SCORE ONE for the old biddies and their jizz-filled fears of a downtown absolutely packed with the worst and most profane brand of street drunk imaginable.
They got their wish, and on Wednesday, September 15, Portland City Council unanimously endorsed Commissioner Amanda Fritz’s plan to ban sales of cheap hooch—malt liquor and fortified wines—downtown. The goal is to cut off the supply of swill that, they believe, makes so-called “undesirables” fall asleep on their condominium doorsteps.
And the downtown residents who showed up in high-waisted pants to back the proposal looked appropriately smug when the outcome was announced, confident they’d done their part to strike a blow for decency. Also tourists. And rich people.
Presumably, all the people lying in doorways will now start wearing suits and join them in line for the theater or for hot morning lattes. Except that they won’t. Because here’s the thing: While this ban might take away certain types of hooch, it won’t do a damned thing for solving addiction, helping with mental illness, or giving someone a hand up off the street. It might even force some drinkers out of the reach of detox workers.
“A meaningful solution is going to require some commitment to treatment and care,” said Rob Wheaton of Oregon AFSCME. “It’s not going to be addressed by Prohibition.”
More evidence this effort is about class as much as health, the only advocates anyone on the council listened to were lobbyists. From the wine and grocery industries.
Because they bent commissioners’ ears in the hallways outside the meeting, an exemption was carved out for the strong wines—like yummy California zins! Oooh!—favored by the hoity-toity. But 16-ounce cans of regular beer, the kind enjoyed by office workers and vagrants alike, didn’t have a defender. And now they’re included in the ban, too.
Of course, none of this keeps someone from filling up on 12-ounce cans or hopping on the MAX to some market somewhere else that sells the hard shit.
“I’m here to speak for the alcoholics, a subgroup that probably isn’t represented here,” said one homeless Portlander the council, Michael O’Callaghan. “You guys think you’re going to stop me from drinking? How absurd!”
The biddies rolled their eyes, but everyone else chuckled. He was right.
“There is a problem,” he continued. “The fundamental problem is people have nowhere to go.”
Boy Denis ….you nailed this one.
The fix was in … the rich versus the undesirables
(wink wink) “take their booze” and lets see if they leave (snicker) (wink wink) (high five)
Amanda wanted this to happen and it did
I seen the writing weeks ahead of time in bold on her blog ..I knew the fix was in
The Portland Business Alliance wanted it …they got it.
To hell with the masses let them eat cake (or drink water)
According to the way this was laid out ….
Poor people should not have the same shopping habits as the rich, nor the choices
Poor people should have LESS choice
Poor people need to be excluded out of equations and out of the same product the rich get to use or purchase
Poor people need to now pay to travel or walk miles to get what any rich / middle-class person can buy at the neighborhood store
Poor people from all walks of life in downtown get the screw and a smile from city hall
The city that works (with a heel dug into the backs of the poor)
Ban certain drinks from only certain people is discrimination!!
Ban them, arrest them, waste the courts and the police
One more feather in the hat of City Hall as they shit on the downtrodden
Wonder what the next “lets get em” is going to be?
I must say I cant wait to film the cops being alcohol monitors and arresting due to the brand of your beverage. Drink two 12 oz Coors = OK …but drink one tall 16 oz- we treat you like the criminal that you are…Shame on anyone who drinks a tall can of Colt 45 or even a tall can of anything … for you “must” be “one of those downtown undesirables”
The city that works –> Drinks for the Rich “see complete menu’ – Drinks for the Poor “get out of here, I’m calling the cops” – Welcome to Portland
Thanks Denis for seeing through the bias-ness and reporting here a good analysis of a very stupid disciminating law, that will not solve the problem at all.
Boy Denis ….you nailed this one.
The fix was in … the rich versus the undesirables
(wink wink) “take their booze” and lets see if they leave (snicker) (wink wink) (high five)
Amanda wanted this to happen and it did
i seen the writing weeks ahead of time in bold on her blog ..I knew the fix was in
The Portland Business Alliance wanted it …they got it.
