Portland Pushes Homeless Into Neighborhoods

May 22, 2007 the Portland Police Bureau swept the homeless people who sleep downtown. They threatened people using the Title 14 Anti-Camping ordinance that carries a penalty of up to thirty days in jail. One day in jail cost the tax payers an estimated $150, 30 days cost $4500.
I have not yet heard of anyone being sited. One reason might be that 9th District Federal Court in L.A. ruled that L.A.’s No Camping law was illegal: it constituted cruel and unusual punishment since homeless people have no choice but to sleep outside.
Every year before Rose Festival the downtown area is swept of homeless people. Sweeps are the dark under belly, of a bright and colorful month long festival that helps jingle the cash registers of many downtown businesses. It’s one of the traditions. Is it the Royal Rosarians, the business community, or social services agencies who can’t stand to have the faces of poverty distract from the colorful parade and ringing cash registers?
Maria Rubio, the coordinator of public safety for the Mayor’s office, claimed it was Doreen Binder of Transition Projects Inc. and Richard Harris of Central City Concern who asked for the sweeps. It was true they wanted the homeless removed from the sidewalks in front of their property, but that doesn’t explain why the sweeps happen this time of year every year all over downtown and under the bridges.
When I clarified this with Ms. Rubio she commented, “…the camping ordinance is complaint driven. I do not know who requests it every year; I was made aware of the latest complaint because we were loath to do it, but felt that we needed to respond to all requests.” But what about the requests of people who are homeless? I guess an anonymous complaint is of more value to city hall than the civil rights of disenfranchised citizens.
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Most homeless people are not polished. We do care, struggle, incite, and even inspire but God bless us we are not always polite. There is something about living with urgent needs that inspires passion. And we have it.
People used to be surprised when I told them I was homeless, because I didn’t fit the stereotype of the lonely figure wrapped in darkness and blankets under a concrete bridge. Many homeless people are a little rough around the edges. After all we are the folks who were less able to compete in the struggle for housing and jobs. My dad used to call it a dog-eat-dog world; somebody has to lose, and you do whatever you have to too make sure it’s the other guy. He called himself a Christian, but he lived by evolution’s “survival of the fittest” model. Seems like a lot of powerful people do that nowadays.
These days, just like days gone by, power and money are intertwined. If you have one or the other you have the opportunity for access to both. That leaves a lot of us on the outside, and some of us literally living outside. Aren’t we living in a free and democratic society were everyone has an equal vote and equal opportunity?
The short answer is no. (Paragraph left intentionally short.)
Corporations and business interests have far more influence and access to politicians and policy makers than the average joe. (Note. “joe” left smaller case to indicate less significance.) One example is Portland City Hall and the Portland Business Alliance (PBA). Tom Potter was elected Mayor by saying he would represent the disenfranchised communities. But lately he has been pushing the agenda of the Portland Business Alliance (i.e. SAFE project, City Charter changes).
People outside disempowered communities often try to advocate for those communities. They don’t have the connection through experience, so they can’t authentically express the day-to-day trials of the community. Willie Baptist, a homeless advocate and keynote speaker at Sisters of the Road Martin Luther King Day event, said, “Advocates for the homeless community must come from the homeless community to credibly communicate the convictions of the homeless community.”
The need to advocate from personal experience seems obvious. But usually it is a representative from a social service non-profit who is at the table negotiating on behalf of homeless people. All too often the “solutions to homelessness” are to fund the salaries of college-educated social workers from middleclass backgrounds with no experience of homelessness. Why aren’t they funding jobs for homeless people? Why aren’t more homeless people sitting at the negotiating table?
Well, I think it boils down to prejudice and stereotyping against homeless and poor people. Some of it is personal, but the majority of prejudice against the homeless is institutionalized. Prejudice is written into laws discriminating against the homeless. It is written into hiring policy by businesses. It is written into funding guidelines by government agencies that pretend to work toward ending homelessness. It is implicit in credit checks for both housing and jobs. Social service non-profits cannot get funding unless they abide with this prejudice. Together these rules form the “Institution of Homelessness”.
The rules are oppressive. No one understands that better than someone who has been squashed by those rules. But even in progressive non-profits whose mission statement espouses empowerment and equality there exists a subtle exclusion. In her autobiography Under My Skin Doris Lessing wrote,
People who have been real movers and exciters get left out of histories, and it is because memory itself decides to reject them. These instigators are flamboyant, unscrupulous, hysterical, or even mad, certainly abrasive; but the real point is they are of a different substance from the smooth, reasonable and sane people who have been inspired by them, and who do not like to remember temporary immersions in lunacy.
Daily struggles to survive tend to sharpen the tongue and attitude. I can think of a few homeless rabble rousers that have been rejected from people’s memories and erased from organizational histories. I’m pretty sure I’ve lost opportunities because of the passionate expression from my perspective. Genny Nelson, co-founder of Sisters of the Road, knows this and has pushed for an advocacy group within Sisters of the Road organization, where the homeless people make the decisions. It is called the Civic Action Group.
The Civic Action Group is comprised entirely of folks with experience of homelessness. We are also working to ensure we are correctly reflecting the concerns, experience and values of the homeless community. We are authenticating what we say by doing research into 515 taped interviews with homeless people called the “Community Organizing Project” as well as outreach to our community by walking the streets getting people’s views, educating them about the Civic Action Group and encouraging them to attend meetings, trainings and focus groups.
By bringing the experience and concerns of the homeless community to a variety of community policy meetings the Civic Action Group hopes to chip away at the prejudice keeping many homeless people feeling isolated and powerless to change. The city, community, and homeless advocates need to work toward address the root causes of homelessness and embrace the solutions, (ie… affordable housing, social acceptance, and living a sustainable lifestyle) instead of sweeping the problem out of sight. The benefits will be experienced beyond the lonely figure wrapped in darkness and blankets under a concrete bridge.

Biofuels like Palm Oil not Eco-Friendly

Palm Oil has been used as a commodity for over 3,000 years, early uses in the Egyptian times included food, soap and candles.
British and Northern European business interests developed the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. The managers of these plantations worked hard to improve quality and efficiency of products and processes while keeping labor cost low. Profits went to corporate investors back in Europe. Corporate money had more influence in local politics than did indigenous people.
Innovative scare tactics were used to keep plantation workers afraid and willing to surrender personal freedoms. Threats of terrorism by “communist rebels” would have plantation workers seeing and hearing boogey men in the night. They became willing to surround themselves with barbed wire and live in a self-imposed prison (Martin S. p.274-278).
Palm oil is dark red, aromatic and strongly flavored. It did not gain large-scale commercial use as a food product until World War II. Shortages of certain fats in the United States and Europe prompted the development of new uses as substitutes for a variety of fats by adding coloring, flavorings, and blending with different oils (Martin S. p.323-324).
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Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil are commodities pressed from the fruit and seed of the Oil Palm. They are used in the production of soap, vegetable oil, bio-diesel and can be refined into replacements for petroleum chemicals.
The Oil Palm is native to North Africa and because it has a variety of uses it is now the major cash crop in Southeast Asia and is displacing native species plants and animals in Southeast Asia tropical rainforests. The increasing demand for Palm Oil has led to the burning of reserved tropical rainforests and severe air pollution in Sumatra, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Today 80% of palm oil produced is used in food products including baked goods, instant noodles, cake mixes, baby formula, potato chips, French fries, margarine, confections, shortening and other foods (Malaysian Palm Oil Council).
The demand for Palm Oil is expected to increase rapidly in the near future because of increased awareness of global warming, economic and political consequences of dependency on fossil fuels, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations requiring labeling of Trans Fat.
The FDA required manufactures to start labeling trans fatty acid content in foods beginning January 1, 2006. Trans fat is the result of partially hydrogenating vegetable oil and is a major cause of heart disease.
The increased pubic awareness of health risks associated with trans fat is motivating many food manufacturers to switch from hydrogenated vegetable oils to palm oil for uses which need a solid oil.

