tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65732239108196136272024-03-14T11:16:18.201-07:00The Litter Cleaner BlogRycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-3397751396858965562015-10-15T08:51:00.002-07:002015-10-15T08:51:54.517-07:00Trash behind the Caveman Bridge Northeast parapet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhON5cHClpvfiv-E0itWo3O36wFKR5e4qfPDUMI62RSQDi6dtsajJBhSgL7p00mi-ftePYLcIZAZmodtdoxOGGU0rE8Iy3x5Ci-uYcUmOa8nokDZ_GpX0qR_Xm5-oBc-CUyerMQceV0Cmg6/s1600/trash+doubled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhON5cHClpvfiv-E0itWo3O36wFKR5e4qfPDUMI62RSQDi6dtsajJBhSgL7p00mi-ftePYLcIZAZmodtdoxOGGU0rE8Iy3x5Ci-uYcUmOa8nokDZ_GpX0qR_Xm5-oBc-CUyerMQceV0Cmg6/s640/trash+doubled.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-22177036842931048372015-05-21T08:19:00.001-07:002015-05-21T08:19:11.444-07:00Grants Pass shouldn't ban outdoor pot growing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ceqi6I5l5LhSXp_oY64goUc8KIEU9SGfPP0DL30EZ0sikVYZRcfG4OnKQ2Nu5I5o82-xpgriyK0GsepBiguQwYLkmBiN2kjqlVmhokhsXxfWCWz_fqJUerfS__QAcAtzQckmNFxDatyB/s1600/outdoor+pot+plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ceqi6I5l5LhSXp_oY64goUc8KIEU9SGfPP0DL30EZ0sikVYZRcfG4OnKQ2Nu5I5o82-xpgriyK0GsepBiguQwYLkmBiN2kjqlVmhokhsXxfWCWz_fqJUerfS__QAcAtzQckmNFxDatyB/s640/outdoor+pot+plant.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">A pot plant in deep leaf mulch, the best for stopping weeds and feeding soil</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Honorable Councilors and Manager:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I <a href="http://www.thedailycourier.com/articles/2015/05/16/front_page_news/news000002.txt" target="_blank">read inthe Daily Courier</a> that you want to
make it illegal to grow marijuana outdoors in Grants Pass, even in a
greenhouse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You say
that it’s because some people can’t stand the smell. There are other plants that stink, some
powerfully. Not all pot plants stink of
skunk. Some are piney; some smell like
perfume; some have little odor. And a
properly vented greenhouse can send most of the smell over people’s heads. If you want to control plants with noxious odors,
you could do a nuisance ordinance forbidding plants that emit noxious odors
outside the property. Or tell people
it’s a civil matter; take the neighbor to court (as you do with theft and
kidnapping!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Growing 4
large, full-sun plants indoors is difficult, hard on a house, takes a room most
people don’t have, and is expensive, with grow lights and electricity that will
compete with air conditioners for power on the grid. Why should we have to buy powerful lights and
electricity when we have sunlight? Why
should we have to buy expensive filters for the very necessary ventilation of
grow rooms?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You want
to make it illegal for poor people to grow pot.
It is no comfort that our police chief says that it will be enforced by
complaint only. That only allows for
unequal enforcement of the law. We
already get almost no enforcement against litter and weeds in poor
neighborhoods, where it is dangerous to complain anyways, about things that are
obvious to anyone who looks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Poor
people who are afraid to complain about their neighbors will get no protection
from this law, and can expect no protection when our complaints about trash and
weeds are ignored. The auditors you
hired told you that enforcement by complaint isn’t enforcement; doesn’t work; and
is unfair to citizens. But you’ve ignored them, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Likewise,
the legislature passed a law allowing medical marijuana dispensaries, but you
won’t allow them. We passed Measure 91
to allow us to grow our own and buy it in stores, and you fight it every inch
of the way. Do you wonder why we don’t
trust our local governments, and why the county levy failed again?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you
pass such an ordinance, we will ignore it.
Many won’t even know about it…. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .25in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(I ran out of time, with two sentences
left).</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-632654761837485112015-05-20T11:11:00.000-07:002015-11-14T09:00:32.125-08:00How police can restore our trust <div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Open letter to police and their superiors:</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Honorable Public
Servants,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> Police across the country are asking us how to restore
trust in police and the governments they serve.
You can start with how you talk and write about us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Stop calling us males and females!</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> We are men, women, boys and girls, simple
words that convey not only our gender, but whether we are adults or children,
and our humanity. Any animal and some
plants are male or female. Only people
are men, women, boys and girls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Don’t call us subjects. We are people, person in the singular. Calling us subjects makes us either a topic
or inferior to our public servants, not people equal in right. We are subject to the law, not to the people
who enforce it, who are also subject to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Don’t call me an
individual, which only means one, not even one person but one thing, and takes
5 syllables to do it. The longer the
word, the less it touches our hearts and changes our minds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">These words not only
dehumanize us, they take the humanity and drama out of reports of our
conduct. When writing reports, you
should feel and convey the humanity of the people you are writing about and the
drama of our actions and yours, using few and simple words to do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">We may not think about
the words you use about us, but we feel excluded by them just the same. You probably don’t think about the way they
exclude us and elevate you, but the words you use show and affect how you think
about us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Enforce the law equally against and in favor of us all.</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> Unequal enforcement and protection of the law
angers us even more than how you speak about us, because we think about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">For instance, it takes at
least two people in many cases for a piece of litter to hit the ground and stay
there: the person who dropped it and the one who lets it lie on his property. Sometimes they are the same person. But the person who dropped it is likely to be
cited if you see one drop it in public, while the one who lets it lie on his
property until it rots is rarely even warned to clean it up, though the offense
is ongoing and obvious. What’s more, the
one who dropped it is only likely to be cited if the person looks poor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Enforce codes against property neglect as you go about your
business, and do not make citizens do your job of complaining about disorder</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">. Unlike barking dogs and parking too long on
the street, the offense is ongoing and obvious to all; citizen complaints are
unnecessary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Enforcement of property
maintenance codes by citizen complaint is unfair to the citizens who pay you to
enforce the law. It is particularly
unfair to the poor, because complaining about a neighbor’s property in a poor
neighborhood can be dangerous. When poor
people complain about property neglect, we get blown off, belittled, and
sometimes threatened or attacked by the offender. When rich people complain about a neighbor
violating code, they get enforcement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Much has been said about the abuses of “Broken Windows”
policing, and the superiority of Community Policing. </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">But both policing theories are featured in the
same article, “Broken Windows,” by James Q. Wilson, published in the New Yorker
in 1982. In it, he started out writing about
how unrepaired broken windows cause more vandalism and theft, and that a broken
window on a car will cause it to be battered and stripped in a city where it
would otherwise be respected. He moves
on to how people are more satisfied with police that walk their neighborhoods
and talk to them instead of driving around in their cars. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">But he never mentions the
disorderly neglect that gets a disorderly person to break the first window in
an abandoned building: weeds and litter.
And he goes on to tell us that police should control disorderly street
people by unequal enforcement of nuisance codes, concentrating on vagrants,
prostitutes, and drug dealers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">We got Community Policing
in the ‘90s, encouraged by federal grants for more police. It went away after the grants ended, and you
moved on to just oppressing street people and drug dealers. The property bubble that started growing
during the ‘90s allowed bankers, developers and speculators to take over our city
governments and stop enforcement of property maintenance codes, allowing them to
hold vacant lots without the expense of maintenance until they got the price
they wanted. Some never got that price,
and those lots still grow and spread nuisance and noxious weeds and collect
litter. So do businesses whose owners don’t
care to keep their lots clean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The true function of government is to keep order, and its
means are the necessary evil of nagging, backed up by force: fines and jail. </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Rights are necessary evils, allowed and defended
by governments to keep people from being so oppressed that they revolt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Street drug dealing and
prostitution are created by bans on drugs and prostitution, laws that create disorderly
black markets. Repeal the bans and the
prescription system; allow drugs and casual sex to be sold, regulated, and
taxed like any other product or service; and street selling will stop. Enforce and obey city and county codes
against litter and weeds, and disorderly
people will not find the disorderly habitat that encourages disorderly conduct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Talk and write about us
as people, not things. Enforce property
and nuisance codes against rich and poor alike.
Repeal laws that create disorderly black markets that pull our children
away from honest work in favor of risky riches.
Do these things, and we will love and trust our governments.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
</div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-65639550181589469242015-02-17T07:54:00.001-08:002015-02-17T07:54:29.817-08:00City: Give businesses a level playing field<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD7NOOtVNeYhm6fYHjGqgQDTkqFbfky0sLNTZ-ovnZw7PCq2A5AzC2eXz82VCzHKAjjTuIQ6MV48a_eIwZBmOEHqRlWS67o9hBJqHBYp7vZLlAwXuNDbCY-iuq_1ybb5QVBT1mavS6Ri8/s1600/litter+side+of+lot,+2-16-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD7NOOtVNeYhm6fYHjGqgQDTkqFbfky0sLNTZ-ovnZw7PCq2A5AzC2eXz82VCzHKAjjTuIQ6MV48a_eIwZBmOEHqRlWS67o9hBJqHBYp7vZLlAwXuNDbCY-iuq_1ybb5QVBT1mavS6Ri8/s1600/litter+side+of+lot,+2-16-15.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Litter at Walmart, 8:00 AM, 2-16-15</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">It is sometimes said that enforcing city codes “provides a level
playing field” for businesses. What does
this mean?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">A playing field with goal posts has to be level from end to end or
one team would be running uphill to score, while the other would be running
downhill and would have a built-in advantage.
So it is when property nuisance codes are not enforced. One business spends the time and money it
takes to keep its property clean and orderly, while another doesn’t spend it,
and can price its products or services a little cheaper and attract more
customers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">You might think that customers would be offended by litter and
weeds. That might be the case with
businesses selling luxuries like hot tubs.
But customers of big-box and convenience stores are not so offended that
they don’t shop. Big box stores aim
their advertising at people more concerned with price than orderly appearances,
and convenience store customers care most about convenience; they won’t drive
around, looking for a neater, safer-looking store. Bars serve customers who are generally more
disorderly and create more litter; butts scattered around the entrance don’t
deter them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">As our city has become more weedy and littered, many of us have
become used to it, stopped seeing it, and cleanliness has lost its value as
advertising. Visitors who come from cleaner
places usually don’t say anything, but they also don’t come back. Industries thinking about moving here think
again, because we don’t look industrious.
But litter and weeds look good to call centers that depend on people
desperate for any work they can get.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEh2tbSTaV_hgIs7u1CjPf221nd_i8OQ5m_Jt7fGOmZpOT5iDI-Pryn7GiC6JoejZU97GryNuW6DiKA6XZRpgzzviXvw2wN53-hzPZrrHiOZ7RSMf2ALa9KfYr_b8f_SI2TteRCb7aknW/s1600/litter+in+lot,+2-16-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEh2tbSTaV_hgIs7u1CjPf221nd_i8OQ5m_Jt7fGOmZpOT5iDI-Pryn7GiC6JoejZU97GryNuW6DiKA6XZRpgzzviXvw2wN53-hzPZrrHiOZ7RSMf2ALa9KfYr_b8f_SI2TteRCb7aknW/s1600/litter+in+lot,+2-16-15.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Walmart, front of store, 2-16-15</span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">We have two big box grocery stores next to each other, with
another soon to move in nearby. The
first one, Fred Meyer, was fairly neat, having regular employees picking up
litter during the day. Walmart has a
crew come in every two weeks to clean up litter, apparently at night when it is
harder to see but there are few cars in the way. Between visits, it gets quite littered. When asked why, they said that they have too
much business to keep up.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84BZsHjHFfEj4gJOgzCJmMWO_oPB4KUq6rxnEnwbL0h_8nHlVuXfXZg-nf5AgjYsFbJG9r7XUUnFwYc6Ke-w42swnPbhbSO40ajqlrR1CyKSruruqXkRNJhwhyd6mCRoNGtOqFo-r2eaf/s1600/litter+next+to+building.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84BZsHjHFfEj4gJOgzCJmMWO_oPB4KUq6rxnEnwbL0h_8nHlVuXfXZg-nf5AgjYsFbJG9r7XUUnFwYc6Ke-w42swnPbhbSO40ajqlrR1CyKSruruqXkRNJhwhyd6mCRoNGtOqFo-r2eaf/s1600/litter+next+to+building.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Fred Meyer, next to the bottle return</span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Fred Meyer started slacking off on its cleaning in the last year
and is now nearly as littered as Walmart. Our
new big-box home improvement store, Home Depot, has been rather littered since
it opened, and is littered even inside their store. It is surrounded by weeds, though they sell landscape
maintenance equipment. Winco is coming;
will they copy Walmart too?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIR_aszagHWt0yoYJfYmkR8L9b_X_148RzBhwcVw2ILx9PhKnnlKOq8CFYB3e9a4T-zjF2LnUY5blIXdlsVzjBH2jHlPMXu8FQIkHdTe7j4_KZ4WANgyC-s_-Jn_NF7cj2LrIB2hPIp3qC/s1600/litter+in+shrubs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIR_aszagHWt0yoYJfYmkR8L9b_X_148RzBhwcVw2ILx9PhKnnlKOq8CFYB3e9a4T-zjF2LnUY5blIXdlsVzjBH2jHlPMXu8FQIkHdTe7j4_KZ4WANgyC-s_-Jn_NF7cj2LrIB2hPIp3qC/s1600/litter+in+shrubs.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Old litter in shrubs at Home Depot, 2-16-15</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpN908hcDm5u4AJbEHEw1r2-1CYy3lt9CWZVNqnRobgTmhzM92c5v7lQ85tzDU9hHcolsebA395gNSfRgIuXhrmtQy0HN6D5lkODtVJUB2U7oE307p4s9RvXMMpHjUe7L9L4CpzEVLmYw_/s1600/litter+in+store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpN908hcDm5u4AJbEHEw1r2-1CYy3lt9CWZVNqnRobgTmhzM92c5v7lQ85tzDU9hHcolsebA395gNSfRgIuXhrmtQy0HN6D5lkODtVJUB2U7oE307p4s9RvXMMpHjUe7L9L4CpzEVLmYw_/s1600/litter+in+store.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Litter inside Home Depot</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zAL5rJo4ssCzOOA6VcoFIXNU78_weByDlTuU7_JfdYw1LyCkfud57JNFAL_YIS7qHexTaUPZy-NLfeiv3iHS7_3Me_ZiB0FZiIdDKIuT9n1GhrNwhm8H48uYbiv8TbClu7oUxexjBEMm/s1600/litter+in+weeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zAL5rJo4ssCzOOA6VcoFIXNU78_weByDlTuU7_JfdYw1LyCkfud57JNFAL_YIS7qHexTaUPZy-NLfeiv3iHS7_3Me_ZiB0FZiIdDKIuT9n1GhrNwhm8H48uYbiv8TbClu7oUxexjBEMm/s1600/litter+in+weeds.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Litter in the weeds surrounding Home Depot's parking lot, 2-16-15</span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Big corporations do nothing that local police don’t make them do
when it comes to maintaining cleanliness and order. They set the tone for landscape maintenance
in our city by default. Ask our police
to enforce our standard, and provide the clean, level playing field that we
need for all businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 28.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Grants
Pass Property Nuisance Codes:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5.12.050 Weed, Grass, Snow and Ice
Removal. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1.
