saturday
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall–Eartha Kitt, The Oregon Symphony, 7:30 pm
The Artistery–The Online Romance, Lake, World's Greatest Ghosts, 8 pm, $6, all ages
Berbati's Pan–Climber, New York Rifles, Shane Tutmarc & The Traveling Miseries, 9 pm, $7
The Brass Monkey–White Fang, The Rainy States, The Newspapers, The Wires, The Estranged, 9 pm, free
Doug Fir–The Prids, Charmparticles, Reverse Dotty & The Candy Cane Shivs, 9 pm, $8
Green Dragon Bistro & Brewpub–The Reverb Brothers, 8 pm, free
Holocene–Atlas: DJ Anjali, The Incredible Kid, DJ E3, 9 pm, $5
Music Millennium–The Helio Sequence, 7 pm, free, all ages
Plan B–DIY Fair: Atom 13, 2 pm, free
Rererato–Paper Upper Cuts, Wooden Indian Burial Ground, Team Evil, DJ G-Dubyah, all ages
Rock n Roll Pizza–DJ Chill, Cool Nutz, Maniac Lok, Kenny Mack, Chef Boy R Bangers, Debonaire Boys, 97211, 7 pm, $10-15, all ages
Someday Lounge–Carmen with Opera Cinema: The Cavalcade of Beautiful Losers, DJ Brokenwindow, $15
Wonder Ballroom–Girl4Girl Dance Party: DJ Beyonda, DJ Mel, 9 pm, $15

Sunday
Crystal Ballroom–Rogue Wave, Metro Station, 8 pm, $9.47, all ages
Dunes–Eat Skull, Hornet Leg, Nodzz, 8 pm
East End–Seasons in the Sun: Vinyl Ritchie, 9 pm
Hawthorne Theatre–HorrorPops, The Pink Spiders, Rocket, 7 pm, $13-15, all ages
Holocene–Pop Tart: Ashleigh Flynn, DJ Ricki Leigh, Mr. Charming, Rose City Sirens, 5 pm, $5
Mississippi Studios–True Stories: Marc Acito, Stacy Bolt, Jim Brunberg, Chelsea Cain, Stephanie Schneiderman, Courtenay Hameister, Scott Poole, 7:30 pm, $8-10
Rock n Roll Pizza–E for Explosion, Dynamite Walls, Cicero, Eli Keller, 7 pm, $10, all ages
Valentine's–Go Go Simba, Purple Rhinestone Eagle, Dim Rocket Delta, 9 pm, free

Don’t forget to get down to the Cleaners at the Ace Hotel (1022 SW Stark, from 11 am-6 pm) for the PDX Collective Blowout Sale tomorrow, featuring major steals from: Bubble, Moxie, Mimi and Lena, Nolita, Parts and Labour, Physical Element, Pin Me Apparel, Le Train Bleu, Sameunderneath, Shoefly, Zella’s Shoes, and The English Dept!

Personally, I like to stock up on sweaters and other wintry goods that the stores are trying to part with to make room for Spring merch, but anything’s good game. Come early for the best selection, and remember: be nice!

According to another letter to the editor, received today, from Brad Stewart. Gosh, it’s hard, being so far ahead of the Zeitgeist. Judge for yourself. I’ll assume the check’s in the post.

1.Us.
2.Them.

…says a letter to the editor:

The other day I was reading in the Willamette Week about a new vegan strip joint opening up, bank rolled by the owner of the failed Pirates Tavern. As an ex-employee, I can attest to this man misogyny. I just had no idea it’d come to this. Anyway this is an excerpt of a letter i sent to him.

Veganism in itself refuses to exploit animals for our pleasure. So, the contrast between this type of pornography and said lifestyle choice is obviously black and white. While I’m not in opposition to the sex industry, this hypocrisy of vehemently refusing to use animals as object yet viewing women as them is offensive.

What I see is a direct correlation between the consumption of meat and patriarchy. Think of a butcher shop in comparison to the way males in our society picture women, and how our language is used to objectify them. We live in a society that institutionalizes animals i.e. markets, zoos, laboratories and circuses. Can anyone see the comparison?

I believe veganism to be an important choice in the goal of disassembling patriarchy. So I ask: isn’t this taking us back a step?

Brian Perkel
NE Portland

Now, readers. Here’s that disgusting, exploitative flier for the club, once again, in case anybody has forgotten how thoroughly depraved it was:
VEGAN STRIP CLUB FLIER: Absolutely unconscionable…

The “anonymous” group is still planning to protest Scientology—that’s right, the whole entire religion-type-thing—on Sunday. Their invite says: “709 SW Salmon St Portland, OR 97205 2-10-08 12:00pm (bring a mask)”.

