Oregon Street Talk

After a long hiatus, Oregon Street Talk is now This Sheltered Life.

2009-01-30T13:31:00.001-08:00

With somewhat different focus and purposes, Oregon Street Talk is now This Sheltered Life .

http://thisshelteredlife.wordpress.com/

* The past entries of Oregon Street Talk will be preserved here for the foreseeable future.

Coldest winter since 1978?

2008-10-31T15:48:00.000-07:00

This article was originally written for Street Roots.

Nice, warmer autumn; extreme winter:
Oregon meteorologists look to oscillating, often unpredictable, weather pattern

By Sarah Morrigan

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 24 – Four prominent Oregon weather experts presented their predictions for this fall and winter weathers in the annual “What Will Winter Be Like” event this morning at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Southeast Portland.

Good news: The meteorologists believe that it will be warmer November and December, with below-average precipitations.

Bad news: They predict heavy snows and a very cold winter, starting late December through March.

The presenters, representing local meteorological and climatological agencies, agreed that the shifting patterns in oceanic temperatures lead to a “neutral” year with somewhat La Niña-like conditions at times. Using statistics from “analog, or surrogate, years,” in which the patterns of oceanic temperature changes, observed weathers and sunspot counts are similar to the upcoming season, they concluded that this year’s climates in Portland area will resemble those in 1955, 1974, 1985 and 1989.

“I don’t expect a constant theme, but rather a roller-coaster ride of oscillating weather,” said Pete Parsons of Oregon Department of Agriculture. “In January, it will be either extremely mild or extremely cold; it may even be like 1930, when the Columbia River froze over.” Parsons likened 2008 also to 1978, calling for a 30 to 50 percent possibility of a major arctic outbreak. It is defined as an episode of more than seven days of continuous below-freezing temperature. To dramatize this point, Parsons showed a mock tabloid front page screaming: “Coldest winter since 1978!”

Former Oregon State University meteorologist George Taylor pointed out that in December 1955 there was a major flood in Portland under a climatic pattern similar to this year. According to his analysis of Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Taylor believes that there will be a considerable cooling in global atmosphere during the coming 15 or more years. “Though urban effects are reducing snowfalls in Portland, but it’s not necessarily so in Corvallis or rural areas in this region,” said Taylor, also calling this winter a neutral one. “It’s very tough predicting La Niña or El Niño, meteorologists may as well get away with tossing a coin.”

Sidebar: Winter emergency shelters in Portland
Between Nov. 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008, the City of Portland contracted with the American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter to open three emergency warming centers (EWC) during extreme winter conditions. EWC were activated when it was below 35 degrees and there was snow or sleet, or over an inch of rain in a 12-hour period; or in a dry weather, when it was below 25 degrees. “City and the Chapter are still working on an agreement to cover the EWC for the coming winter, so specific details are not yet available,” according to the Red Cross. It is also reviewing the EWC activation requirements. EWC opened for 11 nights as early as Nov. 30 and until March 27.

Does Bill Sizemore help reduce homelessness and create affordable housing?

2008-10-30T15:28:00.001-07:00

Yes, if the Ballot Measure 63 passes.

Oregon Ballot Measure 63 (IRR 21) is an initiated state statute that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot in Oregon. It allows homeowners to make improvements costing less than $35,000 to their home/real estate without first obtaining a building permit.
Specific provisions

The exemption would apply for changes to existing residential or farm structures and for building new farm structures that will not be lived in by people.
Changes would not be exempt if the total value of changes in a year to a given structure exceeded $35,000.
The addition of a story to an existing residential structure would not be exempt from building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical permit requirements.
Measure 63 would not allow an addition that violates uniformly applied requirements for property line setbacks or that violates regulations establishing reasonable, uniformly applied limitations on the height of a building.
Electrical wiring work would not be exempt unless performed or inspected by a licensed electrical contractor.
A property owner could not accept an offer-to-purchase the property without giving the purchaser a detailed description of changes made to the property.

Rents are already high in Oregon, often beyond the reach of low-income and working-class Oregonians. Many are now forced to choose between paying the rent and paying for gas and food. Numerous government red tapes, zoning regulations and building codes work to reduce the availability of affordable housing. When landlords are required to obtain expensive inspection and permit every time when they need to fix their apartments or rental houses those costs are naturally passed down to tenants.

Opponents of the M63 cite concerns about homebuyers; pre-transfer inspection is done exactly for that reason. With or without the permits M63 are about to eliminate, houses will still be inspected when they are sold to new owners.

Measure 63 will let property owners upgrade and improve their own homes while helping lower the skyrocketing cost of housing.

That is much more humane than forcing more people onto freeway underpass, bridges, doorways and sidewalks.

Vote yes on Measure 63 if you care about freedom and human rights.

For the sake of fairness: Opposing views here: http://causaoregon.blogspot.com/2008/10/no-on-measures-58-60-and-64.html

Vote YES on Measure 58

2008-10-30T15:01:00.001-07:00

Oregon Ballot Measure 58 (IRR 19) is a citizen initiative sponsored by Bill Sizemore that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot in Oregon. The goal of the initiative is to create a new Oregon state statute (not a constitutional amendment) to require "English immersion" in Oregon's public schools.

Specific provisions

The measure would limit the use of foreign language instruction in public schools to:
1 year for students in kindergarten to 4th grade.
1.5 years for 5th grade through 8th grade.
2 years for high school students.
It would also prohibit ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching programs for longer than the mandated time.

This is a pro-immigrant, multicultural ethnic unity measure!!

