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Prester Jane posted:So I just moved from San Antonio to Portland back in August, and I simply cannot get over just how much I love this city. Tomorrow my roomate and I are celebrating the new Years by smoking some top shelf MKULTRA (A strain with a reputation for insane munchies) until we can barely stand, then taking the light rail downtown (picks up at the end of our street) and then finally stumbling our way into an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse. Last week, I went down to the Plaid for some cigarettes. There was a middle aged black man standing outside. I've seen him around before. While I'm inside, a police officer walks in and asks the attendant if he's causing problems. The cashier says no and asks why. She responds that the pizza place next door has complained about him loitering and she's going to ask him to move along. The cashier comments that the guy shows up a few times a week and he thinks he's just waiting for a ride. I made my purchase and left, the cop was out there hassling the guy, asking him to move on. Can't have people loitering in front of Plaid in inner-SE, right? Wait. Aren't there always people loitering in front of that Plaid? Well yeah, but this guy was apparently different. Anyway, I used to go to this bro-ey sports bar near my house, primarily because it was the only spot in walking distance that I could consistently find a TV to watch my college team (understandable given that I went to a not all that great right now SEC school and this is PAC-12 country). Went there often enough that I got to be familiar with the Saturday staff, and they started just taking my order and cashing me out at the end, instead of asking for a card to run a tab. I'd have friends with me sometimes and they were comfortable enough with me that they'd just serve the table and cash us out at the end. Made it through football and basketball season this way. Then one day I bring along a different friend, happens to be a black man. They serve the table like always, the waitress brings us a second round of drinks, like always. Then, as the second round is getting ready to need refreshing, the waitress comes up and asks for a card to hold for the order. Says her manager has changed policies and they have to get a card for every table now. Okay. Just a coincidence, right? Nothing suspect about the timing. My good friend and roommate was out at the anti-Trump rallies and got called a host of derogatory terms for Hispanics by some of the aggrieved motorists (she's not Hispanic, but that doesn't matter). Well, that's just race. Guy came through the neighborhood a few weeks ago pulling the cans and bottles out of the blue/yellow bins to turn in for the deposits. Like a lot of people, I just put my cans/bottles in a bag next to the bins to make it easy. My neighbor doesn't. He yells at people when they start poking in the bin. I have lots of little anecdotes about things I've seen/heard/witnessed. This is truly a magical place. If you're the right kind of person and in the right crowd of people. But there's a lot of just under the surface non-overt racism and there's a ton of contempt for the homeless. And as the town gets richer and richer and more and more people get pushed out it's just going to get worse, I think.
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Dec 31, 2016 21:37
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Error 404 posted:This is a good post. I considered mentioning those ones but I wanted to stick with personal anecdotes. The big stuff gets press coverage but people tend to act like it's done by abhorrent people and doesnt speak to the reality of the community. It's all the little stuff that is easy to not see if you don't want to that is more telling in my opinion. People being dicks to the homeless is another. I mean, one of the most popular ideas for homeless assistance in Portland is rounding them up and sticking them in a literal jail that's in an out of the way spot with poor access to transit. If you listened to the rhetoric about springwater corridor this summer it sounded like it was straight out of mad max. I went down there a few times and while it was sad to see so many people outdoors, it didn't much live up to the poetic descriptions of devastation I read in the paper or heard from assholes at work. Magical little town if you like Pilates studios and fancy coffee and overpriced tiny hamburgers. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think there is plenty of good here too. But I find we like to pat each other on the back and revel in our reputation as this progressive wonderland at the expense of addressing very real problems in our community.
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Dec 31, 2016 23:54
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coyo7e posted:I just think we're better because we have trees, with moss on them, with ferns in it. And most places I've been in the majority of 50 states barely even had 1 or 2 of those. The problem with this theory is that Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida will score really high too.
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Jan 1, 2017 03:17
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ElCondemn posted:But honestly, it's not as prominent as it is in other parts of the country. I feel like it's less of a problem here, but maybe if I was darker skinned I would notice it more. I don't think it's what you're trying to do, but this is a fairly common strategy for sweeping these issues under the rug. "We are not as bad as other places" is essentially "Love it or leave it." Maybe hold us to a higher standard instead of declaring victory because we're better than places that are really awful? When I lived in the South East, people actually talked about this stuff instead of pretending it was left behind in an embarrassing past. BrandorKP posted:Edit: the obvious exception is African Americans, not many up here. Oregon seems worse than Washington on that front. Eh. Plenty of racism against Hispanics and natives too. But why do you think there are so few African Americans? Just the historical exclusion? Or is there something here today that makes them feel particularly unwelcome? My understanding (and maybe my understanding is wrong) is that a lot of people of color who relocate out here end up leaving pretty quickly.
