See Part I here.
The Action, continued
Comrade X began emailing Just Waiting’s publicly available, but largely hidden, information to contacts around the county. Immediately, he got pushback from the local Republican Party, which told him they thought the homeless housing could benefit the community.
“Then I realized where the problem was,” CX admits wryly. He decided that if established powers weren’t going to act, he’d have to do it on his own. Or rather, not on his own but with the help of other grassroots actors.
JW was integral, keeping CX up-to-date on the calls coming in and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering. When he relayed a rumor that someone else was trying to buy the old school building, CX and his oldest son did some research and proved the rumor unfounded.
Broadcaster Rob Taylor of Citizens Restoring Liberty, pitched in with publicity and more. On January 19, 2022, they got an unheard-of 50 people to attend a county commissioners meeting (crowding a meeting room that holds only 12). Still, not one of the three commissioners would speak against the homeless housing proposal and one was “speaking out of both sides of his mouth,” trying to persuade everyone that he was on their side.
CX knew that something much more would be needed — and he was just the guy to provide it. A longtime second-amendment activist referred him to a friendly bulk-mailing outfit in Portland. CX headed north, and together he and the mailer concocted an in-your-face flyer.
They moved fast. One week after the January 19 meeting, the flyer began winging its way to targeted households in the county.
Phones started ringing in county offices. Hundreds of calls and emails flooded the county commissioners. Four days later they’d received 200 calls to the main county line, countless more calls direct to commissioners’ voice mailboxes, and over 100 emails apiece. (Calls are still coming in as I write this. Remember, this is in a tiny county with a largely working-class population that seldom has time for politics.)
The next county commissioners’ meeting was on February 2.
Clearly realizing what was coming, one commissioner actively tried to discourage citizens from attending the meeting (“We already have your information; there’s no need to come in.”)
Nobody knows exactly how many citizens flooded the building, though attendance was estimated at 150. The meeting room was full. The hallway was full. A line formed outside. Seventy residents signed up to say their piece, nearly all opposed.
Before the public even had a chance to speak, all three commissioners promptly voted against giving any county ARP funds to the homeless coalition. One commissioner even cried as he told the tale of his own rootless drug-addicted son and how that son would tear up the family home when he was at his worst.
JW and CX, with a lot of support from their fellow citizens, had won. Decisively.
Aftermath
Towanda promptly took to Twitter to condemn the influence of CX’s “fear-based mass mailer.” (Not being detail oriented, she referenced the wrong @CX in her tweet, thus possibly sending a spurt of hate mail to an innocent Canadian artist.)
CX was exultant at the downvote — and rightly proud of his part in it.
JW commented, “Adding everything up, over 300 people responded to the mailer. In marketing, a 4% response to a mailer is astronomical, unheard of …”
Of the hundreds who responded, only six were in favor.
When I commented on their “small army” of small-town agitators, JW corrected me: “Lol, its not a small army, it’s a downright movement, Claire!”
Yet JW couldn’t take time to exult.
“Unfortunately this is just one of the many similarly impactful issues I spend my days trying to prevent/avoid/mitigate. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to see the turnout and having a whole room, hallway, foyer and sidewalk full of angry citizens seeking redress from their government warmed my heart. I listened in on about 50 of the calls and a lot of folks were plenty mad.
“But my part was minor. All I did was share public information. Yeah, they were working pretty hard to keep everything in the dark and I flipped the light switch on, but …”
CX disagrees that JW’s role was minor. “He played a more important role than I did. I was just the guy who was out front,” he says. He concurs, however, that JW’s job as a mole is hard and relentless.
And this fight is not over.
Even though Towanda and the homeless-industrial complex have been denied $300,000 in taxpayer money she still has commitments for private funding. Not enough to complete the project, but in the range of $100,000. If she does raise sufficient money, she will then have to go before the planning commission for conditional permits, which would be another opportunity to halt the project. JW and CX both note that in the past she has misinformed potential donors and supporters about the popularity of her plans, and that is yet another strike against her.
But Towanda has now filed to run for county commissioner.
CX concludes, “When my wife and I first came to Oregon in 1977, we were homeless. We lived in a Volkswagen van. But we joined a commune and my wife worked there while I got a job and saved enough in six months to put a downpayment on a house.”
Times have changed and that might not be so easy to do now. Millions of people have been hit hard by repeated, government-engineered economic and regulatory blows.
“There’s nothing wrong with helping the homeless,” CX emphasizes. “But enabling and facilitating destructive lifestyles makes you as responsible as the homeless people themselves are.”
