Wait, so the Merc is campaigning against this new ordinance? Am I understanding that correctly?

@Jack I'm against it, personally, and I'm sure that's shone through in my reporting. But this Facebook page was organized by a downtown lawyer, and he's leading the campaign.

I'm not sure what's so bad about asking people to stay to the side of the sidewalk if they're squatting. Sidewalks are for walking. The Downtown sidewalks are large enough for squatters to stay off the main drag so that pedestrians (like me) can walk easily.

@Jack If this were about access, and not rights, I'd agree with you. But the people lobbying for this are not pure of heart, I can assure you.

Is that so important, Matt? When are any lobbyists "pure of heart"?

I think the more important issue should be what they're lobbying for. If it serves me as a Downtown resident and worker to have people on the side of the sidewalk instead of in the middle of it so that I and others can navigate said sidewalk a little easier, I'm all for it.

It's not like they're giving the PPB the power to wrangle the gutter punks up and ship them off to SF (or worse) on a bus or anything.

They're just asking them to move aside and not block a public right of way.

Please don't think I'm attempting to troll. I enjoy the debate and getting your side of this in an attempt to possibly see it in another light in case I'm inadvertently being a prick to these kids. But so far I haven't seen anything offered by the ordinance to be too far out of line.

@Jack. We live around the corner from each other. We're both downtown residents. Let's have coffee at the Starbucks on 9th and Taylor and talk this over. I reckon I could win you over in about 45 minutes.

You can bring your wife, too. Although watch out she isn't smoking any cigarettes down there...

503 502 2106. Some time this weekend?

Just sexted you!

OOo! Shivers...

"It's not like they're giving the PPB the power to wrangle the gutter punks up and ship them off to SF (or worse) on a bus or anything."

Is there a way we can re-word the proposed law to make this happen?

FYI, there's something wrong with your RSS feed. It only sticks the first paragraph of something quoted in blockquotes:

http://d.aaron.gy/merc.png

And it's not just this post, it's all quotes ever. It's annoying (and confusing, and inaccurate) as heck.

There are so many crashed out people on my corner that I have to look down as I walk around downtown so as not to fall over someones feet. This is not acceptable... in any city. What are the choices?

On the corner where I live I have to look down as I walk around downtown due to all the legs and belongings of people sleeping, just lying around and resting it off. This is not acceptable in any city.