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Jan 1, 2017 18:00
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DrNutt posted:40-70 white professionals are a dying breed as we descend into the hellscape of the near future. Most of the people I know are working class people, or college educated folks around 35 or younger who commute to work in Seattle. There are several people of color in my immediate friend group. And why is it important to throw in the last 20 years, or even the last 10? poo poo, 10 years ago gay marriage wasn't even a politically viable opinion. Things change pretty fast. "People are talking about racism and race related issues. I better go tell them how not racist I am and how much more enlightened the place I live is." How is this helpful beyond just sweeping the issue under the rug while standing secure in your sense of progressive enlightenment. I have spent no time in Tacoma so maybe it is more socially developed than the larger cities to its north and south. Waiting for aging racists to die off doesn't strike me as the most effective strategy. A colleague of mine - late twenties, college educated, generally nice guy - lives out in Sherwood (far edge of Portland metro area to the southwest) and told me a while back that he feels like a racist whenever black people come into his area because he never sees them there and can't help but glance/people watch. I remember doing the same thing in small town Montana as a teenager, and can you imagine how creepy and unsettling that must be for the person being eyeballed? Further, how should we take his admittance of embarrassment? Is it something that is fine to take at face value or should we question what other opinions/views/prejudices he's hiding beneath his outwardly progressive appearance. ElCondemn posted:I have a few black friends here in the Seattle area, I think it's as simple as just not finding work and the cost of living being high. I helped a black friend move over from Spokane and he's had a rough time finding a decent job. One of my other friends who's lived here a long time lives up in Everett, presumably because it's just a lot cheaper there. I think there's something more though, otherwise we'd see similar trends in other pricey cities. I wonder if a lot of people are like my colleague and just don't know how to act around people of color without seeming awkward and creepy and overly polite in a way that comes across as condescension? I imagine it gets discomforting pretty quickly. I ask - and I'm curious - because I feel like this is a part of the conversation we need to have and change our behavior accordingly. Like its not enough to not say racist things and call them out when you hear them. We also need to figure out how we stop making people feel unwelcome as soon as they walk into the room.
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Jan 2, 2017 06:39
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Oh no! Big Daddy Wheeler won't take this poo poo lying down! I absolutely love all the pearl clutchers who keep talking about the post-election riots. Seriously, if those were riots, they were the weakest riots I've ever seen. Sure, a minuscule amount of property got smashed up, and that's never a great look (although it made for some really great destruction photos once the cropping was finished!), but I think riot is a huge stretch. And anyway, why the gently caress are we devoting large plots of land in the urban core to a commercial activity that can be handled just fine on the edge of town. gently caress car lots. What a wasted space.
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Jan 20, 2017 23:56
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anthonypants posted:The Portland police said the post-election protests were riots, and they were even milder than this. Oh yeah. I thought he was referring to the post election ones. Didn't realize anything had really gone down yet. I'm probably heading downtown within the hour. Has anything even started yet?
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Jan 21, 2017 00:04
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turn it up TURN ME ON posted:Yea, flag burning contest. Ha. So the fire extinguisher dude got cold feet?
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Jan 21, 2017 00:13
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anthonypants posted:Apparently. Like the biker gangs in DC. Unsurprising. It'd take a pretty serious amount of courage to charge into a hostile crowd to assault somebody with a fire extinguisher. anthonypants posted:Also the Mercury is still garbage Say what you will, it's a pretty funny caption.
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Jan 21, 2017 00:22
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the escape goat posted:anyone going to the women's march in Portland tomorrow? Hopefully it's a little smoother than this evening. PPB was stupid lovely and aggressive the entire night. Watched more than one officer dressed in riot gear basically try to instigate a fight with the crowd. The guys out tonight were spoiling for trouble and not really trying to hide it. I'm pretty sure they just wanted a good chance to show the new mayor how tough they can be.
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Jan 21, 2017 08:25
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http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2017/01/complaints_about_police_tactic.html#incart_breaking PPB showed up looking for a riot, and, when they didn't find one and failed to provoke one, they just took their frustration out on the crowd.