Palm oil does not have as severe an effect on health as trans fat, but it is still high in saturated fat and low in polyunsaturated fat:
Biomedical research indicates that palm oil, which is high in saturated fat and low in polyunsaturated fat, promotes heart disease. Though less harmful than partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, it is far more conducive to heart disease than such heart-protective liquid oils as olive, soy, and canola (Center for Science in the Public Interest,4).
Several websites (Example: www.palmoilworld.org February 12, 2007) promoted palm oil as healthy, but when cited source were checked a different conclusion occurred:
Diets containing different lipid sources--partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (PHVO), palm oil (PO), canola oil (CO), and soy oil (SO)--were fed to lactating rats during the 21 days of lactation, and then fed to young males following weaning until the 45th day of life.... Carcass fat content was significantly higher in PHVO and PO groups than in CO and SO groups (A. Silva, D. Guimaraes, ect., 535).
Palm oil can be separated, without chemical processing, into mostly saturated fats (solid) and a small amount of polyunsaturated fats (liquid oil) by stabilizing it at a certain temperature and using a centrifuge to force the liquid through a filter. When the separated liquid oil is tested it is found to have many health benefits such as carotenoids (pro Vitamin A), tocotrienols and tocopherols (Vitamin E) and no cholesterol (E. de Moraes, M. Alvare, M. Maciel, R. Maciel Filho, 129-132).


The process of oil separation adds to the expense of the product, but the excess solid fat may be converted into bio-diesel with further refining. Most palm oil food uses require solid fat that counteracts the benefits proclaimed by palm oil advocates.
According to the Malaysian Palm Oil Council website, www.americanpalmoil.com, non-food uses of palm oil can be divided into two categories direct use and products derived from chemicals processed from palm oil. Soaps, plastics, drilling mud and even palm based diesel substitute are examples of direct use products. Candles, lotions, body oils, shampoos, skin care products, rubber and cleaning products use oleochemicals processed from palm oil.
Demand for non-food uses are expected to increasing rapidly compared to food uses in the near future. According to the United States Agriculture Department (USDA), “The main growth market for palm oil is reportedly as fuel for the production of ‘green energy’.” The report goes on to say palm oil may not be appropriate as a bio-diesel in temperate climates because it is semi-solid at room temperature. Mixing palm oil with diesel or other unsaturated oils would lower the temperature the fuel would solidify at. (B. Flach, 2)
Much of the increasing demand for palm oil as a commodity is as a bio-fuel driven by the realization that global warming is real.
Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 8).
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The image of palm trees swaying in the breeze seems calming and natural. But what activities hide behind the seductive images? The terms “bio-fuel” or “green friendly” have been co-opted by corporations to present an ecological friendly image. Theoretically carbon dioxide emitted, while burning for fuel, is equal to the carbon dioxide absorbed while growing. That is until we add in the methods used to clear land for cultivation.
Bioenergy provides an irreversible mitigation benefit when it displaces fossil fuels. Mitigation benefits of afforestation or forest protection will be lost if deforestation occurs (Madlener R. (eds), Schlamadinger B., and Waupotitsch M. 597).
The clearing of rain forests for the cultivation of oil palms increases atmospheric green house gases. The land being converted to growing Oil Palms is rain forest growing in peat swamps. Draining and drying the peat swamps releases the carbon dioxide and methane stored in the peat. “...space for the expanding palm plantations was often created by draining and burning peatland, which sent huge amounts of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.” (Rosenthal E.,1).
Corporations are slash burning Indonesian forests to clear land and grow palm trees for palm oil. The residual peat fires burning underground have created smog problems across Indonesia and Malaysia. Burning is seven to ten times cheaper than clearing the land by hand or mechanical means.
Since the 1970s, the area planted with oil palm in Indonesia has grown over 30-fold to almost 12,000 square miles. In Malaysia, the area devoted to oil palm has increased 12-fold to 13,500 square miles (Center for Science in the Public Interest,4).
This is illegal but the Indonesian government has been ineffective at controlling the practice. “As for the big companies, some of them have signed agreements with the government to stop burning land” Stated an editorial in The Jarkarta Post, and it goes on to explain the catch, “Now we have to check whether they are still involved in the recent fires. That's why the burning is still widespread” The burning locations are in remote areas and when the landowner or plantation manager is confronted by authorities for burning down forests they merely reply “show us the witnesses” (Jakarta Post,1).
Indonesia has been plagued with corruption. Corporations with key connections can slow legislation or get local enforcement agencies to look the other way. Indonesia has been rated the most corrupt nation in the world 2 times in the last ten years by Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI). TI produces annual reports by surveying business people and bureaucrats about their perceptions of the degree of corruption in 163 countries on a scale of zero to ten, ten being squeaky clean and zero being extreme corruption. Indonesia rated a 2.4 in the TICPI 2006 report(3).
In addition to health and climate change concerns habitats for several endangered species are being depleted possibly to the point of no return.
America's drive for energy independence and clean air could threaten orangutans, Sumatran tigers, elephants, rhinoceroses and the world's largest butterflies. All could be hurt as the rainforests of Southeast Asia are cleared to produce palm oil for use in biodiesel ( Blumenthal L).

By focusing on the narrow perspective of what is efficient, most productive and therefore produces the highest profit, corporation are capable of having a tremendously negative effect on societies, ecologies and individual health. A raw capitalistic drive must be balanced by a transparent government and public awareness of the social, ecological and health consequences of their consumption.














Sources Cited
Alvare M., de Moraes E., Maciel M., Maciel Filho R., “Simulation and optimization of a supercritical extraction process for recovering provitamin A”, Spring 2006 129-132
Blumenthal L. “Biodiesel made from palm oil isn't as `green' as hoped” McClatchy-Tribune News Service: Knight Ridder Washington Bureau Mar. 9, 2007: Lexis-Nexis Mar. 12, 2007.
Center for Science in the Public Interest “‘Cruel Oil’ Report Exposes Palm Oil's Impact on Health & Environment” June 2, 2005, Feb. 10, 2007
0506021.html>
Flach B., GAIN Report, United States Agriculture Department. June 8, 2005 p.2
Food and Drug Administration, February 15, 2007
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change “Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis”, Feb. 2007 p. 8.
Jakarta Post Editorial Board. “We Must Do More to Educate People About Open Burning” The Jakarta Post. Sept. 4, 2006 LexisNexis.Portland State University Lib.,Portland, OR. Feb. 12, 2007

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Madlener R. (eds), Schlamadinger B., and Waupotitsch M. “Greenhouse gas balances of bioenergy systems: A bibliography on greenhouse gas balances of bioenergy, forestry, wood products, land use, and land-use change”. September 1999, second edition, p.597
Malaysian Palm Oil Council, Feb. 10, 2007
Martin S. The UP Saga. Copenhagen: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Press, 2003
Rosenthal E. “Once a Dream Fuel, Palm Oil May Be an Eco-Nightmare” New York Times Jan. 31, 2007 Section C, p.1 Column 3, Lexis-Nexis.Feb.15, 2007
Silva A., Guimaraes D., ect., “Lipids.” Health Affairs. 41(6):2006 Jun; 535-41
Transparency International. “2006 Corruption Perceptions Index: CPI 2006 Complete Table Stats and Country Sources” Feb. 12, 2007

The city and federal government should recognize the role they play in creating homelessness when addressing what actions they are willing to take to ensure the safety of those forced out onto the streets.

Money changes everything, and often if you do or don’t have it effects your perception of whether those changes are positive or negative. Let’s look at the shift of HUD funding from affordable housing to Urban Renewal. In 1978 HUD funding for affordable housing was over 80 billion dollars. Congress drastically cut funding for affordable housing in the 1980’s and the numbers of homeless surged.

