Here’s the thing about the leaders we Portlanders elect to make
decisions for us: When it comes to blue sky, hand-holding yuppie
issues like recycling, planting trees, and biodiesel, they’d
trample their own mothers to let TV news cameras know how liberal they
are.

That’s especially true for issues over which they have exactly zero
jurisdiction, like opposing the Iraq War, supporting same-sex marriage,
reforming immigration laws, letting gays and lesbians serve in the
military, etc.

But when it comes to issues like “livability” and “public safety,”
Portland’s city council quickly becomes less Dennis Kucinich, and
frighteningly more Rudy Giuliani. Last week’s vote on the new
sit-lie law is a perfect example. With a 3-1 vote, city council
decided to begin enforcing a law that bans (homeless) people from
sitting or lying on the sidewalk downtown. Brilliantly, the proponents
of the law (cough, the Portland Business Alliance) ensured that the
public debate steered clear of the morality or constitutionality of the
policy, and focused solely on whether the law is worth one public
restroom, or two (providing benches and public restrooms was the trade
off for the Sit-Lie ordinance). The one “no” vote—Commissioner
Randy Leonard—wasn’t because the policy is draconian, but because
he thought the public restroom should be closer to Old Town.

But then, that’s the political genius of the Street Access for
Everyone committee, which Mayor Tom Potter convened last year in order
to get his sit-lie law. The committee included the PBA as well as
homeless advocates, and their recommendations were required to be
unanimous. In tying homeless services to the sit-lie law, they all but
guaranteed the law’s success. Who on city council is going to vote
against funding for homeless services, even if it’s tied to a draconian
law?

The bottom line: The PBA paid the city a lot of money—to pay
for many of those services—in order to get its law, which the
organization believes will bring more shoppers downtown.

We could all decry the ease with which our trusted, progressive
leaders sold out their principles… or we could learn how to
capitalize on it. For instance! The controversial, and seemingly
racist, Drug-Free Zones will be up for a vote again at the end
of September. Instead of fighting them, maybe we should see how much
the PBA will pay to buy off the necessary votes.

How much is a barely constitutional law that disproportionately
targets African Americans worth? A new skatepark? A bike path? A
lifetime supply of cigars for city council?

Come on, Portland—we’ve got at least five or six amendments in
the Bill of Rights that haven’t been sold off yet… and the price is
right!