What’s the betting this isn’t just something thought up by the Church of Scientology to make you sympathetic to its cause? Either way, here’s another email from the protesters:

Ladies and gentlemen of the public and the press,

On February 10th, working in concert with concerned citizens around the world, Anonymous will stage a large number of public demonstrations at Church of Scientology centers around the world. Now that we have made evident the sincerity of our intentions, we would like to take this opportunity to clarify our objectives to the press and to the public. There have been a number of myths and misconceptions surrounding the nature of our means and intentions. Among these is the idea that our declaration of war is intended a threat of physical harm against individuals affiliated with the Church of Scientology.

Allegations that Anonymous wishes to physically harm any human being as part of our campaign against the cult of Scientology are patently untrue. As stated in one of our productions, the intention of Anonymous is to ‘systematically dismantle the Church of Scientology in its present form’. Our struggle is directed against the toxic ideals and behavior of the corrupt, violent, and abusive leadership of the Church of Scientology, not against the lives of those who have become entangled with it. Know this: though we oppose all that they stand for, even the highest officers of this cult will not be harmed physically by Anonymous. Our battle is one of ideas. As we speak, it is being fought and won in the hearts and minds of the world’s honest citizenry and their leaders. The ideological nature of our struggle brings us to another common misconception regarding the objectives of Anonymous in this campaign.

Although many of us are put off by L. Ron Hubbard's religious doctrine, we do not oppose the right of individuals to follow beliefs of their choice. As set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion". Anonymous, as a whole, honors the spirit of this declaration. We fight against the atrocities - not the beliefs - of the brainwashing cult known as the Church of Scientology. The acts of defamation, intimidation and murder perpetrated by this criminal organization galvanize our resolve to fight against it. Our righteous indignation is directed against the hypocrisy of this institution, not against the faith of its members. As an illustrative example of our stance, we would like to draw your attention toward a group of individuals who practice L. Ron Hubbard's teachings, but have disaffiliated themselves from the Church of Scientology. They are known as the Freezone. Anonymous bears no animosity toward these individuals.

Many of you may wonder how Anonymous plans on launching into the task of dissolving the Church of Scientology. Our first major objective in this endeavor is the revocation of this cult's tax-exempt status. Indeed, the privileges accorded to the Church of Scientology under the law are significantly more generous than those enjoyed by major religions. As set out by the appellants in Sklar v. Commissioner, training offered through the Church of Scientology is tax deductible, while that obtained through legitimate religious institutions is not. The status of the Church of Scientology as a tax exempt religion is an affront to honest religious organizations. However, its special status with the IRS above and beyond that of other religions is not merely an affront, but a slap in the face.

On several occasions, figures within the media have casually dismissed Anonymous as nothing more than a gaggle of restless youth. We remain entirely undeterred by their remarks. Virtually all age groups, creeds and professions are represented within our ranks. Many who are not affiliated with Anonymous have expressed support for our campaign. Their words serve to further underscore the broad demographic base of our initiative. If you remain doubtful of our strength and resolve, we invite you to observe them for yourselves.

Actions speak louder than words. In the name of those who have been silenced by the false church of Scientology, Anonymous will be heard.

People falling down? Always funny. Even when a kid busts her ass, it’s hilarious. But there’s something about this particular video that makes it a SUPER CRACK UP.

Why so funny? Your theories below!

I hereby declare There Will Be Blood to be, hands down, the best picture of 2007. Why? ‘Cause somebody representing Blood’s studio, Paramount Vantage, just came by the Mercury offices and dropped this off for me.

YES THAT IS A REAL MILKSHAKE AND IT IS DELICIOUS. Oil is to Daniel Plainview what milkshakes are to Erik Henriksen.

SPOILER ALERT. (THOUGH REALLY, WHY HAVEN’T YOU SEEN THERE WILL BE BLOOD ALREADY? I MEAN, C’MON. WHAT THE FUCK.) Also, this swag would be exponentially cooler if anyone who gave the film a bad review didn’t get a milkshake, and instead got brutally bludgeoned to death with a bowling pin.

As you undoubtedly know, VALENTINE’S DAY is right around the corner, and if you don’t want to get your ass kicked, you better submit your free Mercury Valentine STAT! We’ll print the first thousand we receive in the Feb 14 edition of the paper (and there are only like 30 slots left)! EEEP! (Though we will print all we can possibly fit. Plus we promise to print every valentine online!) Anyway, to guarantee your valentine in the paper GO HERE QUICK, and think up some kind of romantic bullshit like…

OH SHMOOPY-WOOPY: Me wuv ooh so much-ins! You make me want to snuggle-wuggle-juggle-cuddle with ooh all night-um long-ums. Smoochy! Woochy! Cootchie! Huggies! Wuggies! Shmuggies! Wuv always, John Wayne Gacy

Something like that. So hurry!

