Inanity by the Dump-Truck Load

The City of Portland finally cleared protesters illegal encampments from two city parks on Sunday, November 13.  After the protesters were removed, the city erected fences so that city workers could begin the clean up.
According to Oregon Live, there was enough debris in the park to fill 70 dump-trucks.

Police reported that on November 12th & 13th alone, they incurred over $400,000 in overtime costs.  Add to that more than $300,000 spent before on overtime, + the cost to clean up the parks, is this end up costing taxpayers $1,000,000?  Perhaps the Occupiers who purport to be the 99%, should personally reimburse the city for 99% of the costs associated with their protests and park destruction. 
I can’t help but wonder how long it will take to get the parks looking as they did before the destructive force of Occupy Portland?

Chapman Park (KATU News photo)Before                                                     After

Lownsdale Park (KATU News photo)Before                                                       After

Portland has always prided itself on its public parks.  Previously pristine green spaces that are normally enjoyed by thousands of residents and workers, every day. I guess that’s what the protesters wanted to do-deprive 99% of the citizens the use of the city parks for months.  
Even though the city removed dump trucks full of inanity from city parks, inanity still reigns in the city.  This morning, they decided they wanted to occupy the Steel Bridge in downtown Portland.  The police closed the bridge to all traffic at 4:30 in the morning.  The Occupy Steel Bridge crowd showed up just in time for rush hour – inconveniencing thousands of commuters who had to find another bridge into downtown.
Next, they moved on to occupy Wells Fargo.  The Wells Fargo branch had to close because of the protest,  inconveniencing hundreds of bank customers.
If only the city of Portland could bring back those dump trucks to remove the real inanity.   

Relocating Inanity

At noon today (Sunday, November 13, 2011) the Portland Police belated began to enforce the eviction of the Occupy Portland protesters from two city parks. The police had to remove one tent & its occupants, otherwise they were able to begin the clean up. City workers swarmed in, removing debris, human waste, drug paraphernalia, tarps, wood pallets, garbage. Both affected parks were soon surrounded by tall fences to keep protesters out as the city works to clear and assess the damage.

No problem for the protesters, as its estimated that now 1000 have decided to “Occupy Main Street” instead. The police in riot gear, have surrounded and for more than two hours have been warning protesters that unless they leave, they could face exposure to chemical agents and be subject to force in order to clear the street. More are climbing trees, another actually set up their tent in the middle of the street, just 2 feet from the police.

Don’t worry protesters, I’m sure the police will give you at least 100 more warnings before they actually do their job & take the street back for the use of the rest of us 99%.

No Expiration Date for Inanity?

10-06-2011 Occupy Portland protest begins, marching on city streets without the required permit, blocking all traffic on Main Street.

10-07-2011 Occupy Portland protesters set up camps in city parks, which violates city codes which ban camping in public parks.

10-09-2011 The 40th annual Portland Marathon, which has held ITS permit to use the park for more than a year, had to work around by the Occupy Portland protesters who refused to leave the park where the marathon begins.

10-9-2011 Rather than ordering the eviction of the illegal protesters, Portland’s Mayor Sam Adams actually JOINED the protesters march through downtown.

10-12-2011 Occupy Portland protester vandalizes a police car

10-13-2011 After closing Main Street for a week, Portland Police finally reopen the street to traffic, arresting 8

10-17-2011 Portland Parks Bureau’s commissioner, Nick Fish, warns the illegal encampments are destroying the parks, estimates damage to trees of $19,000.

10-18-2011 Marijuana dealer arrested at Occupy Portland camp

10-19-2011 An Occupy Portland protester displays a gun in confrontation with police and is arrested.

10-20-2011 Mayor Adams says protesters can stay in illegal camps

10-25-2011 Police report finding overflowing human waste, incidents of indecent exposure and frequent reports of assault in downtown camps

10-26-2011 Labor Unions join Occupy Portland protest

10-27-2011 Occupy Portland costs in Police Overtime exceed $182,000

10-29-2011 Occupy Portland expands their protest into Jamison Square in the Pearl District, a trendy area of shopping & high-end condominiums in NW Portland. Other arrests were made for indecent exposure, public urination & drug possession. One arrested was a registered sex offender.

