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by the Occupy Portland Media Committee
Concerns have been raised about conditions in the political encampments of Occupy Portland. We appreciate that Mayor Adams has been proactive in conducting a public dialogue with us.
Occupations across the world have drawn attention to the fact that the current state of the U.S. economy is not sustainable. The top one percent of American citizens currently hold over forty-two percent of the nation’s financial wealth, and that number continues to grow. Meanwhile, the bottom eighty percent of the population holds a mere seven percent of the wealth. Results of an economic system driven solely by profit include poverty, starvation, disease, addiction and homelessness. These conditions are especially visible in urban centers nationwide. They existed in downtown Portland long before the arrival of Occupy Portland at Chapman and Lownsdale Squares. They will only intensify until the glaring problems of our economic system are addressed.
It is abundantly clear that these encampments are inhabited by various types of economic refugees including the unhoused population, the street youth population, the rainbow family, the mentally challenged, and the chronically unemployed. While the focus of our occupation has been to generate political discussion and action, in the process of doing so we are also providing valuable services and help to the most vulnerable citizens of Portland.
The existence of the Occupy Movement has given a public face to members of our society that are too often dehumanized by mainstream media, federal and local government, and corporate power structures.
Having a large number of economic refugees living closely together with constant media coverage has exposed the greater Portland community to a number of social problems that those in power would rather see swept under the rug. The mayor, city agencies, media outlets, and large numbers of citizens are now acutely aware of such problems as lack of food security, lack of stable housing, chronic substance abuse, violent behavior and petty crime. We share the concerns of the mayor and other public employees regarding these issues as they manifest both within our camp and in other areas of Portland. We are proactively addressing these concerns by increasing visibility and transparency through restructuring of camp. We are also increasing the amount of safe spaces and education and welcoming social workers into camp to assist those most in need. We are thankful for the years of training and experience that these skilled public employees bring to our encampment. We share their desire for action leading to real economic changes that empower marginalized communities to provide for themselves. We look forward to working with all City employees to address acute symptoms of economic injustice. We also ask the City to work with us to address the root causes.
Certain incidents within our camp have gained widespread local media coverage, which some feel has detracted from the message of our movement. This coverage exposes the realities of economic injustices in America, specifically in Portland, which intensifies our call for systemic change. This is why we occupy. We are holding space and disregarding only those ordinances that infringe on our Constitutional rights: to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and petitioning the government for a redress of grievances. We invite all citizens of Portland to take advantage of the General Assembly and also go directly to City Hall to voice concerns and discuss solutions to the greater societal problems we’re all addressing, not just camp issues. The dialogue between Occupy Portland and the greater Portland community needs to shift to the topic of solutions.
Many of Occupy Portland’s supporters have vocalized solutions on our forums, in our chat rooms, and in person at the information desk. We welcome all solutions. What is most valuable to us now is the implementation. We call on all citizens of Portland to help end the economic injustices plaguing America. Ways to do this include:
—Educating oneself, friends and family about the reality of corporate dominance in the US.
—Taking action to hold corporations accountable when they actively maintain the poverty of our fellow citizens through predatory lending, monopoly-building and other immoral behavior.
—Volunteering with appropriate local entities that are taking action to address the symptoms of economic injustice. Examples include City Repair, Outside In, Eco-Districts, and the Community Food Security Coalition.
—Volunteering with us on any committee of Occupy Portland, which is currently the frontline of the struggle against both the causes and the effects of an unsustainable economic model.
Portland already leads the way in sustainability in the United States. By all of us committing to engage with these and similar organizations, we will help create the moral economy we want to live and thrive in.
***This statement was not brought forth for approval by the G.A.***
At the GA tonight there were no committee reports, which I presume means that no members of the Media Committee were present at the GA. In that case, the members of the Media Committee might not know that the Peace and Safety Committee was assigned the task of coming up with a suitable response to the letter from Mayor Adams. Members of the public and the media should be aware that the above letter is not endorsed in any way by the GA.
Respectfully,
Richard
what is>>>any more???the HILTER YOUTH HAVE HIGHJACKED THIS MOVEMENT
what are you growing? paranoia?
please link your response to the mayor. just as anyone in the freaking world can.
The Peace and Safety Committee can still draft their own response that would be endorsed by the GA. This was just the Media Committee’s response.
I am in total agreement with this response. You are aware of the problems in and around the occupation and are doing what you can to address them. At the same time, you’re not letting the problems that you didn’t create (homelessness and crime) distract you from the core message of the occupation revolution.
Excellent points folks. This open letter is remarkably incisive and sensitively written. Don’t let ‘em waste your time and energy defending yourselves and never let ‘em change the subject. When you do have to address unfounded and misguided accusations, take the opportunity, as you do so well here, to educate about the pertinent issues. The people aren’t as dumb as some would have you believe; we are capable of making the necessary connections, especially when we’re treated as the intelligent, capable change agents that we are.
Once again, I am highly impressed by Occupy Portland and my family supports you all the way. Thank you so much.
if you put yourself in the mayor’s position, he doesn’t like the picture of himself ordering a violent takedown of the camp, and he is under stress to disperse the homeless more randomly through downtown like under ordinary circumstances, rather than concentrated in one spot building little huts and sometimes making noise.
So what do you think the best strategy is for him and the police department? Obviously, a media war will help. It’s in their best interests to depict the societal casualties (unhelped mentally ill, alcoholics) as core members of Occupy. It is effectively turning many sympathetic members of the public against the movement. I mean, that liar Breitbart is even featuring video from Occupypdx on his site.
Is there any counterstrategy? I would say that relabeling the tent city as a Hooverville for the marginalized, and having the activists move on to new things, would be one strategy
This is so clear and informative. I have never been so proud of my fellow humans than I have been ever time I have visited Occupy Portland. This is where can find the people with the biggest hearts in Portland. Everyone should learn from you and try their best to be as good as you.