LIMP WRIST, LEBENDEN TOTEN, PRF, SOCIAL GRACES (Satyricon, 125 NW 6th) Oregon’s domestic partnership law went into effect Monday, triggering a healthy amount of line-waiting, pie-baking, blogging, and—drum roll, please—civil-rights sharing! If the law isn’t blocked again come Friday night, newly committed queer punks might want to head on over to Satyricon for the wedding band of their dreams (or nightmares, depending on musical tastes). Limp Wrist play bombastic hardcore with a twist: English lyrics (gotcha). Uruguay-born vocalist Martin Sorrondeguy is best known for his Spanish-screaming Los Crudos, the greatest band to emerge from the wreckage of mid-’90s Chicago punk. Limp Wrist carry the flame of Crudos’ partial-powerviolence, painting rainbow flags on their nukes instead of anarchy symbols. On second thought, this rare Portland appearance is like a bachelor party. So wait a week to get hitched. That way, you won’t feel so guilty when you’re rubbed in the mosh pit. MIKE MEYER

MP3:
Limp Wrist - I Love Hardcore Boys, I Love Boys Hardcore

“I love hardcore boys/I love boys hardcore!”

Limp Wrist is a fascinating band with a Portland connection (guitarist Scott Moore—I wish it was our former bearded newshound Scott Moore, but sadly it is a different guy—lives here) but unfortunately our interview with lead singer Martin Sorrondeguy fell through.

It’s a bit surprising that Limp Wrist is the first outed hardcore band, since the genre is gay gay gay gay! Hardcore shows are a closeted journey of sweaty man-on-man action, forced male bonding, Tom of Finland frontmen, no women whatsoever, and all sorts of other fabulous gay action.

I originally wanted to have a contest where the best user-submitted homoerotic hardcore band name (Girth Crisis! Husker Dude! Ten Inch Fight!) wins a prize, but I don’t have anything good here to give away. CDs? Nerf football? British Sea Power sticker? My desk is lame.

End Hits: Cut the shit, start the pit!

Oh Baby is getting ready for Valentine’s Day tonight by unveiling some new, exclusive British lines of lingerie: They’re not carried anywhere else in Portland, in in many cases, only a few stores in the country. Come see what they’ve cooked up across the pond, with lines from Ayten Gasson, Sexy Panties, Naughty Knickers, Madame V, Playful Promises, and Niki. (Hey British panty makers: Start thinking of better names!) Tonight, a fashion show, drinks, and art will all go down to celebrate the unveiling at Oh Baby’s Broadway location: 1811 NE Broadway, from 7-9 pm.

(Ayten Gasson)

Get more gift and fashion ideas on M.O.D.

The workers at two Hilton Hotels in Seattle have decided to join workers at the Portland and Vancouver Hiltons in an economic boycott—meaning they want you to take your business elsewhere until they negotiate a better contract.

Bush is now in Tennessee trying to cheer up the people devastated by this week’s bout of tornados—but honestly, if your trailer was just ripped apart by a tornado, wouldn’t seeing Bush there make you feel even worse?

Kidney-snatcher mastermind Dr. Amit Kumar was arrested in Nepal. India wants him extradited for 500 transplants—accusing him of forcing people to give up one of their kidneys, and then not even paying them for their trouble!

In what may be the longest trip between “breeding and feeding sites,” A leatherback turtle has been tracked swimming from the coast of Indonesia to Oregon. He must have heard of Oregon’s reasonably priced bed and breakfasts and burgeoning art scene.

~Jenny Furniss

We’ve got news in this race today—Charles Lewis was certified as a publicly financed candidate just this afternoon, joining Amanda Fritz as candidates with $150,000 in public funds. The other candidates (except Mike Fahey, who doesn’t respond to these questions) have all filed a request for certification, and are awaiting the auditor’s final call.

On to the question:

Portland is in year three of the 10-year plan to end homelessness, and the city council is about to lose that plan’s biggest advocate, Erik Sten. Can homelessness actually be ended, and is the 10-year-plan on track to accomplish that goal?

Next week’s question came from a reader. Want to contribute one yourself? Hit me up (like Jeff Bissonnette did in his response). And be sure to check out the archives, and all the election info you can ever want, at portlandmercury.com/2008.

Chris Smith is up first.

