This Week in the Mercury
Monday, November 9, 2009
News So. What Do Neighbors Think of the Pot Cafe?
Posted by Sarah Mirk on Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 3:42 PM
This Friday at 4:20 pm, the conversion of Rumpspankers cafe in NE Portland to an entirely different kind of joint is supposed to be complete. As detailed in the paper this week, the cafe on NE Dekum will become a private pot-smoking club for members of Oregon NORML.
Some Dekum neighbors are fine with the cafe opening up. But in a heated meeting last week, the owners of Rumpspankers cafe faced off against neighborhood association members who are upset about the planned pot cafe as well as the noise and nature of erotic parties (like Leather Alliance events and a "Pants Off Dance Off") the building has hosted frequently over the last six months.
- OR NORML Executive Director Madeline Martinez contemplates the interior of the pot cafe.
Woodlawn Neighborhood Association Secretary Anjala Ehelebe hoped that the board could agree on an official position stating they would like to see more "thriving businesses" in the area rather than a Cannabis Cafe. "The occasional staging of adult erotic events and the establishment of a proposed Cannabis Club and Cafe where there once was a family-friendly restaurant are not activities that improve or enhance the physical and social conditions within our boundaries," read one of the suggested positions.
The cafe's immediate neighbor complained that the smell of pot hanging in her front yard during Oregon NORML meetings in the building kept her from working in her yard. But though the board was upset that they found out about the cannabis cafe through media calls rather than conversation with the Rumpspankers managers, the board could not agree on supporting any official position against the cafe.
"If they run a tight ship, it could be run invisibly and seamlessly," notes Ehelbe.
Rumpspankers owner Solomon says the neighborhood association board is trying to run him out of the neighborhood. "They don't like that we have big queer dance parties. They don't like that we have an event called 'Dinner and Porn,'" says Solomon. He attributes the recent uptick in noise complaints to "West Side sensibilities" and described last week's meeting as a "vicious, vicious, despicable, vicious attack."
The neighborhood association is hoping the Solomon will sign a Good Neighbor Agreement for the space, but that doesn't seem likely. Rumpspanker's co-owner Shelly Solomon resented the neighborhood's suggestions for how to run their cafe and ballroom differently. "We are business owners, we can decide how to run a successful business in our own space," she says. "If neighbors have these issues, they should bring them straight to us."
Not all neighbors are up in arms about the cafe. "A marijuana bar is probably far safer to have in there than any bar that serves alcohol," says Woodlawn resident John Graeter. But it would be nicer to have something more inclusive than a private pot club on the neighborhood's prime business stretch, says Graeter. "If a golf club store were to move in there, I would probably feel the same way."
1
As far as I know, good neighbor agreements have no teeth at all. If the businesses violate them, the neighborhood association gets to complain, but they can do that anyways, regardless of it has been violated or if there wasn't one in the first place...
That said, it is a good way to get issues out in the open, a good way to set boundaries, and a good way to set expectations. As such, refusing to enter into one is a great way to get the neighborhood association pissed off at you and while a pissed off neighborhood associations can't shut you down just because they don't like you, pissed off NAs tend to be on the lookout for things that the city can fine or shut you down for, instead of holding you to the letter of the law because you seem like you are trying, so it seems like something they'd want to do. In other words, it is the neighborly thing to do to at least talk to your neighbors, instead of starting things off on the bad foot by claiming that you have a right to do what you want to do and they should just shut up about it.
Of course, for some people, weed makes them mellow, for others it makes them paranoid. The owners seem to be in the paranoid group. There is no indication of if they were jerks before they started smoking, but I expect that that has nothing to do with the weed.
That said, it is a good way to get issues out in the open, a good way to set boundaries, and a good way to set expectations. As such, refusing to enter into one is a great way to get the neighborhood association pissed off at you and while a pissed off neighborhood associations can't shut you down just because they don't like you, pissed off NAs tend to be on the lookout for things that the city can fine or shut you down for, instead of holding you to the letter of the law because you seem like you are trying, so it seems like something they'd want to do. In other words, it is the neighborly thing to do to at least talk to your neighbors, instead of starting things off on the bad foot by claiming that you have a right to do what you want to do and they should just shut up about it.
Of course, for some people, weed makes them mellow, for others it makes them paranoid. The owners seem to be in the paranoid group. There is no indication of if they were jerks before they started smoking, but I expect that that has nothing to do with the weed.
2
My wife and I are also immediate neighbors. We have both talked to them on separate occasions (by phone & in person) to complain about noise from their establishment (after 10pm). My wife was told that they are a zoned-commercial business. My wife took that to mean, "we can do what we want." I went in a few weeks later, after waking up to way too loud customers outside @ 1:15am. I got dressed and went in very cordially and spoke w/ Shelly. I told her the customers were way too loud outside and had woke me up. Her response was, "Sorry, it's closing time soon." Her husband(?) / owner listened to me as well and said the same thing. I walked away pissed, but all-to-happy to start calling in noise complaints. It's a regular gig for me almost every Fri./Sat.