I am inspired and grateful for this response to Mayor Adams. The point is that we are in this all together. It is not a choice; it is the nature of what community is about. There is no way that the City of Portland can maintain their credibility and at the same time work to “get rid of ” the “problems.” The “problems” ARE us. In terms of power equivalence, shared decision-making, respect, and meeting basic needs, WE MUST HAVE A NEW STRUCTURE THAT SERVES ALL LIFE, including nature, including the homeless, and including even the sad, unenviable wealthy 1% who have lost their way with their sociopathic lack of empathy. The occupy movement is speaking for the 100%.
On the subject of education, here are two keys points. (corporate media, please listen up. Here are some very specific demands of the Occupation:)
1. The 14th amendment is being used to justify that corporations have equal rights under the law as persons. The highest court in our land voted 5-4 that this is the case. (Citizens United) This the height of intellectual dishonesty by the top adjudicating body of our county. Any grade school student knows unequivocally that the 14th Amendment was not referring to corporations; it was referring to former slaves. The Occupation will not let this stand.
2. Why is the equation of money with speech so destructive? Because more money means more speech; more speech means more influence; more influence means more ownership; more ownership (by those with more money) means LESS DEMOCRACY. As a result, we no longer live in a democracy but rather a PLUTOCRACY–governance by the wealthy. The Occupation will not let this stand.
I also agree totally that this response is very thoughtfully and well written, addressing the real issues that the mayor is avoiding or ignoring. The response has educated me. I visit OP regularly, and get the same general feeling that the Media Committee is voicing- the problems endemic with maintaining a utopian enclave in the heart of an urban center are exclusively those created by advanced capitalism and the corrupt powers that thrive in our urban-oriented society. The noise and interference created by those powers( mayor, police, etc.) should not distract the Occupy movement from delivering the message of it’s powerful signal. We live in a totally mediatized culture(The Society of the Spectacle), where image is EVERYTHING- I hold the corporate media ultimately responsible for all of the ills of our society. This response is consensus-building, open, and brutally honest. I applaud the Media Committee and am proud to work towards furthering the goals of the Occupy Movement.
Yesterday morning, I was stopped in traffic and I witnessed one of your Occupiers, standing on the edge of the encampment, mooning several people in the camp. While I certainly concur with the Occupy movement in many of its values, I am also cognoscente of the fact that the Portland Occupy movement has been taken over by drug addicts, alcoholics, street people and the mentally ill. My suggestion is that you set up AA and NA meetings throughout the day and declare your site a Drug and alcohol free zone and immediately get rid of anybody who violates the policy. Wake up!!!you are losing public support.
Steven,
Thank you for sharing your concerns. However, instead of being offended by the sight of someone’s bare buttocks (*GASP* nudity! Oh my!) perhaps you should focus your outrage on the this country’s broken, exploitative economic system that is responsible for one quarter or the nations children living at or below the poverty line. If the sight of poor and homeless people cause you to withdraw support from the movement, you’re obviously missing the point of fighting on behalf of the 99 percent. The 99 percent includes the poorest people in this country, it includes drug addicts, and homeless, the mentally ill and yes, even people who pull down their pants in public. Please understand that people working at occupy pdx have been working tirelessly to make camp a safer place & re-focus the movement. It is not an easy task to deal with issues of drug abuse, alcohol consumption, and violent behavior while still respecting those individuals that have been tossed aside by society. We appreciate your patience and I ask that you please ATTEND A G.A. MEETING & help us. They happen every night @7pm.
The man has a point about establishing a substance free zone, regardless of your other issues with his statement.
A substance free zone HAS been brought up and discussed at g.a. At great length. As has the idea of incorporating A.A. & N.A. on site. My point is that making criticisms from a passing car aren’t much help to a movement if it’s not backed up by actions, like getting out of your car and sitting in on a g.a. meeting to discuss solutions. And then volunteering on peace & safety to implement those solutions. In addition to expressing your thoughts via the wonderful free speech tool that is the interwebs, it’s important to meet face to face with people in your community to actually make change happen.
Excellent response! Good job Occupy Portland Media Committee. I’m primarily involved in the Occupy Portland livestream chat conversations and you’ve stated: “Many of Occupy Portland’s supporters have vocalized solutions on our forums, in our chat rooms, and in person at the information desk”; thank you for acknowledging the many forms of dialogue you are involved with, as well as having interviewed Mayor Sam Adams recently.
As the Occupy Portland Media Committee, you know firsthand what is not only going on within the occupy site, but what is going on in the global and local communities. Gandhi stated:
“Evolution of democracy is not possible if we are not prepared to hear the other side”; “Every case can be seen in seven different points of view. All of which are correct by themselves, but not correct at the same time, in the same circumstances”; “We cannot be speakers who do not listen. But neither can we be listeners who do not speak”; and “I do not believe in the doctrine of the greatest good of the greatest number. The only real, dignified, human doctrine is the greatest good of all.”
“Gandhi interview philosophy and ideology”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gpRJp82GXc&feature=related.
“Influence of Gandhi on MLK”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDpd0oM2x_E&feature=related.
Sincerely,
A Conflict Resolution Graduate student at PSU.
Occupy Portland
Spot on! I also watched the sit down of 3 of the Occupy folks had with Portland PD. When the head police guy sitting at the head of the table said “Some of the original Occupiers went home because they were tired or sick. But our police are still there. We aren’t getting to go home” I was like WTF!!! How the Hell is a police officer being paid to do his job 8-10 hours a day, even compair to people volunteering (no pay) 24/7 to change the world?!?!? The Occupy movement is not just those in those parks, by far. 59% of Americans agree with Occupies aim. 59% of America are Occupy! Yes I know the 99% deal, but thats who we represent. 59% support us. The other 40% are the bewildered herd. As we move forward, the Mayor & the Police need to understand that they work for us. Just because there is a vocal minority that complains about the “messiness” of this whole world changing democratic movement thing, doesn’t mean they get to change the subject.