Chris Smith
Position sought: Commissioner #1
Website: citizensmith.us
Public financing status: Filed request for certification last Wednesday

The last major project I undertook before starting my Council campaign was helping set up the first Transportation area at Project Homeless Connect. Homeless Connect is a one day event, held twice per year in Portland, that puts a range of services for homeless individuals and families in one location.

This was a great opportunity for me to experience some of the varying faces of homelessness. I think a lot of us have preconceptions about what homelessness looks like, but in reality I saw people in a wide range of situations that ranged from people who were employed, but had temporary housing problems to folks with life-long issues who would be much more successful in coping with their challenges if housed.

The 10-year plan recognizes this range and works to re-focus resources as effectively (and cost-effectively) as possible. For example, it’s much more effective to provide transitional service to a family with short-term financial problems but which is otherwise stable than to allow them to fall into homelessness. Equally, we can provide services much more cost effectively to someone with permanent needs if they are housed than when they are on the street.

The plan has already demonstrated its effectiveness by getting people with some of the most severe needs into permanent housing where they can be served more effectively, freeing up resources to address other aspects of the problem. We may never be completely free of homelessness, but it should always be our goal. The plan is working and we need to stay committed to it.

Charles Lewis
Position sought: Commissioner #1
Website: charleslewis.com
Public financing status: Certified as a publicly financed candidate

John Branam
Position sought: Commissioner #1
Website: john4pdx.org
Public financing status: Filed request for certification last Tuesday

Although there will always be those within our community who periodically experience homelessness, with continued leadership and significant effort our city can end the institution of chronic homelessness. Further, because of visionary and collaborative leadership, Portland is well on its way towards accomplishing this goal.

After more than two years of diligent work, the City’s, and its partners’ results are impressive: more than 1,000 chronically homeless now have homes; more than 700 families have been housed; nearly 500 permanent supportive housing units have been opened; and nearly 400 units of additional permanent supportive housing have been added to the development pipeline. Further, Portland’s “Street Count” demonstrated a 39% decrease in the overall numbers of people who are homeless and sleeping outside and a 70% reduction in the number of chronically homeless people between January of 2005 and 2007. By any standards this effort is a testament to both the strength of Portland’s commitment to ending chronic homelessness and the richness of the collaborative efforts.

Three key tenets stand out as being instrumental in the fight thus far. First, the overall strategy incorporates each of the on-the-ground providers’ expertise. Second, the City has enjoyed healthy partnerships with the Housing Authority, PDC and Multnomah County. Third, Portland’s City Council and Multnomah’s County Commission have demonstrated both the political will and the commitment to this very important effort. Going forward these three tenets must remain in place to help ensure our continued success.

Undoubtedly, however, elements of our efforts will pose significant challenges. The economy will tighten, less land may be available for public housing, health care costs will continue to destabilize families, and our growing population will strain current capacity. Going forward, therefore, it is essential that we have elected officials who are steadfastly committed to ending chronic homelessness, and who will champion the efforts necessary to do so.

As a future City Commissioner I will work diligently to provide the collaborative and visionary leadership to continue Commissioner Sten’s efforts to end chronic homelessness in Portland. To do so I will: 1) hold PDC to its required 30% budgetary commitment to public housing; 2) work with my fellow Commissioners to grow our general fund support for workforce development supports such as BHCD’s Economic Opportunities program; 3) work collaboratively with the many results-oriented non-profits that provide housing, social services support and economic opportunities assistance through the BHCD/ City’s grants; 4) encourage the legislature to pass a real estate transfer tax that will be a state-wide set-aside for public housing; and 5) support home ownership and assistance programs that, in particular, work to close the home ownership gap.

It’s been said many times, and in many ways, that a democracy and a city’s health can be determined by the way it treats those on its margins. As a credo I emphatically believe in, my commitment to ending chronic homeless in Portland runs deep. Without question, I look forward to continuing the kind of visionary and collaborative leadership we need to make Portland the kind of city in which all of our citizens can flourish, with roofs over each of our heads.

Jeff Bissonnette
Position sought: Commissioner #1
Website: portlandersforjeff.com
Public financing status: Filed request for certification last Thursday

The question for this week is actually a two-part question, looking both immediate and long-term. One part of the question asks whether the City's 10-year plan to end homelessness is on track and the second part asks whether homelessness can actually be ended. Both are significant questions and deserve fair examination. Let's look at each in turn.

The City's current 10-year plan to end homelessness, adopted in December 2004 with implementation beginning in 2005, is making progress. The plan, which was developed in partnership with Multnomah County - to continue a theme from last week's question, particularly focused on chronically homeless people, those that have been homeless for a year or more. Often, these people need additional services and support, such as drug treatment, mental health treatment and the like, in addition to housing. While chronically homeless people are typically single adults, there are also families and young people that are chronically homeless as well. The 10-year plan has as its foundation the goal of getting chronically homeless people into permanent housing along with needed support services to ensure that they can stay off the streets.