To hell with the masses let them eat cake (or drink water)
According to the way this was laid out ….
Poor people should not have the same shopping habits as the rich, nor the choices
Poor people should have LESS choice
Poor people need to be excluded out of equations and out of the same product the rich get to use or purchase
poor people need to now pay to travel or walk miles to get what any rich / middle-class person can buy at the neighborhood store
Poor people from all walks of life in downtown get the screw and a smile from city hall
The city that works (with a heel dug into the backs of the poor)
Ban certain drinks from only certain people is discrimination!!
Ban them, arrest them, waste the courts and the police
One more feather in the hat of City Hall as they shit on the downtrodden
Wonder what the next “lets get em” is going to be?
I must say I cant wait to film the cops being alcohol monitors and arresting due to the brand of your beverage. Drink two 12 oz Coors = OK …but drink one tall 16 oz- we treat you like the criminal that you are…Shame on anyone who drinks a tall can of Colt 45 or even a tall can of anything … for you “must” be “one of those downtown undesirables”
The city that works Drinks for the rich “see complete menu’ – Drinks for the poor “get out of here, I’m calling the cops” – Welcome to Portland
Thanks Denis for seeing through the bias-ness and reporting here a good analysis
Petty and absurd as this is, your article is even more petty and absurd. I actually had to Google in order to make any sense out of what was actually happening. Also, strong wines (over 14%) appear not to be exempt. You could have included a link at least.
Did you know what white, upper middle class wine drinking women drink more during pregnancy than any other group…
http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/fetal.al…
Maybe they should remove all wine from Lake Oswego?
Since I had a job to go to that night, i left the council meeting shortly after the last public testimony was given. I assumed it was mostly over with by then anyways, & that matbe it would be some weeks down the road before the final decision was made regarding this targeted prohibition. Even before last Wednsdays’ meeting, i expected that there would be an exception made for most wine & [possibly] tall boy 6-packs (i assumed). Boxed wine “space bags” & definately single 23oz. cans would be targeted. But i had no idea that a decision would be made THAT NIGHT. Funny how it is that legal/political decisions RESTRICTING people’s rights seem to be made on a dimes’ notice, but decisions GRANTING people rights drag on for years.
But it all came down pretty-much how i expected, in addition to 6-packs of 16oz. cans being included in this ridiculous prohibition. So yeah, fuck poor/working class people & students who live dt. Like you said, pure classism. I’m soo glad i don’t live dt & i can [still] buy what i want.
Fine, the Hell with ’em.
Let them have their ban. It WILL be a total failure, for ALL the resaons i addressed when i spoke, & i’m sure afew more i hadn’t thought of yet. Free Rail Zone extends to Llyod center. Anyone who wants will just hope the MAX – for free – stop by that SafeWay across the street from the mall, or head to any one of several Seven-Elevens, Plaid Pantrys, & assorted other corner stores & get their single 24oz cans & 40oz. bottles. Plus, booze there would definately be cheaper than in dt. Infact, i’d suspect that many folks already travel OUTSIDE dt to buy booze at cheaper prices – contary to what that dumbass cop was saying about dt being a ‘magnet”. And i’d guess that people who live dt but work elsewhere routinely stop by some place to buy cheaper booze on their way home. And drunken assholes spilling out of the bars on weekends will still cause trouble, so this goes to prove that cops really DON’T give a shit about public safety. Sells of regular beer [at 4.5 – 5.5] in dt will jump up. Infact, predict that this will lead to an over-compensation, so you will have even MORE public drunkeness dt!
The one thing that does concern me though, is that when city council does impliment this thing & a year later they see that not a damned thing’s changed or gotten worse, some even more oppressive measure will be proposed.
Oregon is a police state…
The only thing they care about and protect is money…
The bigger the government gets, the more of a police state you will have…
Tea Party time!
Yeah that’s the answer: Oregon’s Tea Baggers YAY!
@PeterDangles: Calling Oregon a police state is an insult to police states everywhere. Learn some fucking vocabulary defintions you retarded-shaved-chimp.