Earlier, we noted that the Portland Police Bureau had reported its overtime costsso far (linking to an Oregonian report that’s since been updated with the correct amount) related to Occupy Portland: $186,400.
Curious if there was more detail, I asked police spokesman Lieutenant Robert King if there was some kind of breakdown for how much of that involved the 10,000-strong October 6 march vs. the continuing costs of policing the Occupy camps at Chapman and Lownsdale squares and other, smaller unpermitted marches.
Here’s the split: $72,952 for the march, he says. And the rest? Well, yeah… $113,448 for three weeks of work. That’s about $2 million a year, roughly. And about half the size of the sum the police bureau could wind up slicing from its budget if Mayor Sam Adams insists upon cutting the bureau’s operating budget by, say, 4 percent next spring.
Meanwhile, Adams is warning about something that could wind up driving up that overtime budget even higher: Occupy Portland’s plan for a campout-lite, Saturday night in the Pearl District’s Jamison Square.
Says Occupy Portland:
Occupy Portland is in Solidarity with Oakland, Atlanta, and all other cities which have experienced a hostile police take-over. We will gather for a camp meeting to discuss the prospects of our future political actions, which may include the expansion into new territory.
We will be demonstrating in Pearl District to bring awareness to the inequality of wealth within our very city. We are not proposing redistribution of wealth- we raise our concerns to the truth that basic needs for safety are only guaranteed to those with the economic privilege.
Jamison Square is privately owned a public park*. It is emphasized that you REMAIN ON YOUR BEST BEHAVIOR. Drugs and Drama will not be welcome.
Says the mayor, in a statement that sounds just like what his spokeswoman told me earlier this week:
From the start of the Occupy Portland protest, I have made one thing very clear: We must protect people’s right to peacefully protest, while also keeping the city moving and working.
With this balance in mind, I have also made it clear that while the City is not at this time enforcing certain rules at Lownsdale and Chapman squares, all parks rules are in effect at all other city parks.
We will not allow Occupy Portland to set up an alternative encampment at any other city park. Portland Police Officers have been reminding Occupy Portland participants of this throughout the week, and will continue to use their discretion in enforcing parks rules throughout the city.
We will continue to monitor the Occupy Portland protest, and make practical, day-to-day decisions like these as warranted. I want to thank the participants for their ongoing cooperation with City officials and staff, as we strive to balance their right to protest with keeping the city working.
So, now they are looking to pick a fight by going to another park, and costing us quite a bit too.
It’s time to end this charade.
This is their escape route.
Then the city comes in to clean up (again, paid for those of us who had to work while they played in the park)
A lot of the people active in this are also working paying jobs, dim bulb.
And oh, frankieb once again joins Donald Trump in declaring that in his wise and informed judgment, it’s time to end this. I’m sure your opinions carry so much weight with us all.
So they’re busy not occupying then?
Who is paying them? Corporations?
Oh geyser, yet another knee-jerk attack.
The times, they are a changin’ for ‘occupy’.
What a manby-panby release they put out too –
‘we wish to draw attention to inequality of wealth… but no, we don’t want redistribution of wealth.’
They should want some form of redistribution of wealth, through tax laws, etc.
Isn’t that what this whole 99% deal is about?
Pussies.
I just spent two minutes reading five internet comments about Occupy Portland
big problem w/ this article and those statistics…THE WRITER GIVES NO CONTEXT…just dumb statistics…YOU HAVE TO THINK CRITICALLY FOR FUCK’S SAKE…what matters is if the Police Dept is over or under budget for overtime this year…
if they are under budget then they could be sending more cops to OccupyPortland just to use the funds before the end of the year (or they lose them alot of times)
how does this compare to OTHER outlays for overtime? how much does the city spend for parades? how much for overtime for the marathon? give us the cost in context or your info is useless and makes people more stupider (sic)
city budgets are complicated, and this article just looks at the barest of dumb facts
It’s still alot to babysit a bunch of dirty kids camping downtown, whatever context.
“Camp Meeting starts at 4:00 PM, with a Potluck at 7:00 PM, and a Cuddle Party at 10:00 PM. We plan on staying the entire night.”
A cuddle party? Are you fucking kidding me? They just lost the last shred of sympathy I had for them. What a wasted opportunity.
And do any of these asshats know that one of the four buildings fronting Jamison Square is subsidized low-income housing?
I want to support them but they are making it really hard. Can I get a what what?
Jeez has anyone else passed by their sanitation station? I used to love them, but it’s all over now. Now they seem like hippy lay-abouts that are not contributing anything useful. Protest, goddamn it. How many banks are within 10 minutes of your tarp hobbit town? Go protest Bank of America, or Chase, or Wells Fargo, or the corporate fuckers at the Gap in the mall. Do something..PLEASE…help me respect you. I really want to.
Rip the system?
Hey frankie, when this whole thing finally winds downs and re-configures itself, what ever will you have to hate on then?
I guess I’ll get by somehow.
MERC commentators Cuddle Party might help.
You know, i didn’t even bother reading any of these comments this time. Most of you people are soo predicable i can pretty much sum up how a thread/post is going one way or the other.
But think of it THIS way, conservatards: OccupyPDX has turned out to be a real work-creator for the public sector here. Maintenance, clean-up, tree-repair, recycling, lots of opportunities for ‘green’ work – just to start. PLUS, you can bet cops are making bank using Occupy as an excuse to abuse OT. Infact, this has even resulted in much needed attention finally being brought to per-existing issues regarding the two public rest rooms on the out-lining streets of the two parks. For example, WW reports that there hasn’t been any running water in the mens’ stall since long before Occupy. Hopefully, that’ll be fixed now. Thanks to US.
Funny how you dummies never seem soo concerned about city costs and increased crime whenever the ROSE FESTIVAL comes into town.
THANKS OCCUPY – for getting the water running again.
Economic disparity be damned, you accomplished something, even if it wasn’t on yer ‘to-do’ list.
Yeah, you created alot of work too, for everyone else to clean up after.
I am curious about cops overtime costs at the Rose Festival, Marathons, or these Bike Rides that close bridges and such. I know the Rose Festival pays to restore the park, but I should hope they kick in on Police costs too.
I’d be perfectly fine with cancelling Rose Fest if it meant Occupy went home at nights.
And jesus, stop comparing yourselves to the Rose Festival. All of those festivals PAY for the services and damage they do. That’s why they charge admission! You guys are stealing.
So, I’m no fan of Occupy – but I’m totally okay with these costs. They’ve got to be tiny compared to what could have happened if the Mayor had chosen to use force.
“I’d be perfectly fine with cancelling Rose Fest if it meant Occupy went home at nights.”
FYI, most Occupy activists DO go home at nights, myself included.