1. This is not a racist proposal. Those who play the "racist" defense on this are mistaken. Being mostly Spanish speakers, they fail to acknowledge the painful truth that even Spanish is a language of their European colonizers. Why not refusing to speak Spanish, while they are at it? Why not make the kids speak Mayan, or Aztec, or Olmecan, or any number of indigenous languages instead? For that matter, is it fair to non-Spanish-speaking immigrants when the bulk of public school resources are put to create Spanish-medium programs when there are also immigrants who only speak Laotian, Hmong, Korean, kiSwahili, isiXhosa, etc. and there is really nothing for them? I am all for making Spanish an official language of Oregon (whether as a co-equal official language or a secondary official language), but until that is done through a constitutional amendment, let's be fair to all immigrants.

2. This is not about freedom of speech or academic freedom. Rather, this is about using wisely limited state funds on public schools that receive quite a lot of state tax revenues. Foreign language education will still be permitted at all private and parochial schools throughout Oregon.

3. This is about American unity among all ethnicities, and about desegregating our schools. In the 1980s Singapore instituted a mandatory English-medium public education for all children even though a minority of them spoke any English at all at home. In so doing Singapore eliminated its ethnically segregated schools (those for Chinese-speakers, Malay-speakers, Tamil-speakers, and so on) and fostered national unity and social harmony. A positive by-product of this scheme was to elevate Singapore into a world-class cosmopolis in which everyone under the 30s now speak good English and be an active part in global commerce and international academics, as English is the de facto language of the world today. In fact, even North Koreans today acknowledge this reality (in the documentary "Crossing the Line" the head of the engineering department at the Kim Il Sung University concedes, "90 percent of all literatures available on the topic of electronics is written in English; thus it's important to study English if we were to stay on top of the latest technological development.") and thus English is taught in their schools and colleges.

4. This is about upholding America's promise and American dream while educating world-class citizens. When I see an immigrant parent speaking to his or her U.S.-born, U.S. citizen children in a foreign language, I must wonder if that should constitute a form of child abuse. After all, the parents are depriving their children of being able to compete in America on an equal footing with other, English-speaking, American children. Unless they are planning on returning to their home countries in a year or so, in which case they should not be using public school systems, they ought to be required to speak English at home and at school.

Vote Yes on Measure 58. Children deserve better than ghettoized classrooms and dumbed down curriculum. Children deserve a school that is not divided along ethnic or linguistic line. Bill Sizemore may be a "racketeer" but this time he's right on this issue.

For the sake of fairness: Opposing views here: http://causaoregon.blogspot.com/2008/10/no-on-measures-58-60-and-64.html

a change is in the air

2008-10-15T20:01:00.001-07:00

The Oregon Street Talk will soon re-emerge from a hiatus, and it will be all new. Stay tuned.

Oregon Street Talk on indefinite hiatus

2008-09-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been posting here a lot lately.

Like many others I've lost the steam which everyone seems to have had back in the heady days of mass protests. I am moving on and trying to do some other things, including dealing with some serious personal issues.

My political views have undergone some shifts over recent months, largely informed by my own life experiences and the realities on the streets.

I feel that it is more worthwhile to actually do something than unleashing my venom here on Oregon Street Talk.

In the mean time see http://streetroots.wordpress.com and http://causaoregon.blogspot.com for contents similar to OST.

Also: no more war on TriMet for now. I've ditched TriMet in favor of bicycling. I suggest others to do the same, at least it will minimize your spending on shorter-haul trips. (Well, I'm realistic: I'm not going to ride my bike from Troutdale to Forest Grove.)

beautiful, peaceful borders...

2008-09-09T12:56:00.001-07:00

Visualize serenity.

Impending immigration raid in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

2008-08-25T07:57:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: acpollack2@juno.com <acpollack2@juno.com>
Date: 2008/8/22
Subject: [isn] day of/after protests if Hattiesburg raid occurs?
To: solidaritymira@bellsouth.net
Cc: nnirr@nnirr.org, agarcia@nnirr.org

I just saw the press release below, and had earlier seen a warning from Bill Quigley (without any details available at that point) about a possible Hattiesburg raid.
I think folks around the country are still mad enough and conscious enough after the Postville raid to be ready for a coordinated national response to this one, perhaps including (but not limited to):
1) A phone/fax/email campaign now to ICE and the media demanding no raid at Hattiesburg;
2) Plans for immediate day of and/or after a raid pickets at ICE offices all around the country;
3) Plans for continual protests after that (round the clock vigils at ICE offices?) until all Hattiesburg detainess are released (and the mothers in Postville under house detention are freed?)
In solidarity,
Andy Pollack
Brooklyn, NY

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights <agarcia@nnirr.org>
Date: Fri, Aug 22, 2008 at 5:02 PM
Subject: For Immediate Release: ICE Preparing Ominous Raid in Mississippi

You're receiving this email because of your relationship with National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights. Please confirm your continued interest in receiving email from us.

You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 22, 2008

TO: Editor/News Director

Contact:
Patricia Ice-office 601-354-9355
Bill Chandler-office 601-968-5182

JACKSON, MS - A series of preparations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the Gulf Coast has local advocates on edge about the possibility of yet another worksite raid, and yet another devastating blow to businesses, families and communities in the name of immigration enforcement.

"The preparations we are seeing ICE make are alarmingly similar to what occurred immediately prior to the raid on the Agriprocessors, Inc. Kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, a few months ago, " said Patricia Ice, an immigration attorney and spokesperson for MIRA. ICE has reportedly booked dozens of rooms in hotels on the Gulf Coast. They may be checking in as early as tonight.

Perhaps even more worrisome are the reports that the federal court in Hattiesburg is being readied for a response similar to the response to the raid in Postville, when nearly 400 plant workers were arrested on trumped up identity theft charges, and slammed through criminal prosecution and judicial removal (being forced to waive all their criminal defense and immigration claims) within just days of the raid.

"What happened in Postville was an absolute travesty of justice that must never happen again," said Ms. Ice. "ICE must assure that any future enforcement actions are conducted in a humane manner and that detainees are permitted their constitutional rights to due process and to legal counsel."