10-30-2011 Police arrest 25 in their effort to clear Jamison Square.

11-2-2011 Occupy Portland protester pushes police officer into the path of a city bus.

11-3-2011 Portland Police Association president Daryl Turner, declares “Enough is Enough”, criticizing city leaders for the mixed messages and urging citizens to call for an end to the occupation of city parks. With police overtime exceeding $200,000, Turner wrote: "This protest has become a seemingly open checkbook of taxpayer dollars to pay for an already over-extended Police Bureau"

Portland Mayor Sam Adams said the city is striving to balance people's rights to free speech and the ability to move about safely. Apparently the local businesses, day care centers, citizens who cannot enjoy the parks, have no rights.

11-8-2011 Crime is up 18% since the Occupy Portland camps were erected.

11-8-2011 A Molotov cocktail was thrown at the World Trade Center by one of the Occupy Portland protesters. The protester was later arrested & it was learned he’d been arrested just two days before on arson charges for starting a fire in the camp.

Three other arrests were also made, for possession of methamphetamines, alcohol & outstanding warrants.

11-10-2011 Mayor Sam Adams orders the eviction of the Occupy Portland protesters from city parks at 12:01 AM, November 13th. Adams said he did not want to delay the closure of the camp any longer, saying he “worries someone may die there. I cannot wait for someone to use the camp as camouflage to inflict bodily harm on others."

Occupy Portland Protesters call for all citizens to join them Saturday night, to form a perimeter to prevent police from clearing the park.

11-10-2011 Police have to perform CPR to resuscitate protester who nearly died due to a drug overdose

11-11-2011 Another drug overdose nearly takes the life of a protester

11-12-2011 Report of 4th drug overdose in as many days.

Occupy Portland protesters invite all to attend their “Occu-Fest” pot-luck, encouraging families to attend, while at the same time police report some protesters are fashioning weapons out of pallet boards & nails. Occupy Portland protesters call for bicyclists to ride the perimeter of the protesters’ encampment to interfere with the police plan to vacate the parks at 12:01 am.

11-13-2011, 12:01 am – the deadline arrives. Police officers line the streets. Protesters converge on 3rd Avenue, blocking the street. The police warn protesters to get off the street, to stay on the sidewalks or risk arrest. The protesters refuse, the police do nothing. The protesters win.

11-13-2011, 1:30 am, a Portland Police officer is injured & transported to the hospital, when a protester threw fireworks at the officer. There is no response from the police.

2:30 am, Occupy Portland protesters declare victory, having evaded the planned evacuation.

7:00 am, when speaking about the evacuation that never happened, Mayor Adams said the city is striving to balance people's rights to free speech and the ability to move about safely.

Inanity has no expiration date.

The Danger of Inanity

Definition of inanity-A senseless action or remark.


The inanity continues. In Oakland California last night, a young man was shot to death just outside the Occupy Oakland encampment.


The media reports say that it is not known whether or not the victim was one of the protesters. However according to one of the protesters, Madea Williams, the victim was her cousin and he had been sharing a tent with her at the Occupy Oakland protest.


The problems within the Occupy Oakland camp have been growing-drug abuse, crimes & fights amongst the devoted campers. One city council member, Ignacio De La Fuente-has repeatedly called for the protesters to leave, and said today, “Unfortunately, we will have no excuse for not taking action. This was escalating and was going to happen." The Mayor – Jean Quan, stated in her news conference that she wants the “protesters to leave voluntarily”. She didn’t ORDER the police to force the evacuation. She just hopes they’ll leave. More inanity. If a DEATH related to this illegal encampment isn’t enough to put an end to this, what WILL it take?


