Help End Discrimination Against The Homeless

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Help End Discrimination Against The Homeless

Submitted by M. R. Rossi on Wed, 11/15/2006 - 2:34pm.

Start: Nov 17 2006 - 5:00pm

End: Nov 21 2006 - 11:00pm

Help End Discrimination Against The Homeless

The Olymia City Council is planning on passing ordinances in the downtown that would make it more difficult for Olympia's homeless and street population to meet their basic needs. Please help us fight poverty and discrimination by coming to these events.

November 17th, Friday 5:00 pm
Keep Our Sidewalks Legal March Through Downtown Olympia

One of the ordinances that the council is thinking about passing would criminalize sitting or hanging out the sidewalk within 6 feet from a business. Two council members who are pushing for this ordinance - Joe Hyer and Jeff Kingsbury - are downtown business owners. Let's tell them downtown is a place for people first. We will meet at Alpine Experience (408 Olympia Ave) hold a picket, march to Capitol Play House hold a picket, and then through downtown Olympia on the sidewalk.

November 21st, Tuesday 6:30 pm
Tell The City Council No On Ordinaces, Yes On Day Center

Come to the City Council chambers (900 Plum Street) during the public comments period, and tell the council you do not want Olympia adopting ordinances that make it harder for the homeless and street populations to strive. We need to fight poverty, not the poor.

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the downtown sidewalk issue

Submitted by Don on Wed, 11/15/2006 - 8:09pm.

I have been a resident of the Olympia Area for over 50 years. There have been so many changes to the downtown "scene" in just my time here. I was drafting a personable little history of my experiences downtown...but I don't think it really matters. What I would like to see in Olympia's downtown is a suitable format which is pedestrian friendly, also for children and the elder citizens. Should the youngest and the most frail be deprived of "free access" by the dysfunction of the downtown? There are some areas that are just a little too"wild". Maybe the concept of a safe down-town is gone...make way for the City of Olympia.

Mr. Kneeland,

Submitted by afororder on Wed, 11/15/2006 - 10:31pm.

There are some who would say that the "dysfunction" downtown comes from the classist attitudes of those who can afford to buy expensive airplanes, not those whose basic needs are failing to be met. What good can come from pushing people off of the sidewalks? Aren't you at least a little worried that they'll start pushing back?

If we cannot by reason, by influence, by example, by strenuous effort, and by personal sacrifice, mend the bad places of civilization, we certainly cannot do it by force.
-Auberon Herbert, 1894

The anonymous Afororder

Submitted by Don on Fri, 11/17/2006 - 11:26am.

My position is not really to take a side in this issue or worry, but merely to promote "equal access" for all in the community. I think we have too many laws and rules already. Some common sense and compassion would go a long ways to help. As for the personal "shot accross the bow", Mr.or Ms. Afororder (is A for attitude?) its a bit assuming. Olympia was a safer place to roam 40 or 50 years ago...probably the rest of the world, too.

what, in your humble

Submitted by afororder on Fri, 11/17/2006 - 12:17pm.

what, in your humble opinion, is preventing "equal access" as it is now? as POLDF points out, we live in a very safe city. the council wants to play it's little games and not address what's really going on.

i certainly agree with you that there are too many laws.

i took your initial comment as very confrontational, it seemed like more of the same 'push the poor around' mentality that this "Christian" nation has developed in the last few decades.

it's quite possible i'm wrong.

If we cannot by reason, by influence, by example, by strenuous effort, and by personal sacrifice, mend the bad places of civilization, we certainly cannot do it by force.
Auberon Herbert, 1894

Oly is the second safest city in the nation

Submitted by POLDF on Thu, 11/16/2006 - 11:14am.

This is a reply I sent to someone who responded on a different list-serve. His original statement is below.

-----------------

Marc,

It would be even better if the downtown merchants worked to solve the problem of the economic times which you, I, they and the homeless/poor are victims of. Instead they follow a pattern of blaming the homeless for the problem. I don't see how or why we should compromise our freedom and civil rights for the economic interest of one group over another.

I think you're right that the issue is one of structured economics and not safety, but the downtown businesses, the police, and others frame it as safety. That is completely false as there is a lack of statistics and such to back up the assertion. Olympia, downtown and all, is ranked the second safest community in the nation -- the only reason we probably aren't number one is because the son of a downtown business owner murdered and dismembered someone a few years back.

There is not an increasing number of empty storefronts -- that is propaganda and whining. Profession surveys say downtown Olympia has exactly the number of empty storefronts to acheive a sort-of marketplace balance. If we looked at the structure of downtown, maybe the city should look at some sort of rent control of commercial property because it is in the interests of the handful of property owners to keep the rent high rather then have every space rented out. Many businesses relocate to different spots downtown to try and beat the game, but not many really go out of business. A mini-chain has recently paid a lot of money for the Spar and you know they do market studies, etc.

People as shoppers don't come downtown in hordes because downtown doesn't offer everything people need. And more importantly they never will when sprawl and big box stores are the norm that has been encouraged by city councils and ignored by small businesses because they can't speak ill of the economic system that they depend on. But people come downtown to socialize and buy daily comforts and important products. Downtown is financially doing fine, the problem to the greedy is that it is not growing in pace with the area Walmarts.

The admitted real issue is 'perception', the blaming of others who don't fit the comfort level of a certain potential customer base. The homeless and poor and others who hang out downtown are the most loyal downtown shoppers because they spend every dime they get there. But the real problem is they don't have enough to spend per hour to make them efficient consumers from a business perspective. But remember public space should not be confined to a business perspective. Not only is downtown safe, it is highly successful from a SOCIAL perspective.

Every couple of years for the last twenty years the downtown merchants have convinced the city council to look at downtown only from a perspective of business and ignore the social and cultural perspectives. The result has been draconian and even discriminatory laws that don't really address the economic reality. It is easier to target the vulnerable classes of youth and the poor, then fix the problems of our economic system that leaves us all insecure in our lives.

I think the city and downtown businesses could go alot further it celebrating its safety and successes rather than scapegoating and focusing on their projected failures. Enough short-sighted non-productive blaming of the poor.

love,

pat

705-2726

----- Original Message -----
From: Brenman, Marc (HUM)
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 11:10 AM
Subject: RE: [OMJP] Fight Cultural and Economic Discrimination

It would be great to work with downtown merchants to develop compromise proposals that meet their needs also. Several downtown merchants I've heard from are experiencing poor economic times, and some are in danger of going out of business. There is an increasing number of empty storefronts downtown. Many people in the Olympia/Tumwater/Lacey area don't want to come downtown anymore. Some merchants attribute some of this reluctance to the presence of homeless people and panhandlers. As Olympians, we don't want downtown to die. It's happened in too many other places.
Marc Brenman

Bravo.

Submitted by chaney on Thu, 11/16/2006 - 3:51pm.

Bravo.

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