Excellent response to the Mayor’s letter. OP did not create the problems of homelessness and mental health issues. Study the history of homelessness, here in Portland, including how often the homeless were moved on by the police, often times beaten during the raids. Study the creation and existence of Dignity Village which is successfully providing shelter and help for about 60 otherwise homeless persons. Dignity Village; however, turns away people with the most severe chronic problems. Most shelters have the same policy – and so where are the people who suffer severe mental health issues and drug & alcohol addictions supposed to go? They have to go somewhere.
Indeed the mainstream media is focusing on such problems at OP as if OP created them. This alleged spike in crime around OP may be true but only because the homeless are not dispersed around Portland as they normally are. Before OP, incidents involving the homeless were underreported by mainstream media unless they involved “suicide by cop” stories. That said, I wonder about the reportedly volatile nature of the homeless occupiers – knowing the history of police provocateurs and of the police use of informants (many of whom are drug addicts) and undercover agents, I wonder if some people are not being encouraged by officials to stir up problems. Many homeless “communities” are often quite good at handling volatile behavior themselves because they don’t to invite police brutality.
Keep up the good work, OP. I’m impressed with how you’re handling matters. You continue to have my support.
This movement was never to be about HOMELESS SOUP KITCHEN..If thats what you are about…lots of places to help out all set up and have been for years
Oh OGU, I’m glad you’re around. You’re tenacious, if nothing else. Peace.
This. It doesn’t take a genius to do the math.
The homeless have the most investment in this of anyone. And yet, those who are worst off (and, therefore, least capable of doing political “work” successfully for the same reasons that keep them on the streets) are more likely to be involved than those who can get off the streets and into a healthier living situation. That doesn’t make them any less the core of the movement, but it does create a problem with no easy answers.
Many people complain that Occupy has no demands. The best demand that could be made right now, I think, is permanent housing for the people who have been unable to find it on their own.
Even the most selfish right-winger, if they can read, doesn’t have far to go to find the studies establishing that housing people is far cheaper and easier than bringing them back from the brink of death. Malcolm Gladwell’s “Million Dollar Murray” is a good redux. The only way out of this mess is through giving, not taking; but to have a long-term effect, the government must commit to going several steps further than soup cans and blankets.
I’m in total agreement with the letter to Mayor Adams. The part I like best is that social workers are being welcomed. I’m very glad about this, and believe they can make a huge difference. Hopefully, some of the people that have been creating problems for Occupy Portland will become motivated and receive training in how to participate actively. Such as, waving signs on the street, which has not been happening (at least when I have been there. My partner and I waved signs next to the street, but we were the only ones). People with mental illnesses have a very real need to participate and feel like a part of something. I’m sure some would be glad to help with washing dishes, painting signs, and doing some very fine art work, depending on their level of skill.
There’s been a planned push to bring social workers back into camp by providing them with space and shelter and other things they need. I suspect this effort is still ongoing, they were just getting started a couple days ago. I’m happy to see it.
Why was this response to Mayor Adams not passed through the GA? Does the Occupy Portland Media Committee now believe they hold power over the GA in decision making? While I think the letter drafted by the Media Committee is a good one, the apparent disconnect between the GA and this letter is alarming, especially in the wake of a Finance Committee who decided, unilaterally, that they knew what was “best”.
At the very least, it should be clear the response was not endorsed by the GA. It is understandable that Committees will have to make many minor decisions regarding operations without GA approval, however, these same Committees will need to be able to differentiate between those minor decisions which do not, logically, require GA approval and those major decisions or announcements that warrant it.
Welcome to the new HILTER YOUTH…run by OCCUPY LIVESTREAM
“by the Occupy Portland Media Committee”
doesn’t mention a GA approved letter to the mayor.
only dopes use dope . hahahaha
Troll Postings by “Oregon Grower’s Union” on Occupy Portland Web Page
“Oregon Growers Union” has been nothing but a “troll” (not intended to be pejorative but merely descriptive of the presence on this web site) for weeks now, spreading lies, making ad hominem attacks, and posting items calculated to make people fearful or confused. “Oregon Growers Union,” your tactics belie your intent. Your most recent ad hominem and baseless attack on Nat and Live Stream is only illustrative of how you have misused this forum, yet you insist that you have somehow been censored.
You suggest on this site that Nat may have stolen Occupy Portland funds, but you offer no possible basis for such an ad hominem attack, nor for that matter why anyone would believe that Nat even has access to funds. Your earlier criticism of Nat and Live Stream suggests a personal animus motivating your current “attack” on Nat that further undercuts the credibility of your assertions.
Earlier you claimed that you had registered “Occupy Portland” as a legal name, and that legal consequences would soon follow. None have. No record can be located on the Oregon Secretary of State site indicating that you have so claimed such a name. Reid’s earlier registration of “Occupy Portland” as a non-profit, albeit presumably sincerely motivated, has been rejected by Occupy Portland as a group.
You also claim that “Oregon Grower’s Union” (“we”) “pulled the generators from the kitchen,” as if you; (1) really had some involvement with Occupy Portland; (2) contributed anything to Occupy Portland; and (3), actually had some right or ability to take items that support Occupy Oregon away. This a yet one more falsehood in your series of continuing falsehoods.
“Oregon Grower’s Union” is not a union in Oregon, nor is it a registered name of any organization in Oregon. Thus, the use of the word “we” appears to be you claiming multiple members in a non-existent union to somehow bolster your status or lend credibility to your words. You are taking elements of truth or rumor, or your own “fiction,” and “spinning” them to create disinformation that you place on the web site.
And now you are urging that someone could be raped or killed in the current Occupy Portland environment, and that advice that you purport to have offered from the inception should be followed. Your various e-mails also include an “I told you so,” which another commenter has already noted hardly serves to elevate the quality of the dialogue. Your opinions are of course no less or more valid than anyone else’s on this web site, but ad hominem attack, claimed affiliation with Occupy Oregon, implication that you are involved with organized labor, untruths, and fear mongering are all disingenuous such that it seems obvious that your credibility and sincerity must be doubted.