Back in Portland Oregon, as I reported yesterday – the Mayor finally came to his senses and ordered that the camp be evacuated as of Sunday, November 13, at 12:01 am. Not a surprise to learn that the occupiers have decided to have an “Occu-Fest” on Saturday-inviting all citizens to come to the parks for food & music. They hope to encourage attendees from the region and count on some to come down from Seattle as a show of force. Guess they want to make the planned 12:01 am eviction as difficult as possible for the Portland Police. The police report that they’ve heard there will be up to 300 people travelling from out of the from out of town to inflate the ranks of protesters. The police have also heard that 150 anarchists plan on attending & reports that some of those who plan on staying, are using nails and wood from pallets, to fashion weapons. Rather than encouraging the illegal protesters to leave voluntarily & peacefully, the National Lawyer’s Guild is instead offering free training Saturday afternoon, for those who plan on getting arrested.


I can’t help but wonder if the ever present media isn’t fueling the continuation of these protests. A quote from Seneca (Roman Philosopher, 1st century AD) comes to mind: “It's the admirer and the watcher who provoke us to all the inanities we commit.” Countless reporters have been assaulted while covering these protests all around the country. Perhaps if we all stop filming & watching this train wreck, the inanity will stop.

Occupy Reality

I’ve no problem with people exercising their First Amendment right of free speech and peaceable assemblage.

But lets remember the reality of the cities these groups have chosen to “occupy”.

Consider the “Occupy Portland” protest in Portland, Oregon. When started more than 5 weeks ago, they did not apply for the required city permit allowing for their gathering. They ignored city park codes & curfews, by setting up camps in public parks. They repeatedly blocked traffic on busy downtown streets, disrupting local commerce and inconveniencing thousands of commuters every day.

The inanity of this situation is not so much that the protesters have been there for more than five weeks. The true inanity is demonstrated by the Portland city officials and mayor, who coddled and embraced this disruptive force of law-breakers.

Portland Parks Commissioner Nick Fish estimated (in mid October) that the damage to trees alone in the two “occupied” parks would exceed $19,000. How much will be spent once the encampment has left, to clean up and restore the park grounds?

Portland police report this “occupation” has cost over $208,000 in overtime.
All of this cost to the citizen taxpayers seems contrary to “Occupy Portland’s” claim to represent the “99%”.

Lets not forget the annual Portland Marathon that had been granted a permit more than a year before, to utilize the same park the “occupy” law-breakers held, for their marathon. Days before the scheduled event, Portland Mayor Sam Adams ordered that the occupiers vacate the park the night before the marathon. Later, when it became obvious that the illegal encampment had no intention of vacating the park for the permitted marathon – rather than ordering police to clear the park of the illegal encampment, the mayor instead gathered the marathon organizers and the malcontents representing “Occupy Portland” to meet & discuss how they could all work around the law-breakers.

In spite of the reports of sexual abuse, rampant drug use, public defecation & urination, public displays of sexual activity, assaults by the “occupiers” on city employees attempting to clean the public restroom, vandalism of local businesses and police cars, drug overdoses, inconveniencing thousands among the working public and local businesses, Mayor Adams continued to “support” and even joined the marching protesters & tweeted his support for their fractured “cause”. Adams apparently forgot that he represents 100% of the Portland population rather than just the less than 1% of the population who participated in the protest.

Breaking news: Just this morning, Mayor Sam Adams announced that the protesters must vacate the parks by 12:01 am, Sunday, November 13th. Perhaps the recent poll by a local news station finally pounded some sense into Adams shortsighted thinking. The poll revealed that 60% of those questioned would NOT come downtown to shop this Christmas season IF the protesters remain encamped in the public parks. Whatever the reason the Mayor decided to abandon his inane position and to embrace reality, the damage has been done.

A disturbing precedence has been set – from now on any group could decide to “occupy” Portland streets & public lands, breaking laws and city codes - and do so with complete immunity. Adams has made sure of that by his refusal to enforce the laws he was sworn to uphold. Given his inability to enforce his edicts with this group from day one, is it any surprise that the occupiers declared that they have no intention of leaving?