The devil is in the details. Exactly, and that’s why City Council made the right decision to halt enforcement of a law that bans people from sitting or lying on a sidewalk until services are in place. Services include a 24-hour restroom, showers and lockers, 25 park benches and day access space.
Randy Leonard’s resolution is a breath of fresh air around the issue. It’s still not the solution, considering once these services are put in place, we will still have an ordinance that unfairly targets everyday people on pubic sidewalks.
One message that has come out of the public debate is the idea that representatives from the business community don’t care about people experiencing poverty and that homeless advocates, particularly Street Roots, don’t trust the Portland Business Alliance's efforts to work toward big-picture solutions around homelessness — which is simply not true.
The PBA has offered $150,000 for a day access center (that’s more than Street Roots' entire budget) and been crucial in moving several services downtown forward. The organization also does amazing work with the "Clean" aspect of the Clean and Safe program, employing many formerly homeless individuals that have gone on to do great things. We commend the Alliance for all of this.
On the flip side of that equation, Street Roots works with dozens of businesses throughout the Portland region. One of the most empowering aspects of the vendor program is the idea that vendors are able to develop relationships with business owners, managers and the thousands of customers that frequent those respected businesses. Without a thriving business community, Street Roots wouldn’t have key locations to sell the newspaper.
The rubber hits the road when we start talking about the balance of power, and ultimately, profits before people. It’s our responsibility to offer vendors a professional newspaper individuals can sell and to empower vendors to take back their own lives. It’s our responsibility to work with people on the streets and in the community to investigate, report and advocate for the issues that effect our community.
Having a healthy relationship with different interest groups is something that’s crucial for any healthy city. It’s also essential that the balance of power is kept in check.
It’s no secret that living downtown has become less affordable. It’s almost impossible for poor people unless it’s a subsidized affair. And those units are diminishing fast. Because of a broken healthcare system, the war on drugs, addiction, mental health, proxy wars over five decades, the federal government's sell off of public housing, and the lack of living-wage jobs, people continue to become homeless at alarming rates.
Moving forward in a healthy and productive manner we must engage one another in a way that represents our respected community, but also keeps in mind the big picture. When the city is ready to talk about alternatives to criminalization and real affordable housing downtown, we will be on the road to true innovation. As it stands, we’re still just spinning our wheels. And that has nothing to do with trust or relationships — it has to do with the realities of poor people struggling to survive in the world we live.