As you and others know, I am not the first to point out your role as a “troll” on this site, as an examination of your postings and subsequent responses will reveal. I hope that you find whatever you are looking for that is constructive, positive, and helpful, but given your prior postings, I somehow doubt that you are going to find it here.
Causing you to type a screed of the length you just did is most of the point of trolling. FYI.
yeah, but the response is also read by those of us reading the trolling posts and helps clarify misinformation. the response is not wasted–i appreciated it.
Dude… The mayor sent out an OPEN letter to Occupy Portland… Anyone can respond to that letter. The OP media committee decided to respond OPENLY to that letter. I could have written a response to the mayor discussing the issues at the camp just as the media committee did, AND, I wouldn’t have had to get approval from the GA… It’s an open letter from the media committee in response to the open letter from the mayor. If the GA wants to come out with their own, they can. The views displayed in this letter are the media committee’s, and not endorsed by the GA, as stated at the top: “by the Occupy Portland Media Committee”.
I agree with everything that was said in the letter personally.
It is not clear the response is not approved by the GA by saying “By the Occupy Portland Media Committee”. For me, it implies it was approved. However, I believe I have been in error to view this website as a clear reflection of the GA proposals and decisions as opposed to a separate entity with its own objectives or the objectives of committees making major statements without GA approval, albeit with many of the same concerns and objectives. This is a major distinction for me and was not clear until now. It is important to me because I view the GA as holding ultimate decision-making power. It should be explicitly stated in any of your website announcements if something has not been approved by the GA. There are obvious accountability reasons for this, i.e., The Finance Committee.
I’ve added a byline that says “This statement was not brought forth for approval by the G.A.”
This was not sent to the mayor as a statement on behalf of Occupy Portland. This is the media committee voicing concern that focus is falling more on the individual behaviors rather than addressing the larger issues.
So, the media committee for Occupy Portland did not release the statement to the Mayor on behalf of Occupy Portland?? That sounds like a problem that needs to be resolved soon. It seems the solution would be for the drafters of the statement to propose it to the GA as soon as possible even though it has already been released. Please explain to the GA the reasoning behind the media committee for Occupy Portland releasing a statement that was not on behalf of Occupy Portland. There may be good reasons.
Has anyone forwarded the letter and the responses to the Oregonian? I am still steaming after reading the editorial in the paper this morning–how indignant they are that the mayor hasn’t stepped up to rid the city of this blight. (Could it be that they are being pushed by the business community to make such a statement?)
What they should be writing about is what the solution might be to adequately house and treat these people. The social service agencies don’t have the money anymore because of tax cuts and other seemingly more important priorities.
And this is part of what Occupy is about–pointing out the disparities between the 99% and the 1% and how the 1% needs to do more. And don’t forget that we sre our brothers’ keeper.
Shannon
Well stated!
Focus on the big picture. This Movement is much too important to…
The people who are not legitimately involved with the Movement should be asked to leave the encampment immediately.
If this continues as is, we will lose support & get evicted, forcefully. This will get ugly.
Please be rational. The current situation is alienating supporters who might otherwise get more directly involved. We have tried to absorb the people that are less fortunate but it has become a burden that is distracting from our mission.
Dump the burden back on the local Government; where it belongs.
This is a good opportunity to explain, to the Media, what is wrong with “The System”.
Thank you guys for taking a stand. There are many of us out there supporting your movement but I hate to say it but the mayor is right, the camp seems to be morphing into a homeless/street kid camp. You guys need to put some thought into the next step. Lead the country, show them you have an exit strategy, a next intelligent step. I don’t want to see this turn into an Oakland scenario. You need to solicit a donated warehouse or building to survive through the winter and show the rest of the country that Portland can further this cause in a peaceful and smart way. Thanks
OMG! I have also said from the beginning that “the Occupy movement would have to evolve in order to realize its full potential.” I have been suggesting from the start that Occupy Portland be a bit more professional and take their operations inside to a “real” headquarters.
I was happy to read that the folks in Bend, Oregon, Occupy participants have closed their camp, but continue to meet regularly.
Take a hint Occupy Portland!!!
Several people, who have real-world experience, have already suggested to, hinted at, come right out and told “you” what the next phase of the Occupy Movement looks like… it’s INSIDE!
You can be JUST as effective if not MORE effective from an indoor headquarters. Stop being so short-sighted.
Occupy Portland, and OWS, et. al. have done pretty well so far ignoring the advice of “professionals.”
This country is full of non-profit reform groups that lobby officials from professional offices for meager concessions from the Capitalist class. The idea that Occupy should spiff up its image in order to appeal to an imagined “respectable audience” in some professional public relations kind of way is, at best, misguided.
If I was being “focus-grouped” by a marketing agency about what I was looking for in a political movement, it would be one simple word: VICTORIES. OWS, et. al. have had some remarkable successes that are not measurable in terms of legislative victories (although yesterday’s electoral lurch toward the left is circumstantial evidence that our voices are being heard). The success has been in the exposure that our ideas have had in the realm of mass-messaging. We have changed the dialogue.
Now all that said, I am all for flexibility and a strategic approach to our course of actions and tactics. I have been saying all along that a strategic winter retreat is nothing to be ashamed about, provided we find ways to build toward an Occupy Spring movement, or some such thing.
You’re not gonna achieve many more victories without the support of the genpop who this movement is supposed to represent. That support will not be won by letting the freak flag fly in front of the cameras.
I believe the media committee response to Mayor Adams is excellent. At the same time I agree that an indoor site that can be maintained through the winter would be invaluable and practical. Has any one heard of an available location? Is anyone working on this idea? There are so many closed buildings due to the economy I would think the movement could find something. I know there is a blocks worth of buildings in Beaverton where the old DHS offices used to be. I don’t know if that would be an option but I will look into it.