No owner or person in charge of property, improved or unimproved, abutting on a
public sidewalk or right of way adjacent to a public sidewalk may permit: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A. Snow to remain on
the sidewalk for a period longer than the first two hours of daylight after the
snow has fallen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">B. Ice to cover or
remain on the sidewalk, after the first two hours of daylight after the ice has
formed. Such person shall remove ice accumulating on the sidewalk or cover the
ice with sand, ashes, or other suitable material to assure safe travel. (Ord.
2901 §9, 1960) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">C. <b>Weeds or grass from growing or remaining on the sidewalk for a period
longer than two weeks or consisting of a length greater than 6 inches. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2.
Property owners and persons in charge of property, improved or unimproved,
abutting on right of way adjacent to a public sidewalk shall be responsible for
the maintenance of said right of way, including but not limited to: <b>keeping it free from weeds; watering and
caring for any plants and trees planted herein; maintaining any groundcover
placed by the City</b>; maintaining any groundcover as required by other sections of the Municipal Code or the
Grants Pass Development Code. (Ord. 5380 § 18, 2006) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5.12.060 Weeds and Noxious Growth. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No
owner or person in charge of property may permit <b>weeds or other noxious vegetation</b> to grow upon his property. It is
the duty of an owner or person in charge of property to cut down or to destroy
weeds or other noxious vegetation from <b>becoming
unsightly</b>, or from becoming a fire hazard, <b>or from maturing or going to seed</b>. (Ord. 2901 §10, 1960) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5.12.070 Scattering Rubbish. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No
person may throw, dump, or deposit upon public or private property, and <b>no person may keep on private property</b>,
any injurious or offensive substance or <b>any
kind of rubbish, (including but not limited to garbage, trash, waste, refuse,
and junk)</b>, appliances, motor vehicles or parts thereof, building materials,
machinery, or any other substance which would <b>mar the appearance</b>, create a stench, or <b>detract from the cleanliness</b> or safety of such property, or would
be likely to injure any animal, vehicle, or person traveling upon any public
way. (Ord. 2901 §11, 1960; Ord. 4397 §1, 1981) (Ord. 5379 § 18, 2006) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Special February protest
issue, sold</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b> at the Mail Center, 305 NE 6<sup>th</sup> <o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pass this
leaflet to the City Grants Pass, or call.
Write a letter to really impress them.</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rycke Brown, Natural Gardener 541-955-9040 rycke@gardener.com<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-73004729497717100132015-01-08T07:32:00.001-08:002015-01-08T07:36:41.625-08:00City: Enforce Our Codes; Give Us Order<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbM8FX6zla9IXY5IcRngpb87HJ6WDpdVLrcshcJe6xtoj2bchSjyNzcYPnZ1nDmtlJmVA3pHVbDFC8XPk0PltPmTwZslkTuLHUBQleTotnL2URwNBTl1Ta66q-wmorDStx8gfuZkpTxDp/s1600/Riverside+parapet,+9-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbM8FX6zla9IXY5IcRngpb87HJ6WDpdVLrcshcJe6xtoj2bchSjyNzcYPnZ1nDmtlJmVA3pHVbDFC8XPk0PltPmTwZslkTuLHUBQleTotnL2URwNBTl1Ta66q-wmorDStx8gfuZkpTxDp/s1600/Riverside+parapet,+9-13.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Behind the parapet of the Caveman Bridge on Riverside Inn property, 9-13-14</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">We have long had a problem with law enforcement in our city and
county, long before the federal government stopped subsidizing our county with
timber cutting and grants. Petty theft was rampant long before we had to
start releasing inmates from our jail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">One reason is the disorder that the city has tolerated for decades. Disorderly criminals know that they can do
what they wish on a neglected property, because no one cares about it. They build their disorderly habitat by
littering, and target disorderly places for camping, vandalism, and theft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">We recently had a public safety performance audit. The auditor made a point that the city must
enforce its property maintenance codes; that enforcement by complaint is not
enforcement, does not work, and is unfair to citizens who hire police to
enforce laws; and police and firemen should notice and report violations as
they go about their work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">City police seem to think that they need special permission from
the Council to enforce laws that are already on our books. Our City Charter mandates that the City
Manager enforce all city codes. Police
have all the authority that they need from the Council and citizens; they don’t
have the authority to ignore our codes and our Charter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Our property maintenance codes are among our nuisance codes and
development codes. The nuisance code
provides for abatement when the City Manager determines that a nuisance
exists. It doesn’t have to be considered
a safety hazard any more, as it was recently changed by the Council. The admin fee for abatement was also raised
to 20%. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">This should be sufficient signal from the Council that they want
the codes fully enforced. But the city
apparently still cites and abates only when a nuisance is determined to be a
safety hazard, and still doesn’t bother to <i>warn</i>
property owners or residents before officers consider it worth abating, even
telling the offenders that there is no violation when violation is obvious and
has been complained about. They don’t
appear to cite and abate any businesses or vacant lots, but only residential
properties and smaller lots near residences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The city should warn people when they are in violation of our code
while it is easy to clean up, and stop hazards from developing. They should start with litter, a word not
mentioned in the code, but which is obviously included in it. If the city would stop tolerating trash on
the ground and warn us to clean it up, it would be cleaned up within a week, or
a month for those who insist in being cited.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Special January protest
issue, at</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> <b>GPlittercleaner.blogspot.com
and at the Mail Center, 305 NE 6<sup>th</sup> <o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pass this
leaflet to the City Grants Pass, or call.
Write a letter to really impress them.</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rycke Brown, Natural Gardener 541-955-9040 rycke@gardener.com<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 32.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Grants
Pass Property Nuisance Codes:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5.12.050 Weed, Grass, Snow and Ice
Removal. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1.
No owner or person in charge of property, improved or unimproved, abutting on a
public sidewalk or right of way adjacent to a public sidewalk may permit: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A. Snow to remain on
the sidewalk for a period longer than the first two hours of daylight after the
snow has fallen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">B. Ice to cover or
remain on the sidewalk, after the first two hours of daylight after the ice has
formed. Such person shall remove ice accumulating on the sidewalk or cover the
ice with sand, ashes, or other suitable material to assure safe travel. (Ord.
2901 §9, 1960) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">C. <b>Weeds or grass from growing or remaining on the sidewalk for a period
longer than two weeks or consisting of a length greater than 6 inches. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2.
Property owners and persons in charge of property, improved or unimproved,
abutting on right of way adjacent to a public sidewalk shall be responsible for
the maintenance of said right of way, including but not limited to: <b>keeping it free from weeds; watering and
caring for any plants and trees planted herein; maintaining any groundcover
placed by the City</b>; maintaining any groundcover as required by other sections of the Municipal Code or the
Grants Pass Development Code. (Ord. 5380 § 18, 2006) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5.12.060 Weeds and Noxious Growth. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No
owner or person in charge of property may permit <b>weeds or other noxious vegetation</b> to grow upon his property. It is
the duty of an owner or person in charge of property to cut down or to destroy
weeds or other noxious vegetation from <b>becoming
unsightly</b>, or from becoming a fire hazard, <b>or from maturing or going to seed</b>. (Ord. 2901 §10, 1960) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5.12.070 Scattering Rubbish. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No
person may throw, dump, or deposit upon public or private property, and <b>no person may keep on private property</b>,
any injurious or offensive substance or <b>any
kind of rubbish, (including but not limited to garbage, trash, waste, refuse,
and junk)</b>, appliances, motor vehicles or parts thereof, building materials,
machinery, or any other substance which would <b>mar the appearance</b>, create a stench, or <b>detract from the cleanliness</b> or safety of such property, or would
be likely to injure any animal, vehicle, or person traveling upon any public
way. (Ord. 2901 §11, 1960; Ord. 4397 §1, 1981) (Ord. 5379 § 18, 2006) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-87045038751244441192014-12-20T09:09:00.000-08:002014-12-20T09:09:50.601-08:00Big Business, help us keep order<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">We have a problem with keeping public order in Grants Pass and
Josephine County. Our voters have so far
refused to pass a law enforcement levy for Josephine County. While we have plenty of police officers in
Grants Pass, we are short on guards for our county jail, prosecutors to enforce
minor violations, and juvenile justice beds, and will be short at least until
we pass a levy. If we don’t pass one,
public order will only deteriorate further.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Thanks to the property bubble and its decades-long dominance of
our city government by developers and bankers, our property maintenance codes
have not been enforced at the nuisance level in years, and safety hazards are
enforced mainly against homeowners.
Enforcement was greatly weakened in 2006 when our then-City-Manager
David Frasher stopped police and firemen from noticing and warning against
property neglect and started a Code Enforcement department, soon called
Community Service, which is the place where property nuisance complaints go to
die.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">We have recently had a public safety performance audit. One of its findings was that property
maintenance codes must be fully enforced; enforcement by complaint is not
enforcement and is not fair to the citizens; and police and firemen should
notice property neglect and report it to Community Service/Code
Enforcement. But the ship of government
is slow to turn, and our public order and safety is in critical condition
now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Enforcement of maintenance codes creates a level playing field for
businesses to compete while keeping their properties neat, clean and safe. Non-enforcement creates unfair competition
from those who do not maintain their properties and creates the disorderly
habitat that criminals prefer. Large
businesses with large parking lots set the tone for property maintenance for
smaller businesses, and have an outsized influence on the people who shop in
such stores, getting them accustomed to litter and weeds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Please do not wait for Grants Pass to start enforcing its nuisance
codes against litter and weeds; hire the workers necessary to clean your lot
and keep it clean all hours you are open. Such workers can also serve your customers
with eyes and security in your parking lot.
Then ask Grants Pass to enforce its code against your competitors, and
create that level playing field. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Show your orderly customers how much you care about their
enjoyment and safety while walking in your parking lot and shopping in your
store. Show your respect for our laws
and city codes. Make thieves less
comfortable stealing from customers in your lot, and litterers feel less free
to drop their trash. With your help, we
can clean up Grants Pass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Special December issue, at</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> <b>GPlittercleaner.blogspot.com
and at the Mail Center, 305 NE 6<sup>th</sup> St. <o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pass this
leaflet to a big lot business or the City Grants Pass. Write a letter to really impress them.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<b style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rycke Brown, Natural Gardener 541-955-9040 rycke@gardener.com</span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 28.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Grants Pass Property Nuisance Codes:</span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5.12.050 Weed, Grass, Snow and Ice
Removal. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1.
No owner or person in charge of property, improved or unimproved, abutting on a
public sidewalk or right of way adjacent to a public sidewalk may permit: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A. Snow to remain on
the sidewalk for a period longer than the first two hours of daylight after the
snow has fallen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">B. Ice to cover or
remain on the sidewalk, after the first two hours of daylight after the ice has
formed. Such person shall remove ice accumulating on the sidewalk or cover the
ice with sand, ashes, or other suitable material to assure safe travel. (Ord.
2901 §9, 1960) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">C. <b>Weeds or grass from growing or remaining on the sidewalk for a period
longer than two weeks or consisting of a length greater than 6 inches. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2.
Property owners and persons in charge of property, improved or unimproved,
abutting on right of way adjacent to a public sidewalk shall be responsible for
the maintenance of said right of way, including but not limited to: <b>keeping it free from weeds; watering and
caring for any plants and trees planted herein; maintaining any groundcover
placed by the City</b>; maintaining any groundcover as required by other sections of the Municipal Code or the
Grants Pass Development Code. (Ord. 5380 § 18, 2006) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5.12.060 Weeds and Noxious Growth. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No
owner or person in charge of property may permit <b>weeds or other noxious vegetation</b> to grow upon his property. It is
the duty of an owner or person in charge of property to cut down or to destroy
weeds or other noxious vegetation from <b>becoming
unsightly</b>, or from becoming a fire hazard, <b>or from maturing or going to seed</b>. (Ord. 2901 §10, 1960) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5.12.070 Scattering Rubbish. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No
person may throw, dump, or deposit upon public or private property, and <b>no person may keep on private property</b>,
any injurious or offensive substance or <b>any
kind of rubbish, (including but not limited to garbage, trash, waste, refuse,
and junk)</b>, appliances, motor vehicles or parts thereof, building materials,
machinery, or any other substance which would <b>mar the appearance</b>, create a stench, or <b>detract from the cleanliness</b> or safety of such property, or would
be likely to injure any animal, vehicle, or person traveling upon any public
way. (Ord. 2901 §11, 1960; Ord. 4397 §1, 1981) (Ord. 5379 § 18, 2006) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-73613148580589147742014-12-05T12:34:00.000-08:002014-12-05T12:58:07.176-08:00Walmart, Keep Your Lot Clean<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">When this litter-cleaning protester started cleaning Walmart’s lot
one day back in January, one of their managers forbade me to do so, perhaps
recognizing that it was not a service; it was a protest of their litter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">She said that they have a crew that cleans their lot, every two
weeks. I pointed out that every two
weeks was clearly not enough. She said
that they also send out people to clean as needed. And yet, their lot was very littered. “We have too much volume to keep up with it!”