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Jan 24, 2017 03:10
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anthonypants posted:Micah Rhodes was arrested https://twitter.com/itsmikebivins/status/824402935836663808 Are there five riot cops for every civilian there? What a stupidly over-the-top show of force. They really want to intimidate people.
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Jan 26, 2017 01:02
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Lazy_Liberal posted:lolololololol "least amount of force" Haha. Even the Oregonians chosen take fails to provide any justification https://m.youtube.com/watch?ebc=ANy...g&v=m5zK-tzYCQM. I'm the assholes in the crowd cheering!
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Jan 26, 2017 05:31
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turn it up TURN ME ON posted:Doesn't mean that I can't be nice to a fellow human being who is likely to have a really lovely time of it for awhile. I don't advocate outright rudeness, but kindness and appreciation just helps them create their whole "the good citizens who I protect love me - it's too bad there are bad ones out there who need to be crushed." They need cold shoulders, shuns, and shaming.
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Jan 26, 2017 19:23
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anthonypants posted:https://twitter.com/bkerensa/status/825877556586909696 This is an objectively good thing.
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Jan 30, 2017 03:00
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anthonypants posted:Micah Rhodes was arrested https://twitter.com/itsmikebivins/status/824402935836663808 http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/...t2box_targeted_ And charged with sexual abuse. Dont have sex with 17 year olds, folks, especially if you're in the public eye, but really, unless you're also 17, just don't at all.
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Jan 30, 2017 21:32
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anthonypants posted:god loving damnit Hey. It's a great way to blanket discredit protest in the local media for something that wouldn't have been illegal if they'd met up in Vancouver instead of Troutdale. Sex with a minor is a pretty huge black mark to paint somebody with, to the extent that it makes me uncomfortable to even sharing that I think that a 21yo and 17 yo is a pretty different situation than a 25yo and a 17yo. seiferguy posted:Oregon doesn't have a Romeo & Juliet law? They do but I think it's three years and it looks like these two had a four year gap.
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Jan 30, 2017 21:47
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anthonypants posted:The victim should be able to press charges but in the end that's up to him Victim can ask to press charges all he wants. They still won't happen unless the prosecutor wants to bring them or the public demands them.
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Feb 15, 2017 01:02
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George posted:UW Campus Police are sworn SPD officers and this broke campus policy and the loving law. They let him walk on an easily-disproven lie and he's still free. Nobody needs to press charges here, the cops have the weapon and witnesses. Yeah, but if they decide to do nothing, then nothing will happen, no matter how unjust it is, no matter how clear it is that the rear end in a top hat did it, no matter how lovely and awful it is... Only the government can actually do anything. It's foul and ridiculous and entirely unfair, but it's ultimately the local authorities call to make. If they don't want to do it on their own and there isn't public pressure to make them do it, it won't happen.
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Feb 15, 2017 01:26
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George posted:loving word. And I agree that it's up to us now to force the cops to do their loving job. Maybe we should talk to our city councilwoman. Forget her. People don't ever hold their local prosecutor accountable for some reason. That's who you should be leaning on. You guys elect yours up in Washington like everywhere else, right? That's who you should go after because that's 100% the person who has the power here. Let them know you'll hold them accountable if they don't do something.
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Feb 15, 2017 01:47
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Thaddius the Large posted:See, this is the sort of thing that I would really hope causes a moment of reflection, for someone to say "maybe when I'm stashing razor blades to cut people is a sign I'm being evil?" I doubt it will, but it's nice to dream. I don't think you get to the point where you're advocating for a race war if you're capable of self-reflection, to be fair.
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Feb 17, 2017 19:10
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coyo7e posted:Here's a serious question I've been kinda wondering about : do you-all have more or less respect for California being part of the PNW, since Jerry Brown decided to call Trump's bluff and threaten to secede? Hey man. Do you have any sources that California has a governor or this just something you heard somewhere?
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Feb 18, 2017 04:35
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Too bad we can't give him the same welcome we gave Cliven when he landed 
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Feb 25, 2017 19:45
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Doorknob Slobber posted:I went to a counter protest today. A couple counter protesters were arrested and one got punched in the face. Meanwhile the Trump peeps walking around with their penis extension devices, and a loving surveillance nest on top of a nearby building. Emotions were high, but my take now having 'faced off' against a mass of tumpers is that they're a bunch of scared white people. What happened to the puncher? No arrest?