During the same time the outsourcing of our manufacturing industries coincided with increased investing in urban renewal zones. These are programs intended to reinvigorate downtrodden neighborhoods. The fun part of this is when the community stakeholders would get together and brainstorm ideas for improvements. But the cold hard reality of implementing the ideas from brainstorming was tedious. The planning process was often co-opted by corporate interest that turned Urban Renewal into a boondoggle for a few wealthy investors.

Residents saw expensive residential and new commercial buildings being built. This pleased property owners and caused rents to rise displacing more people into homelessness.

In reaction Congress enacted the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. They built shelters to maintain the homeless in homelessness. The wealthy generally saw this as an act of compassion. People who had formerly been housed but now had to live in shelters saw this as wealthy people benefiting from their suffering.

The shelter system is imperfect to say the least. Any time you pack a hundred or more people into a place the size of a school gym the snoring, sneezing, coughing, and farting are going to spread disease and the tension is going to breed violence. Add in all the rules and restrictions meant to limit said disease and violence and you get an atmosphere heavy with tension. Shelters are places of high stress.

A study called the New York New York Cost Avoidance Study reported that it’s cheaper to just pay somebody’s rent than shelter them and pay all the addition costs society incurs (ie… stress induced problems: emergency room visits, jail, mental health issues and so on). Big surprise! It would have been cheaper to have kept the affordable housing. Now Congress starts this Housing First program, kind of like JOIN has been doing.

Problem is Federal funding policy through HUD has torn down a lot of the formerly affordable housing and Urban Renewal has increased the rents of other housing so that the pool of affordable housing has shrunk dramatically while the need for affordable housing has grown just as fast.

So to correct the problem HUD is spending a fraction of what they used to on affordable housing while cutting funding for shelters. The wealthy might see this as a step in the right direction. The homeless see themselves stuck out on the streets. This is especially dangerous for women.

This year Salvation Army’s Harbor Light women’s shelter was closed. The numbers of women forced to sleep on the streets of Portland has grown dramatically. The City of Portland has allowed 30 hotel vouchers to be handed out to women in need. For the few women who were fast enough to get the vouchers this is a temporary solution. For the majority of woman still stuck outside it just wasn’t enough.

Friends of mine asked me to find out if the city could do anything more. I talked with Sally Erickson who referred me to Liora Berry, both from the Bureau of Housing and Community Development (BHCD). Ms. Berry referred me to Kamron Graham who works for Transition Projects Incorporated (TPI). Ms. Graham told me the 30 vouchers were all handed out the first day they had them available and were currently providing emergency shelter in motels for 34 women. I decided to go to City Hall and talk with Jamaal Folsom who works for City Commissioner Eric Sten he said the City has no new funding, but Liora Berry at BHCD is working on the shelter problem. Then I went to Mayor Potter’s office and left a message for Sara Culp. She referred me back to Kamron Graham. The vouchers are still used up.

Channel 12 news reported new emergency beds for women at Harbor Lights as the low temperature dropped into the 20’s. According to Beverly Gant with West Women’s Shelter there are 32 beds available for women and children plus two on a emergency police referral bases. Only five of the estimated 749 homeless women in Portland (JOIN 2005 street count) showed up at the shelter the night it opened Monday November 27th. Those numbers will rise once the homeless are notified the shelter is open. Funny them notifying the T.V. news but not getting the word out to the homeless, do they think we have TV’s plugged into the sidewalk?

I tried to get a handle on exactly how many women shelter beds there are in Portland. It is a little tricky figuring that out. Many of the Family shelters, which are all full, accept single women also. I called Bradley-Angle House, Raphael House, Jean’s Place and Yolanda house. Those that got back to me reported being full. Jean’s Place has 55 beds, 22 of which are reserved for emergency shelter, separated into three phases and stays often last up to a year. The wait list is about 10 to 16 weeks according to Janice who was kind enough to answer my questions.

Portland Rescue Mission also extended the number emergency men’s spaces to 70 mats in the chapel and 50 beds downstairs. They were unaware of any other new emergency shelter and were forced to turn an unknown number of homeless back onto the street. TPI has 185 men’s shelter beds and Salvation Army has about 100 emergency mats and additional beds if you can pay the $10 a night. Surprisingly while Portland Rescue Mission was turning men back out to the street Salvation Army had 45 mats left on the floor unused. Last year Portland Rescue Mission didn't open until Salvation Army was full. The homeless men didn't expect Salvation Army to have space and Portland Rescue Mission didn't know beds where available there. Mike at City Team Ministries said their shelter has 50 beds for men and has been filling up every night. In January 2005 JOIN counted 1606 homeless men.

In addition couples are extremely hard to find shelter for, as are people with pets or people caring for aging parents on the streets. Liora Berry Homeless Program Coordinator with BHCD states, “The city is looking to bring in more money. We need organizations to come forward and say we can provide shelter space.” Ms. Berry talked about the difficulty with zoning issues in locating shelters. The BHCD is also looking at alternative ways to provide emergency shelter. Possibly renting an entire motel if offered.

I sat in Public Safety Action Committee meetings in City Hall and Portland Police Officer Jeff Myers justified sweeping people off the streets by saying there is plenty of shelter space so people must be choosing to be homeless. I kind of have to respect that kind of bald face lying right in the face of someone who knows better. Officer Myers has a lot of self-confidence and no law says Police officers can’t lie.

The Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness (TYPEH) focuses on the homeless person as the source of homelessness. In reality personal responsibility is but one side of a coin when it comes to root causes of homelessness. If we continue to ignore the societal causes we have no chance of ending homelessness. The TYPEH should be called the Plan to Mitigate Homelessness. Federal Policy administrated through HUD creates major forces driving the increase in homelessness. Can you smell the hypocrisy?

Locally, Portland Development Commission Governed by the City of Portland has planned and implemented the gentrification leaving people out on the streets. Many of the people housed in the expensive new condos are from out of town and want to push this homeless problem out of sight. Mayor Tom Potter convened a “Street Access For Everyone” (S.A.F.E) committee to replace the old Title 14 sit lie law. It’s basically meant to push homeless people out of sight so we don’t offend the tourist or business people. Genny Nelson, Monica Goracke, and Andrea Myer worked on the committee and managed to get some good suggestions included in the plan. When I look at the current results of the cities efforts it leaves me wondering.

We Are Responsible

I am writing today out of concern that the honor of America may be permanently disgraced. As an American living in a Republic I am responsible for the actions of elected officials. My only power is to vote, talk with friends, and write to my elected officials.
We know today the premises given as reason to start a preemptive war were lies. We have violated United States' law as well as international law.
Our presence in Iraq has been a lighting rod for recruiting terrorist and suicide bombers. The world is aware that the actions of the United States have made the Middle East extremely unstable. Terrorism is on the rise world wide because of our actions.
We are all responsible for the torture inflicted upon people in our military prisons overseas. But there has been no investigation into why we did not have checks and balances in place to stop these atrocities. Who dismantled the checks and balances?
Turning our backs on the processes and elected officials who have instigated these atrocities in our name is tantamount to an endorsement of the actions. We must have accountability.
Many understood the Republican controlled congress refused to hold the executive administration accountable. The recent landslide vote was a vote against corruption. Corruption is not cleansed by letting bygones be bygones. Checks and balances must be reinstated as well as holding elected officials acting in our name accountable.
The Democrats now control both the Senate and the House of Representatives. If you allow lawlessness to prevail by not holding elected officials responsible a stain sets upon all Americans.
We have a responsibility to set right the wrongs our nation has inflicted upon the people of Iraq. We need to investigate the no-bid contract award process. Why are Iraqis still without water, electricity or unsafe to walk down the street?
The world already knows the truth. Denial is not just a river in Egypt. It is the status quo in the white house. We as a nation cannot begin to heal these festering wounds until we formally acknowledge they exist.