There are folks very actively working on this right now, and you are correct, such a site — for Occupy HQ, meetings, and functions, not for people to live — is a very worthy goal and would help a great deal with some of the sustainability and credibility struggles, IMO.
This is an excellent statement.
An excellent response to the mayor’s letter. I hope it gets forwarded to him! AND I hope you can find some building downtown that will house the movement during the winter.
I really look forward to the day that I can again enjoy this park. It is now a huge sh*t hole, please get out and clean up your damn mess! There is now way that this group of people represents 99% of the population, seriously look in the mirror.
I look forward to the day that I can bring children into a world where they can have clean water and clean air. Where there isn’t just a park surrounded by concrete but healthy forests and rivers filled with salmon. That is what I look forward to. This movement is in its infancy. We need all the help we can get. Please lend a hand instead of shaming us for dirtying up our park.
Try taking your kids out into the country, plenty of clean air and water. Nice dumpster by the way, how is filling that up every couple of days helping the environment?
as much as possible, occupy pdx is composting any food waste. can you make the same claim? why should people have to “take kids out into the country” in order to have clean air and water? are you saying the city has to be a cesspool? why? try to think things through before posting further.
you have a lot of big talk about changing the world but all I see is a slum … perhaps your world view, where corporations no longer exist, sees the future as one giant slum with “no leaders” and no 1%
Sure can! You don’t have to take your kids to the country, in fact, please don’t. More nature for me and mine. Meeting new junkies and sex offenders is a much better thing for your kids to do. The city does not have to be a cesspool, but you folks are not helping that cause. Good luck with your protest, but it has turned into nothing but a joke that I laugh at daily.
Well, let’s think about this: People didn’t become homeless by moving to Occupy. If they weren’t in the encampment, they’d just be camping illegally somewhere else. One dumpster for that many people sharing resources is significantly less waste than everyone as an individual using their own trash and buying their own packaged food. And have you ever seen our streams, even in the country, filled with Salmon? There may be a few in there, but nothing like it used to be. Let’s get real, think about this, and support something proactively. If you don’t like it, GET INVOLVED and help steer it in a better direction. Many people have left the movement because of the direction it was going, many people haven’t joined because of the direction it was going…let’s all just get involved and keep it on the right track, eh? I cant believe everyone posting and giving suggestions. You really have enough time to come to this forum just to argue and type how we’re doing things wrong? Get involved!
Why hasn’t this been sent to all of the media outlets to give THE OTHER SIDE of the story?? Sure, it may not be approved by the GA, but that just gives it more need to be put up there! Share this to the news crews!!! Does anyone disagree??
When you start throwing Molotov cocktails at buildings and threatening people all you’ve become are a group of terrorists. Occupy Portland is the BOTTOM 1%. You do not represent the 99%, and no matter how much you say so, it doesn’t make it so.
ONE person out of the 10,000+ who have been involved with Portland Occupied MAY have thrown a Molatov cocktail. David J. Hodson told The Oregonian that he had just gotten into town over the weekend from Redding, Calif., and decided to join Occupy Portland, where he had taken it upon himself to greet people as they entered Lownsdale Square.
Have you looked at the police reports of what happens in the Portland Metro area on any given day? Even pre-Occupied? It is NOT changing the nature of what is happening, just putting them in 2 city blocks instead of being spread out all over Portland.
Just as if one priest molests a child, does that make all of the Catholic church bad? Should we get rid of the church? A few makes the whole church ‘movement’ look bad, hey?
Why is it easier to believe that 15,000,000 Americans are being lazy rather than 400 Americans are being greedy?
Logic would dictate that major population centers will not be examples of natural (assuming humanity in its current form fall outside the definition of natural) beauty. This is why civic centers create public open spaces for all citizens to utilize. Logic would also dictate that some would find it offensive should a minority claim specific territorial rights to these living spaces by erecting non sanctioned dwellings.
I would be more than happy to pledge a monthly donation towards renting an indoor location. I’ll bet a lot of other people would be, too. A downtown headquarters open to the public for education, inspiration and strategy development would be great, even including limited space for revolutionaries who could sign up to be housed there for a weekend of classes and training. A small core group housed there 24 hrs 7 days/wk to provide classes and lead brainstorming sessions wouldn’t be bad either. If you post a place for people to pledge a portion of the rent, you might be surprised how quickly it adds up. Public radio could advise on setting up automatic payments from accounts into a rent & utility fund. How many pledges of $100/mo would you need, I wonder?
I would donate to this as well.
Can I appoint a representative to represent my concerns at the GA? My job prevents me from taking part, but I want my voice heard too.
I believe the Media comity needs to be able to react, and further should have some autonomy to pursue matters it deems necessary with out 100% over sight. Living in a free and democratic society means that we need to give responsibility to those we elect to represent us.
Yes, the chronically mentally ill, criminals, homeless, street youth will not disappear if the camp disbands. You certainly didn’t create them.
I notice they’re not so many in my neighborhood now. The corner of Lombard and Interstate doesn’t have its usual band hanging out. They’ve probably joined you guys.
Civil disobedience has a long and proud history as a means of achieving change. Perhaps the police failure to enforce more serious law breaking is their form of sabotage.
Thank you for your efforts and your kindness.
Response was WELL WRITTEN AND TOTALLY ON POINT!
These very situations being addressed by our wonderful full time and part time occupiers, etc. are only showing a microcosm of what has been swept up under the rug.
Bravo to those composing this very apt response!!
Many of the comments here are very critical of the media & display an “Us vs Them” attitude. Such viewpoints will doom the Occupy movement in Portland.
For one thing, if Occupy Portland is a protest movement that is seeking radical change (ie, NOT a politicized Dignity Village or Rainbow Gathering) then the #1 goal should be to persuade, recruit & mobilize anyone & everyone who might be the least bit sympathetic.
