Portland Oregon Homeless Continue To Be Bullied & Dogs Seized

To: Michael Oswald

      Kim Peoples
      Multnomah County Chair Marisa Madrigal  
CC: Legal Aide Officer Michelle Luckey
CC:Marc Jolin, JOIN
CC: Robert Babcock
CC: Others in the community
 
The question is : What is wrong with the current picture? 
 
 First, although I was the author of this letter of concern ( below), I was excluded as a recipient from Michelle Luckey's response. That illustrates a common dysfunctional leveraging agency practice: eliminating others views or opportunity to respond by deliberately shoving them out of the way when their point of view might differ. Permitting dialog. that might change minds and lead to change is stifled. Only one point of view is permitted: the status quo..

That must change.

 Two, the litany of David Jacobs minor infractions intended to label him as a scofflaw is part of a familiar pattern of focusing upon an individual until a dosier of complaints is built up then saying" That's it: I got you." and bringing the hammer down.

 Nowhere as incidents occur, (and owning dogs on the streets is indeed challenging), does MCAS engage anyone  they have cited in constructive interventions most likely to lead to change.. At most  homeless citizens are told to muzzle their dogs constantly except when eating or drinking or exercising or in cases of extreme heat, open to a range of subjective judgement. 

These recommendations are virtually impossible to follow and a restriction of constant muzzling is inhumane.Instead  more tickets are followed by unaffordable escalating fines followed by seizing the dogs of the homeless and the most frequent outcome, almost always, is killing their companion animals. I can provide those records. 

 Citizens, particularly the homeless, and often minorities, are targeted and it seems to become a mission "to get them".

 It took weeks and persistence to locate David Jacobs when all MCAS had to do was notify him ( and others in similar predicaments) that pro bono legal and training help are available. MCAS has persistently refused. to do so or cooperate  in any way despite our frequent requests. Instead they,offer as a false justification that then they would have to notify the homeless of all the attorneys and trainers in the county. 

That statement  is hugely misleading and patently false. The intransigent position of refusing notification  means homeless parties are denied help in an administrative hearing stacked against them. The motive to deprive them of fair play and justice is clear , MCAS has also consistently refused to accommodate the financial constraints of homelessness by lowering appeal fees ( $25 plus $100 impound fee).

 It is clear from the combination of those two practices that the county intends to deprive its poorest, most vulnerable, and least powerful citizens of due process rights because  they have no financial means.

 This is about unilateral power and the abuses of this power, beginning with not permitting a response.

The status quo: Citizens are targeted with escalating fines and punishments but punishment teaches nothing especially to those who are homeless. Other communities utilize mediation, owner education diversion programs, and seek solutions founded upon prevention and education. MCAS is modeled on escalating fines, punishment  and threats and unilateral control, an ineffective model leading to repeat offenses because nothing gets solved, meaning the model fails, and fails citizens because that is the only tool MCAS utilizes.

 Silencing constructive criticism and debate is just another form of bullying. For the sake of this community and its citizens, among them the most vulnerable, can we not have a constructive debate that goes beyond push back and silencing, from the status quo? That is how beneficial change happens.This community deserves that.
Sincerely,

Gail O'Connell- Babcock
503.625.4563