Integity vs. Politics

The line of hungry people outside Sisters of The Roads stretched about a block Tuesday afternoon. I didn't recognize many of the faces. Talking with people I heard stories of police beating up homeless in Seattle, San Francisco harassing people on the street and then offering them bus tickets out of town and homeless people being killed in Los Angeles.

I spent three years living on the streets of Portland, standing in lines at the missions, waiting at night for the emergency shelter to open and waiting to get a shower in the morning. I came to recognize the faces, knew the stories, and even remembered a few names. Though the game remains the same the faces have changed.

Portland has housed 600 chronically homeless in the last two years. You might think that would make a difference but what I see are longer lines and more competition for cheap housing, jobs, shelter space and longer meals lines.

Portland cannot end homelessness by itself. Laws, prejudice, and violence against homeless people are sending them shuffling around the country hoping for a start somewhere else. Not all the new homeless in Portland are from out of town. Most are locals who can no longer make ends meet. It looks like the start of another depression.

The flip side of this is the stock market is rising and the wealthy are getting a larger and larger share of the pie. The top 1% of received 57.7% of total income after taxes in 2005. The disparity in wages between employees and CEO's was 30-1 in 1970 today the disparity is 300-1.

Then you have out of state national groups coming into our state financing initiatives like T.A.B.O.R.. They are trying to cut taxes for the wealthy even more. The cuts come in needed services. They sell there ideas in sound bites to people too busy to find out the truth. In a democracy the media has a responcibility to educate the public. Instead they are bought and paid for by corporate interests.

This irritates me to the point of writing these columns, doing volunteer work and talking to people who grate on my last nerve because they are so programmed into beleiving the propoganda perpetuated by main stream media.

Have Democratic governments always been like this? Is this the fault of journalist who slept through ethics classes? Why are most of the federal level politicians so willing to let the corruption continue?

Water weighs in politically

I remember spending hours on gray winter days looking out the window at raindrops splashing into mud puddles. The rain was icy cold yet when allowed I would put on my rubber boots and run through the pools leaving waves to slosh about. In childish exuberance I celebrated the water and my native climate. Sunny days can be wonderful but I did not worship them to exclusion. I understood at gut level water and rain are precious.

Conservation or natural condition
Everybody knows rain makes the grass grow; the rivers flow, and wash pollutants from the air. The local climate is why the local environment has been able to tolerate the punishment our community dishes out.

Out Pricing Portlanders
We continue to stretch the demands we put on our limited amount of fresh water. Increasing population growth through migration puts demands on many public infrastructures. In spite of the added load placed on current Portland residence the city continues to subsidize the developers building housing affordable mainly to upper class wage earners mostly from out of state. Sustainable development is merely a catch phrase batted around to sell ill-advised projects. Sustainability gives a false sense of security when the truth is we have diminishing resources.

These times are a changing
I remember the beautiful view of Mount Hood on hot lazy August afternoons. As a child I saw the bright white cap of glaciers, now I see the ghostly gray rock where glaciers once grew. Global Climate Warming will change the Oregon climate and ecology. California wants our water; the agri-business conglomerates want our water; and corporations want to buy the Bull Run reservoir. Big business like PGE/Ernon bemoan water run through dam spill gates that salmon species might survive. The broadcast news focuses on conservation by individuals, letting lawns turn brown, and ignores waste on corporate levels. We cannot keep siphoning off the pool of water and expect the resources to magically appear. The writing is on the wall but mainstream media calls it graffiti and scrubs it off.

Water, water everywhere but nary a drop to drink.
Two thirds of the earth is covered in water, and that will soon increase, but 97.5 % is salt water and unfit for human consumption. The majority of fresh water is frozen in the ice caps and destined to melt, raising sea levels and flooding viable agricultural land. We might try to bury our heads in the sandy beach, but rising sea levels will make that a short-term diversion. Our problems will still be here and so will a few million more Californians.
Spending water to fuel the growing bio-fuel movement is folly. The water would be better-spent growing food locally that way fuel wouldn’t be used to ship food from across the continent. It’s common sense, but big business knows if they spend the money they can out shout voices of logic and reason.

Tough decissions now or tougher choices later
Gold is the reason for the wars we wage. At least it used to be. Future wars may well be motivated by simple survival. Our world is facing dramatic changes; shrinking oil reserves, population explosions, emerging diseases, global warming, and a growing awareness that our best days are behind us.

That ol’ Oil Jones

That ol’ Oil Jones

love that black tar, light crude’s even better
my need for oil drives me morn’, noon and night
got to lube those wheels of Industry and power
have to feed that ol’ Oil Jones
I shake and sweat my need is so great
it drives me to lie, cheat and steal
I feel the need in the pit of my stomach
being a soulless junkie ain’t no joke
threats, intimidation, bloodshed
all just part of the game
the game I play to feed your SUV
another deal done, in the dark halls of power
the world dances, to my funky melody
after all the UN is my little bitch
don’t talk to me about denial
my hypocrisy is best left unsaid
if you threaten me by speaking truth
I shall denounce you, call you a TERRORIST
these days civil rights are but a myth
humane life loses meaning.
when it comes to that ol’ Oil Jones

Why Not End Homelessness Here?

The media can be a powerful instrument of change. When images from Hurricane Katrina’s devastation pounded into our consciousness, our hearts opened along with our wallets. We knew it could happen to anyone. Several columns and opinion articles have compared the need of the hurricane victims to people experiencing homelessness locally.
Bob Durston, Chief of staff for city commissioner Eric Sten, says, “It’s a legitimate question. If we can help victims from across the country why can’t we end homelessness here?”
Has Portlandia abandoned her citizens to the streets? Like the needs of the hurricane victims, the need here is obvious. Anyone walking through Old Town at 7:00AM will see the numerous huddled bodies lying beneath tattered blankets on the cold hard concrete.
When we see people sleeping on the streets in our hometown the strength of impact impels us to distance ourselves from the image. It could never happen to us. The homeless must be lazy or have done something immoral and God is punishing them. Durston says, “People divide the homeless into the deserving and the unworthy.”
The corporate media focuses on negative stereotypes, the first sellable image they come across. It takes time, work, and concern to perceive the positive examples of people struggling and succeeding in spite of the burdens of poverty. Durston says, “We need to show the broader community that folks who are homeless can be contributing members of the community. In some cases, they just need some help getting back on their feet. When people do get back on their feet, they often become contributors to the community. “
Positive examples are not that hard to find if you’ve been around the block as many times as I have. Starting with organizations I’d say street roots, Sisters of the Road/crossroads and Dignity Village are grassroots organizations/communities that are made up of primarily homeless community members. Their leadership is, at least in part, people who have experienced homelessness.
Marc Jolin, Chairman of the Board of Directors for JOIN says, “JOIN is successful securing people in housing because of the long term relationships we develop and nurture.” Mutual respect and dignity are what set these organizations apart from organizations that run on a social service model.
Positive examples abound, but I think we need more than just a poster child. I grew as a person while experiencing homelessness and believe we, this includes you, can build relationships with people in poverty thereby acknowledging the human worth of each other. We are far stronger together than apart. Durston paraphrases the maxim, “Our community is only as strong as the weakest part.”
Many people recognize the need, yet are baffled as to how they can help. The Homelessness Working Group, a project of Southeast Uplift has been working towards a Project Connect Day. Cece Noel, Director of Southeast Uplift says, “We want to capture stories that put a face on homelessness.” The intent is to get local media focused on people in poverty who work toward solution.
Noel says, “We are asking the city for $50,000 to develop a media toolkit which will educate the community how to get involved.” Elements include training volunteers, advocating for public policy, and breaking down the stereotypes by building relationships.
This is not a simple problem fitting nicely into confined accounting categories. I feel this is a community project that affects everyone in Portland. The Portland Business Alliance has long listed the visible homeless downtown as one of it’s top concerns.
If we can spend millions of dollars in Old Town tearing up concrete sidewalks to be replaced with more concrete sidewalks why can’t we address the root of the problem? If we continue to look at the issue on a superficial level; we will continue to have homeless sleeping outside on multi-million dollar sidewalks.

