My first night in Portland was spent with homeless activists — some actually homeless, others housed people who support homeless rights — on the streets of downtown Portland on the eve of Portland’s annual Rose Parade. There’s apparently some city ordinance which automatically grants a camping permit along the Rose Parade route to anyone who wants to camp there to get primo parade viewing the following day. So Right 2 Survive, a homeless activist group, decided: let’s pitch tents and camp to bring attention to how the homeless are prohibited from camping every other night, and are in constant struggle just to find a safe place to sleep. (Or, for that matter, pee.)
We were camped at SW 4th & SW Washington. I’ll add photos later after I get them processed & uploaded.
The following morning — Saturday — I went across the street for a cup of coffee, a breakfast wrap, & some wifi time. Turns out the business’s wifi signal reached all the way across the street, so I was also able to livetweet the veeeeeeery long parade.
- Hanging out w/ Right 2 Survive ( homeless org) in DT Portland watching Rose Parade. We camped here @ SW 4th & Washington overnight. #fb #
- Homeless situation in PDX similar in many ways to Anchorage, but also many ways different. #fb #
- One way same: just trying to find a place to pee, or to sleep w/out getting rousted. & need for housing. #fb #
- One way different: orgs like newspaper Street Roots which gives homeless folks chance to earn $ as vendors … #fb #
- … & has wellwritten articles from homeless & other advocates abt homeless issues, causes, analysis. Homeless speaking for themselves. #fb #
- Beautiful day in Portland for a parade! #fb #
- Rockin’ out w/ some John Philip Sousa! #fb #
- Parades in Anchorage don’t last this long. #fb #
- True story. Ortland Rose Parade lasted abt 3 hrs. I’m fried. #fb #
- RT @yksin: True story. Ortland Rose Parade lasted abt 3 hrs. I’m fried. # // that shd say “”Portland.” p on my iPod keeps sticking. #
