Updates

Much of the actions are now happening on the Cascadian Journal of Occupology.

TriMet's war on the people begins

Image via Wikipediahttp://peevesandcheerspdx.blogspot.com/2011/07/trimet-fare-inspectors.html

A letter to Rex Burkholder on regional illegal dump enforcement

Image via WikipediaThe following letter has been sent to Metro Councillor Rex Burkholder as well as to Tigard Police Chief Alan Orr, Portland Mayor Sam Adams, Portland City Commissioners Amanda Fritz and Nick Fish, as well as to Metro Chief Operating Officer Dan Cooper and Rex Burkholder's policy coordinator Kathryn Sofich.

See http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-17666-trash_cop.html for the article.

June 29, 2011

Rex Burkholder
Metro
600 NE Grand Avenue
Portland, Oregon  97232

Dear Councillor Rex Burkholder,

I have just read the featured article in today's Willamette Week, "Trash Cop," and would like to express how I was greatly disturbed by this overzealous and crusader-like approach to illegal dumping enforcement by Tigard detective Bobby He'aukulani while on the official functions of Metro (the article does not articulate the relationship between Metro and this detective, as to whether he is acting as a Metro policeman or simply as an employee of the City of Tigard).

I am a long-time human rights and economic justice advocate for the immigrants, low-income people, and those who are experiencing homelessness.  Presently affiliated with Portland's community organization Sisters Of The Road, I have in the past worked with a number of organizations such as Street Roots and the Julia West House.  I have also appeared in many occasions to testify in various public venues, including the Oregon Senate committees and TriMet, in advocacy of matters of grave importance for the above-named communities and populations.

In "Trash Cop," reporter James Pitkin outlines He'aukulani's investigative methods that heavily focus on the finding of artifacts such as "unopened mail, unpaid bills, catalogs with a street address or prescription pill bottles" to locate alleged perpetrators and suspects of illegal dumping in the region.  The article notes, "They often blame a third party they say either stole their garbage or was paid to haul it to a landfill... And regardless of excuse, the citations usually go to the trash's original owners.  They get three weeks to make a payment or schedule an administrative hearing." (p. 23.)

Having an extensive connection and cultural competency in the homeless community, and having myself also a long experience of homelessness, I know this to be not a mere "excuse" but a rather common occurrence.  Every day, I either hear or notice that someone's personal belongings are either stolen (usually by other people on the street, or by low-level criminals who know that often people who experience homelessness possess valuables as they have nowhere to securely store them) or disposed of (by property owners, managers, businesses, and even by police and other government employees) and items of no or little resale values often get dumped or scattered on public and private lands alike -- often in parks, highway perimeters, and sidewalks.  That includes their mail, which may have their old address, sometimes hard-to-replace documents such as birth certificates, Social Security cards and identifications, prescriptions, and other items with names and addresses.  Establishing whether this is a victim of a theft is not always easy, and they may not have been reported as stolen items with local police departments, given the deep mutual distrust that exists between the street community and the police.  Likewise, it is difficult for most middle-class people to distinguish between what is "dumped" (permanently disposed of, or abandoned, with no intention for future retrieval) and temporarily "stored" (as many homeless people are forced to do on abandoned lands and public rights-of-way).  A recently passed Oregon legislation directs the Oregon Department of Transportation to retain found objects from campsites on ODOT right-of-way for 30 days and provide for storage and retrieval of such items.  The City of Portland also has maintained a similar program for some time.  Despite its look, they are most likely not dumped objects.

This method is also greatly disturbing, as in this economy many people are forced to relocate due to diminished income, evictions, or foreclosures.  If the detective relies on street addresses found on artifacts, by the time the address is located, it may be the case that someone else may be residing at that place and wrong people may be punished.

The article gives me an impression that Detective He'aukulani and Metro are extremely eager to go after the low-income people, who could not afford garbage service or hauling service to begin with, and slap them with exorbitant, excessive and unreasonable fines, while serious large-scale violators (which are most likely to be unscruplous businesses bent on maximizing profits by cutting corners and forcing taxpayers to deal with their trash) who pollute our environment and ecosystem are simply dismissed as "hard cases."  In other words, He'aukulani can pretend that he is working hard and making a difference by merely going after lowest hanging trees, and collect his salary.  Since as the article notes, about half of such citations directed mostly toward lower-middle-class and low-income people are sent to collection agencies, this will lead to a negative credit history that would adversely affect one's ability to find housing, jobs, and credit needed to better themselves.