Simple Progressions

The following are a series of columns previously published in street roots over a two and a half year period of time.

Street Lessons
Being stripped of material possessions can be traumatic. It can also be a growth experience.
Many people forced into homelessness spend months or years hauling around bags of the last remnants of their material lives. In our consumer culture, the corporate media machine teaches us that our being is defined by the products that surround us. This brain washing is difficult to escape.
Part of the emotional pain I felt from becoming homeless was my perception of how others viewed me. I thought people saw me as having little value because I was not wearing the current fashion and walking instead of driving a car. I felt ashamed because I wasn’t surrounded by the right things. At first, I couldn’t let go of the last of my possessions. I carried three bags, totaling about 90 pounds, around with me day and night.
The load marked me as homeless, prevented me from getting work. Security guards and police watched me as I walked by. The bags limited the places I could go and were a real pain in the lower back. Eventually it was the lower back pain that led to my freedom from material possession.
Breaking the mental and emotional bonds to material things our culture ingrains in us opens the mind to new possibilities. When you no longer pressure yourself to earn more money to buy more goods, you are free to give your time to ideas and interests you believe in. Beyond that, you start to see the open hypocrisy our culture and society embraces.
I have a tendency to be critical of shortsighted solutions that ignore the root causes of a problem. When government agencies and business interests put all the blame on the person who is homeless for conditions that society creates and maintains, I feel a responsibility to speak out.
It is morally reprehensible to leave human beings on the street. It is worse to harass people for sleeping outside when affordable housing and shelter falls far short of the need. To find out who is to blame, we need but look in the mirror. I include myself in this criticism, and this is why I volunteer at street roots and crossroads.
Portland has a history of allowing business interest to dominate influence of public officials. Tom Potter will change that.
Main stream media allows corporate America to influence what they say. Executive editors of news programs often let concerns of how potential advertisers will perceive a story outweigh serving the public interest. The self-righteous right-wing has built a two decade movement of harassing journalist and columnist who speak the truth against them. Phil Donahue was one of the first to fall. Main stream media is cowed.
This is why alternative media is crucial. We need people and organizations who are not afraid to speak the truth and who do not bow down to the bottom line dividing red from black.
Grants that go to agencies bloated with middle-class wage earners looking down on those they claim to be helping, are not the answer. A big part of the housing vouchers from the recent federal block grant will go to pay for rooms in buildings owned by the same homeless institution that is being paid to oversee the grant and will provide the bulk of drug and alcohol services.
Although many agencies are listed as partaking in the grant, a lot of that money will cycle through the other agencies back to Central City Concern. I think it is great that Portland landed this windfall of federal grant money, I just don’t believe it will be efficiently spent.
I keep hearing that it costs $100,000 to build an affordable housing unit the size of a parking space. I don’t think that is the most efficient use of the money.
For adults, I like the idea of shared housing, four or five people contributing to a house payment.
When equity builds, use it to put a down payment on another home to house more low-income adults. This is a concept that builds self-respect in the individuals involved as well as being self-perpetuating. All it takes to implement this strategy is a little faith in low-income residents and a relatively small amount of seed money.
This is possible when you open your mind to the potential that a homeless person can be self-determining, and a part of the solution, instead of a part of the problem.

Chillin’
Jan. 5, 2004 the high temperature was around 23 degrees. That evening a homeless couple lay huddled under a pile of emergency blankets, the cold east wind biting through the layers.
They were two doors down from the street roots office. I repeatedly offered to let them sleep in the office when I took hot coffee out to them. Each time they declined the offer saying that if things got too cold they could come inside. People surviving outside tend to be an independent, hardy lot.
Several grass roots organizations took it upon themselves to open their doors to people outside. You see, we recognize an emergency when the wind chill is at or below zero degrees. Different groups coordinated teams of people to sweep the streets looking for people and urging them to go to the shelters.
Why, you might ask, are those senseless homeless people so resistant to going to shelters?
Well, my experience has lead me to stay as far away from the shelters as possible. This independence is born from a need for dignity as well as survival. When so many charity models are wounding to the human spirit, preaching condemnation instead of a message of hope, it is no wonder that many homeless prefer sleeping in the dirt to being humiliated in some church pew.
When the wind blows coldest, the shelters fill fast, leaving the slow and less savvy to shiver on the streets. If you depend on shelters, you are bound to spend some weary wet nights wandering the streets. You will most likely be sick with the flu or some other contagious disease, what little energy you have being spent shuffling down the street in an effort to stay warm.
That is why some folks like myself set up camp in an out-of-the-way spot. Having a tarp and sleeping bag stashed is not about comfort; it’s about safety. I can understand why some people are upset about others sleeping out. I would have to pay a couple thousand a month to get the view I have from my camp. I’d be jealous of me, too.
I’ve heard raccoons howl at the moon and chase screaming mountain beavers in a life and death race for survival. I’ve seen dragonflies dance, heard the owl hoot in search of a mate, Redtail hawks being harassed by crows who are badgered by sparrows, and felt my spirit’s batteries recharge by the essence of nature that surrounds me.
It’s a mixed bag of experiences, the stresses and pleasures of adventure intertwined, that the pioneer spirit thrives in. Shelters on the other hand are often used as a discharged destination from prison and mental institutions. They provide a ready reason to commit more crimes or aggravate the already stressed-out mental condition of those our society has cast out.
The system spends 30 times more money on maintaining people in homelessness than it spends on getting people housed. The same people, who through policy and procedure deny opportunities to those excluded from society, will rally support when asked for funding which primarily lines the pockets of middle-class social workers. The prejudice is echoed in policy, mainstream media and hate talk shows like Lars Larson.
The answer to ending homelessness must start with an end to the hate, ignorance and indifference that help to create and maintain it. Until that day, I’m at peace leaving a small footprint and sleeping in my modest camp.