she cried. I said that meant that they make
enough money to keep it clean, yet I have never seen anyone cleaning their lot,
though I have at other stores.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgqcIFcc3tXp5t9KtWULK4VkWspw2BrwDQOgO8C9J49uO1p6-bB1g2wik7nlfrNxGrJGladLTzqR9NgvN2uRJx30uJBBT1LP0hocBOSeVtcaY54P53brtyJOQIDVvV60VLqI5RVUHnKiM/s1600/Grants+Pass+Walmart,+compressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgqcIFcc3tXp5t9KtWULK4VkWspw2BrwDQOgO8C9J49uO1p6-bB1g2wik7nlfrNxGrJGladLTzqR9NgvN2uRJx30uJBBT1LP0hocBOSeVtcaY54P53brtyJOQIDVvV60VLqI5RVUHnKiM/s1600/Grants+Pass+Walmart,+compressed.jpg" height="524" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Grants Pass Walmart, January</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I called Walmart headquarters about their litter cleaning
policies. They said that they have a
separate litter crew clean every other week, and clean otherwise as
needed. I told them that, at this store,
it is not cleaned as needed. While
traveling later that year, I checked out Walmarts in other cities; they were
just as bad as ours. It seems that
Walmart, like many corporations, has a policy of doing no more than local
police make them do to comply with city codes, and like ours, many cities don’t
push them to keep their lot clean.</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmE-La5g7J2ziOIxGQZZGfFmf8S31kNX4FG_lNN_dMbCxitqhhyG2HTL_f_075XaNlXXHMsnYPH0LdSaa2pXA7Vx2Flz_ef5shwKff3-k7643MVA2kJMH8K5zehx4GaxGx_nY3Aaq6_ZgZ/s1600/Walmart,+Newport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmE-La5g7J2ziOIxGQZZGfFmf8S31kNX4FG_lNN_dMbCxitqhhyG2HTL_f_075XaNlXXHMsnYPH0LdSaa2pXA7Vx2Flz_ef5shwKff3-k7643MVA2kJMH8K5zehx4GaxGx_nY3Aaq6_ZgZ/s1600/Walmart,+Newport.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Newport Walmart, March</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Fast food franchises also have a lot of disorderly customers, but
they actually work at keeping their little lots clean, sending out a worker
several times a day to clean, to protect their franchise reputations. People expect restaurants to be clean,
outside as well as inside.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPF18gnpVH5BZPSjettlLNC8GtlxrrNYkhOOCcOZ8cgm9gKfO8yg3QjFF9BVE8NYiBKt4MrrNjamUt9hXAWosbvVuF9-IBxXo287mgtrJNsL2P8UTEUjCGGBMvWPDjGgriQFuC4yTfMxI/s1600/Litter+in+landscaping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPF18gnpVH5BZPSjettlLNC8GtlxrrNYkhOOCcOZ8cgm9gKfO8yg3QjFF9BVE8NYiBKt4MrrNjamUt9hXAWosbvVuF9-IBxXo287mgtrJNsL2P8UTEUjCGGBMvWPDjGgriQFuC4yTfMxI/s1600/Litter+in+landscaping.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Fairly new bark in Grants Pass Walmart lot, holding litter, mostly butts</span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Letting litter lie around Walmart’s lot builds the disorderly habitat
that criminals prefer, contributing to theft in their lot. Having a few people out in the lot cleaning
all the time would not only make the place more orderly; it would provide
security to shoppers. Cameras are useful
mainly after the crime and cover limited areas; a person working on litter
cleaning can see someone breaking into a car and call the cops immediately, and
criminals know it.</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICJxEvi9H2awGLh-meXqc5M0-DrnZ6nmSVG2uzoS1PBGRs81aC9_QE4LaLdKS_HaX7cd40XjXSOIJIVrkFJ4xbygpCWpAicq8MrxgaM7hI9t60Om-QJjmhTwPiwJZwioLVwOjWgiRGCbM/s1600/bottle+machines+litter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICJxEvi9H2awGLh-meXqc5M0-DrnZ6nmSVG2uzoS1PBGRs81aC9_QE4LaLdKS_HaX7cd40XjXSOIJIVrkFJ4xbygpCWpAicq8MrxgaM7hI9t60Om-QJjmhTwPiwJZwioLVwOjWgiRGCbM/s1600/bottle+machines+litter.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Litter, mostly under bottle machines, because they sweep rather than
using a grabber</span> </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDMOSRn_RRR9l7A3dkdYS8C5YD5oOh7WDLAxJWAqkgdXBbeS9qFybxtodv_pO0ALFmKAT2m7X0Yb9daL159GlvWd9VJtnq9snXMPiRb0bBXEsgjYdALXcivq5QSwsXeupu2tSzQ_37xZF/s1600/cleaning+tools+next+to+bottle+machines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDMOSRn_RRR9l7A3dkdYS8C5YD5oOh7WDLAxJWAqkgdXBbeS9qFybxtodv_pO0ALFmKAT2m7X0Yb9daL159GlvWd9VJtnq9snXMPiRb0bBXEsgjYdALXcivq5QSwsXeupu2tSzQ_37xZF/s1600/cleaning+tools+next+to+bottle+machines.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The tools provided for cleaners by the bottle machines: brooms and a
dustpan</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">As one of the largest stores and parking lots in town, they set a
bad example for the rest; other large stores seem to follow their lead. They have improved slightly lately, but are
clearly not giving their workers sufficient time and proper tools to do the job,
as small litter abounds. Litter cleaners
need litter grabbers, an item that Walmart sells and could easily provide to
their cleaners. They should have 3 or 4
cleaners with grabbers and buckets in their lot during the day and evening
hours, working on it for their whole shift, and rotate that duty among their
newer workers, teaching all of their employees not to litter and to pick it up
when they see it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTUwBGn6HTmtz3uZJ2ZAwmoqARJjyiqpyYZTrQbeqnQ7YKcSoLKlAfi4SdUUOGO6I5uCdP2hKLuKmcIBUzpTyx3aAyJIr5qVKzBTbkvjx1C3o-af4RruAThPcIMQT4xKi_bivyWCzbO_m/s1600/lots+of+small+litter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTUwBGn6HTmtz3uZJ2ZAwmoqARJjyiqpyYZTrQbeqnQ7YKcSoLKlAfi4SdUUOGO6I5uCdP2hKLuKmcIBUzpTyx3aAyJIr5qVKzBTbkvjx1C3o-af4RruAThPcIMQT4xKi_bivyWCzbO_m/s1600/lots+of+small+litter.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Lots of little litter means not enough time spent or proper tools used</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Walmart shows their contempt for their customers and employees by
not keeping their lot clean. Most of us
do not litter, and we would prefer a clean parking lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Special December issue, at</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> <b>GPlittercleaner.blogspot.com
and at the Mail Center, 305 NE 6<sup>th</sup> St. <o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Gardening
is easy if you do it naturally. Litter
is tagging, marking the territory of the disorderly.</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Rycke
Brown, Natural Gardener 541-955-9040 rycke@gardener.com</span></b>Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-57853985841174291262014-11-29T08:17:00.000-08:002014-12-02T05:25:05.735-08:00Picketing: Extreme Peer Pressure<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">A few years ago, in an article in the Grants Pass <i>Daily Courier</i> about my problem with the
litter and weed problems in this city, our then-City-Manager Laurel Samson
said, “We enforce our nuisance codes by peer pressure.” Trouble was then and still is that almost no
peers are willing to apply it. Like any
necessary evil, it doesn’t necessarily win one friends, and it can be dangerous
when one tries to correct a disorderly person.
This is why we have police, public nags, to do dangerous jobs like
telling someone that one’s property is disorderly and one needs to clean it up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">But our city police presently are forbidden to enforce or even
notice property maintenance and other city codes, the better to enforce state
laws, one supposes, though our City Charter demands that the Manager enforce
all city codes and does not mention state laws.
Our previous manager, David Frasher, in 2006 set up a Code Enforcement
Department of non-sworn officers, soon renamed as “Community Service Officers,”
(CSOs) supposedly to enforce city codes, but actually to be the place where
property nuisance complaints go to die, while complaints about other code
violations like lack of sign permits and fees are enforced. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">When nuisances ripen into safety hazards, CSOs eventually cite and
abate the hazard. But even hazards are
not enforced against until they become a big enough hassle to clean up that the
responsible party might let the city to do it for profit. They used to charge a 10% of cost
administration fee for hazard abatements; it recently was raised to 20%. After all, people will clean up a minor
nuisance or safety hazard with only a warning from a cop, which makes no money
for the city. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> But the purpose of nuisance codes is to stop safety hazards from
developing. When police won’t do their
job of necessary nagging, the responsibility for it falls on private people,
“peer pressure,” as Ms. Samson said.
This Litter Cleaner has been applying a subtle kind of peer pressure for
the last year, demonstrating cleaning of litter on private and public
properties. It has been too subtle, and
subtlety doesn’t work for a protest. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuLW4GqG8FmbxZNthiNd-7U8f6_MJjkgGyn4dX8KKnqjsVtErNfKgZY5xvR9ILFPqKX-o8CjHzCRyqBj6MSpv6QmurdCQHnqAe2lEMU0qfRv6fZQZdcrz983drLomEqheK_JKnL8B5bY9/s1600/stacked+boxes,+closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuLW4GqG8FmbxZNthiNd-7U8f6_MJjkgGyn4dX8KKnqjsVtErNfKgZY5xvR9ILFPqKX-o8CjHzCRyqBj6MSpv6QmurdCQHnqAe2lEMU0qfRv6fZQZdcrz983drLomEqheK_JKnL8B5bY9/s1600/stacked+boxes,+closeup.jpg" height="554" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s time to make it blatant, by picketing one property at a time,
starting with the most egregious offender, a restaurant that piles empty boxes
out front of their store under their overhang, an obvious safety problem. Let’s see how long it takes them to clean up
their exterior with a protester holding a sign for a couple of hours per week
and handing out leaflets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> (It took about a half-hour, and was not pleasant for anyone involved. The next target is Walmart, which is the
biggest offender, will be tougher, and won’t take it so personally.)</span></i>Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-20099607873727271042014-11-28T10:19:00.000-08:002014-12-02T05:22:02.514-08:00I'm done cleaning on the Miracle Mile<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Some businesses, along the blocks of the Miracle Mile that I've
been cleaning under the sponsorship of KAJO/KLDR, have been slacking off on
their own litter cleaning. This shows that, if you do something for others for
free, they will stop doing it themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Not everyone has done so. Some have actually improved a bit,
namely the Fruitdale Grange, which has lately begun renovating their
landscaping, and last week cleaned up the bamboo and maple leaves along the
north edge of their lot. </span></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDhoEUq4v69MBjypCcK-w7EqnW8ZPjQEOyNm9Xb-BAelhiQ6jOXasNEw2jALH8Sbhv654gI4fTS5SE-mPVCRQze_Trwcw7L5C2BaSystoKNF637ogWXP8ZwO-qtN4IgE9CLCZIFonmQBM/s1600/East+side+of+Leo's%2BBBQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDhoEUq4v69MBjypCcK-w7EqnW8ZPjQEOyNm9Xb-BAelhiQ6jOXasNEw2jALH8Sbhv654gI4fTS5SE-mPVCRQze_Trwcw7L5C2BaSystoKNF637ogWXP8ZwO-qtN4IgE9CLCZIFonmQBM/s1600/East+side+of+Leo's%2BBBQ.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Then there is a certain restaurant, which has been so slovenly
that I started calling police on them for leaving their boxes piled up within
sight of passersby, where they could burn if a firebug took the notion, and attractive nuisance back in
the corner of the fence that they share with another property. Their
employees also throw their butts everywhere, including the property next door.</span><br />
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuLW4GqG8FmbxZNthiNd-7U8f6_MJjkgGyn4dX8KKnqjsVtErNfKgZY5xvR9ILFPqKX-o8CjHzCRyqBj6MSpv6QmurdCQHnqAe2lEMU0qfRv6fZQZdcrz983drLomEqheK_JKnL8B5bY9/s1600/stacked+boxes,+closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuLW4GqG8FmbxZNthiNd-7U8f6_MJjkgGyn4dX8KKnqjsVtErNfKgZY5xvR9ILFPqKX-o8CjHzCRyqBj6MSpv6QmurdCQHnqAe2lEMU0qfRv6fZQZdcrz983drLomEqheK_JKnL8B5bY9/s1600/stacked+boxes,+closeup.jpg" height="554" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">An employee confronted me a while back about calling the cops, when I
was shaking my head at their having moved their boxes to the front of their
building, under their overhang where they would stay dry, burnable and even
more accessible. She said that the cop had been there 5 times and he said
that it was okay to stack boxes if they were broken down and flattened. I
see no such allowance for storing such trash on the ground in our nuisance
code.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">What became crystal clear to me on the day before Thanksgiving is
that regular weekly cleaning does not work as a protest, even while wearing a
tunic sign. One becomes like Mom cleaning house or a servant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfuRqWbecM4vPKjmOep3EyrPSa0pcG3LOd2IPhsh1CjwAKgLwg2o51JvlqqV6RXmBcGciN2DAcM84OP94jUlJx4pBE5K1MSwPcf68Rk-1hSGV1Ldq7j5FegEflBUnuPvbOyt_FG1mDPWh/s1600/Lil+Pantry+edge+closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfuRqWbecM4vPKjmOep3EyrPSa0pcG3LOd2IPhsh1CjwAKgLwg2o51JvlqqV6RXmBcGciN2DAcM84OP94jUlJx4pBE5K1MSwPcf68Rk-1hSGV1Ldq7j5FegEflBUnuPvbOyt_FG1mDPWh/s1600/Lil+Pantry+edge+closeup.jpg" height="522" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">It was L'il Pantry who made me call it a day and an end, looking
at the trash at one end of their lot. I
had noticed the trash on their lot increasing; this was the most butts I'd seen
on this edge yet. It was obvious that their workers never get to this
edge of their lot, and apparently picked up little or nothing between my weekly
visits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">When I first
started picking up their lot, I gave them a prize for “no old trash” on their
property. Perhaps the worker who liked to keep things clean had quit and
no one has taken up the work, a common problem, which means that their owner
does not care. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I get the best reaction from a neighborhood when I clean an area
occasionally rather than regularly. Once a week is too often; people are
willing to wait for it rather than do the work themselves. It actually
sets a bad example, implying that weekly is often enough, when litter cleaning
needs to be done at least daily, several times a day at restaurants, bars, and
convenience stores. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">So I am done with protest cleaning of any private property, and
will end my weekly cleaning under the Caveman Bridge. The City will
continue to depend on me to clean it if I keep doing it. I may picket that
restaurant’s unsafe disorderly conduct and the city over their toleration of
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">I owe KAJO/KLDR for the two months or so left on their year of
site sponsorship. I give them credit for two days of cleaning an event of
their choice, a $200 value. This is a service, not a protest.</span></div>
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Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-52545355191915954872014-09-09T09:47:00.001-07:002014-09-09T14:30:47.031-07:00Litter is Tagging<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxDgfqMv_41xMFjYHo14SHrKTcyAVLxIR3NDXWjTw-twSD3P57uDhWUO4ACkdT_LewbABGI1AXAyCIlsu1nC1F2-ukJbDIj9nuN1-iKzQ0xuM_vzYgp_jKZuD8G55tr5ikeGkW8E1tBOY/s1600/shopping+cart+with+litter+in+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxDgfqMv_41xMFjYHo14SHrKTcyAVLxIR3NDXWjTw-twSD3P57uDhWUO4ACkdT_LewbABGI1AXAyCIlsu1nC1F2-ukJbDIj9nuN1-iKzQ0xuM_vzYgp_jKZuD8G55tr5ikeGkW8E1tBOY/s1600/shopping+cart+with+litter+in+park.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A shopping cart in Tussing Park</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Litter is tagging in a very basic sense:
it marks the territory and builds the preferred habitat of the disorderly. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Most everyone is disorderly in some
way, and we all have our own sense of order as well. This gardener, due to her own disorderly
conduct in defying police, prosecutors and judges in continuing to petition and
spread leaflets in our (at that time posted) Public Market, being cited 4 times
for Criminal Trespass 2 when once would do, ended up spending two weeks on work
crew, and got to clean up abandoned houses and vagrant camps as well as
roadsides. This led to several years of
public property litter cleaning and study of litterers, to find out why some
people would leave piles of trash around their beds and even sleep on D cell
batteries under their beer boxes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Most people who litter, or who let it
lie on their property, don’t purposely mark their territory and themselves as
disorderly. They just are disorderly,
and it shows. They might just be lazy,
cheap, rebellious, or just not care about order and cleanliness, but anyone can
see that they are disorderly by the litter that they spread or tolerate. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But some of the most disreputable
disorderly among us, vagrants and residents alike, know the power of litter to
disgust and repel the orderly and respectable, and use it purposely to claim
territory and imply that their place is not a safe place to be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On public property, vacant land,
unmaintained property, and along railroads properties that are not maintained, when
one who is orderly comes across a place that is very littered, one becomes
nervous and wants to get out of there, even without obvious signs of
camping. Signs of camping make one feel
like one is trespassing. Cleaning up a
camp feels like stealing, because it is.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglu8YGcF2EcTKGmgzitGNDdVuvJfZK3mQyzWARmFiUZOgNQIgErFlLbnDbXgmWN3c53JOiayTBFxWVUDv8Es6uuL1RHlPMPtfQvaUu7KlC9DjLL9PfaLHmxWZ4c8KBcSzD9EXcRXWnMhyphenhyphenO/s1600/camp+behind+the+Wastewater+plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglu8YGcF2EcTKGmgzitGNDdVuvJfZK3mQyzWARmFiUZOgNQIgErFlLbnDbXgmWN3c53JOiayTBFxWVUDv8Es6uuL1RHlPMPtfQvaUu7KlC9DjLL9PfaLHmxWZ4c8KBcSzD9EXcRXWnMhyphenhyphenO/s1600/camp+behind+the+Wastewater+plant.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A camp behind the wastewater treatment plant, beside the river, along the river trail.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Many of the people who build these
camps know it, some consciously, most subconsciously. They use litter first to
find a place to camp. Old litter means
that no one cares about that spot and it is safe place to leaves stuff one
cares about, and to camp. More litter
makes it safer; broken glass is especially repellent to the orderly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It is necessary evil to clean up camps and litter generally. It is evil because giving offense is always
evil, and the people who built that habitat will be very offended, feeling
robbed both of goods and territory. It
is necessary or the disorderly will take over our world, piece by piece. They claim property by leaving their stuff on
it; we must clean it up and reclaim our territory.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We are cleaning up under the Caveman
Bridge in Riverside Park. Disorderly
residents, homeless, and vagrants have long claimed that end of the park, hanging
out on the steps, littering the ground under and around the Bridge, up to the restrooms
that they use. Please call to find out where and when we are cleaning this week.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Special issue,
published in GP</span>littercleaner.blogspot.com,
free at KAJO/KLDR, 888 Rogue River Highway</i><i><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Gardening
is easy if you do it naturally. </span></i><i><span style="background: white; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">#Litter is #tagging, marking the territory of the
disorderly</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="center" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rycke Brown, Natural Gardener @AnRycke
541-955-9040 rycke@gardener.com<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-2773940644711003352014-08-20T09:01:00.000-07:002014-08-20T09:01:34.087-07:00A Styrofoam Bombing on the Riverwalk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4dLqF2e8bfivJ3zAtyfwpZkZeCcK6XYZpeWGLuc8wqI84raakgBpOnXaeQSgcXvvcBQia311zDzwCRTVT1yDvY_JKtSppGRsM4w6HUwicOgfyEgUmr9XZETrmt79KoS2tfp8Um81Lp8a/s1600/styrofoam+bombing+3,+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4dLqF2e8bfivJ3zAtyfwpZkZeCcK6XYZpeWGLuc8wqI84raakgBpOnXaeQSgcXvvcBQia311zDzwCRTVT1yDvY_JKtSppGRsM4w6HUwicOgfyEgUmr9XZETrmt79KoS2tfp8Um81Lp8a/s1600/styrofoam+bombing+3,+cropped.jpg" height="482" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">8/19/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Saturday, I started seeing
little pieces of pinkish Styrofoam outside the Greenwood dog park as soon as I
got out of my truck. This was obviously
purposeful marking of territory.