With all the signs pointing to an impending raid, Ms Ice, other staff and local leaders are working quickly to identify possible targets, educate workers and assemble a team of attorneys to offset the burden on public defenders and provide immigration advice.

The Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance (MIRA) is a membership-based alliance which guarantees the human rights of immigrants and all workers in Mississippi. MIRA works to support immigrants in the exercise of their rights through providing services, organizing, advocacy and public education.

www.yourmira.org

# # #
_____________________________________________________________

For additional stories of abuse and background information on ICE raids and enforcement abuses, please contact the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR).

Please see NNIRR's human rights report, Over-Raided, Under Siege: U.S. Immigration Laws and Enforcement Destroy the Rights of Immigrants, where NNIRR documented over 100 stories of immigration law enforcement abuse and some 200 ICE raids during 2006-2007.

NNIRR's new initiative, Hurricane: the Human Rights Immigrant Community Action Network, continues tracking and reporting human rights violations perpetrated against immigrant and refugee members of our communities, including over 80 ICE raids to date.

Please call:
Arnoldo Garcia, (510) 465-1984 ext. 305 or (510) 928-0685 Cell.
Catherine Tactaquin, (510) 465-1984 ext. 302

Join HURRICANE: The Human Rights Immigrant Community Action Network -- help build community power for justice & human rights!
Unete al HURACAN: la Red de Accion de Comunidades Inmigrantes para los Derechos Humanos -- construyendo el poder de las comunidades por la justicia y los derechos humanos!

Click here for Hurricane/Haga click para info sobre el Huracan:
http://www.nnirr.org/resources/docs/NNIRRHurricaneInitiative2.pdf

Click here to get a copy of Over-Raided, Under Siege, NNIRR's new human rights report! http://www.nnirr.org/resources/docs/UnderSiege_web2.pdf

Haga clic aqui para el resumen ejecutivo del informe en
http://www.nnirr.org/resources/docs/ResumenRedadasDesmedidasOver-RaidedUnderSiege3.pdf

National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Red Nacional Pro Derechos Inmigrantes y Refugiados
310 8th Street Suite 303 Oakland, CA 94607 | Tel (610) 465-1984 | Fax (510) 465-1885
www.nnirr.org

e

The sweet, tempting trap of advocacy journalism

2008-08-20T14:25:00.001-07:00

As someone who once worked as the editor of a small weekly newspaper, and presently as an on-and-off news reporter for Street Roots, I must say that it is a constant challenge to have a fair and balanced news coverage when the publication is understaffed and is on very tight deadlines. It is always tempting to seek resources and information only from those whom one knows and feels familiar with, because it is easy and fast.

In newspaper business, there is no such thing as a fully unbiased newspaper. And there is a place and need in society to have the media outlets that truly advocate for those whose voices are unheard. But that must be done in a way that does not silence the opposing views, in a way that gives a fair and good-faith chance for the "antagonists" to tell their sides of the story, and in a way that allows readers to make a well-informed decision on the matter. This is also a matter of promoting media literacy.

This is why traditionally the media make clear distinctions between news coverage and editorial (unsigned editorials, op-ed, columns, analysis).

We can have a good, solid advocacy in media and still uphold a good journalistic standard. Many newspapers were founded and are operated on certain political or ideological views. For example, the Christian Science Monitor was originally founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1908 as a way to counter the sensationalistic and hostile tones of the newspapers in reporting the Christian Scientists (thus an advocacy for a marginalized religious sect; and even to this day the Monitor stays away from topics such as death and medicine), nevertheless, it has always insisted on journalistic integrity. In fact, the Christian Science Monitor has won several Pulitzer prizes and is among some of the most respected newspapers in the world.

First there was hype, now there is reality

2008-08-18T12:54:00.001-07:00

In some ways, starting up a "competition" against a well-established and trusted paper is kind of like being a Ralph Nader, a Bob Barr, or a Ross Perot running against the two major party candidates. Perhaps "winning" is not even the real objectives, but the idea is to inspire the major party candidates to shape their campaigns in such a way that the concerns of these minor-party candidates would be addressed in the major race.

Of course, there is always an accusation that these candidates "steal votes away" from the major candidates. But in reality they are of little consequence to the presidential campaign itself.

If anything goes well, the first "official" roll-out of the Bridgetown Ambassador will be not be until the spring of 2009 at the earliest. I am envisioning several "pre-launch" guerilla issues in the mean time, but such issues would be mostly to drum up readership, build an advertiser base, and to get some hype going.

This is not a war on Street Roots. I repeat. NOT A WAR ON STREET ROOTS.

I hope Israel Bayer is not freaking out (he left a little message on my phone this past weekend). If so, he sure sounds like Barack Obama [or John McCain] freaking out at the specter of Ralph Nader [or Bob Barr, or Ron Paul]. Big fish and small fish.

In any case I'd like to learn a lot more from the workings of Street Roots and its fine organization. And I think Street Roots is a great cause to support and participate.

In reality I'm going through quite a lot in my own life, and with two other big things that I am instigating, the Bridgetown Ambassador will only happen if it will be a team effort, with a good mix of talented, motivated and productive people who are willing and able to work together. I often have a load of "good ideas" and I instigate a few of them, but not very many actually materialize -- hence lies my problem that I must overcome. I can no longer afford to be complacent with being a loser. I can no longer afford to be a failure in life -- indeed, "failure is not an option."

Stay tuned for the Bridgetown Ambassador, but don't let the hype blind you from the reality.

The Oregonian: Our myth of diversity

2008-08-14T14:22:00.001-07:00

Portlanders live in a like-minded bubble, making it easier to get things done, harder for dissenting voices to be heard

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2008/08/our_diversity_myth_portlanders.html

Will a street paper stop being a propaganda machine (or a panhandling machine)?