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Mar 5, 2017 00:54
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Doorknob Slobber posted:No arrest. Not sure if anything has happened since then. Though I doubt police seek out punchers. Interesting. None of the media reports I've seen have anything about it. Did it happen in an out of the way area? If a Trump supporter got punched they'd be giving it a lot of coverage and talking about the violent left...
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Mar 5, 2017 01:20
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anthonypants posted:About six months ago, the Portland Building renovation changed some bathrooms around to remove gender requirements http://www.wweek.com/news/2016/09/25/portlands-push-for-gender-neutral-bathrooms-is-bolder-than-you-thought/ quote:There are gendered bathrooms on other floors in the building; it's not clear why Fritz wouldn't use the restroom elsewhere instead of skipping Council meetings, except as a protest. So this is basically "Other people having choices makes me unsafe?" I'm really disappointed we weren't able to get rid of her last spring.
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Mar 8, 2017 19:25
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got any sevens posted:Why is she standing on toilets? Maybe she shits standing up?
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Mar 8, 2017 23:17
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Jack2142 posted:Sorry I guess I should be bitching about WASP's complaining about paying more in car tabs instead. Probably make you seem like less of an rear end in a top hat than bitching about how seeing poverty is inconvenient Speaking of, check out this totally legit and not targeted at the homeless action from those wacky goobers in Eugene. http://www.opb.org/news/article/dog-ban-oregon-eugene-downtown-approved/ HashtagGirlboss fucked around with this message at 17:59 on Mar 9, 2017 |
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Mar 9, 2017 16:43
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Jack2142 posted:Yeah crazy people causing disturbences on transit totally dont eat up lots of time and money, disrupt service and make the system less reliable, riders fell unsafe etc. which makes people less likely to use the system which just adds to the cities lovely traffic. You need to reconsider the way that you are framing the issue and thinking about it. You're looking at it from the perspective of the cost to you personally and the non-homeless population generally. It's not about human misery from this perspective - it's just somebody making you uncomfortable and creating inconveniences in your life. You've dehumanized the homeless and the logical next step is asking how do we get rid of this blight, be that to mental institutions or poor farms or whatever. What you instead should be considering is what leads to the guy smelling so bad? Why is somebody passing out and holding up the bus? How desperate do you have to be to try to argue for a free fare? The stuff you're complaining about isn't the real problem, it's the immediate result of the real problem. You need to remind yourself and everyone else about that fact because it's not the homeless person making you late, it's the fact that in a nation with as much wealth and resources as the US we can't be bothered to ensure everyone has shelter and the space to care for their own needs. Don't get angry at the homeless. Get angry at the system that creates homelessness.
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Mar 9, 2017 21:15
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twodot posted:Supposing this is true, so what? Why chase off someone who agrees with your policy proposals if they only agree for selfish reasons? Fundamentally, because they don't necessarily agree with those policy proposals and they certainly aren't willing to put energy into supporting those policy proposals. If your viewpoint is that the problem is the homeless, rather than homelessness, you may be open to a housing for all solution. But how hard are you going to fight for that solution when somebody else stops by and says "Yes, housing for all is very nice, but I can solve this problem more easily and at less cost with greater political buy-in. See, what we do is make it untenable for the homeless to exist in the public spaces you're in, and then they go away. Maybe we give them bus tickets out of town." You might even, in your gut, think "Wow, that's kind of crappy" but how hard are you going to push for the solution to the underlying problem if what you care about is the immediate symptoms and somebody else is making those symptoms go away? That's how you get laws that prohibit feeding people in public spaces, or oh-so clever laws banning dogs in downtown areas. Then Jack2142 reads an article about those laws one morning and thinks "Boy, that's pretty unfair. Well. Time to go catch the bus. Glad I don't have to worry about somebody having a medical emergency in public anymore."
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Mar 9, 2017 23:04
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HEY NONG MAN posted:How is saving a life "burning money"? Eh. At this point I think it's fair to stop dog-piling on the guy. He seems to have reevaluated his position and expressed contrition.
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Mar 10, 2017 19:58
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twodot posted:Why can't people on this forum answer a question. You encounter a person saying "Man I really hate my bus service being interrupted, I think we should feed and house the homeless to reduce the number of times my bus service gets interrupted." Do you say "Hell yes, feeding and housing the homeless is good, let's do that" or shout at them for wanting good things for bad reasons? You're essentially arguing that we should respect the feelings of bigots and assholes by not calling them bigots and assholes.What the hell, man? What about the people who have to endure the abuse from those bigots and assholes? No point in standing up for those people because we'll chase away people who treat them like trash while nominally advocating for issues that aid them?
