I'm a bit more selective of whom I socialize with. I don't chit chat with security guards or police. I resent their very presence. In East Germany, people used to befriend the Stasi who were on every street corner and messing around inside citizens apartments when they weren't even home.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stasi#Zersetzung

been on the street myself and just makes you appreciate how we bully each other into conforming to a life that does not work out the way its sold a lot of the time; we cannot always afford our own high price box and some have found the hard way it does not give them what they need. so does that mean they no longer should have the freedom to congregate? I wonder if that deusche who said "what we're looking for is the ability to prevent collective behaviors that are negative" even understands how many people sleep in groups just for the safety of it so they can actually close their eyes? furthermore people get along fine, great actually, WHEN THEY ARE NOT HERDED LIKE CATTLE. That is when the problems begin. I've watched it change the streets of portland over the last year, I've seen the predominately dirty but peaceful good hearted crowd turn to a predominately punk knife wielding kids who think being on the streets is cool.

I don't think the people of portland appreciate two things;

1) when you sweep the streets only the harmless ones leave, the bad ones stay behind and even multiply.

2) People out there with space ship hats, lovable dogs, and funny signs (the harmless ones I was talking about) give heart to your street.

3)we created homelessness when we created homes. Let people use the two hands god gave them to build a shelter in the plentiful areas in portland where no one is using and see if they infect your sidewalk then. You've given them no where else to go. The missions in portland take the money and don't accomplish this.

We were given this earth free of charge, and to tell people they cannot be on a public or even 'city owned' piece of land and instead need to stay on the run and hiding on dirty pissed on sidewalks to me says that Mr. Barker needs to be lynched. I have no criminal record, i will work circles around you, I'll even be your science tutor.

You try to herd me like cattle and I'll take the teeth out of your mouth. simple. gotta stand up for myself because waiting on the middle class to stand up for me is like hoping for a jury to convict child killing cops.

Look at all the churches that are empty at night. Saint Bontiface's in San Francisco lets people sleep on the pews.

http://www.saintbonifacesf.org

http://thegubbioproject.org

http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/SHAME-OF-THE-CITY-SACRED-SLEEP-At-St-3311437.php

The PBA has legitimate concerns too. We need a vibrant downtown, and sometimes it gets uncomfortable for the family to shop especially when homeless folks want to interact with them, and there are some who are pretty aggressive panhandlers.
But we can't push these folks out of the downtown core. There has to be a more balanced way, and these foot patrols are a wonderful possibility for creating that balance. This is what is so needed today, a return to the officer walking a beat, interacting and getting to know the locals, building positive relationships It makes their job so much better for everyone, the officers, the public, and the business owners.

"we need a vibrant downtown so lets sick cops on them". You know what its like to have a cop wake you like your a kid when you've done nothing wrong? know what it's like to go seek a spot near the suburbs to establish a livable campsite and have people of the suburbs sick the police on you like your a dog? So now your herded into downtown and now those same middle class people from the suburbs got a problem with you being there too so they sick the cops on you again.... Until your tired of it and leave. Exept the shitty ones don't leave. They don't have standards. Now you got bums not just homeless.

You could have realized god gave you everything on this planet free of charge and refrained from taking it upon yourself to herd people around. You could just urge the city to designate livable camp sites where no one is using the space and have an inspector come to insure they are not becomming hazards and kept up to some kind of code.

But you didn't. You just taught your family to give into their predispositions instead of getting to know these people and you used the cops like your own entitled tool to herd people who did nothing wrong so you'd feel better shopping for useless shit downtown.

Middle class people like you are the real problem.