Dear Portland Mayor Sam Adams

Dear Mayor Sam Adams,

I understand your support for the Occupy Portland protesters.  I support their right for freedom of speech and I applaud your effort to maintain a nonviolence approach in dealing with the protesters.

I do however hope you will reconsider your decision in letting them camp in the park.  As I understand it, there is a city ordinance prohibiting people from camping in the park, and for good reason.

I myself spend a lot of time in downtown Portland, and up until now was able to enjoy the park and the charm of downtown.  The park is a great place to unwind on a stress-full day and collect your thought before your next appointment.  The charm and culture of the park cannot be matched anywhere.  On any typical day walking through the park you will meet a rich culture of people.  Some of them musicians, on one end I have met a trumpet player on the other a guitarist and on several occasions I have met an artist capturing the culture of downtown in a painting.

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That culture and beauty is now gone.  In its place are broken tree limbs, trampled muddy lawns, piles of garbage, a smell that can peal paint, and a field of tents.  By allowing these protesters to continue to break the law and camp in the park you are allowing the livability and the quality of life to deteriorate for those Portland citizens that live and work in downtown.

Yes they have the right to freedom of speech and the right to protest, but camping in the park is illegal.  Camping in the park is not helping their cause.  The right wing media is having a field day with their camp.  Their has been reports of sexual assault, arrests for drugs, a protester caring a gun, a missing child, and the list goes on.  I’m sure you are aware of more issues.  These issues are all bad press and allowing their opposition to dismiss their cause.

Please encourage the protesters to pack up their camp.  If they want to continue to protest that is great.  Let them, let them march all night, suggest to them to march from the Justice center to a big bank of their choice and back to the Justice center.  They can do it over and over.  Please stop allowing the Occupy Portland protesters from camping in the park, they are infringing on the rights of the rest of Portland citizens that would like to use the park.  Please return the culture and beauty to the park and Downtown Portland.

If all else fails. maybe the protestors can camp in this fire truck guest house instead of ruining the park.