And THIS MEANS being conscious of our image and appearance, at all times, from all angles, in all media.
And complaining about the mainstream media isn’t going to change anything …except to shut down Occupy Portland.
Because if you write off the media then you’ve given up on communicating via the media. That’s the playing field we’ve been given. And, believe me, we ought to be grateful we’ve been given it. For 35 years, progressive protest movements have been ignored or slandered as agents of foreign powers. But after the first couple weeks in NYC, the Occupy Movement began receiving increasingly positive media coverage.
Here in Portland, the media coverage was quite positive, and it’s really only been negative when truly negative things exist to be reported. They are not making up things.
So, Occupy Portland needs to remove those elements that give rise to negative media coverage.
Otherwise, the most promising political movement to emerge in decades — maybe even a hundred years — will implode and collapse. At least in Portland.
We must always remember this IS A POLITICAL MOVEMENT, a mass movement that seeks to mobilize the all sorts of Americans so we can start making a better economic system.
But we must not delude ourselves that Occupy Portland is an alternative, prefigurative society.
(If, however, a utopian community is what you want to explore, then you ought to research the fate of the hundreds — or even thousands — of communes that developed and collapsed in 1960s and 1970s America. And if an alternative, utopian community is your number-one goal, then pick a site where you are not in a public space making a public spectacle.
Yes, Occupy Portland is a public spectacle. That was the decision. So make good use of it. Don’t blow it. Clean up the camp. Clean up the image.
At Occupy Wall Street in NYC, they have signs saying that they have ZERO TOLERANCE for drug use, violence, etc. It’s time that Occupy Portland do the same. And enforce it.
Again, remember, this is a political movement seeking to mobilize Americans to organize together reform our economic system and perhaps ultimately develop a better economic system.
And this means reaching out to Americans through every means possible — including the mass media.
All the people who are not wholeheartedly committed to this ought to be escorted out of the camp site.
The same is true of people who are unable or unwilling to verbally articulate the economic message to a reporter in a way that can be broadcast and appeal to the people of Beaverton. (Remember, most working class people live in the suburbs now.)
Likewise, Occupy Portland should develop and enforce a dress code — AT LEAST one that requires shoes and shirts at all times.
And again, no drugs or alcohol should be tolerated. Even brownies. Not only does it cause image problems, it dulls one’s thinking when one needs to be thinking of ways to save and revive the image of Occupy Portland — not to mention thinking of long-term strategies for the movement.
All this, of course, means that peacekeepers actually need to learn how to keep the peace — and that means removing people who are not able or willing to support the cause.
Because if Occupy Portland doesn’t decide to do this, and actually does it, then the police will remove EVERYONE from the occupation blocks of Portland.
And if you think Portland will rise up in response like the people of Oakland did, then you’re sadly mistaken. At least right now. The occupation site needs to be seriously spruced up, and it needs to re-define itself as a political mass movement & protest.
Finally, it might help to define protest. That does not mean complaining or saying “I’m against it” (despite my love for The Ramones). In this case, it means articulating a message attracts the majority of the American working classes to our side.
(Speaking of which, how is the labor outreach going at Occupy Portland?? And how can it possibly go anywhere until the above problems are resolved?)
Occupy Portland needs to win back the sympathy of the media and everyday Portlanders. And yes, the media have been very, very sympathetic to the movement in the past.
So please, lets clean up the scene, make it look better, address all of the code violations, and — most difficult of all, I know — expel those people who are not ready, willing, or able to represent the economic message of the movement in a POSITIVE way, as defined by the values and the mores of the 99% of Americans.
“For one thing, if Occupy Portland is a protest movement that is seeking radical change (ie, NOT a politicized Dignity Village or Rainbow Gathering) then the #1 goal should be to persuade, recruit & mobilize anyone & everyone who might be the least bit sympathetic.
And THIS MEANS being conscious of our image and appearance, at all times, from all angles, in all media.”
Bingo. Having “cuddle parties,” PR people named “Ketchup,” and in the case of Occupy Denver today, electing a dog as leader[1]… this kind of crap might seem like spirited fun and the lighthearted side of the movement lol! to those on the inside, but every instance of it takes a chunk out of the movement’s credibility with plain-vanilla folks who are the vast bulk of the 99%. If you want to be taken seriously, act like it.
1. http://www.care2.com/causes/forced-to-name-leader-occupy-denver-chooses-a-dog.html
I think the dog election is actually pretty brilliant! If you read that link, and the points they make about why they elected the dog, it isn’t just some cutesy insider joke. And seriously no less legit than corporations enjoying the perks of being “people”!
Spot on Brother/Sister but it’s too late…..
I am so sad that the most important discussion of the 21st century has been silenced by the well meaning but inflexible notions of so very, very few..
Blessings and Enlightenment
PS Get the children out of the camp!
It would be super if all the folks who make suggestions that begin with you should, they should, why don’t you would just step up and get involved, take some action.
Every person occupying is a volunteer; Medics, Nurses, Media People, Safety People, Kitchen People, everyone.
If not you who?
On another note, GREAT response to Sam btw
[...] a statement, Occupy Portland said: “Certain incidents within our camp have gained widespread local media [...]
I see little activism going on and more squatting. Furthermore, this movement got hijacked the moment Mr. Moore showed as well as the addicts , bullies , and mentally ill. Keep Portland Weird? Let me and my daughter walk in peace when we have to to walk downtown.
Much activism is going on. Please get involved by joining one of the committees or working groups.
I loved the meeting with the PDX cops when one of the Police made a comment about camping and you guys being true Oregonians then every one piped up to say they weren’t from Oregon.
So… Does this make your squat a foreign occupation?
The fact that you are protesting in Portland – PORTLAND! makes you look completely ridiculous to anyone that has seen (and supported) the many radically progressive changes this city has gone through over the past 20 years. Perhaps you should go back to the midwestern cities you all fled and make some real change there. Doing this in a city that has bent over backwards to be the most progressive city in the US is kind of pathetic.