Metro needs a better safeguard to ensure that constitutional due process is followed (although, finding such items on public properties does indeed give much more leeway, and so does the fact that it is not generally prosecuted as a crime but as a civil violation) and sufficient evidentiary standards are observed to establish probable cause.  The current system sounds like it relies almost entirely on hearsay and anecdotal and unreliable evidences.  Metro also must conduct a thorough review to evaluate the effectiveness of the Regional Illegal Dumping program in promoting Metro's core missions to protect the environment and create sustainability.  Likewise it is important to shift the enforcement priorities away from low-income individuals and to corporate offenders (such as the likely suspect for the Marine Drive tire dump spree).  Additionally, Metro needs to create a safe, legal dumping site or places where common household items such as used furniture and tires could be dropped off, perhaps in partnership with a variety of local non-profit organizations that promote sustainability, reuse, and job creations (another option is to provide grants for organizations that already operate a pick-up service such as the Salvation Army, the Arc of Multnomah County, and the Goodwill Industries, provided that they will not refuse any item).

With great respect,

Sarah Morrigan

Oregon Street Talk to make a come back?

Image via WikipediaEven to this day, this site receives many hits, even though no new article has been posted for years.  Many of what I have written back then no longer reflects my opinions -- informed and made wiser by my experiences and realities, like everyone else, I have grown out of much of the extremism and (became old!)  started to appreciate many different views and positions.

This year I have joined Sisters Of The Road's Dorothy Day Community School to train to be a more effective activist and advocate.  It is kind of ironic since at one point I had quite a bit of misgiving about this organization.

I am therefore thinking of resurrecting this blog, mostly focused on local (Portland, Multnomah County, Metro and Oregon) issues -- for issues of a more global and regional concerns will be handled elsewhere.  Also I will be reporting on my advocacy activities in Portland and Salem as it occurs (it is nice that the Oregon State Capitol has free wi-fi!).

Cheers,

Sarah

Quick updates for our readers!

The time has flown and it is almost the end of 2010; and it feels like a summer has just started! I have preserved the old articles of Oregon Street Talk intact as a public service, and it looks like this blog is still getting quite a few hits every single day, despite no new posts for over two years.

Things have changed quite a bit for me, and opinions I once expressed are no longer something I can agree with or support. On the other hand, I am still passionate about empowerment, opportunity creation and social justice for the marginalized. It is just that I no longer believe the old, tired methodology.

I have gained a lot of insight, as a chronic vagrant, as a political activist, as a direct service provider, and as a business owner and artist. I continue to gain more insight as my newfound career as an academic also takes shape. I do not think there are many people who have seen what I have seen and experienced from all these angles. I have been working on a book, but it is delayed quite a bit. I am taking five classes at a post-graduate level this fall, and I have at least two art shows upcoming, so this is a matter of my ability to better focus and manage time.

I will let everyone here know when my book is ready.

In the mean time, for those who are interested in TriMet issues should get involved with the new TriMet Riders Union, headed by Lew Church (I think) who used to organize the PSU Green Party, Coke/Odwalla boycott, etc. many years ago.

As for many organizations that I used to support, both in the political advocacy and also in social services, I feel that they have been doing nothing more than perpetuating poverty by further marginalizing and isolating the so-called homeless population, and enabling the worst of the worst cases of chronic vagrancy through their misguided charities and/or activism. Ultimately, the social services, their executives and employees benefit from the continuation of the status quo (and worsening of urban poverty). They behave under one big unspoken code of "ethics": bums are security risks. Their efforts thus are directed almost entirely toward controlling, enforcing and supervising. It is the classic colonial case of "us versus them," the humans versus bums, a battle of the species. At the end of their work shift they go home to the comfort of a middle class life, then snicker at the miserable bums while making money off them. No wonder why very few vagrants regain their human status and rise above poverty.

Coldest winter since 1978?

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?

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

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

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

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.)