In August 2007, the City Auditor produced a report on progress during the first years of the 10-year plan. The thrust of the report was that, in the short term, the plan is on track. People and families are being moved off the streets and into permanent housing and have, for the most part, been able to stay in that permanent housing. There were specific goals that were either met or where significant progress was being made for the first years of the plan. That judgment can be made because there are very specific short-term goals that are being pursued and can be measured.

However, more long-term measurements and goals are needed to ensure that the plan remains on track and continues to be successful. For instance, some of the long-term goals of the plan are to reduce the length of stay in homeless shelters and to increase the supply of permanent housing. These kinds of goals help to define what success will look like at the end of the 10-year period in 2015. However, the Auditor found, and I agree, that the plan needs to include more measurements that can be examined sooner rather than later so that we can determine if we are on track to meet those ultimate end goals or not.

Now to the question of whether we can actually end homelessness. Even the 10-year plan itself - despite its name - does not suggest that homelessness can be ended in its entirety. What the plan does is outline a vision and specific steps to significantly reduce the number of homeless people. We will always have the people in our community who fall on hard times and find themselves in desperate situations. Job loss, a serious illness with no health coverage, an addiction that is not adequately treated, a dangerous domestic violence situation and a myriad of other factors can result in people suddenly not being able to afford housing on their own. At the same time, increasing housing costs, as we are seeing throughout the city, and overarching economic events like the subprime lending scandal, as we are seeing nationally, and other societal trends can exacerbate the individual factors I just described and can increase the likelihood that an individual or a family might find themselves without a home. The difference we must make is first to help people avoid desperate situations and second to give people who do find themselves in desperate situations somewhere to turn. We must make sure that the local governments (both city and county) can provide the necessary support services - hopefully with some financial assistance from the state and federal governments - to help struggling people get their lives back.

Two of the long-term items included in the 10-year plan highlight the issues ahead of us to make sure we can effectively address chronic homelessness. First is the proposed creation of a resource access center to serve as a one-stop shop to provide housing and rent assistance, guidance into treatment programs, job counseling and the like. While everyone may agree, and I certainly do, that this sort of resource access center is needed, the question of where to put such a center is generating considerable controversy (Amy, you can take this as a suggestion for a future question topic). The same controversy arises on determining how and where to build affordable housing units. Putting theory into practice often runs straight into very real political concerns that require communication and negotiation around a variety of extremely thorny issues.

Second, the plan calls for increased assistance from and coordination with the private sector. I agree with this goal as well. However, the goal assumes a healthy private sector but that cannot be an automatic assumption. As much time and resources as the city correctly puts into effectively addressing social needs such as homelessness, it must also put an equal amount of time, energy and resources into creating a strong private sector that provides opportunities for people to support themselves and creates the resources to address the social needs of the city (Amy, you can take this as another suggestion as a future question topic). Too often, business representatives and social service advocates see themselves on opposing sides of the equation but in reality, their fates are linked.

Addressing homelessness is a resource-intensive undertaking and those resources need to be well-coordinated. As a community, we need to develop the political will to create an overall economic environment that provides Portlanders with some level of economic security to be able to deal with crisis situations. We also need a healthy economic environment to generate the resources we need to help people who are facing crisis situations. We must have the collective commitment to ensure adequate resources are in place to help people because if they are not, it will be more expensive for us to meet these social needs on an emergency basis.

If elected to the City Council, I will take office at the halfway point of implementing the 10-year plan. On my first day in office, I will request the most recent review of the 10-year plan and a full briefing on the plan's progress. I will be a leader on the council to make sure that the support and resources exist to help Portlanders who are facing dire situations and assist them not only out of homelessness but in avoiding homelessness altogether.

Amanda Fritz
Position sought: Commissioner #1
Website: amandafritzforcitycouncil.com
Public financing status: Certified as a publicly financed candidate

This is a long answer, because there isn't a simple one.

To end homelessness, Portland must provide:

1. Housing for the thousands of people currently living on the streets
2. Affordable rental/home-ownership opportunities and living wage jobs with benefits so that more residents don't become homeless
3. Shelter and services for emergencies

The "10 Year Plan to End Homelessness" is an aspirational goal. The federal government pushed local jurisdictions to develop the plan, and provided additional money. Portland and Multnomah County have a long history of joint planning for homeless services, starting in the early 1980s with the McKinney Act funding cycle. The 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness follows many other plans completed over the years, but differs in the utilization of Housing First as the driving force. "Housing First" is a proven strategy recognizing people respond better to treatment, social services, and job training/placement after they have a stable place to live. Because the 10 Year Plan follows the Housing First principle, I believe real, tangible progress will be made by the end of its first ten years - not just a re-shuffling of the services and where they are located.

