I wonder what's the current situation with PBA's rent-a-cops? what powers do they have and what oversight is there of their shenanigans?

I feel like there was another blog post I should have put this comment under, but maybe that was somewhere else.

This story further proves that the PBA is a bunch of fascists.

As if I needed another reason to despise the PBA.

I don't mind them sitting on the sidewalk as long as they leave a place to walk but can we please stop them from urinating on the sidewalk (and themselves). Downtown is starting to smell like a well used piss bottle.

I guess ask for more loo funding?

Having sidewalks that are clear from people camping out on them (at the very least during the business hour time) is not anti-homeless. Portland has plenty of homeless non-profits where people can go inside of or in their courtyards during this time, as well as parks. Even the homeless services have signs outside their doorways adjacent to sidewalks saying "no loitering/camping."

Nobody's calling them "fascist," it's just common sense not to have camping or sitting on the sidewalks. If it's a problem, the city can install some benches. Portland's sidewalks are also very small compared to other cities. Add in sprawled out legs, an aggressive pit-bull and a backpack and you can see the problem at hand.

Somebody is going to trip and they will sue the city.

This is not an anti-homeless initiative (Sidewalk Management Plan); it's a common sense plan to making the streets safer and more inviting.

The homeless who are sitting on the sidewalk are begging for change for drugs.

The other homeless population is too mentally ill to beg for change, and is probably randomly walking around the city aimlessly. Let's give them the attention and send the beggars to drug rehab where they can overcome their addictions instead of being enabled by the tourists and bleeding hearts.

I and many other people don't go downtown much for some of these problems. I'd go there way more but get too annoyed being asked for change every 5 minutes, not to mention the 4 hypodermic needles I have found in tourist spots, and stay on the eastside. A lot of people do this too, but they won't admit it.

Soon DTP will be a for "lease sign." And we'll all know why, too.

I work downtown and this is how virtually every exchange has gone down with me and a kid beggar:

Kid- spare change?
Me- no, sorry.
Kid- no problem, have a good day.

They are always cordial and have some of the most well behaved dogs I have encountered. In Seattle the same scenario happened frequently, but my refusals often led to me getting cussed out and sometimes even followed.

These kids are an eyesore, but a typically well behaved eyesore. Where is all the intimidation people keep complaining about?

Dennis makes me want to swear allegiance to the bones of Ronald Reagan.

In no way is the PBA implying that it's not okay for "clean, house[less] people with small dogs and bags of belongings to enjoy a public sidewalk."

The problem in downtown Portland is transients sleeping, defecating and urinating all over the sidewalks, while aggressively panhandling and scaring away shoppers.

The problem is that Portland has a permissive culture with the homeless and an easily accessible supply of heroin. Youth homeless flock here to use our drugs and harass our citizens. This isn't a case of tragic homelessness and sad, old men drowning their PTSD or schizophrenia in a bottle of Mickey's. This is a pervasive and structural problem in which degenerates can impose themselves and their addictions on the good people of Portland.

So your stereotyping all the homeless people now; just to fit into your neato anti-homeless person stereotype?

Wow; you're such a very nice person. <--- Sarcasm; since you're a fucking toolbag "degenerate"; falafelstomper.

I lived downtown for 6 years; never once had a problem with homeless people following and harassing me ever. I get harassed more from Beavertronion bro-girls/bro-mans that hang out near Dirty on weekends. Those people are the fucking worst!