2008-08-14T13:41:00.001-07:00

Portland prides in one of the best-rated street newspapers in the world. Since 10 years ago (not counting its previous incarnations The Homeless Times and the Burnside Cadillac) Street Roots literally brought over a million dollars to vendors, creating a viable and flexible income source. At the same time Street Roots has earned a great respect in the community and even become a fairly recognized brand name in this city.

As someone who has lived in the City of Roses for over 11 years, I have seen how far Street Roots has come in terms of quality.

But there are a couple of questions about the publication and its business model that beg for an answer.

Yes, Street Roots is indeed "the most improved" street paper, and circulation (according to SR's own figures) is on the rise (this is solely based on the number of copies sold wholesale to the increasing number of vendors; it does not account for unsold papers, and thus lost money some vendors may have gambled on a sizzle offered by SR's recruitment fliers).

But are people really buying the newspaper to read, or is the perception of the public still in the area of SR being a glorified panhandling? Is the newspaper delivering the value for that dollar? Is SR something that has contents that one wants to pay $1 for?

In this state of economy, extra disposable incomes are shrinking for many, and frivolous spending such as newspapers and magazines is among the first to be cut. There needs to be therefore more reasons to buy papers, and that is not just appealing to people's pity. To some extent, at least certain portions of the publications need to appeal to the lowest common denominator of humanity.

Perhaps the newspaper could have taken the approach of the Big Issue, with a wider audience appeal and entertaining yet informative content. Instead, SR has become a propaganda apparatus that pits the people whom it purports to represent, against the very people who are buying the papers. Rather than building bridges between the social and economic gaps, SR advocates class war -- with little room for dissenting opinions or the opposing views. Some may call this approach an "advocacy journalism," but is it any different from the Pravda, the People's Daily, or the Granma, or the Rodong Sinmun?

This in no way implies that I am attacking the fine publication or any of the people who are behind it--certainly not Joanne Zuhl or Israel Bayer--and of course not the vendors. But in recent issues of the Street Roots articles published are beginning to look more like doom-and-gloom stories from some apocalyptic sect. In many cases, stories presented are one-sided and no one appears to be making a good-faith effort to present different points of view. For example, what about the local independent businesses such as the Peterson's, or the SaySay Boutique, or whatever, that have been affected adversely by the recent upsurge of the street-homeless population (especially the former, who is at the brink of losing its flagship store)? What about their sides of the stories -- of trashed doorways, used hypodermic needles in mailslot (this actually happened at a certain business on Southwest 12th Avenue)? With its one-sided advocacy for one's right to sleep on sidewalks and under the bridge (what about one's right to the American dream? The pursuit of happiness? Upward mobility?), the "homeless advocates" of today in Portland are creating a further disconnect and creating a bigger resentment.

Sometimes, poverty pimps exist in both social service sector and in the political activist sector.

Last week's so-called "truth commission" put together by Sisters Of The Road, for example, presented only one side of the story -- and for that matter, "the other side" seems to be not even invited. Where was Jeff Myers, or Mike Kuykendall in that meeting?

Perhaps Portland needs the second street publication. Initially not as a competition but as a means to complement where Street Roots leaves out, but eventually as a formidable rival to be reckoned with--with a healthy competition in the free market of both ideas and economy, inspiring to raise the standard of street papers and to improve the quality of the life for those involved.

Enter the Bridgetown Ambassador.

The main difference between Street Roots and the Bridgetown Ambassador is that we do not seek to become a political propaganda piece for one segment of our society. Instead, we attempt to bring together different fragments of what makes Portland such a fantastic place. While the Bridgetown Ambassador maintains its focus on social justice we are also for creating economic opportunities through free enterprise and individual initiatives. The BA's strength is its emphasis on human interest, arts and culture, as well as thought-provoking news coverage and social commentaries that inspire dialogues.

Bridging the communities, from the streets…to the streets.

This is just starting. There exists a ground-floor opportunity.

Find out what is new at http://www.b-ambassador.info.ms/

Portland Coalition Against Poverty Housing Forum

2008-08-13T07:46:00.001-07:00

On the Streets? Poor? Sick of Broken Promises?

Housing Forum

August 15 at 7pm

Under the East Side of Hawthorne Bridge

Power lives on the streets. We believe in working together to figure out what we need and how we can get it. The forum is the first step in that process. By joining together to listen to each other, we can figure out what needs we share. By learning to work together and offer support, everyone becomes stronger and safer.

Come make solutions from the bottom up. Chat about your experiences nad learn the needs of others at the Portland Coalition Against Poverty Housing Forum.

Then get started building campaigns that meet your needs.

A few things to think about:

There are enough empty buildings in Portland to house everyone who sleeps outside.
There is enough vacant land in Portland to feed everyone who is hungry.
Rights are not given or taken away. They are used, or they don't exist.
Know your rights.

All are welcome

Power is the ability to enact change.
All Power to the Poor!

Portland Coalition Against Poverty

Poverty Pimps!

2008-08-12T13:30:00.001-07:00

http://www.infoshop.org/breakingglasspress/poverty_pimps.pdf

THE POVERTY PIMPS' POEM
Let us celebrate the poor,
Let us hawk them door to door.
There's a market for their pain,
Votes and glory and money to gain.
Let us celebrate the poor.
Their ills, their sins, their faulty diction
Flavor our songs and spice our fiction.
Their hopes and struggles and agonies
Get us grants and consulting fees.
Celebrate thugs and clowns,
Give their ignorance all renown.
Celebrate what holds them down,
In our academic gowns.
Let us celebrate the poor!

Sullivan's Gulch/Irvington: caution on inebriate sexual predator!

