Yesterday, Mayor Adams penned an open letter to the Occupy Portland camp, basically warning them that, because of rampant crime, homelessness, and crazy issues within the camp, they need to get their shit together, or… or what?
The purpose of this open letter is to underscore to all Occupy Portland supporters the urgency of dealing with these issues. The way things are operating now is not sustainable.
Read the rest of his thinly veiled threat here. Today Sarah Morrigan, an early member of Occupy Portland, responded to the Mayor with a brilliantly worded defense. Here’s a clip:
The issues of safety and health concerns voiced by City officials related to substance abuse, homelessness, and mental illness far predate the beginning of #OccupyPortland. We are in downtown Portland, within walking distances of shelters, social services, and resources. They have been around as long as I know, and if it is not Lownsdale and Chapman parks, it is at the Waterfront Park and South Park Blocks. It is not fair for you or any City of Portland officials to blame the social issues of downtown Portland on #OccupyPortland, since they were never caused by #OccupyPortland in the first place. Rather, the City of Portland, in spite of its 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, and after millions of taxpayer dollars are spent on funding the Julia West House, the Bud Clark Commons, and other agencies for years, has not successfully addressed these issues now we are forced to deal with — using very limited resources, funds, and all-volunteer labor, unlike the City agencies with far more resources.
For those buying in to the city’s continually escalating “blame game,” the rest of this letter is a MUST READ. Your move, city officials.
AWESOME. F U Sam Adams & your pig thugs.
The 99% camp is going to be 100% bums and crack-heads in a few weeks if nothing changes.
Umm, no.
Fuck you for being an ill-informed armchair activist.
Fuck Sarah Morrigan for continuing to enable those who create an athmosphere of violence and general feeling that at any moment there could be a potentially lethal confrontation.
Fuck those who create this athmosphere either completely unaware that they are even draining the resources of what is supposed to be an economic and political movement or blaming the system for their continued inability to get their lives together.
Fuck Wm. Steven Humphrey (what does Wm. mean anyways?) for giving a soapbox to people who would continue to enable those who create a place where people who want to see what’s going on and visit the site get randomly attacked verbally with a threat of physical violence thrown in at the end for the sake of fun.
I am homeless. I am a recovering addict. I am diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as Major Depression and Anxiety Disorders. I also have a job, and have been camping at Occupy since Oct 12. I have a lot of progress to make before I am even on the same level as your average SSI case, but I have been able to get this far by.. and I apologize for the caps but I feel it necessary to conotate the tone of voice to be read in.. get this far by TAKING OWNERSHIP OF MY PROBLEMS, STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR MY CONTINUING INABILITY TO FUNCTION IN SOCIETY, AND GROW THE HELL UP. Did the system put me through trials and tribulations that may have contributed to my own homelessness and substance abuse issues? Perhaps, but that is in the past. I control the now, and will not let the injustice of the past control my future as long as it is in my power.. and it is completely in my power.
I don’t think anyone is making that claim that “occupy Portland” has caused the social ills of the city. Just that “occupy Portland” has created a refuge for the concentration of those ills and that that concentration in an open space campground is not sustainable.
Occupy Portland has been given sooooo much leeway by the City, but by embracing all inclusiveness in the guise of free speech, you’ve ensured your failure. There will never be a solution to cure all the ills of society unless you believe in the forced relocation / detainment / medication of certain individuals with mental instability, addiction problems, or other anti-social behavior.
Oh, and Fuck Sarah Mirk. God, I hate her.
Her smug little asides and perfectly crafted ironic detachment so she can be both genuine and sarcastic at the same time are a horrible use for valuable real estate in your paper. She’s not a journalist, she’s a blogger. And an annoying blogger at that.
Ummm… you know I wrote this post, right? (It’s still okay to hate Sarah Mirk, though.)
There is a whole school of social work at PSU that could be a resource.
Zing.
Wow, go Sarah Morrigan –
When was Occupy sustainable?
‘actual occupier’ – you make me want to volunteer for the police dept. tear gas unit.
“It is not fair for you or any City of Portland officials to blame the social issues of downtown Portland on #OccupyPortland”
That’s actually a good argument.
My issue is that I’d like to support the movement, but don’t want to have anything to do with the camp. OP is off message, trying to offer direct service and protesting tar sands in Canada. Also the general assembly and twinkles were cute, but now you need some defined goals and some hierarchy (leadership).
@12, That’s about where I sit, too. It’s very easy to be against something, but a lot harder to come up with something to be for.
I like that people are suddenly very concerned they can’t play in those parks. All I’ve ever seen there are people cutting through to the courthouse and some guy with a sandwich board screaming about Jews.
I would be in favor of spending taxpayer money on cleaning the park and police overtime and whatever the city is complaining about *if* we were actually getting something for our money. Meaning, if Occupy were actually pushing an agenda, making progress, registering voters, creating voting blocs, raising awareness, etc.
Instead, most Occupiers I’ve spoken with have a very “What’s the point of voting? All politicians are corrupt.” attitude. Or they yell things like “Abolish Corporate Personhood!”, a horrible concept to be sure, but one that will take steady legal precedents to “abolish”, not a wave of the wand.
Young people and poor people don’t need *more* incentive not to vote. Despite the earnest marches and gatherings, this seems to be a movement promoting apathy and the disenfranchisement of the 99% from the system of government we all actually live in.
Free speech is important, maybe the most important, but what is the camp achieving at this point? What benefit are the 99% getting for the cost? Register the Occupiers to vote, take up weekly or monthly meetings to educate Occupiers and Occupy-sympathizers on the issues, lobby at the State and Federal level. Use the time and the resources you have to make an agenda and see it achieved. Camping won’t make economic inequality go away.
Just a little support for my assertion that Occupiers are not politically engaged within the system as it currently exists: http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2…