As a matter of fact, there's been a couple of times the dispatcher has told me there were already complaints reported.
We have no problem w/ diverse clientele or businesses as such, it's much more the disregard they have for their neighbors. In their defense, I think they have tried to tone down the noise this past weekend, but I don't know what else to do...they weren't very approachable to begin with.
As a matter of fact, there's been a couple of times the dispatcher has told me there were already complaints reported.
We have no problem w/ diverse clientele or businesses as such, it's much more the disregard they have for their neighbors. In their defense, I think they have tried to tone down the noise this past weekend, but I don't know what else to do...they weren't very approachable to begin with.
3
This kind of reminds me of the Mexican restaurant that took over in the Golden Harvest Bakery property on 13th and Hawthorne (now Thai Spoon). Before opening, the owners invited us neighborhood association types in one evening to address concerns about noise, parking, etc. After dodging a few questions about how they would control the patrons of their proposed 150-strong dance parties on Friday and Saturday nights, one of the owners declared something along the lines of, "This is my business, and there's nothing any of you can do about it." Despite the complimentary snacks, the meeting kind of went downhill from there.
I think that place lasted about six weeks.
I think that place lasted about six weeks.
4
I work and live in the neighborhood and take great offense to the ignorance and stupidity of the comments made by Rumpspankers owners. "They don't like that we have big queer dance parties. They don't like that we have an event called 'Dinner and Porn,'" says Solomon....in fact, Mr Solomon, the folks I have talked don't mind so much the parties, WHAT THEY DO MIND IS THE PISSING ON FRONT DOORS BY SOME OF YOUR PATRONS AND THE FUCKING NOISE! Further, "He attributes the recent uptick in noise complaints to "West Side sensibilities"'...I don't know anyone in the neighborhood who has recently transplanted from the west side and who may have brought such despicable sensibilities along with them. Me? I'm as east side as you can get....so far east I'm off the map, and again, it was never the venue of late night humpty hump parties, it was how carelessly they were run with seemingly no regard for the neighbors. You can share your love juices with as many folks as you like, but don't keep people up doing it and don't urinate on buildings. And one more thing, "We are business owners, we can decide how to run a successful business in our own space,"...let us know when you achieve that goal....0 for 2 so far.
Some free advice for the Rumpspunker's owners: at the meeting that was a "vicious, vicious, despicable, vicious attack.", grow the fuck up ( and vicious 3 times? why not callous, or insensitive...something else, because 3 vicious' sound silly silly silly). The meeting was about YOU and you knew going into it there wouldn't be much support, but you don't help yourselves by isolating yourselves from the neighbors and the neighborhood. YOU SHOULD EXTEND SOME ASSURANCES...I'm not kidding, there will be no charge for this advice. It will get you farther than you think.
It's not the pot cafe that is the concern....it is the fact that the Rumpspunkers owners are the ones in charge.
More...
Some free advice for the Rumpspunker's owners: at the meeting that was a "vicious, vicious, despicable, vicious attack.", grow the fuck up ( and vicious 3 times? why not callous, or insensitive...something else, because 3 vicious' sound silly silly silly). The meeting was about YOU and you knew going into it there wouldn't be much support, but you don't help yourselves by isolating yourselves from the neighbors and the neighborhood. YOU SHOULD EXTEND SOME ASSURANCES...I'm not kidding, there will be no charge for this advice. It will get you farther than you think.
It's not the pot cafe that is the concern....it is the fact that the Rumpspunkers owners are the ones in charge.
5
Eric Solomon's allegations of persecution and intolerance are delusional or dishonest. The Woodlawn Neighborhood Association has fairly and even-handedly attempted to address the legitimate concerns of neighbors. Solomon has wasted much of the goodwill that greeted Rumpspankers in its incarnation as a family restaurant. As I see it, times were hard, business was sparce, and the Solomons' chose the low road to economic survival with sex and drugs, skirting the margins of legality. Bear in mind that pot cultivation, distribution and use are still federal crimes, despite the Obama administration's decision to not enforce the law. Sexual exhibitionists and drug users, as such, are not "protected minorities." Serious concerns include late night noise, traffic and disorderly behavior associated with the Solomons' business; the potential exposure of children to these so-called adult activities; and possible effects on property values and the viability of other businesses in Woodlawn. It is up to the Solomons to demonstrate that they can operate their business harmlessly, and I strongly recommend that they accept the Neighborhood Association's offer to negotiate a Good Neighbor Agreement.
7
http://tinyurl.com/yf57rwt
Although this complaint is dated 9/29/09, it probably won't be the last.
Although this complaint is dated 9/29/09, it probably won't be the last.
8
I'm a neighbor. I went to that meeting. As I remember it, the "vicious attacks" were indeed threefold: one person said the restaurant had bad coffee, another person said they waited 40 minutes for a cup of tea to be served, and that the restaurant had cleanliness issues (see public health inspection report), and, most vicious of all, a neighbor warned the executive director of NORML against doing business with the Solomons because the Solomons had lost the trust and goodwill of the neighborhood in a big way.