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Mar 10, 2017 20:08
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twodot posted:Where did I say we should abolish reactive treatments? Where did I say firefighter shouldn't be allowed to treat someone with Narcan? Okay. Then what's your point? Jack2142 came in and said some abusive poo poo about the homeless and was called out? He seems to have reevaluated those statements so I think it worked out well. Why are you so insistent in defending people's feelings when they say abusive poo poo? Do you feel threatened because you (1) support assistance for the homeless, and (2) find them to be disgusting subhumans? Is this about your fragility? It's okay, Twodot, you can be a bigot, just don't say bigoted poo poo and support worthwhile causes and nobody will ever hurt you, I promise. silicone thrills posted:Yall should get on nextdoor.com and do this to my NIMBY dick neighbors who are all anti homeless and anti safe injection sites in lake city. I really can't handle nextdoor.com. Honestly, when SA finally dies I think I'm done with internet message boards entirely...
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Mar 10, 2017 20:23
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twodot posted:What do you think Jack2142 said that was abusive? It's been expertly cataloged over a few dozen posts and I don't really feel the need to rehash it. What your responses are telling me is that you disagree that it was abusive at all. You don't have a problem with calling people out for saying abusive poo poo. You have a problem with people being called out for saying the specific poo poo that was said. I think it's fair to infer that this is because you share the view that poverty is disgusting and inconvenient and you're unhappy that people are trying to make you feel bad for dehumanizing others.
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Mar 10, 2017 20:35
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http://www.opb.org/news/series/burns-oregon-standoff-bundy-militia-news-updates/verdict-second-trial-guilty-patrick-ryan-ehmer-thorn/ Well... at least somebody is going to jail for Malheur. HashtagGirlboss fucked around with this message at 22:05 on Mar 10, 2017 |
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Mar 10, 2017 22:01
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Cicero posted:What's a stemwinder? Google turns up two definitions. I'm thinking he meant this one: a watch wound by turning a knob on the end of a stem.
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Mar 15, 2017 22:21
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Portland City Council meetings too unsafe to attend, Nick Fish tells staffquote:Protesters have repeatedly shut down council meetings since Wheeler took office in January, demanding the mayor release information about a black teen killed by police and try harder to prevent homeless people from dying. They've worn targets on their chests, called the mayor fascist, mocked commissioners' "aye" votes with demonic renderings and laughed when the mayor tried to quiet them. At one meeting, protesters called Eudaly a profane name, which several of her staffers said visibly upset her. I for one am committed to ensuring that the people who run local government feel protected from public feedback.
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Mar 23, 2017 22:55
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So the officer who shot Quanice Hayes did not see a firearm, nor did he see Hayes reach for a firearm. http://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-police-shooting-grand-jury-transcripts-quanice-hayes/quote:In the transcript, Officer Andrew Hearst said he did not see a gun before he fired three times on 17-year-old Quanice Hayes.
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Mar 28, 2017 03:25
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anthonypants posted:Unfortunately there's a ton of legal precedent supporting every cop's ability to shoot first and ask questions later. Not to mention the fact that even when you try to hold them accountable juries will just hang themselves letting the cop walk.
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Mar 28, 2017 03:59
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George posted:This is in part because jurors are rejected if they've ever had a negative interaction with a cop. There's enough of the population that has absolute unquestioned cop worship that they're always going to get at least one guy on the jury who does what the juror in the Slager trial in South Carolina did where he comes in with his mind made and refuses to convict. anthonypants posted:Unfortunately there's a ton of legal precedent supporting every cop's ability to shoot first and ask questions later. Apparently, it's how they're trained. http://mcda.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Quanice-Hayes-Death-Investigation-Transcript.pdf quote:You didn't, to be clear, you didn't see, as I understand your testimony, you did not actually see a gun in his hand at the time that you pulled the trigger in your rifle; is that correct? You heard it hear first, folks! For some reason, the people that we hire and train to respond to these types of situations will always lose a shootout. Even if they have their gun drawn and aimed and their opponent doesn't. Cops just aren't fast enough to hang with today's turbo-criminals.
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Mar 28, 2017 04:40
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