Results are already impressive. In the first two years of the program, the number of people living on the streets decreased by 39%. In the Report issued by project staff in October 2007:

* 221 chronically homeless people moved into permanent housing; more than 80% are still in housing
* 311 homeless families with children moved into permanent housing, including 58 high-resource families
* 191 households were prevented from becoming homeless through the provision of rent assistance

Those numbers represent real improvements in the real lives of real people. The report shows the strategy of Housing First is working, at levels higher than the projected targets and goals.

It is important to recognize community partners. For instance, significant progress in ending homelessness has been made by JOIN community action services. They have always focused on Housing First, using market rental units for their clients, and have demonstrated long term retention. It is this local model that provides the real hope that a dent can be made in homelessness in Portland within 10 years. Central City Concern has also done excellent work combining housing with drug/alcohol/mental health treatment, job training and placement assistance, life skills classes, etc. I've been participating in the Affordable Housing Now network for many years. I am continually impressed with many Community Development non-profits doing excellent work in both advocacy and practical projects. Government, community organizations, and caring citizens working together can solve the toughest problems.

Some core issues:

* Portland and Oregon have no permanent dedicated funding source for affordable housing.

I will continue to advocate for the City to prioritize housing funding within our budget, and for the State to adopt ongoing revenue mechanisms for affordable housing.

* "Affordable housing" includes market-rate rentals and home ownership opportunities. This requires consideration of housing costs in area plans, rezoning, and code amendments.

I am the candidate for Position 1 with skills and experience amending the Zoning Code to allow building and retention of affordable family housing.

For example, the Accessory Dwelling Unit provisions adopted during my service on the Planning Commission, resulted in over 4000 small, affordable, neighborhood-friendly homes scattered all over Portland.

* Housing affordability is related to household income.

I will work to retain and increase living wage jobs with benefits including health care insurance.

No city alone can "end homelessness". There is no static, finite list of "The Homeless". Until we find national, state and local solutions to health care coverage, for example, more than 50% of bankruptcies will likely continue to be due to medical bills. With my leadership, working with the County, City bureaus and Commissions, and many other partners on multiple strategies as well as Housing First, we will come closer to the goal of ending homelessness by 2015.

We should have a cat blog. Am I right?

From Paper Cuts, the best thing I’ve read all day: an excerpt from Philip K Dick’s YA fiction novel, Nick and the Glimmung.

Nick knew exactly why his family intended to leave Earth and go to another planet, a colony world, and settle there. It had to do with him and his cat, Horace. Owning animals of any kind had, since the year 1992, become illegal. Horace, in fact, was illegal, whether anyone owned him or not.

For two months now, Nick had owned Horace, but he had managed to keep Horace inside the apartment, out of sight. One morning, however, Horace climbed through an open window; he scampered and played out in the back yard which all the apartment-owners in the building shared. Someone, a neighbor perhaps, noticed Horace and called the anti-pet man.

“I told you what would happen if Horace ever got out,” Nick’s dad said…

That’s so scary! Especially since my own cat hasn’t been home for 3 days. I hope no one called the anti-pet man. (If anyone runs across an extremely handsome and charming tabby cat who answers to “Queequeg,” you know where to find me.) Thanks to Erik for the link, and for an excuse to FINALLY blog a picture of my cat.

Street Roots was the first group to tell you this morning that it’s “people on the streets” who are being targeted by enforcement of the controversial sit/lie ordinance, but it’s not that simple—60% of sit/lie citations issued between October ‘07 and January ‘08 were written to people born in the 1980s, and of those, 85% were cited here, outside the Rite Aid at 6th and Alder:
RITE AID: Well-known hang out for “street kids…”

Yes, the ordinance has overwhelmingly been used against people without a fixed address. Only 11 of the 62 people given either a citation or verbal warning about the ordinance between August 30, 2007, when the ordinance came into effect, and December 28, 2007, gave the officer an address. So most of them can be qualified as “homeless.”

There are two very distinct homeless populations in Portland, that are all too often grouped by the media under one umbrella. The enforcement of the ordinance, meanwhile, appears to have been very distinctly split between the adult homeless population and the homeless “young adult” population, which can in truth be anything from 18 to 35.