Styrofoam peanuts are generally found only by main roads, randomly,
where they blow out of the top of trash trucks because some people don’t bag
their trash before putting it in the can.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I threw balls for my dog,
Petey, and then we headed down to the river at the Greenwood Overlook to cool
off and relax, picking up little pieces of Styrofoam along the way. Whole pieces started appearing as we got to
the Overlook and I could see that they continued down the trail, but we went
down to the river to check it out first.
The dead deer in the water by the bank that I had reported a few days
before was gone. I did find most of a
half-rack of Coors Light cans near the climb out, and a towel up the tree-root
ladder, where I investigated because of a cigarette package at the base. I took them back to my truck, not far, before
heading further down the trail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I would normally visit
only this spot along the river on a Saturday morning, since I had a group
cleanup under the Caveman Bridge at 10:00 and some refreshments and ice to buy
first. But now, I had to check out the
extent of the Styrofoam along the trail and police the lower fishing block and
camping spot. I don’t know or care if
anyone sleeps there and leaves nothing; I clean up anything that anyone leaves
there, including fire pits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The pieces of Styrofoam
became more numerous as I walked down the trail. I knew I didn’t have time to pick them up
along the way, and just picked up some pieces along the way. I ran into a lady who mentioned that they had
been there for about two days, apparently spread right after my last
visit. The timing may not be coincidental. I mention the Bridge cleanup on my latest leaflet,
and someone using the river walk would be familiar with my cleaning patterns. I’ve only been getting there about twice a
week lately.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">When I got to the lower
fishing spot at the end of Spruce Street, I found nearly another half-rack of
cans, this time mixed Coors Light and Pabst.
It seems that the Coors drinker switched to Pabst. I hear it’s on sale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The kind of litter, pink Styrofoam,
makes me think that the perp is female.
And I can’t help but connect the Styrofoam to the Coors/Pabst drinker;
these are light beers with little hop, and I’ve been picking Coors Light cans up
by the half-rack for weeks. But this is
sheer speculation in work that lends itself to forensic thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">But what is readily
apparent is that this littering was neither accidental nor unthinking. It was purposeful and aimed right at my
litter cleaning efforts, probably in retaliation for cleaning up under the
Caveman Bridge. It appears that this
person walked along the River Trail toward the Dog Park, tossing Styrofoam, and
started to run out too soon to make it to the Dog Park, so she started
crumbling the last pieces to make them go farther.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">That Saturday, I had to
stop cleaning at that point and get to the Bridge. Sunday was my day of rest. Monday, I cleaned along the path to the end
of the Wastewater Treatment plant fence before leaving for my 10:30 Networking Toastmasters
meeting. I could see that the Styrofoam
continued down the trail, and notified my liason with the City that Parks
needed to get the rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Along the way, picking up
Styrofoam near the blackberries at the edge of the river bank, I found another
river access that was not obvious from the trail, about half-way between the
two known spots behind the Wastewater Treatment Plant, seemingly recently
opened with weed whackers, with steps cut in the bank for easier access. It has two conglomerate shelves that are currently
out of the water, and a deep hole in front of the lower one. Perhaps fishermen cut the steps; it looks to
be a great spot, and unreachable otherwise except by boat. It was also being used by drinkers, with cans
and toilet paper in evidence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Styrofoam Bomber thereby
showed me an access I didn’t know about and she did. They often do this with their litter; I
follow it and find amazing things. When
one marks territory with litter, it can lead curious people to one’s hideouts. That top conglomerate shelf is nice and dry
and soaks up the heat of the sun during the day for a warm sleeping surface at
night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tuesday, I postponed
Westholm cleaning to see how far the Styrofoam went, walking Petey further down
the trail after our ball-throwing and checking the river spots, which were
pretty clean. There was a fisherman and
his buddy watching him. They were telling
me how they pick up litter, as I picked up litter around them. I get this a lot. Some I know are lying for my benefit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Of course I found a few
pieces where I had already cleaned; it will take weeks to get all the
pieces. As I walked down the trail I
hadn’t cleaned yet, I started finding broken pieces again, within a few feet of
the trail, while there were whole pieces further out. This made me think that Parks had sent a lawn
mower along the trail to pick up the litter, which may have picked up some, but
broke up others, making just as much or more work picking up the pieces. I reported it to my liason, our Assistant
City Manager, David Reeves, leaving a message.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">A few minutes later, I
called to report my displeasure with having to pick my way through knee-high blackberries
and shrubs that had been cut to that height months previously to retrieve a
chip bag lying on the weeds, and got to talk to him. When he made a joke about punji sticks, I
told him about the time on Work Crew, out at the Food Bank Farm, when I fell
and nearly got killed by a bamboo stalk cut off about 8” high; it cut my
forehead, a few inches above my eye. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">A while later, I called
him and let him know that I’d found Ground Zero of the Styrofoam Bombing, where
she had apparently opened the bag and lost a bunch right off the bat. There was none apparent past that. At this point, my bucket was pretty full and
it would take another half-hour to pick them up one at a time, so I asked him
to ask Parks to get the rest, about 100 feet or so east of the foot bridge on
the river side of the path, and headed back to my truck.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpenV-J3uIwE7o8vUfi-jR1NpT_AS4ovdIZrNGA_9GEUg5VV2SiLsTOyXmcwcPE4LJ0nDffonMt_gT4H-pvBSma4ljoPIXeIchYha40zIvssuO-VOW-2GnlHwdazmj9NPa9OlssUqrb8U/s1600/dog+doo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpenV-J3uIwE7o8vUfi-jR1NpT_AS4ovdIZrNGA_9GEUg5VV2SiLsTOyXmcwcPE4LJ0nDffonMt_gT4H-pvBSma4ljoPIXeIchYha40zIvssuO-VOW-2GnlHwdazmj9NPa9OlssUqrb8U/s1600/dog+doo.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">This makes a third
obviously <a href="http://gplittercleaner.blogspot.com/2014/07/blowback-from-litter-cleaning.html" target="_blank">retaliatory incident</a> connected apparently to cleaning under the
Caveman Bridge. The first was dumping a 3-gallon
bucket worth of moldy dog manure on the Caveman Bridge, soon after I started
cleaning under it a couple weeks in a row.
The second, soon after that, was dumping a baggy full of push pins and
other sharp objects in front of my house.
I didn’t get back there for a month or so, but then started the weekly
cleanup under the Bridge. And now one
has attacked my home ground, the River Walk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The litterers and day
sleepers in Riverside Park are not vagrants, for the most part; they are
residents, unemployed and disorderly, only some of them homeless. They like to hang out with their friends in
that area, and they like their surroundings disorderly. They really resent it being cleaned up. They know that disorderly surroundings repel
the orderly and respectable and they like it that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-11423982270719631872014-08-15T09:08:00.000-07:002014-08-15T09:14:13.392-07:00Cleaning the Fairgrounds frontage: no Carl; no crowd<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">8/9/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I got to talk with Carl
Wilson on his show on Friday about the campaign for Public Litter Cleaning and
the Fairgrounds cleanup, but he said that he had business out of town and
wouldn’t be there, though he asked his listeners to show up and help me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">There had been some talk
at the last cleanup, under the Bridge, that it was going to be hot out in front
of the Fairgrounds in full sun. I knew when
Carl bowed out that no one was going to show up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">There was a cooling breeze
and I didn’t have to use my mister to wet down my sleeves and hat until
noon. But no Carl, no crowd, despite Tom Ray's best efforts to call out some help Saturday morning. The power of celebrity only works when the celebrity says he'll be there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">The first thing to do was clean the area around my truck, but not the trash pit between the Fairgrounds fence and the Flooring shop retaining wall. We would have gotten it if anyone else had shown up.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYnK2amvpKD-dD1KGQA7DBuBQ2cEBtZWp7c5k2cwcjI1k8VxcQhfPHW41FlbHXX41wIMRdy3OHMY1a2HDyy2N8QnHuMgVJnACgFJrLPTOD_e4ezVfK4xWYuvLTetDSJjUQVqX0iNvNpdp/s1600/trash+and+goatheads,+flooring+shop+parking+lot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYnK2amvpKD-dD1KGQA7DBuBQ2cEBtZWp7c5k2cwcjI1k8VxcQhfPHW41FlbHXX41wIMRdy3OHMY1a2HDyy2N8QnHuMgVJnACgFJrLPTOD_e4ezVfK4xWYuvLTetDSJjUQVqX0iNvNpdp/s1600/trash+and+goatheads,+flooring+shop+parking+lot.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Trash and <a href="http://gardengrantspass.blogspot.com/2014/06/kill-crab-grass-goat-heads-and-star.html" target="_blank">goat heads</a> (surrounding the butt at the bottom) at the corner of the flooring shop lot. I cut goat heads on sight, in most places. They are annuals which need not be pulled; just cut the crown off the root.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnikPgqcIprpfqqGQ4B8oeVyR46mC2_PDUEsDFFgmTps9McYqGvmZ4Ov-_tDDDyUWeQYYGKLHy1OzfwP1utIpXTIVu0aqKMK4Vx1583Zz9Xcc65AHInqvZhvtfXT-BK_1kEkyKg_N2aVI/s1600/between+the+fence+and+the+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnikPgqcIprpfqqGQ4B8oeVyR46mC2_PDUEsDFFgmTps9McYqGvmZ4Ov-_tDDDyUWeQYYGKLHy1OzfwP1utIpXTIVu0aqKMK4Vx1583Zz9Xcc65AHInqvZhvtfXT-BK_1kEkyKg_N2aVI/s1600/between+the+fence+and+the+wall.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The trash pit between the fence and the wall, much of it old and buried.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">The second thing to do was to clean the landscaped area around the entrance. The heck of that area is that one can’t actually see the litter from the road; it is either chopped up by the mower or is between the retaining wall and shrubbery, though there was one cup in the top of the hedge. There were ties and wire on the fence by people removing signs and balloons (or not, in the case of balloons), but they are not obvious. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR6J9F_P61lbm5Q74eqjV0geOqEE1sObOYm0nSKRxo-SX3VKPAAbddkt2Aus7AlI-Abb0nKsVS3UwGNQhc3hJ2qh12k5lCrHpv7SeBo9ZRF0QfDrxlOjHm48ZSeKpW01gapuHjX-q233-/s1600/cup+in+hedge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR6J9F_P61lbm5Q74eqjV0geOqEE1sObOYm0nSKRxo-SX3VKPAAbddkt2Aus7AlI-Abb0nKsVS3UwGNQhc3hJ2qh12k5lCrHpv7SeBo9ZRF0QfDrxlOjHm48ZSeKpW01gapuHjX-q233-/s1600/cup+in+hedge.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VN-huOBscHV6EPy_eoOQnb_P7A782Lvfs58PRYoeQq9w9p2qUz4PsU5v5wmc-fbFPECqnxHG1gdniI7ChuPlQ0b_hKCKp4u2y226VzWBD8lJ5xaSHT4pT0O0LPPQHhyphenhyphengySiwB1s0fsd5/s1600/zip+ties+and+balloon+string+on+fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VN-huOBscHV6EPy_eoOQnb_P7A782Lvfs58PRYoeQq9w9p2qUz4PsU5v5wmc-fbFPECqnxHG1gdniI7ChuPlQ0b_hKCKp4u2y226VzWBD8lJ5xaSHT4pT0O0LPPQHhyphenhyphengySiwB1s0fsd5/s1600/zip+ties+and+balloon+string+on+fence.jpg" height="522" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Balloon string and zip ties left in the fence after events.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiJbNT3w9y5ahdRqgqJsCWfPYjjeEnRhukztPibGQWRtfzUZwtPb03oXVLL8J5Ssd9lmpVBFSsLs6cgRHzHDwPQIfi0HJUc8xXPqRR-H-j_-d44PNEVTE4a4gtQTxFja0QqoKrtGpoi8T/s1600/wire+on+fence,+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiJbNT3w9y5ahdRqgqJsCWfPYjjeEnRhukztPibGQWRtfzUZwtPb03oXVLL8J5Ssd9lmpVBFSsLs6cgRHzHDwPQIfi0HJUc8xXPqRR-H-j_-d44PNEVTE4a4gtQTxFja0QqoKrtGpoi8T/s1600/wire+on+fence,+cropped.jpg" height="392" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sign-hanging wire left on fence. Cleaned it all off a few months ago.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I was surprised by one piece of trash. It looked like clothing through the fence, but when I picked it up, it turned out to be the remains of a large balloon:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEItzpr7y1bMNy8Ff8MRSEKtiUXwqeB2yznOPi9jqsxEPueOhtL8lBJh49yEs3OSI1ra6XUgJUPWXlyazn0YSmbr2_9kNZLsp1Wd59LhwthaewNuRbDjbFJp0GOsfhhPXo_L-N9piSLedh/s1600/a+big+balloon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEItzpr7y1bMNy8Ff8MRSEKtiUXwqeB2yznOPi9jqsxEPueOhtL8lBJh49yEs3OSI1ra6XUgJUPWXlyazn0YSmbr2_9kNZLsp1Wd59LhwthaewNuRbDjbFJp0GOsfhhPXo_L-N9piSLedh/s1600/a+big+balloon.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Still, I got about 10-15
gallons of trash from the hedges, most of a litter bag. The wind blows it under the fence, but people
also know that hedges are a handy place to stash trash. Hedges that attract trash are forbidden under
Portland nuisance code, which is apparently enforced as well as ours--not. One frequently finds a lot of trash in
hedges; the uglier and weedier they are, the more one finds. Unless they are frequently trimmed and
cleaned, they are inherently ugly and attract more ugliness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Foot traffic in front of
the fairgrounds is low in quantity and quality, mostly disorderly types that
drop litter, including my leaflets. I
mostly didn’t offer any, unusual for me; I’m usually not picky. One man who took a leaflet was pushing a
shopping cart full of his possessions, heading for Crescent City. He said that Medford has been taken over by
tweakers, and is too violent. He gave me a dollar right off the bat. I don't mind taking a dollar from a poor man; his thanks are sincere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">He was once a
groundskeeper for a California city, before they fired all their gardeners and
hired contractors who don’t care, as most cities did in the 80’s. City grounds keeping has not recovered from
this disaster, and won’t until cities take back the work and do it
themselves. They can’t properly manage
their landscaping contractors for building or maintenance, because they have no
one among higher staff with knowledge and experience in the work. I told him that there is a lot of demand for
landscaping on the coast, which is why Chet’s garden center is moving to
Brookings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Since I had no one to help me, I knew that I could not do the whole frontage as planned, to the end
of the west parking lot. I decided to do
something that would show, and clean detritus from the gutter along the
sidewalk on one side of the entrance, creating a “before and after” picture in
front: a roadside with grass clippings and straw piled by the wind along with scattered
gravel and dirt from traffic, followed by a stretch of cleaned roadside to the
flooring shop. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">It’s not a service; it’s a
protest. If I was being paid by the
fairgrounds or county, I would not leave a job half-done. Some glass had been broken in that stretch
that had to be cleaned anyways. Broken
glass is something I clean anywhere at any time, stopping my car and turning
around to do it if necessary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I cleaned the litter, but
not the detritus, from the north side of the front hedges along the parking lot
west of the entrance, inside the fairgrounds. The detritus is thick there,
piled by the wind to the west of each blue spruce. I didn’t get to the north side of the east fence
or behind the office at all, except through the fence. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9469rHAsol5QB8cRTSJjQuK0EdWkqG9S-TuzdiIFdtgamV5VF76Osrr7qGXXlGSTpq25zY3JOWoGP9k9pdM8Yf5HwnDl6c0yHZX9zqWPlTASNR_SUwqVdomSFIJmmiD9ERQc_G9Qh3by/s1600/detritus,+North+of+South+fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9469rHAsol5QB8cRTSJjQuK0EdWkqG9S-TuzdiIFdtgamV5VF76Osrr7qGXXlGSTpq25zY3JOWoGP9k9pdM8Yf5HwnDl6c0yHZX9zqWPlTASNR_SUwqVdomSFIJmmiD9ERQc_G9Qh3by/s1600/detritus,+North+of+South+fence.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Detritus along the north side of the south fence and hedge, west of the front entrance.</div>
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I ran into a volunteer
whom I know on my way back from the bathroom in the Pepsi Building, who takes
care of plantings around the Fairgrounds, and wound up showing her the piles of
detritus to the west of the entrance.
