This fell into the Street Roots mailbox tonight.
Dear Sharing Public Sidewalks committee member,
Attached are the notes from the March 1, 2010 meeting. Please contact Sara Hussein if you have corrections.
The Mayor is working with the City Attorney to propose a new sidewalks ordinance along the lines suggested at the end of last year, i.e. keeping sidewalks open for through traffic especially with regard to facilitating movement for people with disabilities. It is hoped a draft proposal will be out next week. The Mayor wants the Sharing Public Sidewalks committee to review and comment on the proposal. We will send it to you when it is available. The April 6, 2010 meeting of our committee will be devoted to discussion of your opinions about it. A public hearing would be scheduled before Council after the committee's review.
The Mayor and I appreciate your willingness to participate on the committee and give us your advice.
Amanda Fritz
Commissioner, City of Portland
The following are notes from the March 1 SHARING PUBLIC SIDEWALKS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
I. IN ATTENDANCE
1. Bernie Bottomly - Portland Business Alliance
2. Commander Dave Famous - Portland Police Bureau
3. Commissioner Amanda Fritz
4. Craig Roethler – Powell’s Books
5. Dan Yates – Portland Spirit
6. Daniel Ledezma - Commissioner Fish’s
7. Dora Perry – Commissioner Fritz’s Office
8. Ethan Perkins – Salvation Army Harbor Light
9. Irene Konev - Independent Police Review
10. Jan Campbell – Portland Commission on Disability
11. Jan Oliver – University of Oregon
12. Jay Auslander – Cascadia
13. Jeanne Harrison – Willamette Pedestrian Coalition
14. Judith Mowry – Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI)
15. Justin Zeulner – LDCA/Rose Quarter
16. Laurie Abraham – Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office
17. Make Tabor – Independent Media
18. Marc Jolin – JOIN
19. Marian Rhys - Portland Pedestrian Advisory Committee
20. Marietta Louden – SAFES Shelter
21. Meredith Schreiber – Powell’s Books
22. Michael Zokoych - Central Eastside Industrial Council
23. Mike Boyer - ONI Crime Prevention Program
24. Patrick Nolen – Soapbox under the Bridge
25. Regina Hannon - Portland Copwatch
26. Rich Eisenhauer – PBOT
27. Sally Erickson - Portland Housing Bureau
28. Sara Hussein – Commissioner Fritz’s Office
29. Sergeant Mark Friedman - Portland Police Bureau
30. Shelley Bailey - Central Drug
31. Sister Cathie Boerboom – Rose Haven
32. Stacy Brewster - Commissioner Saltzman’s Office
33. Tara Krugel – Elders in Action
34. Terry Johnson – Elders in Action
35. Theresa Marchetti – ONI
36. Veronica Rinard - Travel Portland
37. William Barnes - Downtown Neighborhood Association
II. ALCOHOL IMPACT AREA UPDATES – THERESA MARCHETTI AND MIKE BOYER, ONI
• ONI is forming an area wide coalition to address livability and public safety issues in the Downtown core called “VIBRANT PDX” (Volunteering as Businesses to Reduce Alcohol-related Nuisances Together)
• ONI is proposing a voluntary agreement between the City of Portland and all the holders of Oregon Liquor Control Commission Off Premise Liquor Licenses in the Downtown, Old Town/Chinatown, and part of the Pearl Neighborhoods to address the problems associated with street drinking and chronic intoxication that negatively impact everyone
• The proposal is designed to limit the availability of high alcohol content beverages and large quantities of alcohol that are favored by those who illegally drink in public
• A series of meetings has been held for public input, with the final of the three meetings to be held on Thursday March 4th
• The “Impact Zone” is the geographical area east and north of I-405, west of the Willamette River, and south of NW Lovejoy St.
• This agreement was a collaborative effort between city officials, business owners, and community organizations
• If implemented, this will take into effect on April 1, 2010
• ONI will be working with Portland State University to conduct a displacement study to analyze of individuals use other areas of Portland to publically drink
III. CAMPING GUIDELINES DISCUSSION – SANIEL LEDEZMA, COMMISSIONER FISH’S OFFICE (PLEASE SEE PAGE 5 FOR A DRAFT OF THE CAMPING GUIDELINES)
• Commissioner’s Nick Fish and Dan Saltzman are taking the lead on creating camping guidelines
• Guidelines will be enforce by the Portland Police Bureau in a six month pilot program
• Committee members broke out into small groups to address the following questions for the camping guidelines:
1. Success in implementing the camping guidelines rests upon the concept of “mutual responsibility”. What can members of the committee do to promote respectful camping on behalf of homeless campers with regards to trash and sanitation that will help keep the sidewalks clean?