Also your desire to ignore all the very real problems associated with Occupy amounts to tacit support of those problems (in a democracy), and completely erodes your credibility with the 99% that would otherwise gladly support you.
Get a grip and head back home.
Portland is very progressive, however there are still thousands of people living on the street here. This is because the entire system is broken. This must be understood before solutions are discussed. Revolutions don’t end because people get uncomfortable. We’re going to see ALOT of discomfort before we wake up to a better tomorrow. Instead of telling us to go home, why don’t you join one of the working groups fostering serious change?
What about the problems in the city you left? Is the system no less broken there?
Portland is kind of “easy” don’t you think?
Too many people would rather bitch and troll comments than visit a General Assembly and speak like reasonable adults. It’s cowardly and counterproductive and downright Anti-American.
GEt off the couch, flamers and haters, and do something other than consume and consume until your heart explodes from too much beer and Cheetos.
First to media team, well done response to our mayor. To the portland community, I thank you for all of the CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. I am one of the individuals who marched on Oct.6, set down my tent and have not left since. Everyday I have gotten up and hit the parks, trying my hardest to maintain the camp, meet everyone’s basic human rights for access to food, clothing, and shelter, as well as work to make change in our broken economic and political system. I am amongst many of the activists in camp who are performing multifunctional roles, from picking up garbage to working with city officials. The “issues” of homelessness, drug use, and mental illness in camp that have been raised are absolutely true and we see them. However, these are SOCIAL issues. Occupy Portland did not create these issues. They existed before the occupation and they will exist after occupation. Behind everyone of these HUMAN BEINGS who are down there for services there is a long history of our society failing them. If a 40 year old man with a mental illness has reached this age and has not learned how to manage it, then that only speaks to the fact that somewhere, somehow society has failed him. Most likely in the form of services not being available to him. I would like to offer a piece of information that the public may not be aware of. I spend a lot of time outreaching to the folks in our park, getting to know EVERYONE by name and learning who is there and why. I have talked to no less than 50 individuals who upon release from a city facility, were given the occupation’s address as a resource. And when they arrive we serve them because our city has failed at doing so and tossed them to us. I am outraged that the mentally ill and the homeless have been directed to us by the services that were supposed to serve them and now we are being held responsible for these social issues. If welcoming the most disadvantaged members of society into our community and meeting their basic human rights is not a social movement and part of the revolution, I don’t know what is. All of this being said, I do not believe that the occupation is running perfectly and it is urgent that we respond to the constructive criticism that we we have received before we loose support from the Portland community. In order to do that we are going to need more hands and more hearts. I cannot work any harder or get any more done than I am already doing. This is true for most of the activists down there. We need all the folks who are so ready to offer criticism to be equally ready to offer their time and energy to help solve these issues. I will be in camp today and as well as everyday. You may see me sperating compost from landfill or you may see me in a meeting with Yellow Brick Road social services, trying to implement solutions. I hope to see you there in some capacity as well. To all who have nothing to offer but DESTRUCTIVE criticism, and have no desire to understand what we are doing and have no capacity for compassion towards your fellow brothers and sisters who are hurting, please exit the conversation and go back to your life. You are part of the problem and are nothing more than a talking head of corporate media.
Please Occupiers Act Soon. There’s going to be a press conference this morning probably addressing how they plan to clear you out of the park. Beat them to the punch. There’s no shame in making a tactical retreat otherwise this thing is going to get real ugly and you will lose all your hard fought for gains. I’m guessing you at best have three weeks left before they move, probably less. Break camp but increase the marches. Move indoors. You need to spin off the mentally ill homeless and street kids soon, this issue has haunted Portland for the twenty years I lived downtown but this is not the forum and you’re detracting from your message. Look at the big picture, think forward to the future, don’t take this on a day by day basis, as someone commented earlier there will not be much support for you if they clear you out because of the state of the parks and the crime it has attracted. Please Act soon, don’t blow this.
Sorry, already blown. Bye bye!
Hello,
I strongly supported the Occupy Portland movement from the start, marched and attended several meetings. What has happened over the course of a week or two has taken away credibility to the occupation. Drug usage and dealing–which I personally saw–are not tolerated–BUT WERE TOLERATED. Vandalism. Violence. Harassment. All things I have witnessed.
Don’t push the mayor and the police to the limits–it will backfire on you–they have gone out of their way to make this work. So don’t expect sympathy when they come to clear you out–this is not Oakland. Portland officials have bent over backwards for everyone but now other folks are being negatively impacted by the occupation.
Occupy Portland has LOST THE PERCEPTION BATTLE–and that is the most important battle to continue any efforts against the 1%.
Regroup, Rebrand and Re-establish what has been lost.
A Supporter – JPH.
[...] from camp. I know, and understand, that people were working on it. As one commenter on the Media Committee’s response to Sam Adams’ letter warning the Occupiers that the camp was not sustainable put it, “A [...]
This is a good response! It’s not a pure reaction to the mayor’s statement, but a pro-active statement making it clear that Occupy is a microcosm of society, and internal problems reflect societal problems.
According to a June article in The Oregonian (http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/06/homeless_population_in_multnom.html), nearly 3,000 homeless people sleep on the street of Portland/Multnomah County every night.
Three thousand human beings with nowhere to sleep but the streets of Portland.
Expand the definition of “homeless” to include people in shelters, temp housing and bunking down with friends/family, and the number grows to 15,000.
Fifteen thousand human beings in Portland who have no home.
And those numbers have increased nearly 10% in the last two years.
So, Mayor Sam Adams… your sudden concern about a relatively small group of people sleeping in a couple of Portland parks is awfully unconvincing. Or is just that the Occupy movement – unlike individual homeless people – has a voice?