After she saw the piles, she said she was sorry I had shown her (because
she now feels the need to clean them up).
I cried, “I know! But I had to
share my pain!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I spent an hour or so
cleaning the street, left a bit after 2:00 and didn’t go to another cleaning
job; I was sore and had an upset stomach that I treated with slippery elm and
chamomile tea.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHL5mjIoUk9T8urSyxnmf9vEEMdi7er10jjltl7fqP1MpeOGJx3SfFELGGymwzXRqtRvCeR0IDVgdXnrjXEh0Mdj5cbkeIZirNyIt_-h8JEUJWQ77DDCko6yWzDra_sO_JA4RNYrVDOC4S/s1600/gravel+on+street,+west+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHL5mjIoUk9T8urSyxnmf9vEEMdi7er10jjltl7fqP1MpeOGJx3SfFELGGymwzXRqtRvCeR0IDVgdXnrjXEh0Mdj5cbkeIZirNyIt_-h8JEUJWQ77DDCko6yWzDra_sO_JA4RNYrVDOC4S/s1600/gravel+on+street,+west+side.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
West frontage, before sweeping</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9HeBmvT4k0j9FkNHPX1iiKO6Caz-rXylfXB0_OkckelRC28YrWKjlxZzDJGpgYMeCf0w_2ATgfeFPpxWjdl5L3DU1hLzQv6F9pcq5DXvcKwkqR1QQUFlSSbAR3vPRn4Ka0ZGFUHTOIQIX/s1600/West+end+cleaned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9HeBmvT4k0j9FkNHPX1iiKO6Caz-rXylfXB0_OkckelRC28YrWKjlxZzDJGpgYMeCf0w_2ATgfeFPpxWjdl5L3DU1hLzQv6F9pcq5DXvcKwkqR1QQUFlSSbAR3vPRn4Ka0ZGFUHTOIQIX/s1600/West+end+cleaned.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
West frontage, Sunday morning.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwf0DPpWl74bf2Jr4VW-GmDb3QcMNt-8uSuTUus8IJpshlYRrzjmWBMlRzSkqE0EebNBBQTf_yQTDk2lLpg3LhdBtnaVsWRm00LC-iWS4SzT88_Og4HYBC2FX0lFbfgrwspMoJzbCCulbM/s1600/east+of+the+entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwf0DPpWl74bf2Jr4VW-GmDb3QcMNt-8uSuTUus8IJpshlYRrzjmWBMlRzSkqE0EebNBBQTf_yQTDk2lLpg3LhdBtnaVsWRm00LC-iWS4SzT88_Og4HYBC2FX0lFbfgrwspMoJzbCCulbM/s1600/east+of+the+entrance.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
East frontage, Sunday morning</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Regardless of whether this
<b><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/public-litter-cleaning/x/7551098#home/share" target="_blank">Indiegogo campaign</a></b> succeeds as a
business, it has raised awareness of litter as a problem that can and must be
solved, which is the most that anyone can ask of a protest. If nothing else, a lot of businesses are posting
“<b><a href="http://gplittercleaner.blogspot.com/2014/07/give-your-litter-cleaners-time-and-tools.html" target="_blank">Give Your Litter Cleaners Time andTools</a></b>” and might actually read it. "#Litter is #tagging" is
getting around on <b><a href="https://twitter.com/AnRycke" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b>. And Carl Wilson is telling people, "Open your eyes and see the litter!" and "Don't let the authorities tell you that nothing can be done about it."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-31070402348443328842014-08-15T08:35:00.000-07:002014-08-15T08:35:06.535-07:00Five and a half half-racks: The Bottle Bill doesn’t work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGYqpmMwqogH6rdp7hea2dfrrAZdMWRS311hAWwPPpXxN7MJiNv4JR6Gtcz3Z1kOTMFYK-Q0_3GV_b2e94c6eP8x_8L-FiEarjOEpGiTFMmodjRaIgaQeg6YPwbK9EYpZ6MnKXPt1Xqzu/s1600/2014-8-15+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGYqpmMwqogH6rdp7hea2dfrrAZdMWRS311hAWwPPpXxN7MJiNv4JR6Gtcz3Z1kOTMFYK-Q0_3GV_b2e94c6eP8x_8L-FiEarjOEpGiTFMmodjRaIgaQeg6YPwbK9EYpZ6MnKXPt1Xqzu/s1600/2014-8-15+005.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">8/12/14</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Before I even pulled up to
the farmer’s driveway and turned around to park in front of White Rock (a
popular fishing and recreation spot on Lower River Road, across the river from
Schroeder boat landing) I saw the boxes of bottles: 5 half-racks and a 6-pack. Someone had been feeling civic-minded enough
to gather their bottles and set them on the side of the road for some desperate
person to pick up and feed into machines for $3.80. Being bottles, no one on a bicycle would be
able to carry them, so that desperate person would have to be driving a car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Instead, I picked them up
and stuck them in my truck. Before I
left, I remembered the need for a photo and recreated the scene. Between those two times, I cleaned the rest
of both sides of the road along the site, and then filled several grocery bags
with bottles and cans scattered among the rocks and sand, along with a couple
5-gallon buckets of regular trash. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">At home, I ended up filling 2 half-full metal trash cans with the bottles and cans, which filled up
our 3 cans devoted to returnables, mostly beer containers.
It is not unusual to find a half-rack stash of cans when cleaning along
the river below the wastewater treatment plant; I found one such stash the next day. Sometimes they are easy to
get to. Other times, I have to reach
deep into the blackberries with my grabber to get them all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I am finding so many that
Donnie is starting to wonder if it is worth the time and hassle of hauling them
to a store and putting them in the machines.
Obviously, I give them to him because it is not worth the hassle for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Before the machines, the
bottle bill kind of worked. Now, it
does not work at all for its stated purpose, which is to reduce litter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">It is not worth the trouble
for most people to haul them to the stores and put them in those very annoying
machines. But many people think that it
is some kind of charity to leave them on the ground for other people to
find. Some don’t like to put them in
trash cans, lest the money be lost. One
time, I found a kitchen trash bag full of cans at the back entrance to Burger King at Fruitdale where they had not been a few minutes earlier. It seems that someone saw me picking up
litter there and decided to be generous with their returnables and save themselves the hassle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Those who actively look
for returnables go rooting through trash cans for them, and they are not
necessarily neat about it; they often leave the lids off the cans. I have to write “Trash only” on my yellow
litter bags that the city allows me to leave next to their trash cans in our
parks for pickup, because someone was dumping them in the trash cans and
searching for returnables, filling the can and making it useless for others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">On the other hand, when I
was on Work Crew and was cleaning up the string of camps along the Parkway, we
found a pile of quart beer bottles in a camp, along with separate piles of
food trash. These vagrants were apparently
stealing or begging for what they needed, and could not be bothered with those
heavy bottles for a nickel apiece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The people who left those
boxes of bottles probably gathered the rest of their trash as they generated
it, just like their bottles, and took the trash away. But since they could not be bothered with
feeding the bottles into machines in a nasty, stinky room for nickel apiece,
they left them for someone else to take away, probably feeling really
charitable and civic-minded doing so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">If there was not a Bottle
Bill in Oregon, they probably would have taken their bottles with them, and
hauled them to the recycler for free.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-15877671852162485572014-08-06T11:02:00.001-07:002014-08-06T11:09:11.037-07:00Under the Caveman Bridge: Carl brought a group!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7pNRjSkI5Njh0BSDSEn1D4TpByFdS1D6-6km3knlS04LuXJTrG2BTTVs7uH_X8lauLyIWQ-09v_kSw5aW-P88808fVdazdf77VhAkhLp3LRM-Ew5cfJdF-WbpPc8ibZ2okDdRwyOj3ay/s1600/Caveman+Bridge+flicker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7pNRjSkI5Njh0BSDSEn1D4TpByFdS1D6-6km3knlS04LuXJTrG2BTTVs7uH_X8lauLyIWQ-09v_kSw5aW-P88808fVdazdf77VhAkhLp3LRM-Ew5cfJdF-WbpPc8ibZ2okDdRwyOj3ay/s1600/Caveman+Bridge+flicker.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Caveman Bridge, downstream view, North Bank</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">8/2/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I had a good radio show with <b>Carl Wilson</b> on KAJO on Wednesday, for about 15 minutes at the end of Eyewitness Reports. On Friday, he called and said that he’d be working with me on Saturday under the Bridge, and had been asking some friends to join him. I was thrilled and fairly certain that he, at least, would show up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">As I got in the truck on Saturday, packed for the cleanup, I heard him talking on KAJO about our project, and putting out a last-minute call to the public. He told people that a litter grabber is recommended, as well as gloves and a bucket, and that he was bringing a box of gloves as well, which made me very happy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I got there in time to get my signs set by the entrance and get mostly set up with refreshments and sign-up list before he came, and the group started gathering. I had them sign up and equipped those without buckets with yellow litter bags with my stickers and “Trash only” written on them, explaining that the city allows me to leave these bags next to their trash cans for disposal, but I have to write “trash only” to stop collectors from emptying them into the trash cans in search of returnables. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Truly, the Bottle Bill is out of date; it is hardly worth the hassle of turning them in. I don’t. I give them to a man who is starting to think it isn’t worth the hassle of putting them in the machine. I think that they cause more litter than they get cleaned up, making some think that it’s okay to throw them because some bum will pick them up. I learned on work crew that even many bums don’t think they are worth returning; they slept next to piles of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">We started on the top of the Bridge, which didn’t take long with the group doing both sides at once, and thoroughly with us changing sides and going back. From there, we pretty much split up and covered the area, some going after the big trash down by the river, where people eat and hang out on the relatively private rocks; some went out on the disk golf course; some went after the small litter around the tree and the butt pit below. I decided that the steps needed to be blown off and got my battery blower; I ended up getting a broom and dustpan by the time I got to the bottom; the dirt was thick in the corners and it piled up too much for a blower.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I didn’t get any pictures; my camera battery was dead. Otherwise I could have gotten a shot of the broken plastic yard chair and twin-sized inch-thick plastic foam pad that <b>Steve Roe</b> brought up from the river. I later found a fully-equipped fishing pole where I presume he found the furniture, and gave it away within 50 feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">We stayed pretty scattered out, but four of us gathered below the sidewalk under the Bridge and worked on the butts and broken glass on that slope and especially at the bottom against the curved bridge support. I used the screen-bottom dustpan that my housemate Donnie made for me to use on that spot, as the soil there is loose fine silt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">We worked there until noon, when Carl said he had another appointment. Some had already gone home by then, and I thought we were the last still there. <b>Rebecca and Madison Anderson</b> thereby each won a prize for being the last to leave, after helping me gather tools: their choice of the gardening hats in my bag. They chose matching hats with large brims all the way around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I stayed to work down by the river a little while and see what had been left. At one point, I found glass broken on the side of a concrete pipe, and needed a broom and dustpan again. As I was going to my truck to get them, I met one of our helpers, <b>Carolyn Henderson</b>, coming in with her tools, saying it was time for her to leave. She’d gone home to get a rake at one point, and got back to work. So she won a choice of gardening hats as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carl and I will be working at the
Fairgrounds this Saturday the 9th, cleaning the </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">frontage
from one end to the other. I expect he will bring a group there</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">also, including some that
showed up for the Bridge. The Fairgrounds had the weeds cut along the west parking lot fence. Hurray! We'll be working under the Bridge again on the 16th. Register at <a href="http://volunteercleanup.org/">Volunteercleanup.org</a> to join the cleanup.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Nine people showed up and participated. Beside the above-mentioned, <b>Trish Bull, Jiggy Bim, Jennifer Black, Marie Solomon and Kristi Roe</b> worked to help make this “a city that looks safe and is safe.”</span></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-24553344650303296192014-08-03T07:44:00.000-07:002014-08-03T07:44:31.127-07:00Under the Caveman Bridge, Week 3: Back to the 50's<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">7/26/14</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
was going to set up as usual just inside Riverside Park, but the West entrance
was blocked off. A couple of gentlemen came up in a cart and I asked them
if all the entrances were blocked. Indeed they were; a classic car show
had taken over the park for the day. But they said that I could clean
litter from under the Bridge.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">They
had opened the entrance to the skate park on the other side of 6th
Street/Williams Highway, and the Boy Scouts were collecting $3 for parking in
it, apparently anywhere west of the Caveman Bridge. The grass there is
not watered, so parking couldn't damage it.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Indeed,
apart from some mowing and hedging, it is totally unmaintained, and I discovered
another patch of star thistle alongside the beginning of the bike/pedestrian path
under the Bridge. I got to thinking that the city needs to aggressively
maintain the disc golf course, not use it for occasion parking. Disc
golfers are a messy lot even in a well-maintained area. Ugly landscaping
gives them more excuse for messiness, and maintenance workers less reason to do
a good job. No one likes to maintain ugly.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
Boy Scouts waived away my money, since I would be working. I offered them
some of my lemon water and grapes, and gave them leaflets. Since I was
parking in that end of the park, I had to clean it first, at least along the
street and path. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
quickly found a mess of auto glass where someone had apparently smashed a
window, and went back for the broom and dustpan and cleaned it up. Then I
got to pulling trash out of the ivy and bushes to the south of my parking
space, and kept going to the corner of Park Street. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">There
were 3 bottles smashed along the sidewalk and in the parking lot around the spa
place, requiring sweeping. The owner ignored it as he drove out over it
with a hot tub, just as he ignores the other litter and the weeds that infest
his pavements. But I was able to give a leaflet or two to people who saw
me working on the glass.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
did all that even before walking the bridge, I think. After cleaning the
top, where I found a bit less trash behind the parapet, mostly old and grown
over, I proceeded to the stairs, the tree, and then down to the eating area by
the river to get the big trash. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">That's
where I ran into Chelsea Bledsoe's brother, who offered to help. I regret
that I forgot his first name, forgetting to fix it in my memory by saying it
three times or writing it down. But the young Mr. Bledsoe helped me for
about an hour and was good company. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">It being Back to the 50’s,
I decided to skip the 7<sup>th</sup> Street Bridge after my mid-afternoon
break, but after seeing how dead the park was getting, I went there after all,
cleaned the litter from the top, and got the last 2 sections of detritus on the
East side.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-48701613634075714062014-07-22T07:38:00.000-07:002014-07-22T07:52:25.483-07:00Under the Caveman Bridge, Week 2<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyls_lFmLhyphenhyphen5CjnHzx0qRNbzgbvR2crAJrdwqk4F2XawX6Vo3svc7x4dSAxbDSdLxRdYHxC8Q2EegnLPy74qOmuYlgo3lUkWdeUS2Qw9E4JxH8rXE66d2pyJ9M0vttCWmdR_7XscUBAtpx/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyls_lFmLhyphenhyphen5CjnHzx0qRNbzgbvR2crAJrdwqk4F2XawX6Vo3svc7x4dSAxbDSdLxRdYHxC8Q2EegnLPy74qOmuYlgo3lUkWdeUS2Qw9E4JxH8rXE66d2pyJ9M0vttCWmdR_7XscUBAtpx/s1600/th.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I had a little help in the third hour of cleaning under
the 6th Street Caveman Bridge this week. You can join the cleanup<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.volunteercleanup.org/rycke/cleanup_under_the_caveman_bridge?recruiter_id=113" target="_blank"><span style="color: #7c93a1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">here</span></a>, or just come down on<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Saturdays
at 10am</b>.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
I decided to be a better host and brought cucumber water and grapes.