Both Comrade X and Just Waiting agree if you’re going to be an activist you have to keep fighting the battles. “I’m not a church-going guy,” CX shrugs, “but it’s like what they say about the battle between heaven and hell. It’s ongoing. JW and I both came here to disengage, yet here we are. We looked for a new Garden of Eden, but in Eden there was a serpent.”
“I tried so hard not to get involved here because as soon as I put one toe in the water I’m swimmin’. If I had my way about it I wouldn’t. But with what’s going on in Canada and elsewhere and what’s boiling in this country, things are really beginning to boil over.”
JW agrees. “The world is changing, and I just want to make sure that in my area of operation, at least one of ‘us’ has some say in what we’ll look like on the other side of whatever is going to happen.”
GOOD JOB!!
There’s an old saying I stay mindful of, “Wherever you go, there you are.” No matter where we “escape” to, we have to stay vigilant about changes around us. A lot of people want the peace and quiet of an escape, but they bring their problematic politics with them, which creates the same problems they left.
OK, so I was one-county off…:)….Good stuff from them, but they’ll have to keep on their toes – the Tawandas of the world are relentless – and they’re well funded, apparently.
When I lived in Oregon, the main issue was the “spotted owl -vs- lumberjacks.” Literally, if you found a spotted owl on your property – you lost all control over your land. You couldn’t even clear the forest floor ( aka “fire fuel” ) without begging numerous agencies for permission. Logging? Forget it.
What happened as a result? Owners would go onto their properties and shoot or trap ANY bird that even slightly resembled a spotted owl. The policies to “save” that stupid bird led to it being largely eliminated from Josephine and Jackson counties.
These bum-enablers – using our money and properties to enable them are right out of Atlas Shrugged, and clearly what Rand was talking about the evils of “altruism” which – are even worse than she described.
Jolly
It is very encouraging to read such a success story! They are few and far between these days, with “the other kind” being far more common. Stories like this one do a great deal to give many of us renewed energy and motivation to keep persevering in the face of heavy opposition.
It’s wonderful. But it’s just defensive action. The Towandas keep barging on. We are still losing.
I would call it an ambush, don’t ya know?
I wouldnt mind contact info for the bulk mailer. Might be useful for any campaigns I have to plan.
CZ, I will be in touch.
“Homelessness is a symptom, not a problem” I said that somewhere recently.
Perhaps I should have added, “Government is a problem, not a solution.”
Anyway, Larry Elder recounts how he used studies to prove that actually conservatives are more compassionate than liberals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2hv1o_9ZSE
I think he’s wrong.
Actually, liberals are more compassionate than conservatives. But conservatives are compassionate with their time and money, whereas liberals are “compassionate” with your time and money. And in this case, your home-land.
CX and JW – I SALUTE YOU!!!!!!!!! Some great comments as well by all!
“I listened in on about 50 of the calls” could give away your id. Might want to ask Claire to delete that phrase and this comment.
Sorry to bother. Using a temporary fake email to get your attention. In https://www.clairewolfe.com/blog/2022/03/02/how-just-waiting-comrade-x-and-small-town-power-saved-the-day-part-ii the phrase “I listened in on about 50 of the calls” might out CX. I’m assuming the only way to listen in on the calls is to be in the office of one of the commissioners. If I’m wrong forgive me for the intrusion. Delete this comment (and the previous one from anon (for today)).
I appreciate your concern, both anons. Anything that either CX or JW wants amended, I’ll cheerfully change or remove. I, too, worry about blowing their cover. In this case, I gave them each full approval over the copy before taking it “live,” so presumably they’re okay with it, but any second thoughts will be honored.
no problems, as you know Claire, I’ve been pretty out there even before this, I only use CX because I have the hots for Hedy Lamar.
No issues for me either. Although there was a whole lotta hubbub and excitement yesterday from tptb trying to get me removed from office. They can’t, so now they’re trying to convince some clueless putz to run against me.
Sorry to rain on the parade here, but I find aspects of this, and the comments generated, troubling.
One commenter on the previous post said: “The rural towns simply have to enforce vagrancy laws, and make it too uncomfortable for the bums ( that’s their real moniker ) to remain.”
That means government enforcing mala prohibita laws. I thought folks here were against that. Or are you OK with that, as long as the victims of law enforcement are people you don’t like?
I am troubled by the stereotyping of all homeless people as lazy, worthless bums. Do you really believe there are no decent people who are struggling and can’t afford housing, especially since the COVIDian Cult wrecked the economy and put millions out of work?
Stereotyping and demonizing a population, whether it’s Jews in Germany, Japanese-Americans in WWII, or now, the unvaxxed and the homeless, never leads to a good result.
I am suspicious of people who are so adamant about keeping the homeless out of their community. Who are they going to come after next, people who look poor, or who drive old beater cars? Well, you’re talking about me on that count. I have received a lot of nasty, uncalled-for comments about my vehicle, which is nobody else’s damn business.
