SISTERS OF THE ROAD could be on the verge of withdrawing from
the mayor’s controversial Street Access for Everyone (SAFE)
committee—which has been responsible for overseeing the
enforcement of the sit-lie ordinance since it was enacted on
August 30 last year. The nonprofit plans to hold a press conference on
the steps of city hall—against the backdrop of the homeless
protest—on Thursday morning, May 8, after the SAFE committee’s
meeting.
The mayor’s office has claimed all along that the ordinance is not
aimed at homeless people, but rather at ensuring that the sidewalks are
unobstructed for everyone. But if Sisters were to withdraw its
support for the SAFE committee, the city would have a much tougher
time claiming the sit-lie ordinance is fair. Of the 88 warnings and
citations given between August 30, 2007 and January 22, 2008, 79 were
given to people who were identified as homeless, “transient,” or
no address was listed. MD
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ANTI-GAY ACTIVISTS got good news last week: Their appeal in a
federal lawsuit challenging the Oregon Secretary of State’s signature
verification process was granted “expedited review” by the Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals on April 29—which means the court could
decide in the activists’ favor, and put a referendum of Oregon’s new
domestic partnership law on this November’s ballot. Briefs in
the case are due by June 10, and the case could be decided by July.
Federal Judge Michael Mosman originally ruled against the anti-gay
group on February 1, after hearing arguments that the signature
verification process unfairly tossed out invalid signatures (the
domestic partnership referendum petition fell just a few signatures
short of the 55,179 valid signatures required). Domestic partnerships
immediately went into effect, and same-sex couples across the state
have registered as partners, gaining the same state-sanctioned
rights and responsibilities of marriage that opposite-sex
couples enjoy. AJR
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Web exclusive! Check out portlandmercury.com for more news,
including Andrew R. Tonry’s interview with presidential hopeful Ralph
Nader, who’s slated to speak at Benson High School on Tuesday, May 13
at 7:30 pm.