The Tough Times
That little hamster driving the rumor mill has been working overtime lately.
Several "grass roots" organizations heard comments, through the grapevine, that the City Council was displeased with them. It started after crossroads had the audacity to hand out sleeping bags, a demonstration of the needs of Portland’s homeless, in front of city hall. Then, members of crossroads addressed the City Council, presenting the radical concept that people should have a right to sleep.
I have a friend, Chris, who thinks City Council members have an opportunity for spiritual growth. He’d like to extend an open invitation to the City Council: Leave your cash and credit cards at home, and spend a day and night in the homeless system. You could challenge your immune system by eating breakfast at the Blanchet House, after that you may decide to purchase your lunch.
Time to panhandle. Holding a sign will most likely generate a visit from the friendly "Clean and Safe" cops. They present an intimidating attitude considering that in reality they are little more than security guards. They may offer you a place to stay but don’t believe them. The jails are full.
You end up being ordered to move along. Luckily, you managed to scrounge up a dollar, just enough to get a burger at McDonalds.
You’re still hungry, you ask around for a place too eat. Salvation Army feeds at 3:30 p.m. It’s 2 p.m. now. Head to Waterfront Park and chill out because the mercury is at 90 degrees. When you get there you see hundreds of people laying around, enjoying the blue sky, sunshine and easy access to drug dealers. The police know who the dealers are but will race past a drug deal if they see a homeless person lying down wrapped in a blanket.
Heck, it’s too hot for blankets, anyway.
A sudden urgency comes upon you: The-call-of-nature, abdominal cramping with that got-to-go-now feeling. Thank god for public restrooms! This is a great time to practice the funny walk. You know, short quick strides with the muscles of your gluteus maximus clenched.
Is that an angry mob outside the bathroom? Well, it seems some druggy has been occupying the restroom for the past 45 minutes. Now you’re mad, but pounding on the door and yelling have little effect other than swollen knuckles. It was a metal door. Isn’t it funny that something air tight isn’t water tight? You feel something dribble down your leg.
Where is another restroom? You walk around — well, more like shuffle, asking at offices and restaurants. The most common reaction is a scrunched up nose. Congratulations. You have acquired a homeless aura: The combination of perspiration and diarrhea make you authentic.
Well you’ve made it to the Salvation Army. Relief at last. You knock on the door and the guy you see at the reception desk through the glass ignores you. Feeling the fuse shorten you yell out the urgent need to use the damn toilet. Suddenly, desk guy pays attention to you. He will now be able to exercise his small bit of power by refusing you access to the bathroom. The irony — that someone that has been homeless (the desk guy) exhibits so little compassion to another human being enduring the powerlessness of being homeless — escapes you for the moment.
Desk guy sends you on your way. The Adult and Family Services office is across the street. We can always rely on the government can’t we? Why not apply for government assistance while in the neighborhood?
Today you have other priorities. The pain is causing you to walk stooped over. Your face is pale and grimaced. As you walk by a couple of construction workers sitting in an old Scottsdale pick-up, you hear the comment, "Watch the tools. There goes another junkie." You get a feeling it was directed at you.
So you enter the AFS office. About a dozen people are waiting in the lobby for their numbers to come up. Three social workers are at the front counter, one with a client, the other two are chatting and joking with each other. You have just entered the "Client Zone."
Approaching the two social workers, you stand at the counter for a few moments waiting for acknowledgement. Social workers know damn good and well they have a lot of power to influence a client’s life. Subconsciously, they understand it is OK feeling superior to the client. It takes training and effort to maintain sensitivity to the clients’ needs. These two ain’t had that training.
"Excuse me, but I was wondering…" and you’re cut off.
"Take a number and you’ll be helped at the information counter." states the social worker.
"But I just need…" and you’re cut off again.
"The numbers are in the red dispenser." And the social worker turns away.
"THE BATHROOM! WHERE’S THE BATHROOM!" Your frazzled nerves have snapped.
The social workers have now evaluated your case and determined it looks, sounds and smells like a nut. One social worker signals the security guard while the other addresses you like a child, "Yelling is inappropriate behavior for this office. If you will please take a number and sit down you will be helped as soon as possible."
"Can I help you?" you hear the voice of the security guard.
"Yes I need to know where the restroom is," your voice is a little shaky and the pain is making you desperate.
"The clients’ restroom is closed," the guard says, "and we don’t allow anyone under the influence to remain in this building."
You feel insulted and defensively state, "I AM NOT UNDER THE INFLUENCE!"
Then you add in a subdued tone, "May I please use another restroom."
The security guard shows no give. "I’m going to have to ask you to leave now."
Just as the anger starts to overwhelm you it is replaced by humiliation. The Blanchet House breakfast has broken free in a noisy wet slide to the floor.
You now have the complete attention of everyone in the room. The smell is making you feel ill, people are moving away from you.
You turn and walk out the door, swearing to yourself you will never show your face in that office again.

Foul Mouth
The pain of an abscessed tooth can turn life into agony. The pain drives away any desire to eat, the ability to sleep and dictates how you move.
I spent a weekend outside curled up in a wet sleeping bag trying to sleep, but the perpetual pain from that packet of pus denied me that escape. The poisons seeped into my systems, muscles ache, fevers rise and my strength slipped away. At this point shooting me in the head would be an act of mercy.
I wasn’t toughing it out; I simply had no other options at the time. I was following the path of least pain, until Monday morning when Old Town Clinic would open up. Old Town Clinic allows for one dental voucher per day. The competition for the one voucher tends to get people at the door early. I was standing outside waiting at 5 a.m. Monday morning. The next guy didn’t show up until after 5:30 a.m., he was shit outta luck.
I felt empathy for the pain he was going through, hell I was going through the same crap, but there was no way I was going to give up my chance at a voucher. This is a case of survival of the most desperate. This morning five other people stopped by hoping they would be the first with a dental problem only to walk away into another day of agony.
I was the first one through the door when they opened at 8:15 a.m. I recognized the man at the intake desk from the previous Friday. I had been told then the one per day voucher is gone first thing in the morning. Today he hooked me up with a call to Multnomah County Dental Access Program which is where the voucher comes from.
The Dental Access Program searched through a database of clinics and appointments to set me up with the soonest possible appointment Wednesday November 17th at East County Health Center. I felt sincere gratitude for the efforts involved. A program such as this surviving the budget cut processes forced upon many social services shows respect for those suffering.
The dentist determined the abscess was too swollen to pull the tooth and because it was inside the jaw it would be risky to lance. I was criticized for taking too much Ibuprofen, I had been going through 50each 200mg tablets a day. That quantity can shut down your kidneys. They prescribed Penicillin for the infection and tried to get me to accept stronger pain medication instead of the ibuprofen. I refused the pain medication, being homeless I am a little sensitive to stereotypes and I didn’t want them thinking I was a drug addict.
They set me up with an appointment to get my tooth pulled on my birthday the day before Thanksgiving. So much for the turkey.
I filled the antibiotic prescription and went out to sell the paper. Turns out not getting the pain medication was a big mistake; the abscess was growing and turning a darker shade of red. I had hoped the antibiotics would kick in sooner. The pain was driving me nuts; all I wanted to do was sell enough papers to buy another bottle of ibuprofen. It took me about an hour and a half, in other words an eternity.
The pain, discoloration and rising fever had me concerned; I went to the V.A. hospital emergency room. I was surprised they saw me without a I.D. card. The abscess had turned a dark purple, as the doctor was examining it I smelled something gone bad. I apologized to the doctor for my feet smelling so bad. The doctor said the abscess had just broke at about the same time this gross taste filled my mouth. I felt like I might throw up so I stumbled to the sink to rinse out my mouth.
The doctor was also very critical of the amount of ibuprofen I was consuming, and when I told her I didn’t need any prescription pain killers she made me promise I wouldn’t take any more Ibuprofen. Once the abscess burst the pain disappears. I was in no pain now and I felt assured the antibiotics would be able to do the job. The only other side effect was that I was only able to open my jaw about half an inch. The doctor gave me a tetanus shot just in case. With all the cuts the V.A. has been going through I was really impressed with the level of service I received.
I waddled through the week until the tooth was pulled slurping soup and drinking those meal in a can drinks with all the vitamins. A side effect was I lost ten pounds.
When I showed up for my on call dental appointment I was seen within 15 minutes. Dr Louie DMD had the tooth out within 20 minutes of sitting in the chair. It seems to me dentists do a much better job of pain management than they used to. I was out of the office, a mouth stuffed with cotton pads, in just over half an hour. This time I didn’t turn down the pain medication.
I appreciate the efforts of the professionals, the social service workers and policy makers who had the fore sight to keep this program in the budget.

