So when we left around 9pm, I had some hope that the event could be transformed into a safe, legitimate experience.
The drummers were pledging to run off anyone with alcohol, because they cared about being able to continue the event for themselvers. Angrier guy (dru?) was quite civil to me about it, perhaps because we had this new common enemy.
And as I said to the Parks, "Hey, maybe they'll get their shit together, and then the director can designate this a 'fire safe space' and then we can continue.
Well, I came back at 11:00pm to find Georgia's sweater, and this is what I found:
1) a lot less drinking, and yet still drinking (and cans being cracked open as I watched)
2) bottles and cans on the ground
3) no rangers or police (the rangers said they normally get off at 7pm)
4) one fire performer who was new to the situation asking, "so what's gonna happen if I light up?"
This takes away the hope that I had earlier, that the drummers would even be capable of self-regulating the alcohol (the drinkers weren't necessarily AT the drum circle, after all), which means that we would be better off getting the parks department to designate some OTHER spot (Westbank esplanade, under the morrison or burnside bridge, comes to mind) as a legitimate fire performance spot. Then we each get free pinky permits for that spot, and away we go!
The drummers were pledging to run off anyone with alcohol, because they cared about being able to continue the event for themselvers. Angrier guy (dru?) was quite civil to me about it, perhaps because we had this new common enemy.
And as I said to the Parks, "Hey, maybe they'll get their shit together, and then the director can designate this a 'fire safe space' and then we can continue.
Well, I came back at 11:00pm to find Georgia's sweater, and this is what I found:
1) a lot less drinking, and yet still drinking (and cans being cracked open as I watched)
2) bottles and cans on the ground
3) no rangers or police (the rangers said they normally get off at 7pm)
4) one fire performer who was new to the situation asking, "so what's gonna happen if I light up?"
This takes away the hope that I had earlier, that the drummers would even be capable of self-regulating the alcohol (the drinkers weren't necessarily AT the drum circle, after all), which means that we would be better off getting the parks department to designate some OTHER spot (Westbank esplanade, under the morrison or burnside bridge, comes to mind) as a legitimate fire performance spot. Then we each get free pinky permits for that spot, and away we go!
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Portland
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Re: Hope/No Hope
Mon, April 28, 2008 - 3:33 PMI'm still hopeful for a PORAS Park... a public outdoor recreational activity specific park, our own Firepark. I think it should public, free, and open 7 days a week. -
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Re: Hope/No Hope
Mon, April 28, 2008 - 4:08 PMI'm all for that, actually.
Ka'ge and I were just discussing how great it'd be to have a spot of our very own/some physical layout features we'd like to see in it, and frequenters of the Jam (though not drummers/burners, themselves) hopped in and totally agreed.
There was even a location or two suggested.
I certainly think it'd be worth concidering, even if it's just as an eventuality. -
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Re: Hope/No Hope
Mon, April 28, 2008 - 4:10 PMI think what I mean by my above post is that it is safer, emotionally, to work for a new location than to imagine that this one is going to work out over time.
It bothers me that the parks, knowing there was a large gathering of people there and drinking, had such an early presence and then no one later. -
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Re: Hope/No Hope
Mon, April 28, 2008 - 4:30 PM"It bothers me that the parks, knowing there was a large gathering of people there and drinking, had such an early presence and then no one later."
i don't know. do you really think those people give a fuck? I wouldn't want to work overtime or pay someone to work overtime in order to bust balls for drinking a beer. the unreality of the situation, is that we, the people own the fucking parks and who really cares if people drink beer. The reality is that there's no way the parks people are going to put forth the amount of energy it would need to really enforce anything on a consistent basis, and that's probably a good thing. Why does it bother you? -
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Re: Hope/No Hope
Mon, April 28, 2008 - 4:44 PMOnly because if there were a parks presence for, oh, say 4 weeks, then drinking would disappear, and then the director could designate the space as "fire friendly" and then we could have the spinjam there and then the drinking could slowly drift back in.
INSTEAD, the parks is going to consistently say, "well, that's a bad location to let you spin fire because of the drinking which continued, etc, etc, etc"
Other than that, let em drink! I was hoping for a brief moment that the drum circle/jam could go alcohol free for enough weeks to convince the city to let that be a fire space, and that we could go back to dealing with the drummers as our primary issue of the day. -
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Re: Hope/No Hope
Mon, April 28, 2008 - 4:49 PMI still don't know. At the meeting i attended, they never really said what what their concerns were.
I don't know how much the city is really watching, and i'm sure that freaks with flaming whips frighten most people's sensibilities much more than a guy with a beer. How many bars are there in portland? -
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Re: Hope/No Hope
Mon, April 28, 2008 - 5:59 PMWell, they didn't have concerns as much as they seemed entirely unable to get beyond those magical mysterious boundaries called 'regulations'. The two in question were a) the drinking, and b) the fire.
The fire is fixable, the drinking is not if the drinkers are themselves supposed to regulate - because the people I saw drinking at 11pm were all good people, and would have probably been happy to STOP drinking for four weeks or so... if only someone would go up and talk to them about working together to front as legitimate for about a month.
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Re: Hope/No Hope
Mon, April 28, 2008 - 6:00 PMI really think this is a great time to be working with the Parks Dept. and I don't think we should limit ourselves. Being open and creative, asking for what we want, and working with Parks might just give us some of that progressive civic spirit of Portland.
I think it's a lot of time and work, possibly petitioning and fund raising, but I have full belief that it could happen.
As a community for our community. Public and free. Bringing connection in education, resources, and space for all home, and visiting fire spinners.
What would such a space look like... any of our own ideas on where such a location could happen? I know Mark Warrington said Parks would be brainstorming ideas and putting an intern on this... I honestly feel like he is working towards our need and request. He's mentioned several times that Portland Parks and Recreation is there to fill the public's request for recreational public space.... so any ideas?
What would it include and how could you design the environment around the C7 and still allow for all the elements and space for performing, safety, and audience? Any location ideas?
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Re: Hope/No Hope
Mon, April 28, 2008 - 9:20 PMI wish I could have made it last night, but I am out of a car for awhile, and the roomy didnt get home tell midnight. -
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Re: Hope/No Hope
Mon, April 28, 2008 - 9:25 PMwasn't really anything to see.
May 18th!
5040 SE Milwaukie
Meeting to discuss changes in the permitting process around the city.
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