I scare myself sometimes
Around three years ago, I wrote:
Heaven forbid we should have enough cops when we can have streetcars.I was kidding. But it turns out, I was right -- almost dead-on right. Just as the tram comes on line, at a staggering operating cost, the city's now talking about closing a police precinct (it turns out to be the North) due to budget problems.Wait 'til we start paying the operating subsidy for the OHSU aerial tram (which will shuttle folks to and from yet another Homer Williams development). At that point, the East Precinct may have to close.
Folks, the inmates have officially taken over this asylum.
| Posted at 1:21 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (8)
we live here. we elect them. they polish their agenda and run for higher office.
Posted by drg | January 10, 2007 5:14 PM
And we haven't even seen the effect upon health care costs.
Yet.
Posted by godfry | January 10, 2007 5:56 PM
Together with the ban on smoking tobacco in public parks, we should start distributing medical marijuana through the OLCC. Then we'll have a dedicated funding source to hire more tobacco enforcement officers. Heck, if we pass out enough M/M cards (and set the tax high enough), we might even be able to fund Wapato.
And we should allow coffee bars to sell medical marijuana brownies too (trans-fat free). Coffee and TCH: it can't lose.
Keep Portland WIRED.
Posted by Mister Tee | January 10, 2007 6:43 PM
Mister Tee. Sounds like a great idea. You are a true genuis. I PITY THE FOOL that defies your logic.
Posted by UsualKevin | January 10, 2007 9:38 PM
Keep Portland Weird, Uncompetitive and Underemployed.
Posted by Dave Lister | January 11, 2007 9:27 AM
So what to do? Keep on making sacastic criticisms? Keep on writing letters, blogs and faxes that speak out about these problems? Or just move out of the City? In my own neighborhood in NW Portland (way NW) I can't get the City to sweep the street or take down illegal signs. I have managed to get them to force owner's to fix two sewer leaks and I'm slowly working on getting a third fixed. Meanwhile walk carefully through Linnton and leave you shoes outside when you go home.
My questions above are straight, not sarcastic.I do understand that life is messy for us humans but City government (and Multnomah County too) go much too far.
Posted by Don | January 11, 2007 12:28 PM
If you look at the crime data by neighborhood, you'll notice more crime in East Portland versus North Portland.
To wit, looking at Part I crimes (homicide, rape, robbery, ag. assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson), in 2005, East Portland had the highest number (11,055). That accounts for 27% of all Portland's Type I crime. Whereas North Portland accounts for only 11% of Type I crime.
Furthermore, looking at trends, East Precinct's Type I crime has doubled in the past 12 years. North precinct's Type I crime has fallen by 23% (in line with the whole city's Type I crime count, which has fallen by 19%).
So doesn't it make sense to shift some resources over to East Precinct from North Precinct? From the Mercury article, that's what it appeared they wanted to do.
People criticize the city for misallocating resources. Well, in my mind, an area with a 23% fall in Type I crime doesn't need the resources that an area with a doubling of Type I crime does.
Of course, if they would hire more police across the board, then you'd have my vote for that too.
FYI, the neighborhood cluster with the largest Type I crime drop? Outer SE Portland - dropped by 63%. My impression is that the "New Chinatown" demographic out there is chasing away the former bad apples.
Posted by Morgan | January 11, 2007 8:59 PM
CLOSING the NoPo cop-shop to save money is like selling your washing machine to save water.
In both examples, the stated objective may be achieved, but crime and grime just pile up.
I was joking about the THC Tax. Portland's potheads would still grow their own, just to stick it to the MAN.
Posted by Mister Tee | January 12, 2007 5:13 PM