Ibrahim Mubarak, co-founder of Right 2 Dream Too and Dignity Village, was told during his arraignment hearing today to keep out of the University of Oregon parking lot beneath the Burnside Bridge—the scene of his arrest last night while confronting a police officer and several security guards.
But Mubarak—after pleading not guilty to charges of interfering with a peace officer and criminal trespass—promptly told reporters outside court that he had other plans: “Of course,” he told reporters when asked if he’d ignore the order by Judge John Wittmayer. Mubarak says he and other homelessness advocates aren’t done helping some of the people who’ve been sleeping under the bridge in recent weeks.
“That’s my job,” he says. “They’re trying to stop me.”
Mubarak also made a disquieting accusation about what happened after he was taken into custody. When told he wouldn’t sign papers under his birth name, Keith Jackson, because he changed his name to Ibrahim Mubarak upon converting to Islam several years ago, he said officers mocked him and put him in a small, cold holding cell until he changed his mind.
“When I told them that’s not my name, they told me they’re not going to call me what Ali Baba named me,” Mubarak says, “that they’d call me what my mama called me. I stayed in there for four hours.”
In court, he was called under his birth name, but referred to throughout as Mr. Mubarak. His case came up after several other misdemeanors, mostly for charges like driving under the influence and shoplifting.
Mubarak says conditions for the people sleeping beneath the bridge have been rougher and rougher over the past few weeks. Guards and police officers have been moving people off the parking lot and onto sidewalks, and then warning people about trespassing arrests, or worse, if they get up in the night to use the bathroom and set foot on the U of O lot again. He says people who cops and guards don’t see as homeless have been allowed to walk through at the same time, however.
“I was irritating her by standing my ground” last night, Mubarak says of the officer who ordered him arrested. “I’m going to fight this case.”
Well, is his name legally changed from Keith Jackson?
This guy is playing our city for suckers.
Frank, I would suggest stopping by Right to Dream sometime and asking Ib, I am sure he would be happy to explain it to you.
“disquieting accusation about what happened after he was taken into custody”.
what’s the disquieting part? I completely missed it.
Hey Commenters! Just a reminder that hate-speech (yes, that includes toward the homeless) is not welcome here. Take it over to the Oregonian, where they put up with your bullshit. I’ve deleted two comments already, and I’m happy to ban you for life. Be respectful or GTFO.
The members of R2D2 and their leader daily reinforce that they are not deserving of society’s help. They are consuming an inordinate amount of city resources in the form of police officer time, city councilor’s time, city attorney’s time, and the time of businesses and individuals who are negatively impacted by R2D2’s camping in violation of zoning codes. Amanda Fritz helped them extort nearly $900,000 from developers who would be negatively impacted by a relocation next to their new hotel. Given that there are only 80-100 people living in the illegal tent camp, shouldn’t the $10,000 per person gift make them grateful, and shouldn’t that help transition them out of homelessness? Most of us would be thrilled if we won a $10,000 lottery. Not these people – and that reveals their true character. Many of us who have empathy for homeless people in general, have lost all empathy for this group of jerks. Enough is enough. The city should start enforcing all of its laws against these losers. If Amanda Fritz truly cares so much about these people why isn’t she letting them put tents in her back yard?
Interesting that the Mercury is censoring thoughts it doesn’t agree with. If you were confident of your positions you should welcome dissent.
I would hope that if comments in the Merc were even starting to show annoyance with Keith Jackson and his plans that this would be a good barometer of the cities patience being lost on them.
Not so sure, but I can only hope.
Keith Jackson and his plan for the professional homeless should be thwarted.
Eric,
Standing up for others while making your own way is a noble thing. IF they get the money to move is entirely a different thing than them standing up to the police who are bullying those who have no place to sleep…
“Frank”,
I would say instead it is a good barometer that the folks at the Portland Business Alliance are tired of them.
Wtf is “professional homeless” supposed to mean?
For those that could, but refuse to find work, pay taxes, etc. That is Professional Homeless.
Keith Jackson, for example.
Pat, I am not part of the PBA either.
Are you truly that ignorant to believe that people who sleep in the street, in the rain and snow, do it because it’s so great out there?
This is their last resort, not something they or anyone else chooses.
PS. Why do you refuse to refer to Mr. Mubarak by his real name?
Euphonius, the reasons the PBAer “Frank” refuses to call Ib by his real name is because either A) he is a teabagging racist or B) he is trying to get someone angry enough to say something nasty.
Either way he is an internet troll and not really worth asking questions of outside of pure entertainment value.
Wm. Stephen Humphrey- sorry about my earlier comment, nothing but blessed tidings from me to the homeless for now on. However, I stand by the part where I call Mr Mubarak professional homeless. If that gets me banned, I will accept it.
“Interesting that the Mercury is censoring thoughts it doesn’t agree with.”
We delete comments by people who use hateful language. This should be obvious to anyone who regularly visits here and notices the plethora of truly stupid opinions.
Euphonius – you stated “Are you truly that ignorant to believe that people who sleep in the street, in the rain and snow, do it because it’s so great out there? This is their last resort, not something they or anyone else chooses.”
That’s not exactly true. When Mayor Hales thought he had an indoor building for these people to live in, their initial reaction wasn’t “wonderful, we can now get in from the inclement weather” – rather they were not sure they wanted it and had their attorney trying to negotiate additional terms because it was potentially going to be for only 18 months. Last I checked, being indoors for 18 months and having an opportunity to improve your situation while being in a safer, warmer environment at no cost to the person being housed seems like a pretty good deal.
Likewise, if you had attended the city hearing on R2D2 last fall, you would have heard members of R2D2 saying they did NOT want to live indoors. It was unbelievable, but true. Some of them explicitly said that they want to be able to camp in tents in the city (illegally), not live indoors. Go back and check the transcript yourself if you don’t believe me.
Using the statements of one person (four blocks away) who wants to sleep in a tent to suggest that a *different* person sleeping on a sidewalk in the rain and snow wants to be there seems to be stretching reality quite a bit.
I would suggest Keith Jackson must be his real name, if the cops have to book him under it.
Pat, it may be hard for you to believe, but I have been a democrat all my life and have worked on both Clintons and Kerry’s campaigns – hardly a teabagger.
Additionally, my wife is of a different race than I am.
No ties to the PBA whatsoever either.
I just don’t mind calling a bum a bum.
State your opinion, cut out the name calling. Last chance.
Aww Humphrey, is ‘bum’ somehow innapproriate?
I was called a teabagging racist, for crying out loud.
My apologies.
In America the streets have dirty bums no one wants to see but in Canada girls have nice bums and everybody’s looking.
Who knew?
“Frank” you are the one that chose “teabagging racist”. I offered two choices… you could be B) (which was my personal favorite choice)
Unlike most teabagging racists, Frank is smart enough to manipulate The Mercury’s likes/dislikes system pretty well, so I’ll give him that at least.
Because the left loves correcting people, the term “bum” is now considered hate speech. “Homeless” is acceptable, “Residence Impaired” is preferred.