"evaluation," "input," "studies," and "planning."

A proposed recommendation that took an enormous amount of evaluation, input, studies, and planning, no doubt

Not to mention that examining it all after the fact is utterly useless to those displaced. Oh my, where are the special sort of people who can bring a common sense approach forward in the first place.

The real question is whether the egos at City Hall and Metro will be tempered as a result of actually understanding that poor people and unpolitical people are still people, still have rights, still need homes, and shouldn't be shoved away because some "planner" thinks they need to move for something bigger and better.

Frankly - there should be no destruction of anyone's homes and businesses unless they agree to it (through compensation, assistance with relocation and increased costs, or accept the replacement.) We should not be steamrolling over good peoples' homes for "progress".

One of the challenges is that those who own the homes in "depressed" neighborhoods generally don't live in them. They are happy to see property values rise with gentrification.

Pure hogwash.

If PBOT, Metro, PDC, or any City agency were to sincerely listen to the "passionate and sincere outpouring of community members", most of whom don't want streetcars, bike goodies, or any other boondogles that "planners" invent, these bureaucrats would be out of a job and they know it; without the need to constantly evaluate and study every hair-brained idea generated by egghead "planners", hundreds of city employees would be in the unemployment line.

...ane Portland would be better for it.

Who is the North Williams Stakeholder Advisory Committee, and why does this press release look like it was written by an idealistic and earnest junior high school student? As far as coming out on a COP letterhead is concerned, I was aghast to see that the word "sustainable" only occurred once. I thought the city required it to be used at least three times in any correspondence. I was surprised as well that the release didn't "strongly recommend" reparations.

I'm sure most urban renewal isn't intended to be malicious, the bad results just tend to be an unintended consequence. Now I suppose a person could step back a little bit and they would recognize that most of liberal welfare state programs have similiar "unintended consequences". And I suppose anyone who is at least somewhat smart could figure out that after 40 years of failure, the ones pushing the same old liberal welfare state solutions would stop to reconsider. But so far that hasn't happened.

My guess is that the liberal solutions that used to be driven by genuine concern are now driven solely by greed. Same old message and solution, but with greed as the driving force it will be very difficult to change anything. Urban renewal is still pitched as a solution for inner city poverty but the real reason is to hand out money to friends and family of City Hall. Same thing with all the other projects coming out of City Hall. They are all designed to give money to people who are part of the friends and family program.

Does this mean that Portland HUD is going to close the slew of apartments they bought in West Gresham, and take back all the the low income people the "bum-rushed" out of there?

Didn't think so...

Eric. H: The real question is whether the egos at City Hall and Metro will be tempered as a result of actually understanding that poor people and unpolitical people are still people, still have rights, still need homes, and shouldn't be shoved away because some "planner" thinks they need to move for something bigger and better.

JK: Oh, its MUCH worse than that. I have actually had two different planners, who happened to be on the board of my neighborhood association, tell me that the needs and wants of those who do not show up to regular neighborhood association meetings should be ignored!

These are the guys that form the heart of the planning “profession”.

A former planning manager for the state of Oregon, Metro, Oregon City and Clark County Washington finally came out of the closet and admitted that most planners are fascists. (portlandfacts.com/planners_are_fascists.html)

The whole planning “profession” generally dosen’t care who gets hurt on their path to remaking society to the current fad. A fad that will be replaced in a decade with another unworkable fad that requires even more destruction. They are vermin that have no place in government.

PD: , hundreds of city employees would be in the unemployment line.
...ane Portland would be better for it.
JK: That should be a top regional priority - fire 98% of the planners. Only keep a couple to plan road upgrades.

Andy: My guess is that the liberal solutions that used to be driven by genuine concern are now driven solely by greed.
JK: My guess is that it was always 90% or more greed when you include getting campaign funds from the UR whores. (Like most actions of government at all levels.)

Thanks
JK

We feel your pain - now get the HELL OUT!

The whole idea here isn't to make sure people's voices are heard and their issues are being given proper consideration.

The idea is to make people THINK their voices are being heard and their views are being given proper consideration.

Sounds like someone just realized that those who were displaced are no longer voting in Portland city elections.

They "strongly recommended" several meaningless, after-the-fact process improvements. Sort of like repainting the barn door if the horse escapes.

Be a Clackistani.

Would be interesting to add up how many committee's there are in pdx...
then how much time is put into the meetings, and after meeting for months...
how many of those recommendations are actually implemented, or even seriously paid attention to?

...or is this just for appearances sake, or to keep the citizens busy and on track?

The same-old, same-old in NOPO and especially that neighborhood, where I went to grade school. Portland's racism is not a secret...is it?

Clinaman, you are so right on

I get this picture in my mind of all these committee members seated around really large tables with hot coffee and rolls, all ready to plan. They meet on a regular basis of course. Many of the attendees are getting paid very nicely by the city, with the exception of the underling taking notes.

Who isn't at the table? Any stakeholder not in agreement with the proposed outcomes.

And how about any final recommendations after all those meetings? Distributed in a nicely printed format, then put on a shelf forever, never to be looked at again.

The idea is to make people THINK their voices are being heard and their views are being given proper consideration.

That's the definition of the term, "charette".

Nimrods vote for the candidate that Portland's Oligarchs hired Weiner to represent. Said candidate wraps himself in the green/bike/rainbow/Demo flag, and gets elected by the Nimrods who have no idea they're supporting the Oligarch's handmaiden.

Then everybody in the know pretends to look the other way while the various Oligarchs transfer wealth from municipal coffers (subsidized by Nimrods voting to tax themselves and payer higher fees for everything) to their own bank accounts.

Architects, engineers, unions, construction companies/subcontractors, public employees, and their various bankers/consultants and hangers-on all benefit sufficiently to continue to vote for Sam/Rand's Weinerland and the perpetuation of the scam is unabated.

It's like Russia without the cool night clubs and retired KGB hit men.

Erik H. wrote: Frankly - there should be no destruction of anyone's homes and businesses unless they agree to it (through compensation, assistance with relocation and increased costs, or accept the replacement.) We should not be steamrolling over good peoples' homes for "progress".

And I agree. Unfortunately if you rent or lease you have no voice regarding what happens to the place you happen to be living, even if you have been living there longer than a homeowner nearby and cannot afford to buy a home.

The city isn't even obliged to notify you about planned demolition, hearings for variances or other changes or renovations that might apply to your place of residence and would require you to relocate.

At present, the only help renters get if they are "turfed out" is 30 days' notice UNLESS they are Section 8 or the property is being converted to Condo. And since nobody's doing that now and pretty much all conversions and teardown/construction are for rental units, many, many citizens are left out in the cold.

Add that to the fact that Oregon landlords are allowed to charge an unlimited amount of fees at any rate they choose and increase rent as frequently and as much as they like (barring a lease contract, which they get around by imposing the previously mentioned fees) and renters are almost without protection in Oregon.

If you rent, you are pretty much off what little exists of the city's protection radar for the "shelter challenged", falling between the cracks of "can afford to buy a house" and "are on government assistance."

You don't have to be Nostrodamus to see what direction this is going to drive people on the cusp.