2008-08-11T13:16:00.001-07:00

In general, according to city crime statistics, Sullivan's Gulch and
Irvington are two of the safest neighborhoods in Portland.
Unfortunately I have been pretty oblivious and naive, however.

Early Sunday morning, Aug. 10 (around 12:30 a.m.) I was attacked by an
apparently drunk white male in his 40s (not sure, he is not a very
remarkably notable man) wearing a University of Oregon baseball cap
(not sure the color, the "O" logo is the only thing I could make of)
and a U of O "OREGON" hoodie. (This is, admittedly such a vague
description, it can mean anything.) He was being an exhibitionist and
apparently looking for oral sex. This was on Northeast 24th Avenue at
the intersection with Broadway.

Very fortunately I was able to chase him off, but not without a bit of
struggle. It could have been much worse.

The problem is the current state of so-called criminal justice system
is that this would most likely be classified as a low-priority case,
especially in the absence of injury and without any material evidence
aside from what I say. I do not trust the police or the district
attorney for catching him, and even if they even bother to take up a
case like this, it would take months of delay and then I'd go through
all the ordeal of providing the justice system with a
"beyond-reasonable-doubts" testimony in a grinding court system if
any.

So all what I say now is that be very aware of the dangers even in the
Gulch. There are three drinking establishments in the area, with one
of them seemingly attracting a noticeable share of undesirables. I
hope the drinking establishment will rein in the inebriate
troublemakers in its surroundings, and perhaps even provide a security
guard to monitor the parking lot and the intersection.

The other problem is the recent removal of many payphones. It turns
out that the closest functioning payphone is at the Plaid Pantry on
16th Avenue. This is not acceptable.

The embargoed article originally written for Street Roots issue today

2008-08-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

The following article was originally written for today's Street Roots, but was killed (it's a natural part of being a newspaper reporter; it's the third article they killed so far!) and thus does not appear in the latest issue:

Who owns the sidewalks, anyway?
Recent conflict between local newspaper, property management bring attention to age-old questions about legal twilight zone

By Sarah Morrigan

The July 18 issue of Portland newspaper Just Out ("Like a good neighbor," page 3) reported that the management of a certain apartment complex unilaterally removed the sidewalk distribution boxes of all newspapers except for those of The Oregonian and The Wall Street Journal.

On a related topic, Allan Classen of the local neighborhood monthly Northwest Examiner ("Sidewalk cafes: No permit, no problem," August issue, page 1) reported that some residents of the Northwest and Pearl districts complained that some of the local restaurants are obstructing the passage on sidewalks by placing chairs and tables in front of the businesses in spite of the "required 6 feet of unobstructed space for pedestrians to pass" in compliance with the city regulations. Classen notes that, while the city hall has received only "three citizen complaints for the entire west side in the past two years," some people experience difficulties walking on the sidewalks cluttered with signs, dining tables and bicycles. According to the article while many restaurants hold a city "sidewalk café license" several others don't. The regulations appear to be rarely enforced against restaurants.

These recent conflicts bring up several interesting questions at the nexus of the freedom of the press, the concept of a common space, property rights and public safety.

The questions of how much control the owner of an abutting property has over the adjoining sidewalk, and what rights the public has on the city sidewalks, are of special interest to both this newspaper (which is distributed by a team of street vendors) and the community for whom it speaks.

When I set out to investigate this matter, I have contacted a number of city agencies, state officials, other newspapers, as well as the local office of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center. As of this writing, one week has elapsed and I have received only two responses: a very vague, "form-letter" referral email from David Muir, the information and referral clerk at the Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement; and a response from a street newspaper in Denver. Other agencies, including the Portland Police Bureau and the Portland Office of Transportation, did not respond to the queries by the press time.

While the city of Portland requires a permit for sidewalk vendors, it is issued only to food carts and flower vendors. Though the City Code 17.26.010 prohibits "conducting business on sidewalk," it is not clear if the ubiquitous newspaper vending machines in Portland are subject to a similar type of permit. According to Muir, the Street Systems Investigation division of the transportation bureau normally regulates the use of sidewalks. It did not respond by the press time to provide an explanation.

According to Amelia Patterson, managing editor of Denver Voice, newspapers have a "right to distribute the paper in parks and sidewalks which are the broadest public fora." Although upon finding out that the city of Denver does not issue permits to newspaper vendors, Denver Voice has obtained a special permit as a precaution, Patterson says "I don't think a business can remove them the sidewalks especially are the most protected."

Historically, sidewalks and roadsides have been considered public spaces. Prevailing legal opinions in the U.S. broadly interpret the people’s rights to sidewalk use. In State v. Cargill (100 Or App 336, 786 P2d 28 [1990]), the Oregon court upheld the rights of petitioners on a private sidewalk adjoining a Fred Meyer store. Further, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled in Lloyd Corp. v. Whiffen (307 Or. 674, 773 P.2d 1293 [1989]) that even owners of private sidewalks can only implement reasonable, content-neutral limits on First Amendment activities on their properties.

But what if newspapers are sold, and what about street artists and musicians? The constitutional guarantee of the freedom of speech does not differentiate between various media formats or based on whether it is sold for profit. In Bery v. City of New York (97 F.3d 689 [2d Cir. 1996]), the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the argument by the New York City government that required a "general vendor" license from an artist who sold his T-shirt but not from newspapers, stating that "the visual art, whether sold for profit or given away, is as much speech as written work for purposes of the First Amendment." Portland's Street Access For Everyone (SAFE) committee appears to uphold this principle by stating in its December 2006 "Recommendations of the SAFE workgroup" that "exceptions [to the no-sit, no-lie ordinance] will include free speech assembly (lawful demonstration, parade, etc.); and a person who is covered by, and complying with, the Street Musician Partnership Agreement."