Around noon, since no one had shown up, I offered some to a group that I
kept passing between the bridge and my truck, saying no one had shown up, and a
nice girl, Chelsea Bledsoe, offered to help. She did for the next hour,
which was about as long as I wanted to work on it that day.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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I let her use the litter grabber while I used the broom and screen-bottom
dustpan that I got Donnie to make for this project, for sweeping butts off of
loose soil. Then we switched for a while, and switched back.<br />
<br />
The first hour, I first cleaned the top, as usual. It was no different
than usual, except behind the parapet at the NW end near the Riverside Inn.
There was only one piece of trash there this week, a cup hidden deep in
the blackberries. Cleaning the bucket-full out of the shielding shrubbery
last week might have made a difference.<br />
<br />
When I got to the stairs and the tree at the bottom, I was glad to see that the
area wasn't nearly as trashy as it was the week before, or even a few days
before; I did a bit of work mid-week. My main fear in this project has
been that it would get so trashed between visits that we wouldn't be able to
make progress. But it takes money to make trash, and most people are not
deliberate about their littering; it is subconscious.<br />
<br />
As I was cleaning up around the tree at the bottom of the steps, a man who was
sitting on the steps was greeted by his arriving friends. "What's
up, Mad Dog?" one said. He replied, "My space is being intruded
on. Let's go." And he and his friends headed somewhere
downriver.<br />
<br />
I don't like to intrude, but sitting on narrow steps is inherently rude and is
intimidating to some folks, especially tourists. It is one of the reasons
that locals avoid the area of the bridge. Unless one is walking to the
park from the other side of the river, there is little reason to go there.
But I suspect that many walkers cross traffic rather than go down those
stairs.<br />
<br />
Before I even finished under the tree, I decided to go down toward the river
and pick up the food trash that I know gets spread down among the rocks near
the drain outlet, a cool place with a nice level concrete surface. From
there, I headed downstream a ways, and realized a lot of the trash there was
falling from a path above. I went back and took that path, and found more
falling from level ground at the top. That was where I found the biggest
trash, discarded clothing.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
That filled my bucket, and I headed back to the truck, when I found help for
the next hour with Chelsea. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">I had planned to work on the 7th Street Bridge later, but I went home for lunch, had a leftover sandwich, and tasted bad meat in the last bite. I made some <a href="http://news-you-can-use-by-rycke.blogspot.com/2013/09/slippery-elm-for-gut-from-top-to-bottom.html" target="_blank">slippery elm tea</a> to stop any stomach trouble, but I was weak and gassy for about an hour and stayed home for the rest of the day. Just as well; it was my daughter's birthday.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I probably won't serve cucumber water again; it seems to
be diuretic, and it's a long way to the bathroom, with a lot of trash to clean
up on the way there and back. When one is wearing a Litter Cleaner tunic,
it doesn't do to pass trash. I'll serve lemon water next week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-77987042746013048192014-07-15T06:57:00.000-07:002014-07-15T06:57:12.203-07:00Give Your Litter Cleaners Time and Tools<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Litter cleaning takes time, a lot of
it. There is no such thing as a thorough
once-over in litter cleaning. One has to
look at an area from different angles, and often be almost on top of stuff to
see it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Litter Cleaner suspects that most
workers doing litter cleaning are not given the time needed to do the job
right. They are probably not given any
particular time at all; they are told to pick up all the litter and get back to
normal duties. This puts a worker under
the stress of not knowing how long the boss thinks it should take to clean the
lot, and makes for a quick once-over.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A litter cleaner should be given
ample time to go over the lot not once, but twice, carefully. One has to have time to look around and
really see the trash. Our subconscious
protects us from ugliness and work by not letting us see it until we really
want to. Taking a second look tells it to let one <i>see</i> the trash, and let the joy of
seeking and finding take over.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQCAC7EDZpJF5kdV63EZJyA9_0Fh15SzTStu0-BDE9dftma1j_XIWAnOTe4docfawt1YYu7xZKm42KLQ8tZVsJn6-X9mH-gJxpxwizz7-CiH9PEvEkT4D1Kz-XvuZtkDR4xPWLmPwRshR/s1600/g4-dot-reacher_326.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQCAC7EDZpJF5kdV63EZJyA9_0Fh15SzTStu0-BDE9dftma1j_XIWAnOTe4docfawt1YYu7xZKm42KLQ8tZVsJn6-X9mH-gJxpxwizz7-CiH9PEvEkT4D1Kz-XvuZtkDR4xPWLmPwRshR/s1600/g4-dot-reacher_326.jpeg" height="158" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.933334350585938px;">My favorite litter grabbing tool, the G4 Dot-Reacher </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Proper tools are important in
creating that joy. A broom and standing
dustpan are standard equipment, but a dot litter grabber and a bucket are far easier
to use except where there is a lot of small stuff in one place on pavement,
which is relatively rare. The grabber
also excites our love of gadgets, and easily gets trash out of places that a
broom cannot, saving a lot of bending.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A very large lot with a lot of
traffic, like Walmart, Fred Meyer, or Home Depot, should be patrolled by one or
more litter cleaners during business hours.
All workers should clean up litter and thereby learn to neither drop it
nor leave it, and management would benefit from a good look at the condition of
the grounds once in a while. A worker
should periodically clean litter all day, with most employees doing a litter cleaning
day on a rotating basis.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The same goes for parks and golf
courses, along with having a few more tools and a cart to carry them: litter
grabber; bucket; broom; dustpan; a battery blower; extra battery; cobweb
duster, and trash bags, using the cart only for transporting the tools and
supplies and charging batteries. One
should park the cart and clean an area thoroughly, then move the cart to the
next area. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszHe6GNdBy5QxzM7dM7yD57UHFhSfFtFbs4dbLzNiCMvOM3uE0HsS6bssd3b2fCKgRtKYG2vREnV2bD2t1WLz8YePs9LF_6-0J7p_WbU_i49Rlrrg5rJIUybmWMjUPtuS07DX7ywvQWxr/s1600/Black+and+Decker+18+V.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszHe6GNdBy5QxzM7dM7yD57UHFhSfFtFbs4dbLzNiCMvOM3uE0HsS6bssd3b2fCKgRtKYG2vREnV2bD2t1WLz8YePs9LF_6-0J7p_WbU_i49Rlrrg5rJIUybmWMjUPtuS07DX7ywvQWxr/s1600/Black+and+Decker+18+V.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">My Black and Decker 18 V surface sweeper. There are many battery blowers</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Blowers are for natural detritus only,
with litter picked up or swept before blowing.
All pavements should be blown and/or swept off at least once a month,
more often in flower or leaf fall.
Detritus makes great mulch on soil but is ugly in the gutters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Parking lots are where the most
litter gathers. Shelters also have lots
of litter, as do playgrounds, picnic tables and benches. One has to get off the regular paths and look
for places in the trees where people hide their sex, drug use, and camping. The riverside has litter left by fishermen
and people enjoying the water, and occasional campers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Smaller businesses with lots of
traffic, like convenience stores, bars, and restaurants, need litter cleanup
several times a day, with ample time to cover the lot twice. <i>All</i>
businesses should do litter cleanup at least twice a day, before and after
business. Set a minimum, not a maximum
time limit to do the job right.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-91404565669414776952014-07-14T07:33:00.000-07:002014-07-15T07:53:08.422-07:00Cleaning under the Caveman Bridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFwyyl-h4v2mwCfFiJ6ozpy_DRuUB1cF0Oq_KHw4TSfYFtUnwBp6hUwE_6M2IHEnW4i_hCTMntQ2S464ET7yvQvIvrLDNlxgEjtWi6dvz3OJ0bhLtc34aLeTnJk_T4rxh9vOHlD8LxUfs/s1600/two+under+the+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFwyyl-h4v2mwCfFiJ6ozpy_DRuUB1cF0Oq_KHw4TSfYFtUnwBp6hUwE_6M2IHEnW4i_hCTMntQ2S464ET7yvQvIvrLDNlxgEjtWi6dvz3OJ0bhLtc34aLeTnJk_T4rxh9vOHlD8LxUfs/s1600/two+under+the+bridge.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">It's amazing how small litter disappears in a photograph. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">July 12, 2014</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Volunteers joined me for cleaning
under the Caveman Bridge on Saturday!
They were missionaries from one of the local churches that I had been
talking to over 5 or 6 weeks. The
church, that is, not these particular missionaries; they came in pairs but one
of them changed every time they showed up to talk Bible, until I had met 4
sisters in three visits. We arranged
several weeks ago to start the initial cleanup under the Bridge on the 12th. I was hoping that they would all show up for
the cleanup, but two entirely new ones showed up, a bit younger than the other
four. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I was given a link to <b><a href="http://volunteercleanup.org/">VolunteerCleanup.org</a></b> during the
previous weekend, so I signed up on that and tried for more helpers, but
probably no one in the Grants Pass area is signed up with them yet. Plus, the notice was rather short. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I had specified to bring a litter
grabber, gloves, and a bucket, but they showed up with only plastic
gloves. I was able to provide one with a
bucket, and the other with a yellow ODOT-style litter bag, and we set out to do
the top of the bridge first, since my signs were set out on the roadway at the
West entrance to the park, and I couldn’t have them up there with a littered
bridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDoYfuV5qb2mfEG1J58jDU_RGB2TaOaicXfEq5EPHrluOcGljqnunWMkYYVewfHwb5boe23PVHNH84Vrg6T3_nHA9qSH5XryujBtUu_RGEV9Sw6PDSXSdlVH9_PeVq28V_Pq0UzblEAjG/s1600/two+on+the+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDoYfuV5qb2mfEG1J58jDU_RGB2TaOaicXfEq5EPHrluOcGljqnunWMkYYVewfHwb5boe23PVHNH84Vrg6T3_nHA9qSH5XryujBtUu_RGEV9Sw6PDSXSdlVH9_PeVq28V_Pq0UzblEAjG/s1600/two+on+the+bridge.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I took them along the east side first. I showed them how my gardening scissors are a
small litter grabber that gets butts out of cracks and saves 6” of stoop. (The last 6 inches of stoop is the hardest.) We cleaned to the very littered NE end and
crossed to the NW end, where I showed them the place behind the curved parapet
by the Riverside Inn where someone had dumped maple trimmings, making a less
thorny but very ugly place among the blackberries to hide behind the wall, do
business and pleasure and leave big food litter. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDKbAWTLFZ9OWUyzLmeJe-G8FqG5bqsM0ja6ohJJZ6Q7RzO9bBMvvKyK4vbLQN2coefcfXwTkA3I7dMWV7YTqC2BhTEPim9mgH0dUpVxRrNVxiuYTq-y7DvGpHjoQPmwZgAYqPAZu9Oyj/s1600/litter+behind+the+parapet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDKbAWTLFZ9OWUyzLmeJe-G8FqG5bqsM0ja6ohJJZ6Q7RzO9bBMvvKyK4vbLQN2coefcfXwTkA3I7dMWV7YTqC2BhTEPim9mgH0dUpVxRrNVxiuYTq-y7DvGpHjoQPmwZgAYqPAZu9Oyj/s1600/litter+behind+the+parapet.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We stopped between the first two arches long
enough for me to tell them about the 3-gallon pile of moldy dog doo someone had
dumped there Sunday, two weeks before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I proceeded to tell them that the
litter under the bridge is scaring off tourists, and about a letter from a Las
Vegas couple that Councilor DeYoung had told us about at the City Council
workshop: They said that they walked from the Riverside Inn into Riverside Park
and they will never come back to Grants Pass.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The easiest route for one to take
from the Riverside Inn to Riverside Park is the west side of the bridge to the
stairs at the SW end, down to the walkway under the bridge. The stairs, the area next to them, the area
under the tree at the bottom, and below the walkway under the bridge, is the
most littered place I have seen in Grants Pass, bar none, mostly butts. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2zYdRqcLDbUXz211enXJ-q8EdIg97Xnz_38MNc8dLudfi9IJGe6Mhoohb5jcCECp_qgh-XS4m-SecGyeOKmCOrXPgdOrEuOmjuMgKv1EaTUe24-elhzPpfcsUeVRmkWEBOcd-mf0JQqu/s1600/closeup+of+butt+litter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2zYdRqcLDbUXz211enXJ-q8EdIg97Xnz_38MNc8dLudfi9IJGe6Mhoohb5jcCECp_qgh-XS4m-SecGyeOKmCOrXPgdOrEuOmjuMgKv1EaTUe24-elhzPpfcsUeVRmkWEBOcd-mf0JQqu/s1600/closeup+of+butt+litter.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">It's amazing how such small trash disappears in non-closeup photos.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The letter mentioned something about
transients hanging out, but the litter announces that disorderly bums <i>own</i> this part of the park. It’s been
that way for at least a decade, since I came back to Grants Pass in 1999 after
living here in the mid-80’s, when it was a very neat town.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Most Grants Pass and Josephine County
residents can be forgiven for not noticing.
