ARE PORTLAND OFFICIALS stealthily building a case for ousting Occupy Portland?
The Portland Police Bureau and Mayor Sam Adams’ office were both insisting, as of press time Tuesday, October 25, that the answer is no. No firm timelines were in place for booting occupiers from downtown’s Chapman and Lownsdale Squares.
But curiously, just days after Mayor Adams stood before a phalanx of reporters on Thursday, October 20, and promised that the camps could stay—so long as the occupiers behaved—the Portland Police Bureau has steadily ramped up news alerts about each and every incident reported at the camp.
Some were tangential. One release involved crime statistics that even bureau officials, talking to KPTV, acknowledged weren’t statistically sound. Then came a decision on Tuesday to begin releasing unfiltered incident logs.
The change raised eyebrows among some occupiers. But police spokesman Lieutenant Robert King blamed the media for the change in policy—especially TV and radio reporters.
“If I wasn’t getting the requests,” he says, “I wouldn’t be giving this information out every day. We’re not tying the release of information to any long-term strategy.”
Meanwhile, the occupiers, who are about to begin their fourth week of protesting and living in tents, are consciously trying to reemphasize their original message of economic justice and move past the distractions of daily crime reports. More marches and classes are in the works, and the camp’s media machine has grown more sophisticated. They even directly challenged news reporters to elevate their coverage of the movement.
Still, city officials are keeping a close watch.
Emails obtained from Mayor Adams’ office reveal that city officials—not just maintenance workers—are regularly walking through the campsites and attending general assemblies, reporting back on sanitation concerns and rumors about discontent.
The intelligence-gathering comes as business leaders and foes of the Occupy movement gripe that the camps have increasingly become a haven for homeless Portlanders, addicts and the mentally ill.
“People say this is the problem with the movement,” says occuper Chapman Clark, a 30-year-old nonprofit manager at Portland State. “But that’s the reason for the movement.”
Since Adams’ press conference, given just before he left for a 10-day trip to Asia, a growing number of cities that had tolerated long-term occupations have decided to shut camps down. In the case of Oakland, California, well-armed riot cops announced that decision.
Interestingly, the occupiers themselves could be the ones who decide to go. Also on Tuesday, the Mercury learned of a proposal, purportedly by the camp’s frustrated peacekeeping committee, to vacate the camps by November 5 in favor of private space. That came a day after occupiers voted to march into the Pearl on Saturday, October 29, in hopes of expanding to Jamison Square.
That also could spark confrontation. Says Adams’ spokeswoman, Amy Ruiz: “The mayor has been clear: All parks rules are in effect at all other parks.”
Upcoming at Occupy Portland
PATRIOTIC SING-ALONG—Friday, October 28, at noon, Pink Martini and Storm Large hope to fill Pioneer Courthouse Square with Occupy folks and friends for a sing-along of songs like “This Land Is Your Land.” Plus: speeches by politicos like Earl Blumenauer.
BANK ACTION—On Saturday, October 29, the protesters are set for some sort of direct action at Bank of America. We’re not sure what’s going to happen—handcuffs? Ceaseless drumming?—but people are meeting at SW 1st Morrison at 11:30 am.
Democracy looks like a naive stinky white bearded hippie.
“They even directly challenged news reporters to elevate their coverage of the movement.”
Libtard doublespeak babble translation:
“They whined that the news is actually reporting what is really going on at OP.”
Clearly a troll [possibly paid to troll] who can’t even be bothered to start an account.
I wish I got paid!
And you are correct, I couldn’t be bothered to start an account.
WAAAAAH libtard WAAAAAH!
Nah, DamosA, I think frankieb jusrt forgot to sign in.
Oregometry- just giving you the chance to handle the easy stuff man.
Occupy Portland is a perfect storm of misunderstandings.
They do not fully understand the words they use, the goals they have and the affect their actions will have on the community they claim to be fighting for.
Freedom, Democracy, Rights, Participation. All great words. Really not being used logically for the advancement of a society.
A society is a number of people who live together enjoying an infrastructure to enrich everyone’s lives. That infrastructure is not free but all the people in the society pay a little bit here and there in taxes and volunteerism and fundraising to keep a civilization worth living in. It is agreed that everyone has an opportunity to use these infrastructures such as roads and parks and libraries and government buildings as a benefit of participating in the society. People often see this as “rights”. Unfortunately there are no “rights” there are only socially available opportunities. Not all societies offer the same opportunities. This is where “democracy” allows people to vote on changing these opportunities. By voting these people are “participating” They have the “freedom” to vote or not vote as they see fit.
There are some actions that take freedom away from others while the few demand their rights to do so.
Occupy Portland is taking away the opportunity for many other citizens to use the parks because they want to use their freedom of speech and right for peaceable assembly to take a stand. This is not a goal oriented stand it is a childish tantrum and like most tantrums it will be ineffective. Does anyone remember how effective the anti-war protests were during the Bush administration? They even had a goal. Remove the military from Iraq and Afghanistan. It was clear, direct and ineffective.
Occupy Portland does not send any clear message. I work in front of those parks and I see it every day. Signs like “We are the 99 percent” and “Tax Weed and Greed” and “This is what Democracy looks like” are pointless. How is this supposed to create legislation that will address the economic concerns?
Occupy Portland has failed to send a unified message for any legislation they may want to support or repeal or have considered. I have not seen any signage that asks for a specific redress of economic guidelines or practices. There is a selection of disorganized people are unhappy about something but have no real proposals to place before city, state or national leaders to correct the behavior they feel has created an unfair balance between certain citizens and other citizens.
Most people are going to drive or walk past the protest. How are they getting the message across to those people. Not everyone wants to walk into a protest. Those people cannot be dismissed. They have to be included with direct and unified messages that can be read quickly and understood. They are also part of the “99 percent” even if they are not interested in walking into a large group of strangers.