In the end, Just Out and other community publications won in this round. After KOIN-TV news covered the newspaper boxes incident and Just Out’s blog calling it a “theft and destruction,” the management invited back the paper vending racks to the sidewalk. “We welcome you back, and we want to be part of the local community and offer your publication. Again, we’re sorry,” said Starbucks district manager Tiffany Bruderson as quoted by Just Out, who initially asked the building management to rid the sidewalks of the boxes.
###

Congressmen renew calls for comprehensive immigration reform

2008-08-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

Reps. Luis Gutierrez and Joe Baca:
As members of Congress, we have traveled to remote corners of the
world and had our eyes opened to some of the worst human suffering
imaginable—abject poverty, meager wages, poor working conditions,
paltry access to legal counsel and a jarring lack of fairness in the
courts.

We never imagined that we would witness the same injustices in a small
American town just a five-hour drive from Chicago.

During a visit to Postville, Iowa, last weekend, site of the May 12
Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid of the Agriprocessors
meatpacking plant, we saw firsthand how a broken Immigration system
devastates a small town.

Mothers bound to electronic bracelets were allowed neither to work nor
to return to their home countries, leaving them without recourse to
pay rent or feed their children. Wives and children—many of them U.S.
citizens—were left to wonder where their husbands and fathers had been
taken, or where they would go next. To this day, more than half of the
wives do not know where their husbands are.

Meanwhile, a 16-year-old boy spoke of working 17-hour shifts, six days
a week, without overtime on the kill floor of a meatpacking plant.
Women from the slaughterhouse spoke of male supervisors demanding sex
in return for decent hours, decent pay and decent treatment on the
job. These workers were victimized, only to be herded like animals
when ICE swept the plant and left their employers without punishment.

There is no mistaking that these men and women are suffering at the
hands of the U.S. government and our president. Our broken Immigration
system has paved a way to the objectification of human beings at the
expense of our labor laws, U.S. workers' safety and basic family
values.

Instead of taking a stand against the outright victimization of
workers—many of them minors, and all of them legally entitled to labor
protections—the Bush administration decided that meatpackers posed a
greater threat to our security than suspected terrorists or physically
abusive employers.

Almost two years to the day before the administration sent 900 ICE
agents to storm Agriprocessors, President George W. Bush appeared
before the American people and declared: "We're a nation of laws, and
we must enforce our laws. We're also a nation of immigrants, and we
must uphold that tradition, which has strengthened our country in so
many ways. These are not contradictory goals. America can be a lawful
society and a welcoming society at the same time."

Postville has plainly shown that we are neither of those things. We
are not "lawful" when we interrupt investigations spearheaded by our
own Department of Labor. We are not lawful when we implement fear
tactics and deportation-only policies simply to score cheap political
points with conservative pundits. We are not lawful when we railroad
men and women through the judicial process, without adequate
representation or a full understanding of their rights.

We are certainly not "welcoming" when hardworking mothers and fathers
are prohibited from raising their U.S. citizen children in the country
of their birth, or when those who work the longest hours at the most
undesirable jobs are treated like terrorists, simply for waking up and
going to work.

There is no other reasonable response than to demand that Bush
remember his words of welcome and his commitment to law, by placing a
moratorium on Immigration raids until we have passed effective,
comprehensive reform. The nation that we love, respect and serve is
better than this. Bush stood before the American people and
proclaimed:

"An Immigration reform bill needs to be comprehensive, because all
elements of this problem must be addressed together, or none of them
will be solved at all."

But headline-grabbing tactics like the Postville raid had nothing to
do with comprehensive reform. Bush has forgotten his promise.

No one benefits when taxpayers pay $590,000 a month to jail
Postville's detainees. As a society, we fail when our factories are
less safe, when the perpetrators go uncharged or when our laws remove
infants from nursing mothers and create broken homes for U.S. citizen
children.

We can all agree that we need Immigration reform that is tough on
enforcement. However, any system which fails to respect the enormous
contributions immigrants make to our workforce, that fails to reflect
our proud history of welcoming those who seek a better life and that
fails to protect all U.S. workers and our homeland, fails the American
people.

The Postville raid failed our nation on all three of those levels. Any
future raid would be equally and profoundly inexcusable and cause yet
another avoidable blight on our history.

Iowa Teacher Describes Horror of Immigration Raid + Free Gas USA

2008-07-28T07:54:00.001-07:00

Iowa Teacher Describes Horror of Immigration Raid

ICE officials line up detainees by the white van before heading into
Electric Park for court on the National Cattle Congress grounds in
Waterloo, Iowa Thursday, May 15, 2008.

Yesterday, our town was raided by 400 FBI agents, ICE agents (formerly
known as INS), state troopers, and a variety of other agencies. We had
helicopters flying overhead for hours, all roads were blocked coming
into and going out of Postville,…Ironically, as this all transpired, I
was at the county courthouse with my Government class, so that they
could see first hand how our judicial system works…

I received calls from the school not to come back to school because I
have students they were concerned about. (Yes, they are undocumented
students who have been in this district since they were in fourth
grade…)

…We made it back into Postville,...We have 150 students with no
parents to go home to. We are told that we need to stay with them
until we find out where their parents are or a relative that will care
for them until their parents are found. Many of these kids lost both
parents due to the raid…

…as a human being and as a parent, I find it disturbing to see little
elementary kids crying for their parents and asking you to take them
home, and all one can say is, I am sorry, or we are looking for them.
By the way, we got no information from ICE as to who they arrested,
and whether or not their parents were being detained. At this point, I
just wanted to go home and hug my own kids...