If one drives to the park, one has already passed the bridge at the west
entrance and proceeds to park closest to one’s destination in the park. There is nothing to draw one to that end of
the park except the disk golf course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Park workers try to keep up with
litter, but there are not enough of them and none of them are dedicated to
litter duty; it is only one of their many chores. They get most of the big stuff near the
sidewalks, but a sea of butts and glass accumulated over time is intimidating
to even a dedicated cleaner. I didn’t
want to tackle it without help; it’s lonely down there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The sisters worked their way down the
stairs while I got the slope beside them.
They had to work their way past a man sitting on them. (He drives in and hangs out with his friends
in the park.) We cleaned up the area
under the tree pretty well and started on the butt slope below the
walkway. That is the most intimidating
part of the place, and they soon started to lag. The stooping was constant; they really needed
grabbers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">When I announced around noon that it
was time to go empty my 5-gallon litter bucket, they said they had another
appointment. I thanked them, said that I
will <a href="http://www.volunteercleanup.org/rycke/cleanup_under_the_caveman_bridge?recruiter_id=113" target="_blank">continue this next week</a>, and that I hope that they could get some more people
to show up, even if they can’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It should be interesting to see how
much accumulates under the tree by next week.
One cannot expect a single cleaning to do any good; it takes several
weeks of thorough cleaning in a row to have any impact on behavior. Some people hate to see their litter
disappear and will avoid an area where it keeps happening, but it seems like
they first litter overtime to try to mess it up again. But there is too much litter still within
sight to expect to have any impact yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">After they left, I took a look
further down toward the river. Each area
is distinct. Between the walkway and the
first wall under the bridge is the butt pit.
Between that wall and the arches was a lot of broken glass among scattered sticks and rocks on dirt. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXV3IhCPXY1rTOo7uCa2l0ajzg3M8AJzWzRPrN2m7OLvUxGUPidFEZQIOktl5gZ7Ner0pbv9Aa6QhWDtBavEU43CtcTxsnk-qQw-4LVZYZUG6It4bF8WIAqKeXt-6qO8nBtL3hap5LH7J/s1600/broken+glass+section.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXV3IhCPXY1rTOo7uCa2l0ajzg3M8AJzWzRPrN2m7OLvUxGUPidFEZQIOktl5gZ7Ner0pbv9Aa6QhWDtBavEU43CtcTxsnk-qQw-4LVZYZUG6It4bF8WIAqKeXt-6qO8nBtL3hap5LH7J/s1600/broken+glass+section.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The
level area beyond the arches is the disk golf course, relatively clean, the
grass kept short by geese. On the rocky
slope to the river is the bigger food trash and discarded clothing, in full
view of the jet boats and the Riverside Inn.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I got one 5-gallon bucket full of
that, not all of it by any means, and went to work on the glass area a bit,
raking up the sticks to make it easier to sweep the glass and rocks. I was working there only until 2:00, since I
am working on the detritus cleanup on the 7<sup>th</sup> Street Bridge on
Saturday afternoons. By the time I cover
the whole bridge, it will need another cleaning; the bike lane portion already
does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I had to use the bathroom at one
point, and worked my way there and back, handing out leaflets and talking along
the way for about a half-hour. There was
a remarkable amount of litter; they need people working on it over the
weekends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A lot of it was bread that the ducks
and geese apparently don’t eat. Donnie
and I have been noticing that birds don’t eat people food like they used to
anywhere anymore; natural selection must be killing out the ones who eat our
junk. There are few ducks by the river
anymore, and geese prefer grass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A litter grabber is a very useful
tool that grabs a lot more than litter.
It can get stuff out of tight places.
It can grab an object off a high shelf.
It’s just the thing for cleaning up fallen fruit and nuts from trees. It should be good for picking fruit. And it saves a lot of stooping when cleaning
up litter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">So if one is going to clean litter
for even a few hours, from a place where it is highly concentrated, it pays to
buy one. Even the youthful will appreciate
it after cleaning litter without one. I
learned this in my first hours on Community Corrections Work Crew; it didn’t
take me long to decide to use one. While
my hands can usually grab better, my body prefers less stooping. And some things one would rather not touch
even with gloves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-90356433552647847772014-07-10T06:50:00.001-07:002014-07-10T07:12:38.239-07:00Blowback from litter cleaning?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeT_n3pn8s7GxRz6KKekPKfvvH8rvywc07mNrRuaUJrD9ql3a2WAeUSLIE3HaZsnLs3-GfPIPnUwbU9phzpjYYeerBnGCd0LmH4syEcJzWBRWDzcdXa70j-3wFQt4xi0eFkg96np_YIgY/s1600/dog+doo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeT_n3pn8s7GxRz6KKekPKfvvH8rvywc07mNrRuaUJrD9ql3a2WAeUSLIE3HaZsnLs3-GfPIPnUwbU9phzpjYYeerBnGCd0LmH4syEcJzWBRWDzcdXa70j-3wFQt4xi0eFkg96np_YIgY/s1600/dog+doo.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">This looks a lot smaller in the photo. It filled a three-gallon bucket. It made a very big stink.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">July 10, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s hard to believe, but some litterers can
be possessive about the litter they leave.
They are not discarding it; they are <i>using</i> it to claim a piece
of land for their own use, and they get very upset when someone cleans up their
stuff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Baker Park’s cat lady uses the space
behind the bathrooms to feed cats. She
tried to house them there, too, but cardboard boxes and plastic bins were a bit
much. She actually caught me cleaning up
her cat food bowls, and we had quite the argument, with her saying she had
permission from a city official, and I telling her that that very official had told me he was no longer going to
tolerate it, and does she think that only cats eat that food? Someone else had told me that a vagrant lady
steals it for her dogs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">My housemate, Donnie, was telling me
about a person at McDonald’s who keeps eating about 2/3 of each French fry, and
then leaves the rest out on the ground outside to feed the birds, where he
sweeps them up. He actually saw her (another
old lady) dumping them while he was doing lot cleanup and went right away and
swept them up in front of her, which started an argument. She said she was feeding birds; he told her
that the birds don’t eat McDonalds’ fries, and they are not allowed to leave
food lying on the ground. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Likewise, when one cleans campsites, territorial
markers and fire pits from the riverside, and calls cops on day sleepers in the
brush, one might get a bit of blowback, but it’s not direct, because these
people cannot claim charity for animals, only for themselves, and it’s not
charity if you claim it; it’s theft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Sunday, June 29<sup>th</sup>, I was
heading out to work in Schroeder Park and to clean the Intersection of the Redwoods
when I saw what appeared to be a large pile of horse manure on the Caveman Bridge, centered between the first and second arches, against the parapet. I decided to clean it up on my way back. I ended up not doing the Intersection,
because the bridge needed doing more and I had work to do afterwards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I parked my truck, got out my signs and
such, and took the necessary tools out on the bridge, cleaning up litter on the
way. When I got to the pile, it turned
out to be big dog feces, moldy and mixed with dry grass. Someone must have been filling a dog food
bag for a while and dumped it right on the bridge where the tourists
cross from the Riverside Inn to Riverside Park.
Stunk to high heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I started to sweep it up into my
standing dustpan and dump it into a bag-lined bucket, remembered I should get a
picture, and dumped it back out, not spread out quite as far as it had been. Got pictures from several angles, and started
sweeping it up again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Our Mayor came along on his bike and
asked how I thought horse manure got onto the bridge? He must have been upwind; I told him it was a
big dog, not horse. Reaching for my most
charitable explanation, I said it must have fallen out of someone’s pickup in a
dog food bag; they came back, took the bag and left the pile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">But thinking on it since, I can’t see
how that could happen. Things fly out of
pickups on curves, not straight bridges.
There is no way that pile could have accidentally landed there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Yesterday, two strange events occurred,
at the beginning and end of my day. Down
at the Greenwood Dog Park, someone had left wet dog food scattered in the
turnaround, and big pile of soft dog doo on the sidewalk, along with other
litter. I had to scrape the dried-on
food from the pavement with my hula hoe before sweeping it up, and wash the
sidewalk with water and a broom after scraping up the dog doo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">A more worrisome kind of
littering happened while I was attending the Commissioners Weekly Business
Session, the evening meeting on the second Wednesday of the month. Someone dropped a baggy full of push-pin tacks
and other small, sharp objects (glass; hooks; curtain hangers; metal scrap) in
front of my house, where traffic scattered it further, including me pulling forward
and backing into my driveway. I spent
the next half-hour cleaning up the traffic hazard. My tires have survived thus far, but the pins
could take time to work in. Fortunately,
their shape, which makes them lay sideways, probably kept them from penetrating
anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I have been displaying my two Litter
Cleaner signs in front of my house for two days, since getting the <a href="http://indiegogo.com/projects/public-litter-cleaning/x/7551098#home/share" target="_blank">Indiegogo campaign</a>
sign made. Perhaps not a great idea, but
they know where I live now, so there in no point in not displaying them. It’s a busy street and good advertising.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Protesting disorderly drug bans that
create black markets means that one offends the more orderly people in society,
which is relatively safe. Protesting the
non-enforcement of nuisance codes and taking direct action against disorder means
that one offends the more disorderly people out there. They don’t like people messing with their
stuff and cleaning up the marks they make on their world.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #292f33;">#Litter is #tagging, marking the territory of
the disorderly: Contribute to cleaning it at </span><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/public-litter-cleaning/x/7551098#home/share">https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/public-litter-cleaning/x/7551098#home/share</a>.</span></div>
</div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-9958462741596313862014-07-05T08:39:00.001-07:002014-07-05T08:39:19.362-07:00Let’s Clean Up Grants Pass!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyKExOko8N4Nty8bkps76JvirfwOK7_HUOE7J39YzKN25hlEL5Rl1_j0k7_H8XtDWdLoo-xWIRb8TqxALYEQv-x-ED1eUieyuzcwS7DhB9enS_v2C-SdXb7hkk8o2uMG0E4TqK9j_dw7b/s1600/Cleaning+Baker+Park+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyKExOko8N4Nty8bkps76JvirfwOK7_HUOE7J39YzKN25hlEL5Rl1_j0k7_H8XtDWdLoo-xWIRb8TqxALYEQv-x-ED1eUieyuzcwS7DhB9enS_v2C-SdXb7hkk8o2uMG0E4TqK9j_dw7b/s1600/Cleaning+Baker+Park+cropped.jpg" height="214" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h2>
Join the Crowdfunding campaign at Indiegogo<br />For one year of full-time<br />Public Litter Cleaning Demonstration<br />Deadline August 24th<br />Goal $25,000<br />Donations returned if goal is not met.</h2>
<h4>
Rycke Brown, Natural Gardener and former anti-Drug-War protester, has been drawing attention to litter with signs while cleaning it from public property, two days per week since last December, while continuing to garden for customers three days. She has started this crowdfunding campaign to make the transition to full-time litter cleaning demonstrations.</h4>
<h4>
Her working protest has been having an effect; properties are being cleaned up, and people are cleaning their neighborhoods. Doing it 40 hours per week will double the effect, and will allow her to clean very trashy places that are out of sight to traffic but not to visitors, and keep them clean. If this campaign fails, you’ll get your money back and she’ll look for a fast food job. Gardening is getting too hard for this grandmother of two.</h4>
<h4>
Cleaning litter isn’t serving the people who don’t “bother” to put it where it belongs. It is reclaiming our property from those who mark it with their trash.</h4>
<h2>
To donate online at Indiegogo<br />Go to GPgardener.com<br />To donate by mail<br />Call 541-955-9040<br /><i>Working for “a city that looks safe and is safe”</i></h2>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-11375138317719261082014-05-19T07:10:00.000-07:002014-05-19T07:10:45.283-07:00Every Day Not Needed on the River Trail<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">May 19, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve been having trouble getting to
doing all my favorite spots lately, what with starting my day walking Petey
along the same stretch of riverfront, and doing extra spring work for gardening
customers. We’ve been finding so little
trash along that walk that I decided to do it every other day or so and do White
Rocks, Greenwood Dog Park or Schroeder Dog Park on the alternate days. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Friday is my day of rest, and Petey and
I both rest from gardening, long walks and litter cleaning on that day. Like Sunday used to be, it is the one day
that does not vary in that regard. These
Sundays, I do one of these litter walks, and then work on either my yard or my
parents’ place, as customers don’t care for Sunday work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Yesterday Sunday, I actually had to
start the day making crackers, as the dough had been in the fridge for 32
hours; I was too tired the night before, after the Rogue River Cleanup (more on
that later). I didn’t get out to walk
along the river with Petey until 9:00, and then found my car wouldn’t start. Apparently I’d left the radio on. So I called Dad for a jump and watered my
potted plants while we waited. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I drove down to the Harry and David
parking lot, put up my sign, and decided to carry my litter grabber and small bucket,
though I usually carry only bags when walking Petey. I picked up the parking lot first, something I
started because I don’t want to leave my truck in a dirty lot. It doesn’t look good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">But I still don’t like to wear the
tunic while walking my dog. A man asked
me if I work for the city; I said that I work for the people of the city, and
gave him a leaflet prize.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8ZiHDdrFLv0cDNUIbxUq0-U9-0ibkIfpmJ5f_OuLrDjgrS6eBM8op-BcW2EVk3oh0vKjYP4IIpOodaEwEbSh2xuulr2kluGKG6uQJE9lmpPdaFUrKKLENlYl2MeGgOL5HQHqx3FJ8fDd/s1600/Color+out+of+the+corner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8ZiHDdrFLv0cDNUIbxUq0-U9-0ibkIfpmJ5f_OuLrDjgrS6eBM8op-BcW2EVk3oh0vKjYP4IIpOodaEwEbSh2xuulr2kluGKG6uQJE9lmpPdaFUrKKLENlYl2MeGgOL5HQHqx3FJ8fDd/s1600/Color+out+of+the+corner.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Do you see that glimpse of pink back there in the shadows? </div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">We went down to the river at two spots
along the trail and found a small bucket full of trash along the river, mostly
above the most recent high water in the blackberries, including several
returnable cans. Coming up from the second
one and heading for the main trail, I saw color out of the corner of my eye about
50 feet away, along the edge of the mown area, behind a pine tree. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPR113079syWsbHBnLbuI-7L4wPz5Y_gQcpgYarlcHntyJuy3lupNde0FR1TqhftZa5eA6mkkgyVNc-jq_6W7lbKEywjQswHRtY2GBrz0QUJ5IR5Mpb7LSEXPp9xOemRgcKChUJPwAuLwu/s1600/a+torn+sleeping+mat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPR113079syWsbHBnLbuI-7L4wPz5Y_gQcpgYarlcHntyJuy3lupNde0FR1TqhftZa5eA6mkkgyVNc-jq_6W7lbKEywjQswHRtY2GBrz0QUJ5IR5Mpb7LSEXPp9xOemRgcKChUJPwAuLwu/s1600/a+torn+sleeping+mat.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">We went to check it out, and found a pink piece
of polyfoam about 18” x 36”, just big enough to lay the main part of one’s body
on. It had been run over with a lawn
mower at least twice, getting about a quarter of it torn off and torn up the
first time, because I found as I picked it up that a blackberry had grown over
the torn portion and rooted; I had to break it to get it loose. Nearby was a Wal-Mart bag torn and pushed
into the blackberries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t blame the guy on the
mower. On a riding mower, one cannot see
such things before hitting them, and he has a lot of mowing to do, and nowhere
to put the litter. He has every reason
to expect that the city would send someone after him to pick up the trash he
hits. But the city apparently </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;">doesn’t</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">assign anyone to litter pickup alone; it is part of other duties, and thus gets
done mainly on the way to other places, along the paved trails.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Out-of-the-way spots don’t get cleaned except
by unofficial volunteers.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Obviously, this trash wouldn’t fit in
my little litter bucket; I had to go back to the truck for a litter bag that I’d
just started the day before at the Rogue River Cleanup. As I was walking back, I thought that maybe I
should move it closer to the trash, and tried to start it. It tried to turn over, but couldn’t do
it. I’d forgotten how short a drive it
was to the park and hadn’t charged it sufficiently. I decided to finish my walk and hope someone
was around to help me start my truck when I got back, rather than have to call
Dad again before I was done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">So we left the bucket in favor of the
bag, and went back to get the trash. The
grabber made it far easier to pick up the torn pieces of foam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">We headed back to the truck and traded
the bag for the bucket again, and headed out.
