Not to mention that this isn't some superiority complex on the part of City Council, but rather the City Council responding directly to a request and plan put together by the community int hat area working together with the Portland Police Bureau.

Funny, I thought that was the sort of thing we wanted more of.

It would be helpful if the shop keepers would enforce the rules preventing obviously intoxicated people from buying liquor. We have quite a "street drinking" society in Hollywood, and it's a common sight to see staggering transients cashing in their cans for another 40 ouncer of Steel Reserve. Fortified wines and malt liquors are for one thing only.. to get hammered, quickly and cheaply.

Back when I lived at SE 27th & Taylor, some of the folks along Belmont were screaming about this as well. In those days, they would have lobbied hard for a similar zone along Belmont from, say, the river to somewhere in the 40's.

They're trying to run the drunken bums out of that neighborhood.

Good idea, Jack. When they leave, where are they going to go, your neighborhood? Oh, that's right, you don't allow people like that in your neighborhood.

If the City Council wants to do something about "public intoxication" or "inappropriate behavior" then pass ordinances against public intoxication and define what kind of behavior they find "inappropriate" and pass ordinances against that.

Of course, that won't fly because the courts found that PI laws were unconstitutional.

But this does present an opportunity for an enterprising individual if it flys. Stock up and sell it from the back of your van.

You're right, John, it's hopeless. Let's all just get some canned food and ammo and hunker down in our shacks.

I need some fortified wine to get me through drafting this complaint...

Jeebus -- I checked out Poor Schmuck and the post is not his least temperate. How about this: "Christmas is the time to get even with your significant other by denying access to the children." Schmuck, I think you accomplished that by marrying her.

Auggie, that is pure sarcasm. Can't you tell?

I sort of agree with the Schmuck, though. What the zone will do is send the problem elsewhere... which is fine for the people IN the zone, but then the consumers of fine booze are going to become someone else's problem. And what then? Why not ask the OLCC to just prohibit the sale of T-Bird and OE 800 altogether? Just ban it outright in Oregon. It's worked before, right? Nothing like a jar of raisin jack to start the mornin...

The displacement problem is tricky, and obviously in part requires a increase on proper treatment/etc services and the like.

But also, the zone they are talking about specifically had an extra bit added onto it because now the zone is situated such that the next nearest place that would sell off-premises alcohol of the types being discussed is three-quarters of a mile away.

Portland has banned styrofoam cups and plates in stores and restaurants. I don't see a policy problem (although there could conceivably be a legal one) with a citywide ban on fortified wine and 40-ounce containers of malt liquor.

One modest partial palliative to the malt liquor problem might be to raise the deposit on the bottles to $5, which at least would cut down on the broken glass that seems to burgeon near the all-night stores that sell the stuff.

If you want some real fun, try the Portland Indymedia thread on this subject.