The Sit/Lie committee has been meeting this morning, although by 10:50am, ten minutes before the scheduled end, the group had only just begun to discuss the report that they now plan to present back to council in November. As someone who has been observing this committee for the past two years, I can tell you: I am not in the least bit surprised. The meeting has been chaired by Mike Kuykendall, a former prosecutor and vice president of the Portland Business Alliance, and given his skill at chairing meetings, it appears he simply doesn't want people talking about that report. Instead, he spent half an hour arguing why it might be a good idea to haul a repeat sit/lie offender, Catherine Perkins, in front of a judge for failing to appear on any of her dozen tickets.

"If someone has ten failure to appears, don't we think we as a group should address that, otherwise why have the ordinance?" he asked.

Why indeed? Kuykendall argued for charging Perkins, whose alleged heroin addiction now seems to be a matter of open public record, given the freewheeling ease with which Central Precinct Commander Mike Reese has been mentioning it this morning, with a violation for failure to appear. The idea: So that word doesn't get out to other people on the street that the Sit/Lie law has no teeth. It's a surprising argument, coming from a group that made clear from the beginning that it was not seeking to "criminalize homelessness." Doreen Binder, executive director of Transition Projects, Inc. even asked Reese whether Perkins wasn't being discussed in the "Monday morning meetings," in other words, why Perkins isn't on the secret list of downtown offenders being targeted for special treatment by the police. Reese told her "she's not a chronic offender." But Binder's question appeared to be suggesting that Reese could simply add Perkins to the list, just the same. You know, for her own good. Deputy District Attorney Laurie Abraham directly said, "it might be good for her to get arrested." Kuykendall agreed it might be good to "get her in front of a judge."

The report that the group delivers to council, co-authored by Kuykendall, Marc Jolin of JOIN, and Monica Goracke of the Oregon Law Center, will be threefold: Addressing how the law is being enforced; Determining whether or not it is disproportionately targeting any particular group; Making recommendations to council for how to move forward.

This morning, the ongoing issue of a lack of A-Board enforcement against unlicensed restaurant signs, compared to homeless people, has been a major sticking point for the remaining homeless advocates on the committee. Marc Jolin, attorney and executive director of homeless nonprofit Join, finally made the point pretty forcefully:

JOLIN: Seems pissed...

"So far, we haven't, as a committee, seen this ordinance enforced against anything other than people," said Jolin.

"It's an equity issue, it gets to the core of what we're doing, and however the city chooses to respond, that's the issue," said Jolin.

Let's hope the strength of Jolin's feeling makes it into the ultimate report to council. It's interesting that the report is now aiming to be delivered in November, presumably after the upcoming election, when the makeup of city council will have changed. Someone from City Commissioner Nick Fish's office was also present this morning, although she didn't appear to be asking any questions that indicated Fish has changed his mind about the ordinance being a good thing. Fish, remember, received nearly $7,000 from the PBA to fund his election campaign. C'est la vie.

At the end of the meeting, Patrick Nolen of Sisters of the Road, who had been observing, got into a fairly interesting, and easily overhear-able discussion with Kuykendall. Public building, public conversation, guys. Take it to Starbucks if you don't want the eavesdropper:

"I hope that you'd recognize that Sisters of the Road and the Portland Business Alliance are in a fight over this law," said Nolen. "The Portland Business Alliance has money and power on their side. I can't hire 60 officers to fight for my side."

"You guys have a big PR machine that's bigger than we do," responded Kuykendall, who appeared to be getting increasingly heated.

"It's never been just about the ordinance," said Kuykendall.

"What does this law prohibit?" asked Nolen.

"Blocking the sidewalk," said Kuykendall.

"It's not doing that," said Nolen.

"I'm about ending homelessness," said Kuykendall, asking why he's getting "ripped" for contributing $150,000 to the group.

"$150,000 of money you gave, you did not give it for a specific reason," said Nolen. "So you cannot say oh, we used it for a good reason, as a cop-out, because that's what it is, a cop-out."

"Everything that I'm trying to do to make a difference is all discounted by you," says Kuykendall.

Strewth. Guys. Mercury reporter. RIGHT OVER HERE.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," says Nolen.

"Fortunately we are rising above all that, and we're not going to be distracted by what Sisters thinks," says Kuykendall.

By the end, and the conversation went on for like, 20 minutes, the pair of them were discussing which weight class they each wrestled in at college. Both 190lbs, apparently. "Maybe that's how we should settle it," said Nolen. Kuykendall laughed.