The most bizarre incident was when a woman approached me in a parking lot, asking if I was homeless. I said no, and I’m not. But she acted like she didn’t believe me, and she kept going on about how she was a volunteer with the local homeless shelter (although I now suspect that was a lie). The strangest part of this, aside from the fact that she didn’t leave me alone after I said I wasn’t homeless, was she didn’t talk up the shelter, but instead was talking about how she, personally, could help me. She said she lived nearby, and I could park at her house and take a shower there. She also claimed to be a nurse, probably another lie.
I still can’t figure out what this b!tch’s agenda was. My most paranoid theory is she was hoping to lure me to her house, where she, probably with the help of an accomplice, planned to kill me. Maybe by pretending to be a nurse and giving me a lethal injection (maybe opioid OD). Why? Who knows, maybe she hates people who drive beater cars, and who might be homeless.
You might want to think about the emotions and attitudes you are fueling here.
Noah Body, I applauded the success because so much of the time, a “temporary Housing facility” is put up, more as a feel-good measure than anything else, and then nothing more is done to address the myriad underlying problems that cause the common symptom of homelessness. I think that these temporary shelters should be just one small component of a much larger, much more comprehensive plan to try to provide help / solutions / assistance in solving the underlying problems. Without the larger plan, the shelters alone can be useless, or can even exacerbate the problem.
And you appear to be more than a little bit paranoid about the woman in the parking lot. I wouldn’t have gone home with her either, but thinking she might be part of some serial killer conspiracy luring people to a gruesome death is a bit out there. Much, much more likely she was just trying to help, or was maybe a bit lonely and looking for some company, or maybe even looking for a “good time.” If you see hoof prints, think horses, not zebras.
If we knew who the truly needy were, we wouldn’t get caught up in a discussion about “homelessness” because we would be taking care of them. A lot of the homeless ARE bums, sorry to say. I was once *very* poor, with five little kids, a husband who flaked out/abandoned us, and not a drop of financial support from the children’s father, or my family, or my supposed church family, or the government. I drove a beater cuz it was all I had. The windows didn’t work, nor did the AC and the windows were broken in the up and closed position in very hot temperatures. I was always 3 days from being homeless. There was never enough food in the house, couldn’t afford the electricity, and I was “laid off” a couple of times, most notably because I wouldn’t sleep with the manager. So… I can only say that I speak from a position of experience and knowledge about what it takes to NOT be homeless. You work your absolute butt off and you never give up. You get really creative at problem solving. You refuse to wallow in depression, anger, and hopelessness. I am not saying this arrogantly or piously at all. I’m saying I lived it and it was soooo hard. But, we made it.
“And you appear to be more than a little bit paranoid about the woman in the parking lot. I wouldn’t have gone home with her either, but thinking she might be part of some serial killer conspiracy luring people to a gruesome death is a bit out there. Much, much more likely she was just trying to help, or was maybe a bit lonely and looking for some company, or maybe even looking for a “good time.” If you see hoof prints, think horses, not zebras.”
I lived this experience, you didn’t. What baffles me is why anyone with any common sense would approach a stranger, who she thought might be homeless, and invite this stranger into her home. I certainly wouldn’t do that. And why didn’t she shut up and leave me alone when I said I wasn’t homeless? I always trust my gut-level instinct, and the alarm bells were ringing, big time. Something was seriously wrong about this.
To each their own, if you want to be homeless that is your business not mine.
But when it comes to government it isn’t the solution but the problem and that was the issue addressed here.
This isn’t about denying the rights of anyone to be homeless, I am sure there are those that might desire that as their lifestyle however what this is about is what part government plays in facilitating people to be homeless, should that be a function of government and the tax dollars taken from it’s citizens.
Whether people want to admit it or not a lot of homeless people have a substance abuse problem that is self destructive, and you know what IMHO that’s non of my business either but what is my problem is when their problem becomes mine, like when my daughter went to a park and actually stepped on a needle of which we had to put her through testing to make sure she haven’t been infected by some disease, so of course we had to quit using a park that we were helping pay for because of the homeless encampments near by, so is government suppose to facilitate that?
It is also about “some” people who are irresponsible in the sense of littering, stealing, etc; Should government facilitate that? Even though some homeless are the salt of the earth should those that not are not get a pass on being irresponsible, that government actually with their programs have no differentiation?
I’m for the hand up, I’m for helping those who may have a problem that seek help, but I am not for government enabling or even promoting destructive lifestyles for those who are irresponsible in their behavior to other people and their property. And if there are homeless who want to be homeless that are responsible to others, do they need a hand out, I see businesses everywhere seeking employees, is working for a living really that bad? I have a question; is the purpose of government and their tax dollars to enable people to be homeless and not have to work?