Cycles of Violence
Chet Sadowski curls up in a sleeping bag to fend off the cold. Sleeping outside is hard on his arthritis, and concrete is not much of a mattress, but Chet is a rugged individualist. Chet lost part of a foot to frostbite, so he is no longer as spry as he once was. Some people see Chet and have empathy, some spy an easy victim.
Sunday night Chet awoke to violence. He took a blow to the side of his head and during the following haze felt a hand going through his pockets. Chet said, "I’d have hit him with my cane but my head was spinning too fast." By the time Chet was fully conscious, the assailant was long gone. Chet felt it was useless to contact the police since they had refused to file reports in the past. Chet recalls "I’ve been on the streets for seven years and I can’t count the number of times I’ve been robbed."
The streets of Portland have become more violent. Violence has increased in both frequency and severity. How and why is this happening? Violence is learned by starting small and then growing too more aggressive and challenging behaviors. It can start by rolling a drunk or stealing from someone disabled.
Many police officers complain it is difficult to contact homeless when investigating and prosecuting a case, so taking a report is a waste of time.
The consequence of this shoddy police work is the robbery that happened to the visitor from London England in October 2004. How does the City react? They increase sweeps of homeless camps, and target homeless people for warrant checks. If someone has an out of town citation for a minor offense, ship ‘em off, out of sight out of mind. These politically expedient responses inflict undo suffering on those least able to defend themselves in our society.
The fear on the street is growing. Street people are sleeping in larger groups for safety. The city receives calls from business and homeowners who are fearful of the growing numbers of both homeless and homeless camps. Some of the fear is financial based and some fear for personal safety. Regardless of the motivation property owners have more influence than poverty owners.
The ignorant, usually frequent listeners to right-wing radio talk shows, want to blame the poor and outcast for societies ills. Unless we are willing to look past the surface into the root cause we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.


Photovoice
In January 05, the organization crossroads handed out 45 cameras to homeless community members. The intent is to capture images reflecting experiences and concerns from a homeless perspective.
Terrence Killian and Lisa Hawash are coordinating the project, called Photovoice, for crossroads. The two, both pursuing their masters in social work at Portland State University, were brought in as interns for the project.
"A lot of the visual communication being done around homelessness is being done by professionals, photojournalists and such." Killian says, "I think that this project being done by homeless people will communicate views that other people just can’t see."
This endeavor is styled after the Photovoice process Caroline C. Wang and Mary Ann Burris developed in China. In that project, women seeking medical help snapped pictures communicating their struggles and successes. The Photovoice process was used again in Flint, Mich. to document the experiences and perspectives of homeless people.
Photovoice blends a grassroots approach to photography and social action. It provides cameras not to policymakers or professionals, but to people with the least access to those who make decisions affecting their lives. From the villages of rural China to the homeless shelter in Ann Arbor, Mich., people have used Photovoice to amplify their visions and experience.
Photovoice has three goals. It enables people to record and reflect their community's strengths and problems. It promotes dialogue about important issues through group discussion and photographs. Finally, it engages policymakers.
Stephen Voss, a freelance photographer who has done work with Sisters of the Road and street roots, will be assisting in the orientation. He advised participants on photo composition, technique and ethics of getting consent before taking pictures of people. He has photos published in the books "America 24/7" and "Oregon 24/7".
The orientation was facilitated by Voss, Killian and Hawash. The potential subject matter and composition of the photos were discussed, with homeless community members driving the conversation. Getting permission before the shot was emphasized.
"We started with a blanket permission statement that protects Sisters, allows us to use the photo for publication, in the anthology, and to go with the research. We need to get permission from every person whose picture we take." Lisa Hawash said, "A verbal yes is needed before the picture is snapped, and the permission slip must be signed or we will X out that picture."
"I imagine there will be some resistance from missions and social service providers to our participants snapping pictures." Killian comments, "They want to control how the public perceives them. When someone in a social service agency is approached by a client they can pretty much dictate what they want."
Homeless participants will receive photo credits for any pictures published, copies of the photos they take and a $10 gift certificate.
"Sisters of the Road’s Development Director Monica Beemer talked with us when we started our internship. She said this would be a perfect project for us. This is the most exciting thing I have ever been involved with." Killian said, "Monica pretty much said you guys are gonna be the bosses. It has been quite an experience so far."

Source of Solution
There will come a day when we, the outcast and downtrodden, shall lead by example. I see a vision of an eco-community, an open model of sustainable living. Experimental housing made up of a variety of eco-friendly structures. Electricity generated from photovoltic systems and windmills spinning in the breeze. An open-air market with shops selling handmade goods, produce organically grown on site and seminars about everything from ecologically sound building practices to grassroots organizing. This is one way to showcase Dignity Village’s charming diversity and parlay it into a financially self-sustaining community.
Dignity Village is positioned to develop into just such a community. While it is true they already have experimented with these various concepts on a small scale, in order to become sustainable, the scale of the model must grow. Ten to 20 acres of productive land would be room to grow into a self-sustaining eco-community. A section for eco-housing, a section for raised-bed gardening, an area to meet, teach and have conferences, a workshop area all villagers can share and an open market, similar to Saturday Market with music and a festive atmosphere.
Dignity Village already has international renown. Turned into an eco-community, it would be a draw for tourism as well as an added landmark in Portland. A savvy politician would recognize the concept’s significance is beyond just another baseball team. The future economic and ecological challenges we face are going to take some serious decisions. Now is the time to put a model in place and work toward living in the solution.
Let us look to the outcasts of society for the solutions of tomorrow. The homeless community has long been a breeding ground of social change. The poor are not as heavily invested in the status quo as those burdened with materialism. We are a population conditioned to endure what other segments of the community would not.
From a vision of village, in a pioneering spirit of cooperation, we (those of us with enough conscience to care) shall demonstrate how to walk on this earth and leave a small footprint. Although those who idle in high places look upon us with derision, we shall stand with our heads held high. We shall respect the balance of the earth. We have been chosen to lead, not by the powers controlling this earthly government, but by ourselves and our enlightened sense of responsibility. Our own sense of well-being tells us that the ecology, economy and society have lost harmony. It is on our shoulders to demonstrate a way of living at peace with our environment.
We need continuing help to build momentum up to the point that the inertia of this project can sustain itself. The project that first started as "Out of the Doorways" was, in the beginning, little more than a hope and a prayer. It blossomed into Dignity Village that survives today on less than an acre of asphalt. The city put them out there to wither and die. But like the dandelion growing through a crack in a concrete sidewalk, Dignity has struggled, grown and flourished. The chain link fence surrounding Dignity Village is a mere physical barrier. It does not bind the spirit that is the life-blood of Dignity. It is the spirit flowing throughout the communities of Portland that have the power to make this vision come to fulfillment.

Simplicity is Solution
Recently a real character walked into the street roots office. JC, who refers to himself as "Don’t use my name in vain JC," started his introduction by glaring at me hard and challenging my sexuality. Then JC goes on to say street roots is afraid of speaking the truth.
I get the general feeling this guy is trying to get my goat. He is Native American and presents a corresponding sense of humor. When you have been repeatedly stomped on, your sense of humor can appear terse to some.
Next thing he does is flash a couple of thousand-dollar bills and says, "You want some of these?" This gross display was a test of my reactions and is JC’s way of poking fun at the values of corporate society. I tell him what I want is an interview.
Street roots has been working on a story concept about people sleeping in Forest Park and I recognized him as someone who slept there in years gone by.
I guess I passed the test because he settled down and agreed to help with this article.
This started to be about Forest Park, but as the interview went on it just seemed to have a different ring. What developed was a comment on a corporate lifestyle versus a natural lifestyle.
JC summarizes why he values a simple lifestyle: "To me living outside puts me in tune with nature, a slower pace than the city. I come out of the woods and I feel renewed spiritually so I can deal with the city in a state of ease. Spiritual balance is crucial to enjoying health and happiness. Most people are not happy; they are wrapped up in self greed and that holds them back."
Portland holds a special place in JC’s mind. "I enjoy living outside in Portland. This is a great artist town, whether doing portraits at Saturday Market, sculptures or whatever," he said. JC also appreciates the people; "I love meeting people. One of the best human beings I have ever met is Jada Mae Langloss. She has a good sense of humor and always sticks up for the underdog, but if you get on her bad side, watch out." Several members of street roots as well as City Hall can attest to the accuracy of this statement.
Living the simple life can incorporate simple energy solutions, JC gives his interpretation, "I travel by bike, just taking my time to get there. The last place I traveled to was the Rainbow Gathering. The town it was held in was Likely, California. It was high, dry and warm. The altitude made the air kind of thin. I just got back two days ago after a month-long experience."
For some this would be next to impossible, but JC takes his pedaling in stride.
"When traveling on my bike I like to rise with the sun, then ride most of the day with short 20-minute breaks or walk awhile if my legs tighten up. I run on water and chocolate bars, sounds crazy I know, but that chocolate is good stuff. I’ll pedal all day then settle down with the sun. The windiest part of the trip was in Klamath Falls. The hills and the water made the wind tricky to ride through."
A part of JC’s life is sharing knowledge and experience, "A lot of people don’t understand sweat lodges at all, so at the Gathering I demonstrated how to set them up, the chanting and spiritual aspects." At a time in life most people spend worrying how to pay for prescription drugs, JC works another angle.
"I like to do yoga every morning. It energizes me and pushes away the depression. I’m 65 and I attribute my well being to living outside and being with the elements. Health is number one; if you haven’t got health, nothing else matters."
JC’s return to Portland came with a few changes.
"When I came back to Dignity Village I found out I had been thrown out." It seems JC was a casualty of Dignity’s downsizing. Due to upgrades to meet city fire and safety codes, fewer people are able to stay at Dignity Village. Will the gentrification never end?
When JC lived at Dignity Village, he contributed in creative ways from reporting for the Dignity Village Newsletter to teaching other villagers crafts and skills which can be parlayed into small businesses. "I would seek out the creative people who were open to learn and share my knowledge."
After finding Dignity Village was no longer home, he found out an old business opportunity was still available.
"I do sculptures in several different media, but these people want me to work in wood with a chainsaw. First I visualize, then I draw; finally it is realized in wood. I love my freedom and ability to express myself. I am not stuck in some cubicle making money for somebody else."
Being able to sculpture with JC’s flare causes many people to recognize his genius, but the true brilliance is the simple way he lives.

