There’s some animated back and forth at this morning’s city council meeting, where Right 2 Dream Too supporters are pressing Mayor Charlie Hales hard on what they say is their lack of access to information.
“When can we have a seat at the table?” R2DToo board member Trillium Shannon asked the mayor. Shannon and two other supporters say the homeless rest area has been presented finalized arrangements, rather than participating in negotiations.
A property Hales’ office floated on NW Hoyt “did not fit our needs,” Shannon told Hales. “We have a model. That model involves people sleeping in tents. People have had their lives saved by coming upon Right 2 Dream Too.”
At the same time, the advocates painted a picture of frequent police sweeps of homeless encampments in recent weeks, with personal IDs and other hard-to-replace items being snatched.
The mayor, who frequently is content to brush off criticisms by thanking people for their testimony, took exception to these characterizations. He’s encouraged the advocates to speak with Josh Alpert, a member of his staff whom Hales says has been “working literally every waking minute,” to bring a deal together.
Hales says advocates for the houseless haven’t been more involved, in part, because of saber rattling from R2DToo attorneys.
“When someone is threatening to sue us, we have to be more careful,” the mayor said.
Trillium pressed that notion, saying the organization has merely been hoping to enforce its settlement with the city. Again, the mayor stressed she should go up a floor and ask to meet with Alpert.
“We’re talking about real estate negotations,” the mayor said. “We’re not going to settle them in this room.”
Pearl District Rebuttal: Because your table manners are atrocious. And we actually heard one of you say, “horse dovers.”
R2D2: “I HAVE NO LEVERAGE AND THE CITY OWES ME NOTHING AND I’VE BEEN BREAKING CITY CODE FOR TWO YEARS, BUT I GET TO DICTATE HOW THIS WHOLE THING GOES!”
That free building were offering “doesn’t fit their needs”. Sheeeesh.
Pretty simple answer: “Hey stupid, you do have a seat at the table – you are represented by your lawyer, Mark Kramer, who has already done a remarkable job of turning dog shit into diamonds for you.”
@Blabby, Actually, nothing in caps there is correct.
Under R2D2/Wright’s deal with the city, the city actually must make affirmative, good-faith efforts to relocate R2D2 somewhere suitable. If the city doesn’t make those efforts, R2D2 can take them to court to enforce the deal and, under the agreement, the city might have to pay all R2D2’s legal fees. Also, under the agreement, all the fines are wiped, so arguably they’ve forged an exemption to city codes.
So to be more precise, everything you wrote in caps is incorrect – except the part where they, to some extent, GET TO DICTATE HOW THIS WHOLE THING GOES.
Thank the City of Portland (next time you see them) for being such savvy negotiators.
Right 2 Dream Too has a huge base of supporters, housed and unhoused, in this city and beyond. That is why they have gotten as far as they have. No, they don’t have money to pay lobbyists. What they have is much more important: they are successfully and respectfully addressing essential human needs, providing a model for a self-regulating shelter, building community, fighting for civil rights and much more. This discussion above raises lots of questions: Whose city is it? Who gets to more access our elected officials, rich developers and corporate lobbyists or the rest of us? What are the true causes of homelessness and what are the solutions? As for all the cynics who love to hate poor people: one day you or someone you love could be on the streets. Maybe then you will realize the vital role that organizations like R2DToo play in society.