And then we have the Homeless Industrial Complex, that is receiving BILLIONS (that’s with a “B” BTW), it is a proven fact the more we spend on “helping” the homeless and the more $$$ the Homeless Industrial Complex is receiving, the greater the numbers of homeless there are, everyone who thinks the Homeless Industrial Complex really want to end the homeless situation and lose out on those billions (from government), please raise your hand!
So this wasn’t really a homeless issue but a government issue.
Noah seems to forget there are two sides to the issue. Theoretically the “homeless” shouldn’t be singled-out and harassed. In a pure binary world, that wouldn’t be a problem. Their rights would be observed.
Problem #1 is that a great number of these homeless are harassing businesses and non-homeless people. That IS a problem. Another problem is that they frequently defecate and urinate in all manner of places. This, too, is a problem.
They congregate on sidewalks and parks, and create vast amounts of trash and start fires in various places to keep warm. THAT is another problem.
An adult, taking drugs on a sidewalk, and vomiting or just sprawling on the sidewalk is a NUISANCE – are they entitled to more leeway than “regular” folk? Do we want our toddlers and small children to have literally step around these human debris while taking a walk outside?
In tent cities, they create sewerage and trash problems, block access for other people, and generally are aggressive panhandlers and – again – are nuisances.
All of the above are not freedoms they should enjoy – they are not taking care of themselves and they are damaging other people’s properties, damaging businesses, and threatening others. NONE of that is tolerable.
I am 100% opposed to Noah’s viewpoints, and do NOT see a contradiction to the ZAP in ejecting them from the ‘public space’ – which is actually paid for and maintained by people like me.
I do see both sides of the issue. I have been accosted by aggressive panhandlers, and no, it’s not a pleasant experience. And, as described above, I have also been verbally abused for not having a “nice enough” car to suit the yuppies, and was probably targeted for homeless bashing by that woman I described.
The nuisance behaviors described are not acceptable, but the answer is enforcing laws against the specific offensive behaviors, not discriminating against people based solely on their housing status.
Sorry, I see too much hate here. A more productive approach would be to inquire why housing has become so expensive. There used to be places where people could live cheaply, such as flophouses. No, they weren’t nice places; they were seedy and run-down. But they kept poor people off the street. Those are largely gone due to government policies, aided and abetted by the yuppies and developers, such as urban renewal, gentrification, zoning and code enforcement. These policies can best be described as economic cleansing.
The perfect is the enemy of the good. The politicians, yuppies, and developers wanted those seedy areas gone from their nice communities, and they are “rewarded” by people living on the streets. They are reaping what they have sown, and are blaming the victims.
I recall reading that Gandhi wanted, for India, to replace squalor with poverty. Here, misguided policies have replaced poverty with squalor.
It’s not hate, Noah – it’s exasperation. We’re tired of getting battered on ostensibly moral lapses on our part, while the subjects in question are given every possible consideration. I’ve lived in New Orleans – plenty of poverty there – but it was never as bad as SF, Portland, LA, and Seattle have become. That’s saying something.
As for cheap housing – you’re 100% correct – local governments, particularly in the above-named cities – tax so heavily, and regulate so much that inexpensive housing is impossible. For some eye-opening observations supporting that – check out Lou Rossman’s YouTube channel and the many videos on housing and retail spaces in NYC. It’s so bad that he’s leaving NY altogether for New Hampshire.
Juxtapose that with the subsidizing of homelessness ( Rossman has a few videos on that, too ) – usually with corrupt cronies of local politicians, and there is absolutely zero incentive to cleaning up the problem. Why the city dwellers put up with that is a mystery to me.
Two years ago, the company I worked-for wanted to have their yearly convention on the West Coast. NONE of the major cities were under consideration. ( this was during BLM “protests” ) Las Vegas was briefly in the running, but they eventually ended-up in San Diego, which, interestingly – does NOT seem to have a very serious homeless problem.
San Diego refuses to subsidize it, and enforces vagrancy laws. Other cities adjacent to LA do the same thing. There are literally pictures showing one side of a highway overflowing with dilapidated tent cities, and across the street – a clean sidewalk.
It’s not hate. It’s fatigue. I’m tired of alleged “adults” being given all kinds of breaks because “they have a drug problem” or whatever. At some point you have to grow up and stop being a parasite.
There were fires close to here in which people lost everything including cars. When I inquired about tent camping in church parking lots I was told they’re fire victims. Too bad they’re lumped with drug and alcohol addicts One couple who lost everything moved to this community but they had pensions and insurance Some were left with absolutely nothing.