The claim that the “rich” whomever they may be, do not pay taxes has a point but there is no orderly and thoughtful suggestion on how to get the “rich” to pay taxes. There is no hand out to mail to a congressperson or a lobbyist to contact in the interest of passing a clear and possible regulation. Conversely the homeless do not pay taxes either. Why are they exempt from the rage and frustration of placing the economic burden on “the middle class”? “Because they are homeless” is not a reason, it is an emotion. As much as the “rich” are not participating in the infrastructure by not paying taxes so are the homeless. If they are protesting people who do not pay taxes they are protesting both groups.
A political movement has to accomplish something for the good of all the people, those who feel harmed and those who are claimed to be the harmful. To be one sided on the opposing balance is no better than the damage the protesters are complaining about. There has to be a functional and rational piece of legislation that can be put to a vote.
If the Occupy movement wants to change things they have to remember how things change in the current political state. Votes, not tantrums, pass laws.
The Vietnam Conflict protesters wanted the draft repealed and the military action halted. Those are direct actions that can be enacted.
The Civil Rights movement wanted legalized segregation to be repealed and equal opportunity laws to be set in place. Those are direct actions that can be enacted.
If Occupy Portland is an offshoot of the idea behind Occupy Wall Street then it needs to refocus on what that idea is and what it means. All the participants need to be on the same goal.
There needs to be a set of standards and practices. These are not terrible things. If a group cannot have them how are they going to ask for others to use them? It is a protest, not a party.
Why do they think the “bankers” and the “fat cats” took what they could and ignored the needs of the people. Because there were no standards in place to limit their behavior. The”rich” had freedom and they used it.
Why are they not checking to see that all participants are registered voters? Why are they not checking to see that all participants are paying taxes? Why are they not requiring an 8 hour volunteer program of sign holding, choral singing (of message based songs that pertain to the goal) cleaning, food distribution (to registered participants) and information distribution and manufacturing (leaflets, form letters to mail to congress people) Why do they need to be there at 3 in the morning when no one else is downtown to observe the protest? Is it so difficult to show up when the park opens and then spend the last hour cleaning up and then return the next day? Is it so difficult to wear clean and respectable clothes so passers by think about taking the message seriously?
Why should anyone take a message seriously if the person sharing the message does not take it seriously enough to show respect to what they are saying by appearing clean and well groomed? For those who argue that everyone should respect their choices I counter with you cannot make people do anything but you can chose how you present your self. If you choice has people questioning you then being angry at them does not change how they see you. It just weakens what you are trying to say. Martin Luther King did not show up in jeans and a tee shirt.
Putting forth a serious effort impresses people. Hula hooping and juggling and speaking a thousand words from a thousand voices is confusing and dismissible. One word from a thousand voices. That will get attention and respect.
One policy that Occupy Portland needs to incorporate is that only those who are active participants will be fed and allowed to be part of the protest. Why? To keep the message on point. To keep Occupy Portland a political organization with a goal and a purpose.
Providing social services is not their job. They are not qualified or supplied for such things. Doing so distracts from the political purpose and obscures the message. It wastes resources for the organization and it creates more difficulties for the citizens, the infrastructure and the message.
Freedom is not what people think it is. Animals have freedom. They scavenge for food, they shit in the woods and they weather the elements with the hides on their backs. They live, the fight, they die. There are no laws or infrastructures that provide them benefits like plumbing and trash service and street lights. No organization of animals protects one group from the other. Caribou do not hire lawyers if the wolves kill members of their heard and wolves do not counter sue if the caribou get in a few good kicks and kill a wolf.
People in a society are not free. They have opportunities and they have responsibilities. Stealing the park from other citizens and forcing the city to spend tax dollars on park repairs and trash pick up and sewage issues is not freedom, it is irresponsible and selfish. Much like the “corporations” and the “rich” that the protesters are complaining about.
This money will come from the Portland Parks budget. The same budget that provides for summer programs and pools and well maintained green spaces with healthy trees and planted flowerbeds for Portland families and visitors. The more tax money spent on cleaning up after Occupy Portland’s selfish tantrum the less families will have to enjoy this summer at the parks when the budgets are slashed because of the money spent on this anomaly. There are only so many tax payers and they only pay so much in taxes.
Like all perfect storms, it will be destructive and expensive. Everyone will remember it, few will speak well of it and the expense will be an unnecessary burden on the community.
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I don’t understand the ‘vote’ to occupy the pearl? I don’t live in the Pearl, but the people I know who do live there don’t belong to the 1%. The people I know who live there have small studio apartments and live there to be close to work and save money on car ownership. They made the decision that its cheaper to live near downtown then commute from suburbs – a responsible decision. Why do the occupiers want to ruin their sleep? Most of the people who live there need to go to work in the morning. If the occupiers keep up their occupation of our cities the only people they will hurt are the people who live in those cities and, as a result, fuel more movement to the suburbs. It sounds like there are some real arrogant idiots in this campaign who are motivated not by the desire to eliminate corporate/1% influence in politics but instead by plain jealously of anyone who has a decent paying job. I still support the original OWS campaign and its ideals.. which, I believe, truly represented the 99%. But everyday this drags on, it seems the number of people it actually represents drops. Right now it’s seems to be well under 50%. The 99% has to be motivated not by jealously of wealthy people – but instead anger over how some of those who have wealth have used it to change societies rules to ensure they get richer.
Meanwhile the decades long search for the liberal media continues unsuccessfully. I am sick of the media coverage of the “ooohh it’s gross” aspects and the fellow liberals who think they have to respout it and distract from the real issues to be “respectable”.