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Feb 26, 2014
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So being caught littering more than once = "interfering with a peace officer"?
Give me a fucking break.
Sounds like something we should fix.
"The policy—currently limited to downtown and the Lloyd District—"should serve to make Portland less attractive to people who want to come here and openly violate the law and degrade community livability,"
Cool. Keep it up guys!
It'd be nice if this country got it together.
If you also cannot see the massive rise in police brutality and the burgeoning police state, or are choosing to ignore it then please make yourselves known, so we know who to guillotine first when this shit-hole of a country finally implodes.
Supporting this overtly fascist law/program makes you part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Your sense of white privilege disgusts me.
First off, who is "Your" -- all of us on this thread, or me?
Second, how do you know I'm white?
Third, I've never bought a $6 latte, at least not consciously.
Fourth, you completely overlook the fact I said I have been both homeless and worked with them.
Fifth, I agree, the country is becoming a police state. What I'm arguing is then let's stop giving the police excuses. I opposed sit-and-lie, and I oppose the police policy mentioned in the article. But a lot of Portlanders, both residents and homeless people, don't understand taking a shit on a storefront, being a 6 foot guy badgering women for money while coming off like a potential rapist, and staring with malice at people on the train because you're high are exactly the kinds of things that give cops excuses to crack down on everyone, not just the homeless. With freedom comes responsibility. I've lived with hundreds of responsible poor people who fought for their country, paid their taxes, loved their kids and were great citizens. They are my family and friends. You know who isn't? Somebody who smashes empty 40 ouncers on the sidewalk where little kids can cut their feet and then curses "The Man" while intimidating customers going in and out of a convenience store just trying to make ends meet on the minimum wage jobs he refuses to work.
Sixth, since you assume I'm white, you also seem to assume I'm primarily referring to people of color. Far from it. Hands down the most off-putting, offensive homeless "travelers" are the young white kids who flood into Portland each summer. Not all of them -- like I said, some are very cool. I know because I actually talk to them, and more than a few have said they appreciate my politeness. But a number of them refuse to see that gathering in large groups outside various places and harassing passersby tends to come off as threatening, especially to women. Which brings me to my final point, Pope David -- you are a perfect example of MALE privilege. You are so upset at the cops and the crackers you don't even think about what it's like for a petite young lady to have to walk through a crowd of stoned or drunk homeless men who may or may not be respectful. My point is simple. If these spoiled white "travelers" would grow up and face the fact they make life harder for others, maybe more people would advocate for them. Please get that through your head. And speaking of heads, by the way, threatening to cut someone's off because you don't agree with them is not a good way to make friends and influence people. On what planet can you possibly think any of your arguments would make life better for the homeless?
Larry had unwittingly stepped into a lion’s den and poked the king, Daniel Dorson, with a sharp stick. The den was their home and they had no intention of leaving it, certainly not at the rude urging of an old man with the power of a frail Chihuahua. What Larry did next is up for dispute, but the lion king saw Larry attack his mate or sister. As one might expect, justice was swift.
Daniel has been tracked down and will be put away for some time. Larry has decided to give up washing the sidewalk.
For the rest of us considering this story, we might choose to treat all people with respect; respect for their persons, respect for their point of view, respect for their homes, respect for their rights as citizens. It is a more practical, effective, and often safer approach than confrontation; especially when dealing with those of another culture.
With any luck (and justice), your noble Lion King Dorson will be shown the same respect in prison that he showed Larry Allen on that sidewalk that morning when he so respectfully took his skateboard to his head in order to defend himself from a few words and a couple of drops of water.
And, if you're actually serious about what you just wrote, then I certainly hope that you, too, will be shown that same sort of respect wherever you might be.
What's your encore, man? Is there a respectful baby-shaker or a gallant puppy-kicker somewhere that you're about to canonize?
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