This Week in the Mercury

AppleTalk

Film

AppleTalk

Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview: In Which Steve Jobs Reveals ALL OF HIS DARK SECRETS


Mechanical Marvels

Books

Mechanical Marvels

Peter Carey's The Chemistry of Tears



  |  

Monday, May 4, 2009

Portland Sitting and Lying for Kanye West Kicks

Posted by Sarah Mirk on Mon, May 4, 2009 at 11:31 AM

Did you see these guys sitting and lying on the street Friday night waiting for shoes? I walked by Compound Friday evening and fell into conversation with 12 guys camping out on the street. They turned out not to be the regular downtown homeless, but guys who had set up camp with a bbq grill, folding chairs and sleeping bags to buy the store's only 12 pairs of limited edition Kanye West Air Yeezy shoes. When I talked to them Friday around sunset, the last guy in line said he'd been there since 10AM and was set to wait all the way till Compound opened at noon Saturday. That's 26 hours of sitting/lying/camping on the streets for a fancy pair of shoes.

b743/1241460803-sit_lie.jpg

Unlike the homeless who have to stand when they wait in line for downtown services like meals, the Kanye campers said the police hadn't hassled them at all. An officer did stop by, though, they said, complimented their bbq grill and told them they were fine waiting on the street as long as they didn't lean against Compound's glass window.

Portland Police spokeswoman Mary Wheat has yet to return a call about why the police did not choose to enforce the sit/lie and anti-camping laws against these particular Portlanders. Under the sit/lie, sitting on a chair or structure is technically legal, so some of these guys are within the bizarre law - but others were hanging out on the curb and laid out sleeping bags like they planned to snooze on the sidewalk.

 

Comments (9) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment
1
its pretty obvious they are going to get their shoes and go after it opens. maybe thats why no police said anything, they knew it was temporary.
Posted by sj on May 4, 2009 at 1:02 PM · Report
2
> why the police did not choose to enforce the sit/lie and anti-camping laws against these particular Portlanders.

Uh, because they're not a PROBLEM. They weren't hassling people for change, trying to sell anyone drugs, or generally stinking up the place. Let's give the cops credit for using their common sense for once.
Posted by mr. voluptuous on May 4, 2009 at 1:56 PM · Report
3
I get where Sarah's coming from with this, but mr. v and sj have pretty good points.

That being said, why the fuck would you want to sit on the sidewalk all night to pay extra for a "limited edition" pair of shoes? I hope these guys get to have sex with like five girls at once for this cause otherwise I just don't get it.
Posted by Will Radik on May 4, 2009 at 7:45 PM · Report
4
The issue here doesn't have to do with whether or not these guys were causing a problem, but the fact that they did not get in trouble for breaking a law that unfairly targets others (ie. the sit/lie ordinance and the affected houseless population). If a law is going to be enforced, it has to be enforced all around; if not, it is a discriminatory law. Yes, every circumstance is different, and I am not proposing that what these guys did was wrong; however, for the sake of those who ARE targeted by this law, it is something that needs to be recognized and dealt with accordingly.
Posted by sunraez86 on May 4, 2009 at 10:00 PM · Report
5
the duplicity is built in to the system...
medical problem? - you are safe
buying something? - you are safe
paying for a permit? - you are safe...
homeless with no where to go? - tough shit...

exception number 8... (out of ten)

http://www.portlandonline.com/Auditor/index.cfm?a=158261&c=28513

_8. Sitting in line for goods or services unless the person or a possession infringes on the through pedestrian zone or the person refuses to comply with a lawful order of a peace officer, the City Engineer, or the City Traffic Engineer to form the line in a way that moderates the impact of the line on passage along the through pedestrian zone;_
Posted by Display Name on May 4, 2009 at 11:52 PM · Report
6
As a socialist, I'm inclined to bash these idiots waiting in line for shoes and say they should be prosecuted. However, I'm also a citizen, and, apprently, according to the commenter citing code there (if it's correct), those guys were within legal bounds.

However. That doesn't mean the law shouldn't be changed. The sit/lie law is complete crap. And, really, having moved here from San Francisco, I can say that the worst harassment I've receive at the hands of a homeless person in Portland doesn't about to 1/10th of the shit I went through every day in SF. For the most part, the homeless here do their best to be courteous to others.

Seriously Go stay in a hotel in the Union Square area in SF for a week. Go walk around in the Tenderloin for a couple hours a day. I dare you to come back here and say with a straight face that the homeless here are a problem. I fucking dare you.
Posted by Will Radik on May 5, 2009 at 3:44 AM · Report
7
Will,
I agree. as someone who has been homeless while living in Portland, I was shocked the first time I went to SF. We were down there visiting allies with offices in the mission and the tenderloin. I was amazed at how many people would spange you while walking down the street. that being said, I did meet a man while there who was convinced that I was Elvis... (if you have seen me, that is not much in the realm of posibility)
thanks
Patrick
Posted by Patrick Nolen on May 5, 2009 at 6:52 AM · Report
8
The difference is that we don't try to sleep in the same store every night, and unlike homeless people we give the people more business, not diminish it. By the way I'm the guy in the picture with the pink blanket. To those who call us "idiots" for camping out. I suggest you do some homework. the shoes we bought were $215 and have tripled in face value in less than a week. Sounds like a smart investment to me. If its ok for people to camp out for the new iphone, concert tickets, or even blazer tickets. why is it stupid for us to make money on our hobby?
Posted by lopez08asb on May 5, 2009 at 10:36 PM · Report
9
Enjoy your hipster beanie babies, I'm sure the "investment" will provide well for you late in life.
Posted by A CAT, probably on May 6, 2009 at 8:52 AM · Report

Add a comment

Our Friends

Our Enemies

/images/adoftheweek.gif

ad of the day

The Handyman Pro - Your Honey-Do Specialist
Don’t let our name fool you. The Handyman Pro, LLC is a repair and remodel service provider with over 25-years experience. We cover all aspects of construction and repairs for residential and commercial clients.go


post an ad

All contents © Index Newspapers, LLC

115 SW Ash St. Suite 600
Portland, OR 97204

Contact Info | Privacy Policy | Production Guidelines | Terms of Use