Your city is broken. Your county is broken. Your state is broken. Your country is broken. Occupy Portland is simply putting a spotlight on all that is broken, and demanding that government – at all levels – begin representing them and not the status quo. They are exercising their Constitutional rights as Americans in doing so.
You can try to sweep them under the rug. I doubt it will work. You may end up with blood on your hands. You have a decision to make, Mr Adams. Do you and your city government listen to the protesters (who have the support of the majority of your constituents, by the way) and take steps to address the issues? Or, do you fiddle while Portland burns?
[...] Portland already leads the way in sustainability in the United States. By all of us committing to engage with these and similar organizations, we will help create the moral economy we want to live and thrive in. Respond [...]
I was walking by the Occupy Portland encampment yesterday and I felt the need to relieve my bowels. For some reason the public restroom at the park was closed. This was really an emergency. I’m not proud of this, but I slipped into an unoccupied tent and defecated on the bedding inside.
I was wiping myself with a comforter when the tent’s resident returned. He seemed upset. I explained to him that the fault lay with biology and that the need to defecate had existed long before I had entered the tent, so I was not responsible. I told him I did deplore the situation. I also suggested that he should be concentrating on inequalities in our society rather than a little compostable waste.
He was still unhappy. Luckily, Occupy Portland has not moved to police its encampment, so I was free to go on my way unmolested.
Thank you, by the way, for your principled response to the mayor’s letter. Good work.
I see where you’re going with this, however allow me to explain where your analogy fails.
Your poop is supposed to represent the “troubles” at camp. The tent and its owner are the park and Portlanders troubled by the sight of an on-going protest in the park. You ask the tent owner to ignore your poop. Here is where my problem with the analogy lies: we are not ignoring the poop and asking to focus on the bigger picture. To bring it back into real context, we’re not asking people to look away from the drug use, crime, and houselessness. We’re asking for those who currently control funding and the greater society to take some responsibility for creating the conditions which cause people to become houseless, fall into crime and drug use. On the ground, there’s much support coming from local organizations, but they are all suffering from insufficient funding. Streetroots just put together a list of suggestions, please see them here:
Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Portland protests over the past five weeks are about creating social change, locally and nationally, on a range of policy matters from poverty to foreign wars.
For better or worse, many of the organic protests staging camps throughout the country have gotten a hard dose of reality about what life is like for hundreds of thousands of people experiencing homelessness in the United States.
Occupy Portland, the media, City Hall, police and others around town have more times than not keyed in on the mishaps and barriers to people experiencing mental health and homelessness at the downtown camps. What none of the parties have effectively done is put things into perspective, and call on specific policy changes and resource development for people experiencing poverty.
In one of many of Mayor Sam Adams communiqués to general public he said, “The Occupy Portland movement has highlighted the challenges our community, like many across the country, are facing with homelessness. Too many in our community are without a safe place to call home. Despite fiscal challenges, the City has continued to invest in long-term solutions to end homelessness. Commissioner Fish and I will be working closely with our dedicated network of service providers to make sure everyone at the camp is aware of the resources that are available. Experienced outreach workers will be reaching out to the homeless people at the camp to help them access existing resources in our community, like health care, emergency shelter, permanent housing placement assistance, and short term needs.”
The problem is that adequate resources do not exist for permanent housing or mental health services in our community.
The City of Portland is anticipating significant federal and local cuts that will challenge its ability to keep the safety net intact and provide housing for those most in need. No doubt, we live in challenging times. During a period of increased need for our services, and the people of Portland, budgets are declining — seriously declining for the Portland Housing Bureau.
In fact, if projections are correct, the city’s essential housing agency is on pace to lose tens of millions of dollars next year due to the decline in tax increment financing, cuts at the federal level, and sweeping city-wide cuts of between 4 and 8 percent to all city bureaus. In addition, one-time general fund dollars allocated for homelessness and housing services are always a crisis away from disappearing. The other side of this coin is unsustainably high unemployment and dwindling support systems to staunch the flow of tomorrow’s homeless.
The system is teetering. Hence, Occupy Portland and the call for social change.
What’s the answer? Nationally, the Occupy Wall Street Movement has been met with mixed results and a growing movement of people who call the group disorganized, fractured, and lacking in planning and objectives. Saying that, even in the face of apathy and a conservative backlash, the movement has inspired close to a million Americans over six weeks to move their accounts from larger banking institutions to local credit unions and community-owned banks. The movement also influenced other banking institutions to drop debit card fees — showing that regardless of all of the white noise — consumer power still has muscle, even if on a smaller scale.
Locally, the signs of success are harder to pinpoint.
City Hall and others have said Occupy Portland needs a goal, and contrary to the big picture messaging, that goal doesn’t have to be a nationwide sea change to be a success. There are real solutions within our reach, within sight of City Hall, and responsive to the issues Occupy Portland as amplified.
Here’s what Street Roots thinks the city and Occupy Portland should work toward:
— Secure $1 million dollars for rent assistance this winter, protecting vulnerable renters from losing their housing. It is always less costly, and more humane, to preserve housing than to restore it.
— Waive the budget cuts to the Portland Housing Bureau in the 2012-13 budget due to the financial, employment and housing crisis.
— Guarantee one-time allocations towards homeless, housing and mental health services in the 2012-13 budget. There are thousands of people who are one service away from the streets, and countless services struggling to manage that demand.
— Loosen the stringent laws around camping to allow churches and private businesses to host orderly places for people to sleep. (See our editorial.)
— Work with the county and state to develop a strategy to backfill millions of dollars lost for mental health services.
— Aggressively pursue a regional strategy – working with willing partners at the federal state and local levels — to develop sustainable, long-term resources.
If Occupy Portland and City Hall are both serious about creating social change and effecting policy in a healthy environment for people on the streets — the bullets outlined above are what help get us there. Everyone deserves a safe and decent home. Everyone deserves opportunity.
I get the joke! Your waste is not compost! ha ha