Today, I am missing about half of my students. Some have taken off for
Chicago, others are hiding in town, some were arrested, and others are
at the Catholic Church…

Interestingly enough, my US History students made a direct correlation
between what we all witnessed yesterday to our history lesson three
weeks ago. We have been studying W.W.II and the Holocaust. I had them
view the movie 'Schindler's List' and the things that happened in the
movie, with the Nazis rounding up the Jews, having them report
their names and families' names, transporting them to unknown places,
keeping them in substandard holding areas, and then getting rid of
them, was very much like what happened yesterday, with one exception,
the US has not practiced the use of genocide.

ICE is today doing house to house searches of every home and apartment
that has a Hispanic name attached to it. It is rather scary to see
search teams go from place to place, looking for immigrants. We had
agencies at the school a month ago with a subpoena to seize all
student and employee files. Any name that sounded remotely Hispanic
was flagged. I find this to be a form of racial profiling,…

How quickly we forget our own histories. Many of our ancestors came
here with nothing to their names and very little
to survive on…Why not go after the people who really are doing
something illegal and wrong? Like drug dealers or child molesters? If
we spent as much money on those items as we are currently spending on
the War in Iraq…or on building a 700 mile long wall on the Mexican
border which is actually 2300 miles long, we would maybe live in a
better economy that was safe for our families.

________________________________
FREE GAS, USA

Photo donated by flickr.com

By Pastor Mary Gault

The hottest topic of conversation these days appears to be the price
of gasoline. Fingers of blame point to dwindling oil reserves, other
countries consumption, speculators, oil guzzling vehicles, and the
falling value of the U.S. dollar. Businesses are raising their prices
to cover the extra cost for transportation of their goods. The higher
prices impact all of us to varying degrees. In order to get your
business, gas stations, grocery stores, car dealerships, and even
realtors, are offering the public free gasoline.

But the most affected are those whose income falls at or below the
poverty level. They are the ones who have no cushion to cover any
higher prices. Food, clothing, medicine and gasoline to name a few
living expenses, all are increasing with no promise of relief. Getting
to work now becomes problematic in areas without adequate public
transportation.

Therefore, to help those in need a new 501(c)(3) charity has been
formed. It is called Free Gas USA, Inc. and is based in Kalamazoo.
Michigan. (Visit our website at: http://www.freegasusa.org/. It's
mission states: Recognizing the importance of gasoline as a means to
sustain our nation's economy, Free Gas USA, Inc. is dedicated to
provide advocacy and financial grant assistance for needy Americans.
In order to facilitate this goal we partner with public, private,
philanthropic and religious organizations to maintain and/or enhance
the dignity and overall quality of life of our clients.

This article originated in the People's Tribune
PO Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654, 773-486-3551, info@peoplestribune.org.
Feel free to reproduce unless marked as copyrighted.
Please include this message with reproductions of the article.

Oregonian: DMV applications down

2008-07-28T07:51:00.001-07:00

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/07/dmv_reports_license_applicatio.html

Who are these immigrant-bashers?

2008-07-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

TriMet must abandon biodiesel now

2008-07-20T12:29:00.001-07:00

Eugene's Lane Transit District (LTD) found that biodiesel costs up to 16 percent more than already expensive real diesel. Thus LTD has discontinued all biodiesel buses. TriMet should follow Eugene in halting this expensive experiment in pseudo-hippie social engineering before implementing any future fare increase under the pretext of rising fuel costs.

Bye bye Starbucks

2008-07-18T19:11:00.001-07:00

All things considered, it's not bad at all to see only nine Starbucks locations in the whole state of Oregon and one in Vancouver, Wash. are closing. The two Portland locations demised are--sigh, where else--Ladd's Addition and Seven Corners (my, the latter didn't last very long, and it was even firebombed the day it opened...but the Red & Black Cafe had to move out, so I guess the damage to the community was already done.).

Big brother alert in Seattle!

2008-07-16T21:02:00.001-07:00

Washington State Ferries, the second busiest ferry lines in America, has installed license plate recognition cameras in Seattle, Bremervon and Bainbridge. The cameras will be used by the state police to find stolen cars and check for warrants. Next time you get on a ferry, at the other end the po-faces will arrest you if you've got an overdue speeding ticket, or ahem, if they think you're a terrorist! What's next? Is this really the USA? http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/news/25516234.html

Community happenings of interest

2008-07-16T15:20:00.001-07:00

***So as we all know not everyone is able to access the internet for information sharing. We encourage those of you with printers and connections to pass out copies, or post updates in conspicuous places so that all houseless comrades and allies are in the loop. Maybe if we're near TPI, Julia West House, Street Roots, Sisters' or other hot spots, we can ask to post updates on bulletin boards or windows, and of course there's nothing better than word of mouth. Thanks!

Happenings!
Portland City Council
Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness Coordinating Committee
Proposal meeting to discuss Camp Opportunity and Green Zone
Portland Plan Open House and Workshop
Human Rights Commission to End Discrimination is taking applications!
Portland City Hall Art Show
Commissioner Nick Fish Report Back from meeting
Hands Off the Poor Emergency Demonstration Report Back
We've been looking for a place to meet...
Get Involved!

PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL, Wednesday 16 July 2008, 9:30am, Portland City Hall
A friend and veteran will be speaking about the sit/lie laws in Council
Chambers. Come show your support and let the Commissioners' know we're still
here.

TEN YEAR PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS COORDINATING COMMITTEE, Wednesday 16 July
2008, 3-5pm, Multnomah County Lincoln Building, 421 Southwest Oak, Columbia/
Willamette Rooms. This is a nice group of people with many good intentions,
and they run meetings well, however, it is mostly made up of service providers
and has historically had very few representatives from the houseless community.
Many of us from the City Hall protest have started attending these meetings
and we are encouraging others to as well to see what Mayor Potter is up to and
why exactly he is so bound and determined to see this through even though the
Ten Year Plan is not looking optimistic at all. Come listen, ask questions,
and challenge what's not working. Come hold this committee accountable for
doing the work they've been commissioned to do, and help them see the immediacy
of the crisis as something that cannot be ignored in light of their current
agendas and long term goals. Link:
http://www.portlandonline.com/ bhcd/index.cfm?c=30140

PROPOSAL MEETING with Coordinating Committee to End Homelessness facilitator
Sally Erickson on Monday, 21 July 2008. A few representatives will meet to
discuss and present proposals for Camp Opportunity and a Green Zone.