Mr. Solomon likes to claim victim status and seem heroic in his own eyes because he's providing a "home" for typically unwanted activities. What he's glossing over is the fact that he's systematically antagonized his neighbors, his co-business neighbors, and he has lost that valuable business intangible called "good will". And his continued neighbor-blaming won't help him at all.
I'm proud of my neighbors and their measured, intelligent reactions to these business changes. When we were told about a gay neighbor who was mugged in broad daylight as he walked to a gay party hosted by the Solomons, we were outraged! That's a hate crime, we cried! and we wanted the perpetrators caught and punished. We care for our neighbors here, and their previous addresses are no issue to us.
We wanted to and did welcome the Solomons, but they have increasingly and deliberately set themselves in opposition to us. So our overriding issue IS with the management, who doesn't even want to work with us and address our concerns, and not as much with the activities they sponsor. (On the other hand, they did show up at the meeting to hear us and to be heard. . . first time they'd done that in months. The last time was after we'd just *ahem* uncovered the sex parties going on under their management.)
This is an opportunity for the Solomons to show that they CAN run a responsible business. This is also an opportunity for them to reach out to their neighbors and try to heal wounds.
More...
Mr. Solomon likes to claim victim status and seem heroic in his own eyes because he's providing a "home" for typically unwanted activities. What he's glossing over is the fact that he's systematically antagonized his neighbors, his co-business neighbors, and he has lost that valuable business intangible called "good will". And his continued neighbor-blaming won't help him at all.
I'm proud of my neighbors and their measured, intelligent reactions to these business changes. When we were told about a gay neighbor who was mugged in broad daylight as he walked to a gay party hosted by the Solomons, we were outraged! That's a hate crime, we cried! and we wanted the perpetrators caught and punished. We care for our neighbors here, and their previous addresses are no issue to us.
We wanted to and did welcome the Solomons, but they have increasingly and deliberately set themselves in opposition to us. So our overriding issue IS with the management, who doesn't even want to work with us and address our concerns, and not as much with the activities they sponsor. (On the other hand, they did show up at the meeting to hear us and to be heard. . . first time they'd done that in months. The last time was after we'd just *ahem* uncovered the sex parties going on under their management.)
This is an opportunity for the Solomons to show that they CAN run a responsible business. This is also an opportunity for them to reach out to their neighbors and try to heal wounds.
9
Oh my god, big fat poly people can't control their bladders? You know respect for the OTHER can be abused. Victims, of what, saying that just because you have a "Business" you can do what you like is like saying I can piss on your shoes and tell you it's raining.
10
Solomons can pack up his fat ass and leave our neighborhood. I don't think they have any right to be showing any kind of Porn in the Woodlawn neighborhood. Nice to see this city once again turn a blind eye to perverts as long as they are in a economically hard hit neighborhood, nice. This would be all over the evening news if it were in Irvinton. This is almost as despicable as the "Adult movie shop" across from Okley Green elementary school on Interstate and Ainsworth. Want to watch porn do it in your own home, not in a neighborhood dance hall.
11
Solomons can pack up his fat ass and leave our neighborhood. I don't think they have any right to be showing any kind of Porn in the Woodlawn neighborhood. Nice to see this city once again turn a blind eye to perverts as long as they are in economically hard hit neighborhood, nice. This is almost as despicable as the "Adult movie shop" across from Okley Green elementary school on Interstate and Ainsworth. Want to watch porn do it in your own home, not in a neighborhood dance hall.
12
I too am a neighbor, and have constantly been kept awake with LOUD music being played after 11 pm and sometimes 12! The noise issue stopped once NORML moved in, but as soon as Rumpspankers kicked them out There was a big party blasting music again! I don't give a crap if you want to have a porno party while smoking pot. That's not the issue. These people are not good neighbors. Public urination is intolerable, and recently I've had people walk past us smoking pot while we were getting our 6 month old out of the car! We tried to support their restaraunt when it first opened, but it just wasn't that good. These people, the Solomons, don't care about the neighborhood or the medical reasons for smoking pot. They only seem to care about making a buck off of anything they can. Also all that they are ultimately accomplishing is the re-criminalization of medical marijuana. If it's really a medicine and you are soo sick you need it, then what gives? Why the loud parties? Oh yea, they also SELL marijuana there! Although they don't call it that. You see what happens is you give them a certain amount of "money" as a donation, and they "donate" a certain amount of pot to you. Last I heard, when you give money to someone and they give you something in return, THAT"S A SALE!!! I'm for medical marijuana, and the decriminalization, but I also feel that there needs to be some sort of regulations or better guidelines. Hey, I get migraines, let's start a place where people can meet and discuss taking migraine medicine?
13
I'd like spank their nasty little rumps right out of our neighborhood. Let them have thier orgies and "private parties" in an area that is not the core of a neighborhood. The owners also wanted to open a porn shop in the clothing store in the same building. How many more sex shops does this town need? You guys are soooooooo sleazy!
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