Really? Pollution? Your rant is first world. Try breathing here: http://www.bestourism.com/items/di/356?tit…

If you want to do something, think bigger.

The only thing that ever has to be addressed, is law suits. Get a do-it-yourself litigation book at the library, disregard the disclaimer that tries to talk you out of actually being your own lawyer, and then full, speed ahead. Start living the life of fucking Riley by becoming a professional litigant and suing every abusive SOB who fucks with your shit.

I feel your pain, but isn't complaining on the Mercury website FABULOUS?

Seriously? Complaining about local government and not knowing what to do, and a rant here is as far as your thinking can get you?
(palm to forehead)

Have you tried contacting the offices of elected officials? Meeting with bureau staff? Anything?

If something is actually against code, you need to find the right department to lodge a complaint to and keep bugging them. In the past, I've had some luck with some issues, and some responses like "that isn't actually against the rules."

As I commented recently elsewhere, it is not the city's job to provide housing. This seems to be a growing misconception in this town. Outside of autocratic countries with no private property rights, the building, selling and renting of housing is and has always been a function of a private market. The actors are private land owners, private construction companies, private buyers and renters.

There is no state or federal obligation that a local city government provide housing or make sure that it is affordable everyone. Portland could close all of its affordable housing programs tomorrow and not be violating any rule. The city is involved in housing basically out of the kindness of its heart (with our money.)

The closest we come to a requirement is that in the comprehensive planning process it must be demonstrated that the city has enough land with proper zoning to theoretically hold all of the types and price levels of housing the population needs. But it is not enforceable, because the city can't tell any private property owner that they must artificially lower their rents if they are able to charge more.

That would be true blabby except:

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/phb/60594

the city sees it differently.

When they take the onus on them in some cases, that means they take it on them in general

I disagree that the city has any real onus to "solve" affordable housing, and couldn't ever come remotely within a billion miles of doing it even if they wanted to. For every affordable housing unit built, there are literally tens of thousands of private market transactions taking place setting market prices and rents.

The City has decided it wants to be involved in affordable housing, and I'm sure it will be forever, but it doesn't have to be. Regardless of the platitudes on the City's website, the gap between need and resources might as well be the gap between the earth and the sun. Any individual waiting for the city to get around to providing them a housing unit at their income level will likely be waiting forever.

There is a separate Housing Authority (now calls itself Home Forward) which is totally separate from City government. That Housing Authority administers the federal Section 8 and public housing programs with waiting lists that last for years. They have an obligation to maintain affordable housing around the county. But to the extent they don't have enough funding, your beef is with Congress, not the local city government.

"I personally have real issues with sidewalk blocking and idling diesel engines in my neighborhood"

Oh god, those *ARE* real issues!

Welcome to living in the 'city', where idling engines and service trucks are doing their jobs almost 24/7. This isn't some Meg Ryan movie where you live in the heart of the city and everything is surrounded in cutesy gardens and personable street vendors. Move to Beaverton, it's what you secretly yearn for.

Worker exploitation? Get the fuck out of here. Tell that stupid shit to the 8 year old that made your telephone and tv and bicycle parts.

DIY Lawyer? Dina? You must be from another planet. Your previous attempt in the HIV/AIDS discussion left me no room to interpretation that you're complete ignorant.

Holy shit, you can't be serious, Portland's got more public access to local government than just about anywhere else in the country. But just because they're willing to listen, doesn't mean they'll end up doing what you want them to...

Leaky 2.0 oz, I've got nothing against you expressing your opinion here, but if I really felt that you had infringed upon my Rights in anyway, from your statement here to me it would seem, that the only way to get you to take me seriously, would be to sue your boney ass.

So following your previous comment, if I hit the books hard, I can get rid of a stalker easily?

You have to know how to pick your fights. First step of course is to document your claim. You'd better be clear about what actually does and does not, constitute stalking. Once you are certain that you aren't being irrational, then report the stalker to the police.

Of course, they won't do shit, about it.

If you are being stalked, you need to take the fight to the stalker. Nobody said it would be easy, but after you kick his ass, it's easy to pick his pocket and read his ID. Once you know who he is, you can find out if he's worth anything. If he isn't, then there is no sense in suing him.

After that, it's a simple matter to simply sue the City for not having stopped the creep from stalking you.

So basically is, document, constitute, certainty, then report that to the Police. And they won't do shit, of course.

Another course of action is kick his ass. Rough up. Pick his pockets and find out if he's worth anything. Otherwise it won't make any sense in suing him. Ok.

Afterwards, sue the city, for not having stopped the creep from stalking.

Sounds like you have it figured it out.

A NORTH PORTLAND TAVERN has been slammed with nearly $400,000 in fines after asking that a group of transgender women stop visiting each week.

According to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), the owner of the Twilight Room Annex (formerly the P Club) ran afoul of Oregon law last year when he asked 11 members of the Rose City T-Girls to cease stopping by because he didn't want his establishment known as a "tranny bar." For the discrimination, owner Chris Penner will pay members of the group between $20,000 and $50,000 each.

Penner called a member of the group, asking that they not return to his bar. He claimed business had dropped since the T-Girls began coming in.

The case marked the first time BOLI has filed a complaint under the 2007 Oregon Equality Act, which offers protections for gay, lesbian, and transgender people. DVH

http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/in-other-news/Content?oid=10444169

If you are being stalked, then by now you must have already filed a complaint with the police. If you are asking the questions that you are asking, the so far, the police haven't done shit. If you are in fact being stalked, then your probably already do have a good idea of who the stalker is and so ought to be able to determine if he's worth suing. In any event, if he is still continuing to stalk you, then by now it's probably a good time to sue the City because the police have not and are not, doing shit about it.

Waaah! Changing the world is hard!!

This is so easy. If you want to change the world you have to get two hundred gutter punks to march in circles holding plywood signs and beating bongo drums for three days, then get pepper sprayed and tased by 30 riot cops, then you camp out on the sidewalk in front of city hall for a year and a half.

Social change is then magically dispensed by the justice fairy.

I agree with you completely. I really have a problem with trucks, buses, etc idling for long periods of time. I used to live near a carpet warehouse and was sick of the noise and odor of delivery trucks idling for no reason. I picked up the phone and talked to the driver's boss who wanted to know specifics. Voila! Immediately, the driver was told to shut off his engine.