PORTLAND PLAN Open House and Workshop--Tuesday, 22 July 2008, 4:30pm, Portland
Building, 1120 SW Fifth Ave. Second Floor Rooms B and C. We get to help plan
Portland's future, and to make sure the interests of those of us who are living
outside are not left behind, we must represent our community with a strong and
unified voice. Bring your ideas and suggestions to help shape the future of
Downtown Portland. The focus will be on the City Center itself,
transportation, and streetcar development. Let's make sure that our
community's voices are not left out of the conversation, and focus on
challenging people's assumptions about homelessness. When our city's leaders
and developers get the opportunity to meet and know us as people, we hope they
will see the importance of including compassion and justice in this planning
process. Link: http://www.portlandonline.com/ shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=201650

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TO END DISCRIMINATION. In March, Mayor Potter formed
the Human Rights Commission to End Discrimination. The committee is taking
applications for new members to be a part of ensuring that all Portland
citizens are treated with honor, dignity, and respect without discrimination.
We could bring some good ideas and perspective to this group, and challenge
Mayor Potter to see the importance of including ALL Portland neighbors in this
commission, regardless of economic status. Potter has touted his involvement
in bringing the new Day Labor Center to Portland as an act of Civil
Disobedience against the feds, while at the same time turning his back on his
houseless neighbors by continuing to allow the illegal and heavy-handed
enforcement of the unconstitutional sit/lie and anti-camping ordinances. Want
to inspire and challenge our so-called leaders? Then do it! Application
deadline: 18 July 2008 at 4:30pm. Link:
http://www.portlandonline.com/ index.cfm?c=26361&a=201819

PORTLAND CITY HALL ART SHOW, Mon-Fri. 9-5, Sam Adams Office, 2nd floor
Portland State students contacted us and wanted to offer their art space at
City Hall to install works by those affected by the crisis of homelessness and
poverty and involved in Portland's recent City Hall Protest. The opening was
on the first Thursday of July and it can be found in future Mayor Sam Adams'
office for the duration of the month. Check it out, and if you have a wild
hair, make an appointment with Sam to discuss any concerns you might have since
so far he's shown no interest in repealing the unconstitutional sit/lie and
anti-camping ordinances.

COMMISSIONER NICK FISH invited a couple folks to discuss solutions and talk
housing shop at City Hall. He's educating himself for the moment since he's
fresh in the door, and though he hasn't made a commitment one way or the other
regarding the sit/lie law, he confirmed that he would continue to support the
anti-camping ordinance. It was a fairly lengthy discussion, and he mentioned
that he is currently developing a commission to look at alternative community
solutions that have been offered in response to the current housing crisis.

HANDS OFF THE POOR Emergency Demo Report Back and Follow-up. Saturday 19 July
2008, 12pm, PCAP (Portland Coalition Against Poverty) Office, 917 Southwest Oak
St. Suite 413. Those who showed up to participate, speak, chant, fly signs
and march, Thanks for your support and for helping educate the community! The
march brought up to 120 people, and the forum included 75 folks discussing
community solutions to houselessness and poverty. This Saturday PCAP will
help facilitate a discussion about the demo, as well as their Trimet Campaign
for a rider's union, and Camp Opportunity.

Also, save the date for a Hands Off the Poor follow-up forum, Saturday, 16
August 2008, under the East side of the Hawthorne Bridge. Food provided, and
more details to follow.

WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO MEET...
For now, Street Roots has kindly offered their space one day a week from 3-5pm
so we can meet inside, focus and strategize next steps, goals, and community
engagement. We've talked about this before. Is Tuesday a good day? It
would be temporary for now, but it would be a stable place to meet up and get
some good work done until we establish something more sustainable. Any
feedback? Also, ideas or options for a long-term meeting space would be
greatly welcomed. We're looking for something in Fareless Square that has
room enough for a good crowd of Social Artists.

GET INVOLVED! in issues that affect us all, housed and houseless in Portland.
Show up to some of these meetings or events to learn more, talk about what's
happening in your workplace, place of worship, over dinner, on the bus or in
the streets with strangers. When we don't stand up for what is right, who
will? and if we wait for others to lead, nothing will ever change. Other ways
to get involved are to call future Mayor Sam Adams, as well as Commissioners'
Saltzman, Fish, and Leonard and share your concerns, 503-823-4000, or stop by
the City Auditors Office and sign up to speak in City Council regarding the
continued enforcement of the sit/lie and anti-camping laws that make it
impossible for people without homes to stop, sit, rest, or sleep in our great
City. With our current economic crisis, many of us could just as easily be
without a place to go. As the current law is now, we would be treated no
differently.

>>>If you know others who would be interested in receiving this update please
send it along to them and/or have them go to riseup.net, go to lists, look up
portlandisourhome, then subscribe; you can do the same to unsubscribe as well.
We will do our best not to bombard your mailbox more than once a week, and if
anyone knows of applicable meetings or events coming in the near or distant
future please send them our way for posting<<<

Loss of undocumented workers=$17.7bil loss to Oregon economy

2008-07-11T12:51:00.001-07:00

Loss of undocumented workers could cost Oregon $17.7B

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/07/07/daily26.html

Study shows big impact if 'No Match' rule flies

Federal rule could cause thousands of Hispanic workers in Oregon to lose jobs
Medford Mail-Tribune

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080710/BIZ/807100316