“The PBA [Portland Business Alliance—widely regarded as the driving force behind the sit/lie law] is in a difficult position,” says Rene Denfeld, who wrote a controversial book about a murder among Portland’s street youth called All God’s Children, published last year. “Everybody wants to promote downtown as a place to shop, and it’s not good business to have roaming groups of street kids, but I don’t think the PBA wants to acknowledge the problem, and on the other hand, they want to solve it.”

Denfeld’s book is an interesting read, if you’ve got the time. It’s ruffled a few feathers among homeless service providers: She couldn’t get a comment either from the Portland Business Alliance, or New Avenues for Youth, which focuses its services on the kids, when she was writing the book.

The only time I’ve heard a Portland Business Alliance employee talk about the street kids as separate from the general homeless population was in 2006, when the PBA’s Clean & Safe director, Bill Sinnott, told a meeting of the downtown public safety action committee that an upcoming ban on smoking in Pioneer Square might affect those kids. “If there’s one group that—in my opinion—really makes people afraid downtown, it’s these kids,” he said.

Until this morning I’ve viewed the sit/lie ordinance as targeting homeless people indiscriminately. But it seems that’s not the case. It’s a two-fold ordinance, used on the one hand, by police, to initiate conversations with the more compliant adult homeless population, and to direct them towards services, (these are the people, for the most part, getting verbal warnings) and on the other hand, to “crack down” on the confrontational “road warrior” kids, mentioned at this morning’s SAFE oversight committee by Central Precinct Commander Mike Reese (these account for the majority of the citations).

Nobody’s suggesting either use of the ordinance is worthwhile. “I see that if you took the money and court time that it’s taken to enforce this law, we could have gotten these people housed,” said Genny Nelson of Sisters of the Road.

But isn’t there a difference between the two populations, and the two uses of the ordinance? I’ve posted a scan of the citations, complete with dates of birth acquired from the Oregon Judicial Information Network database, after the jump.

I’m not usually one to gossip, but if it’s Gawker it must be true, right?

Anyhow, according to the ironclad fact checking machine that it is, Gawker is reporting a possible pants-pooping incident that supposedly befell Tyra Banks! And even worse, during FASHION WEEK! (BTW, have you been following the shows?) Oh shit! Here’s the scoop:

Another week, another Mercury music section to read while you wonder what to do with all the Romney Microfleece Pullovers you just ordered.

The strange journey of Baby Dee. And I do mean strange.
MP3: Baby Dee - Teeth Are The Only Bones That Show

Remind me to never play pool with the dudes in Zoroaster. Also, spark one up and enjoy this epic (over 11 miniutes!) jam.
MP3: Zoroaster - The Book

Super Furry Animals: Loved by the citizens of Wales, and confused followers of the Furries movement.
MP3: Super Furry Animals - Run-Away

Strap on your Power Glove and get ready for the 8-Bit Disco revolution.
TRAILER: 8-Bit Generation (the film)

Baby Dee photo by Olivier Naudin

End Hits, all Romney fleece jokes, all day long.

First reported by the Tribune. It’s about bloody time.

There’s no shortage of shows tonight. Sniff out more listings on Found It!

Alberta Street Public House–Porches, Levator, Autopilot, 9 pm, $5
Berbati’s Pan–The Coup, Debaser, Mic Crenshaw, Living Proof, 9:30 pm, $15
Branx–DJ John Bourke, DJ Joeeirwin, DJ Furpurse, DJ Koolaid, 10 pm, $5
Crystal Ballroom–Rodrigo y Gabriela, 8 pm, $30-35, all ages
Dante’s–The Blakes, Magic Bullets, The Village Green, 9 pm, $5
Doug Fir–Matt Costa, Delta Spirit, 9 pm, $15
Dunes–Dinosaur Heart, Joey, Chainsaw Hawkins, Afternoon Brother, +CNCTD, 8 pm
Gerding Theater–Wisely, Per Se, 5:30 pm, free
Ground Kontrol–Fun World: Glass Elevator, Delightful Young Man, Root Beer & French Fry, 10 pm, $4
Hawthorne Theatre–The Meteors, Kat Killers, Nekronotz, 7 pm, $15, Holocene–Future Arts Festival: Glass Candy, Fleshtone, DJ Linoleum, DJ Automaton, DJ Bonaparte, DJ Girlfriends, Rose City Sirens, 9 pm, $8
Kelly’s Olympian–Junkface, Team Evil, Pirate Radio, 9 pm, $3
Rotture–Pan-Zen Konspiracy Nettwyrk: Camino Acid, Try My Cabbage, Rudement, Something’s Burning, Mutant Assembly, 9 pm, $5
Satyricon–Asphalt Thieves, The Lives of Famous Men, Weatherbox, Jet Lag Gemini, Eli Keller, 7 pm, $8, all ages
Valentine’s–Al James, 9 pm, free
Wonder Ballroom–North Mississippi All-Stars, Alving Youngblood Hart, 9 pm, $17, all ages

Thanks to an anonymous donor who wrote, simply, “I did not send you this,” in his or her email, accompanying this controversial bumper sticker. I have to confess, I’ve been wringing my hands over whether to post it, and doing so could well be a mistake. In which case, I apologize for any offense caused.