2. What can the City and its partners do to help homeless campers pack up their belongings each morning so as to not obstruct sidewalks?
3. These guidelines will be a 6 month pilot. What would successful homeless camping management look like? How can the City and its partners gauge success?
4. How can the City more definitively describe “night time high volume traffic areas”?
• Answers/concerns from small group discussion:
o Never use a roadway for camping
o Time issues needs to be addressed since many homeless individuals do not have watches
o Concerns about sidewalk accessibility Downtown, specifically related to those with disabilities, if camps are erected at 9:00 P.M.
o Increase trash cans to assist with clean up
o Have homeless people help give input to the questions posed
o Conduct trainings on responsible camping for those that are camping – mutual responsibility
o City employees to conduct outreach to those who are camping
o Increase restroom facilities
o Incentives for clean up → turn in a bag of trash for a meal coupon
o Creation of encampments that are self-governed, sanitary, and provide safety for homeless people
o Potential camping sites – park blocks, parking garages, abandoned buildings
o Have guidelines, but couple the guidelines with “designated camp sites” with cover and sanitation that allow for larger camp groups
o Does section “D” make those sleeping in a bedroll exempt from the rules in Section A?
o Section G shows the need for City to define an entertainment zone
o More outreach from homeless advocates to educate
o Encourage community members to engage homeless in everyday conversations
o Majority of campers do pack-up in a timely manner
o Collect data on the number of people from the street to housing, camping violations and community complaints
o Establish a current baseline survey and follow-up after 6 months
o Camps being 50 yards apart does not provide much useable space
o State in the guidelines where people can be, rather than where the cannot be
o Pets and camps?
o High traffic areas: arterials are high volume (i.e., MLK Blvd and transit streets)
o On west side, low volume streets are more easily defined (i.e., park blocks)
o Target enforcement on the use of drugs and aggressive animals
IV. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE GROUP
• Portland Pedestrian Advisory Committee
o Meet every 3rd Tuesday of each month
o 7:00 – 9:00 P.M.
o Pettygrove Room in City Hall (1221 SW 4th Ave)
• Good Neighbor Agreement
o Collaboration between ONI and Sisters of the Road
o Agreement not yet finished
o Creating dialogue between homeless individuals and the Police Bureau
• Graffiti Summit
o Thursday, March 18th
• Community Budget Forums
o Monday March 1: Montgomery Park, 2701 NW Vaughn St., 6-8:30 p.m.
o Wednesday March 3: Mt. Scott Community Center, SE 72nd and Harold St., 6-8:30 p.m.
o Saturday March 6: IRCO, 10301 NE Glisan St, 1-3:30 p.m.
V. NEXT MEETING
• Monday April 5, 2010 from 3:30 – 5, Portland Building, Room C
DRAFT Homeless Camping Guidelines
I. The City, in coordination with identified community members and homeless service providers, will pilot the following draft guidelines for a six month period. A work group will appointed by Commissioner’s Fish and Saltzman will meet to assess the success of the guidelines after one month of implementation.
A. The City will not enforce its camping law (PCC 14A.50.020 or successor) against persons who camp on public property or public rights of way that are open to the public if they comply with the following rules:
a. A camp may not contain more than four people after 10:00 p.m.
b. A camp must be out of sight and earshot or more than 50 yards away from any other camp.
c. Campers may not set up a campsite until 9:00 p.m.
d. A camp must be quiet after 10:00 p.m.
e. A camp must not cause any health or sanitation problems.
f. A camp must not draw significant complaints from neighbors.
g. A camp must be off the sidewalks and roadways and away from nighttime high volume traffic areas.
h. A camp must be packed up and removed from the site by 7:00 a.m.
B. The City will not enforce its prohibition against the erection of structures on public property (PCC 14A.50.050) against tents or other structures designed for the primary and limited purpose of protecting outdoor sleepers from the elements when the occupants of a campsite comply with the rules set out in subsection A and no more than two sleeping structures are present at a site.
C. The City will not enforce its camping law against people sleeping at night in vehicles as long as they comply with the rules set out in subsection A and the camp is limited to one vehicle and no more than two adults.
D. The City agrees that it will not consider sleeping in a bedroll, without more, to meet the definition of “camp” in PCC 14A50.020.
E. The City will conduct a pilot project to examine the feasibility and benefits of providing storage to homeless people living on the street. The City will not rouse non-obstructing, otherwise lawful sleepers before 7:00 a.m.
F. The City will make these guidelines available to the public, and the City’s police officers will tell potential campers and outdoor sleepers about these guidelines.
Posted by Israel Bayer