Walking with God
She wears thongs, her tan callused feet are blistered were the strap rubs. Her dress, light olive drab linen, cascades down to her feet. Her dark brown curly hair lightens to auburn at the ends from exposure to the sun. Her face is oval, tan and her Roman nose freckled. Eyes that change color from green to gray to blue shine with a distant smile. She doesn’t shave her armpits nor does she concern herself with showers. Nights are spent outside in the woods without a blanket or sleeping bag.
She calls herself God.
God spends her time uniting the cosmos, "Uniting the cosmos is about loving, not doing but being loving, grateful, blessing, accepting and joyful every moment of the now." She has little in material possessions — literally the clothes on her back are all she owns. She doesn’t take food stamps or any of your tax money.
If you walk up and offer to help she will likely respond with, "I have everything I need." God is not a homeless person. She sums up her choice to live outside, "Enlightened beings don’t choose to spend most of their time in boxes."
I have seen her sleeping outside. This is normally too harsh an environment for young women to sleep alone, but God carries herself in such a way that she is safe. After having a few conversations with God, I asked her if I could write an article about her. She agreed to let me walk with God for a day.
The day with God started by waking up at 6 a.m. in the woods. We hiked out of the forest toward downtown. Because we had a ways to go, I suggested hopping on a bus. God doesn’t ride buses nor does she like cars. "The automobile is not one of human kind’s better inventions." So we walked all the way to the Blanchet House.
Well, I consider myself fairly well known on the streets, but God seems to know just about everyone. At least a dozen people stop by the table to say hi to her. God is popular and greets everyone with a warm smile. There are some folks on the street who are so challenged by what goes on in their own mind they overreact to attempts to communicate.
God seems to have a way with these folks. People that have yelled and screamed at me react to God like she was an old friend. God says, "Love is the most important thing, the recognition of our shared connection."
After breakfast, we head to Pioneer Square. God likes to sit by the fountain and meditate. I asked her about techniques of meditating and she replied, "You already know everything you need to know."
God tends to be evasive when asked questions, when I pressed her, she mentioned the vipassana technique, close your eyes, clear your mind and be in the light.
One reoccurring theme for the day was how many people would walk up and greet God. She would meet people’s eyes and hold them saying; "The eyes are the windows to the soul."
Folks would often ask God what she needed she’d reply, "Need is primarily an illusion."
I could not get God to talk in a stream of consciousness; comments came as sound bites. That might have been so I wouldn’t screw up the quotes. After Pioneer Square we walked to the North Portland Library. God wanted to send e-mails. Along the way I worked on getting a philosophy out of God, "This life experience is about bringing personality to reality, not so much about detachment as it is about sublimation. I am not religious, I am spiritual."
Asking why she called herself God she replied, "God is everything and everything is God, my focus is building my awareness and strengthening the connections of everything. I am God and you are God, God is everything. That we are alone is an illusion."
"If you are going to San Jose, you follow the signs to San Jose. Where we are going is bliss and your emotions are the signs along the way. It is the urge to unite with each other mind body and spirit. The physical urge being the lowest form will evolve into recognition that we are already connected. Spiritual growth is building awareness of the connections we already have. We are all apart of the collective consciousness. As one person evolves, so does the collective consciousness and that affects everything around."
All in all, it was a strange and beautiful day. I think God is as sane as anyone is.

Who's Afraid of a CIA Appointment?

Intelligence agencies have incredible potential for abuse of power. Remember J Edgar Hoover? He is the guy who directed the Federal Bureau of Investigations for four decades. He built the G-man mystic and he was very interested in what other people kept in their closets. After all, his own closet held quite a few juice tidbits from little boys to frilly lace panties.

Hoover was in his heyday during the McCarthy Era. He generated secret files, on popular people of public interest, to blackmail, blacklist, intimidate and even assassinate. Part of the reason he stayed in power so long is you never knew what fragment of information could be twisted to imply wrongdoing. Maybe you attended a socialist gathering, have you participated in a protest or ever associated with someone who has?
Intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies must have checks and balances in democratic societies. Democracies cannot function where free speech and freedom or information is squelched.

This brings me around to General Michael Hayden. He is the Bush administration crony who implemented the National Security Agencies domestic wiretapping program with out warrant. Advocating and implementing a program that is in direct opposition to the Bill of Rights should, and does, have people concerned. As an Air Force General he naturally has strong ties to the Defense Intelligence Agency. Now Bush has nominated him as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

This appointment politicizes the agency. Though Hayden has critics on both sides of the political isle, does it concern you that a person who is willing to violate the Constitution is being put in charge of an agency accused of kidnapping, torturing and assassinating people?

Are you concerned about the incredible black budget this man will have power over and the resources that can be turned against the American people the way the NSA did by wiretapping Americans?

Where are the checks and balances?

Conspicuously Invisibile

It was on the second floor in the far northeastern corner of Powell’s City of Books. Before they remodeled, a varnished plywood bench nestled into the corner. On clear cold winter mornings the sunlight would warm you as it highlighted the panoramic view. And on rare summer evenings the setting sun tinted the landscape hues of pink and red.
I knew reading the books without buying them was a type of theft and security at Powell’s would often eye me, as if to say, “We know your not a real customer.”
I was one of the dispossessed, homeless, conspicuous by my invisibility. I went there to read and escape the condemnation I transcribed onto the faces of people as they passed me.
I would slip into the Ann Hughes coffee shop to fill my commuter cup with hot water to which I added tea bags or cocoa I had brought with me. While sitting in the corner I would sneak sips and nibble on expired baked goods handed out by the mission earlier in the morning.
Some days I would camp in that corner for up to 12 hours. Digesting an entire book in one setting. If you closed your eyes, or were caught eating, security was right there asking you to leave. They tended to hover around anyone looking impoverished. I never stole a book from the store and when I could afford it, I would buy a used paperback, selling it back when I had finished reading it.
Eventually security saw me as less of a threat and would even greet me as they walked by.
Years later a chapbook I wrote, “Being Simple Comes With Complications” sits in the small press section, pages curled from browsers skimming through it, and a few copies have even sold. Somehow this completes a cycle.