BUMPER STICKER: Portland Loves This Kind Of Probing Insensitivity…no, really…

So the full list of SXSW bands has been released. It’s a little dizzying to look at such a long list—it’s even worse in person with a half dozen Lone Stars in your belly—of performers, but this year’s festival looks pretty impressive.

Included in this endless parade of performing acts are a whole lot of Portland bands.

They are (in alphabetical order):
A Weather / Blitzen Trapper / The Blow / The Builders and The Butchers / Castanets / Eat Skull / Laura Gibson / The Helio Sequence / Kaddisfly / Lifesavas / Little Claw / New Bloods / Old Time Relijun / Panther / Red Fang / Sleep / To Live and Die in LA / Valet / White Rainbow / YACHT / Larry Yes

This is more than last year (I believe it was 17 last year), and there just might be more local bands added as the festival draws closer.

End Hits at SXSW? Yes, nonstop drinking and blogging coming soon…

To show their support for their favorite presidential candidate, PEARL JAM covers “Rock Around the Clock,” except—GET THIS!—they change it to “Barack Around the Clock!”

LAME!!

RIHANNA is starting her own line of—you guessed it—UMBRELLAS.

LAME!!

Hey, did you go on the JOHN MAYER CRUISE? Probably not, because it’s…

LAME!!

SCARLETT JOHANSSON reportedly has a lesbian sex scene with PENELOPE CRUZ in the next Woody Allen flick.

LAME!! (No. Wait… … …) AWESOME!!

FIRST. Hey! It’s John Kerry!

Thanks to Topless Robot’s 10 Star Wars Toys that Unintentionally Look Like Other Celebrities. Also featuring Mon Mothma/Laura Bush and Dengar/Johnny Cash!

SECOND. I have played more Star Wars videogames than anyone should ever admit. I’ll be the first to note that with two exceptions, they almost always suck. Hard. Like, really hard. No. Really.

That said, I’m totally geeking out over this summer’s Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, in which you get all sorts of crazy-ass Jedi powers.

I mention it here because Vanity Fair has an excellent story about the game and its development. The story also delves into the current state of gaming in general—which means it’s not only worth a read for big ol’ geeks like me, but also for anyone curious about these vidyagame tapes the kids these days can’t seem to get enough of. So yes, it is recommended reading, and it is here. A quick excerpt:

In many cases, [LucasArts’] employees themselves are byproducts of the influence of Star Wars: writers, designers, animators, and artists who, as kids and teens, were wowed by the movies and decided that they, too, wanted to create science-fiction and fantasy characters and visuals that were as fully formed and plausible as those that Lucas had put on movie screens. But instead of lining up behind the crowds jockeying to get into film school, these future storytellers chose as their canvas the much younger and more interactive medium of video games, a medium that increasingly overlaps with filmmaking—artistically, technically, and in terms of storytelling technique—but that also has its own rules, philosophies, and cultural touchstones.

Thanks to Kotaku for the heads up about that. (Also, who the hell is Lucas paying off at Vanity Fair? Between this feature and their Indiana Jones story, it’s a regular LucasFilm love-in over there.)

This week’s I, Anonymous is already getting a flood of responses via email, but let’s open it up for the Blogtownies! Check it out, and feel free to post your response below. (BUT PLEASE… I hate it when people use the “c” word. You know… the “c” word that’s followed with “unt.” So don’t use that.)

Tit for Tats

Dear middle-aged man preparing to board the same flight as me out of PDX: Yes, there are rather attractive and large tattoos covering my chest, neck, and nearly 80 percent of the rest of my body, which you cannot see, though you are trying like hell to see through my clothes. Yes, they hurt. Yes, they mean something, but simply having them within your eyeshot does not make them any of your business. And by the way, YOU’RE STARING AT MY CHEST! And dear hip near-retiree working the cash register at New Seasons, dear small-time business exec who wants to tell his frat-grad pals he was ballsy enough to chat up the tattooed girl, dear every lame, insecure Portland male who’s decided myself and any of my fellow heavily tattooed female comrades appear approachable, trust me… WE DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT OUR TATTOOS! Seriously, we appreciate that you think they’re beautiful and want to reassure us that we still have a place in your “normal”