A Streetcar Named Persistence When Sarah Shaoul first heard of the city's plans for a streetcar linking downtown with the Pearl District and Northwest shopping districts, she was excited. But then the owner of Retread Threads saw a proposed map for the trolley. It showed a stop on Southwest 10th Avenue at the Galleria--and not another until five blocks north, at Northwest Couch Street, two blocks north of Burnside. Shaoul, whose store is at Southwest 10th Avenue and Oak Street, felt dissed. She sent a letter to Commissioner Charlie Hales' office in March, requesting a stop closer to her store. It went unanswered. So Shaoul attended a Mayor's Forum in April. A month later, she got a letter from project manager Vicky Diede, explaining that "a stop in the immediate vicinity would prove very difficult." Undeterred, Shaoul rustled up a posse of shop owners along Oak Street, bringing on board with her Nick DeNicola, owner of Rocco's Pizza, and Chloe Eudaly of Reading Frenzy. They sent another letter in late July with signatures collected from surrounding business owners. The letter expressed concern that shoppers wouldn't backtrack south across treacherous Burnside Street after being deposited on its north side, across from Powell's. On their lunch breaks, the shop owners attended a citizen advisory committee. Their persistence paid off. Last week, as construction crews began tearing up 10th Avenue, a trolley-project spokeswoman told WW that a stop will be added between Washington and Stark streets, near Martinotti's Cafe and Delicatessen. Shaoul is delighted. "People aren't used to taking the bull by the horns," she says. "It was like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. But in the end, the people from the city were receptive. We kept showing up; that's what made the difference." --Michaela Lowthian Something Squirrely Going On Is the Portland Police Bureau illegally spying on peaceniks? That's what local protesters claimed earlier this month in a motion filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Last December, 17 protesters were arrested after police sent an informant into a demonstration against U.S. bombing of Iraq. According to a police document obtained by WW, the informant filed a "criminal intelligence report" that identified Dan Handelman, a founding member of Peace and Justice Works, as a "non-criminal" activist "very active in calling for, arranging, and sponsoring demonstrations." Handelman, who was not arrested during the protest, is furious. "It's not illegal to organize demonstrations against U.S. policy," Handelman told WW. "If they've stated I'm non-criminal, why is my name in this document?" It's a good question. In the 1996 case of Squirrel vs. City of Portland, Circuit Court Judge Michael Marcus ordered Portland Police's criminal intelligence unit to stop collecting information on citizens engaged in non-criminal, political activity. In a motion filed Oct. 1 in Marcus' court, Handelman asked that the city be found in contempt of that order. In separate motions, attorneys for those arrested argue that by relying on an unidentified informant, police have engaged in "outrageous conduct," and the charges against their clients--ranging from failure to disperse to blocking traffic--should be dismissed. The City Attorney's Office, which has until Oct. 8 to respond to the motions, declined to comment. Marcus is expected to rule by mid-November. --Philip Dawdy The Big Chill Negotiations between the Portland Police Association and the city have reached a standoff. A Sept. 30 mediation session between the two sides produced some movement on minor issues, according to David Shaff, the city's employee-relations manager, but the big-ticket item--a salary increase--was not even broached. The 980 union members earn annual salaries that start at $31,304 and max out at $51,376 after five years. The officers say that isn't enough. As proof, they note that Portland police, once the highest-paid force in Oregon, now earn less than Multnomah County deputy sheriffs and Beaverton police officers. Shaff counters that the city offers police pay that outpaces that of other similarly sized U.S. cities like Seattle and Tucson. What no one disputes is that for the last 15 years, police raises have been linked to the consumer price index. "That's 15 years without a real raise," says Greg Pluchos, the association president. "How is that fair?" Shaff responds that civilian salaries have been pegged to the CPI and asks why police think they should be treated differently. "Maybe it's because we get shot at and killed," says Pluchos. In addition, the union leader says, the city now requires all officers to have a bachelor's degree. No matter what anyone says now, it's clear that a scheduled Nov. 8 mediation session is unlikely to produce anything but a mandatory 30-day "cooling-off period" and a call for a federal arbitrator. "If the city doesn't change its attitude toward police officers and the contribution they make to the community, I wouldn't be surprised if that happens," Pluchos says. --Philip Dawdy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published October 6, 1999