Forgot the bag with Petey’s balls and didn’t discover it for a hundred
yards or so and went back and got it and headed out again. Ran into a couple of ladies taking a rest on
a bench. Petey insisted on stopping with
them and they invited me to set a spell and chat, which I did for a while,
until we were all ready to move on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">There was very little litter at the fishing
block or the camping spot near it.
Frequent cleaning has been having a real effect, especially in the
hiding spots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The litter grabber came in handy at the
dog park for picking up rocks and picking up and throwing balls; I am a lot more
productive when I don’t have to bend over frequently. I think I will keep taking the grabber. Even without the tunic, it is easy to see
that I am a litter cleaner when I carry a litter grabber. I am only missing out on advertising my
website away from the truck, except for those who get leaflets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">When Petey got two balls in his mouth
and wouldn’t give one up, it was time to leave.
We hoofed it back to the truck as fast as we could go and still get the
litter along the way. As we approached
the parking lot, there was another couple walking several dogs to their truck,
and I asked if they could give me a jump, giving them a leaflet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It was quickly done, and I took Petey
out of the truck for a walk around the Harry and David shelter, as the day
before was Saturday, and I’d been picking up water balloons along the
path. Sure enough, there was a bunch
around the shelter, along with other small litter. Someone had picked up the big stuff and blown
the little stuff into the grass, which saved me walking all over within the
shelter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-12958175168179753702014-05-13T07:01:00.000-07:002014-05-13T07:01:04.831-07:00A Monument to Trash<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">May 11<sup>th</sup>, 2014--Mothers Day<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I knew better, but I did it
anyways. To be exact, I didn’t do
it. The last time I went to White Rocks,
on May Day, I didn’t remove the fire pit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes, I do (or don’t do) something
I should know better, just to remind myself why. It usually isn’t on purpose. In this case, I’d already topped off a yellow
litter bag with a dead animal that was left in a black plastic bag near the
monument Clyde Garnett, who died in 1937 while trying to save a child from
drowning. I was getting tired, having
covered an area that I haven’t picked up on a regular basis, west of the
entrance. I started tearing apart the
fire pit, saw the amount of charcoal I would have to deal with after the wood
and rocks, and reflected that a fire pit might not be such a bad thing here. It is a bit of a recreation spot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">A week later, a lady I met in Reinhart
Park told me that White Rocks was a mess; she wished she’d had some trash
bags. I said that I go there about once
a week; I’d check it out. A few days
later on Sunday, a day I used to go to White Rocks all the time before I
started changing my schedule, I decided to go there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I could see the pile as I was driving
up and parking. I decided to pick up
along the road first, and then deal with it.
I had one yellow bag in my truck; I hoped it was enough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Fortunately, there was relatively
litter along the road, even though I covered the whole stretch from the upper
turnout to the lower one, past the monument.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">As I walked down in, there was a lot of little litter around the parking
lot and a pile of trash to the upper side, near an opening to the parking space
above.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeylghYe05qqZPckgT7igzt9Hd9y45C8_8GYIfvepfa3xKe6nNouR3rhUSbBk3DeMs3nwMghCprDKuot6ItpSTK5nIRGKCYyXjXssKZcS-H4HUSVqT7tUfjG9eXK8cd7kT7hXk7nf6AIJ/s1600/trash+and+rock+pile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeylghYe05qqZPckgT7igzt9Hd9y45C8_8GYIfvepfa3xKe6nNouR3rhUSbBk3DeMs3nwMghCprDKuot6ItpSTK5nIRGKCYyXjXssKZcS-H4HUSVqT7tUfjG9eXK8cd7kT7hXk7nf6AIJ/s1600/trash+and+rock+pile.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">But my first target was the monument to
trash that had been built there. Someone
had piled their trash in the fire pit, piled more rocks on it, added some more,
and added more rocks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The photo doesn’t quite do it
justice. I started to tear it apart
right away, throwing the rocks on top into the tall grass and picking up trash,
and then remembered I needed a photo. So
I dumped the trash in my bag back into it, put a few rocks from the edge of the
pile on top, and took pictures. It had a
little less trash and more rocks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Then I started really tearing it apart. It took a lot of throwing to get all the
rocks out, and the trash filled up the bag most of the way. Once I worked my way down to the charcoal and
ashes, I got my rake, shovel, and bucket, cleaned it up, and dumped the ashes
back in the weeds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Then I put my tools back, took a bucket
and litter grabber, and cleaned up the rest of the place, filling the bag the
rest of the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbnJtYNWuwc-EhGTDBUYnrsXs_OM979xYeCeoI0b4-36wdR9a-TiYoEiFlGY_Cwb-853bf5mhqT3H-NfMQVQyqoQ_AYeHArvfpPTWNWCYIrYStToYycpsbHzcjn0dl-hAq3WCSt4r0cwF/s1600/2+pairs+of+geese+with+goslings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbnJtYNWuwc-EhGTDBUYnrsXs_OM979xYeCeoI0b4-36wdR9a-TiYoEiFlGY_Cwb-853bf5mhqT3H-NfMQVQyqoQ_AYeHArvfpPTWNWCYIrYStToYycpsbHzcjn0dl-hAq3WCSt4r0cwF/s1600/2+pairs+of+geese+with+goslings.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">At the downstream end as I sat and
relaxed, I saw something I hadn’t noticed before: two pairs of Canada geese, accompanied
by 10 large goslings, apparently raising their babies cooperatively.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nViUn75n1qMAnX6ypVyX5dW8VteMFyMZE5GC-N3cfq-y86Oya21iPdesaohslIOsjBiVYWtVPusjYA8_S-jY82y7qiuxcMo7H_-vj-I9rf35ukB33MpRsFCVjpYGqvsxurGLIBIqBxHk/s1600/1+pair+of+geese+with+one+gosling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nViUn75n1qMAnX6ypVyX5dW8VteMFyMZE5GC-N3cfq-y86Oya21iPdesaohslIOsjBiVYWtVPusjYA8_S-jY82y7qiuxcMo7H_-vj-I9rf35ukB33MpRsFCVjpYGqvsxurGLIBIqBxHk/s1600/1+pair+of+geese+with+one+gosling.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">As they passed, I also saw another pair
of geese with one very young gosling.
Apparently they lost a brood, laid more eggs, and only one
survived. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Something is eating young geese and
causing cooperative parenting, or perhaps the cooperators were siblings. I once had sibling cats that raised their
kittens together. Predation pressure can
encourage cooperative parenting among birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-2891950946005983972014-05-10T07:15:00.002-07:002014-05-10T07:15:53.608-07:00Cleaning litter on my dog walk<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I couldn’t do it. I could not walk my dog and not pick up
litter, once it is daylight and I can see it.
It is too painful not to pick it up; I started this as a hobby years
ago, while walking my dog, for just this reason. It’s a compulsion. I can’t wait for my weekly litter walk around
the neighborhood; it bothers me too much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The doctor told me to double my aerobic
walking time in the morning, so I started walking the whole river trail from
the end of Spruce, doubling back at the west end, and walking back to my house
on Greenwood, trying to ignore the trash along the neighborhood streets, and
only pick up along the river trail where it was light. But it was too long a walk, and it was too
painful to walk the neighborhood and not pick up litter, which would take
longer still. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">At this point, I excepted parking lots in the park for the same
reason: because it was too concentrated there and slows me down too much. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCkQs5TWEBN8wdnfnMCUVtz-BC4iKffPIDSFAolwKwpRAbiJND6ONgbrlCXrOabTN-uE-cY8EXKlKmgWghYr_Uh5cdeY6ddlgpPjyPF6PO-iz0iB2iqhOCERQ3IiFoMD9n3j2ic7u2tek/s1600/Harry+and+David+Shelter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCkQs5TWEBN8wdnfnMCUVtz-BC4iKffPIDSFAolwKwpRAbiJND6ONgbrlCXrOabTN-uE-cY8EXKlKmgWghYr_Uh5cdeY6ddlgpPjyPF6PO-iz0iB2iqhOCERQ3IiFoMD9n3j2ic7u2tek/s1600/Harry+and+David+Shelter.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The Harry and David Shelter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">But the parking lot and the Harry and David Shelter at the west
end of the trail bugged me. After a few
weeks of this, I had to start picking them up.
But doing a lot of stoop work around the shelter only ticks me off, when
I’m without my litter grabber. I don’t
mind bending once in a while, but shelters and parking lots have way too much
little litter after weekend parties. So I decided to start demonstrating the
power of daily cleaning and adopt the shelter area and its parking lot.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I started driving my dog and my tools
to the west end of the river walk trail in the Reinhart Volunteer Park, walking
the whole trail to the dog park to throw balls, and </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">walking Brownell and through the middle of the park on the way
back to my truck, picking up litter along the way. Walking the river trail every day and
visiting riverfront destinations, litter doesn’t build up that much, and I can
maintain an aerobic pace, with occasional squats for litter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">A funny thing happened in the meantime. My neighborhood became less littered than the
river walk, and indeed, less littered than before. After nine days between neighborhood litter walks,
I was walking at a good pace and not seeing much to pick up last Sunday. Even the problem properties didn’t have much
litter. It seems as though using my sign
while working the neighborhood is making an impression. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TLM_kElTKvVOBVQNnSiNK5cW7J6Vt_aTlCqQTl4N-lXFj1fKD43xt_lxi9DqRAabvZjJgieycMaP4KccjZ5XN6XEfm_UvZhW8Xn7ciRGqm2MFYBAaoa19aUuTG8BrRE160E62n1_dI-P/s1600/Spruce+and+Bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TLM_kElTKvVOBVQNnSiNK5cW7J6Vt_aTlCqQTl4N-lXFj1fKD43xt_lxi9DqRAabvZjJgieycMaP4KccjZ5XN6XEfm_UvZhW8Xn7ciRGqm2MFYBAaoa19aUuTG8BrRE160E62n1_dI-P/s1600/Spruce+and+Bridge.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Litter wasn't bad, but this is bad at Spruce and Bridge. Code forbids grass clippings on pavement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Indeed, as I was picking up litter on a street I rarely clean up,
but had 9 days before, the resident there said, “Ricky, we didn’t do that. It blew in.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">“It has been windy,” I replied.
“A copy of the latest?” I asked, as I handed him a leaflet that he was
happy to accept.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMD-whCrTJoXkdXnzEifIm0xQz-jMGMZHBCLZRD6mLwdqbpGxbYrhiCMn1ndZ6aS-mDrn1Ib3J8dTWXE4gbx0Rc0GxWJxT1CEUfLfcWfzFYA2wrf-dTFiP1fHrZEv5a05EcoNAoua6XaP/s1600/Rocks+on+Heather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMD-whCrTJoXkdXnzEifIm0xQz-jMGMZHBCLZRD6mLwdqbpGxbYrhiCMn1ndZ6aS-mDrn1Ib3J8dTWXE4gbx0Rc0GxWJxT1CEUfLfcWfzFYA2wrf-dTFiP1fHrZEv5a05EcoNAoua6XaP/s1600/Rocks+on+Heather.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Rocks on Heather near Spruce, now cleaned up</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">That day, since things were going so well, I cleaned up a bunch of
rocks along Heather, where three out of four yards on one stretch have 1 ½”
rock along their frontages. The rocks
have been knocked into the street over the years: black crushed basalt on the
corner; grey crushed granite on the next, and grey river rock on the last. I hate rocks underfoot. Until lately, I only kicked them down the
road. Now I clean them off the road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Likewise, when I am at the dog park, I pick up rocks while
throwing balls for Petey, gathering them in a litter bag and then dropping them
in a dog-dug hole or at the base of a tree.
I twisted my ankle on a rock in a customer’s yard a few years ago; I
have moved them ever since. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s very rocky soil; they constantly wash out of the dirt, and
will until the grass grows in thicker, which it won’t until it is mulched a
bit. Spreading compost last fall did
wonders for the grass outside the fence this winter. Too bad most of it is seasonal, but an inch
or so of yard mulch (composted yard waste, fairly light and fluffy) from
Southern Oregon Compost would do wonders for the evergreen perennial grass
inside the fence. Mulch can be a bit messy
in a heavily used dog park, but I think we can deal with it through the
winter. The soil is clay silt; it needs
organic matter lighten it and feed worms, which love clay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">While the neighborhood was cleaner than usual, it is almost
summer, and the riverfront is now the focus of both residents and vagrants. Two days ago, I cleaned up three bags of
trash along the river, as well as a grocery bag full of returnables. I had to stop leaving returnables in my big
yellow litter bags because someone was dumping the bags in the trash cans I put
them next to (as instructed) in order to find them. So now I keep them separate and label the
bags “Trash only – no returns.” So far,
so good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">While on my Sunday litter walk, I had an urge to visit the only river
camping spot along the route, even though I’d been there the day before. Sure enough, I found a camp being set up
again, with afghans hung for privacy, and scattered litter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve also been finding camps being set up in the Harry and David
shelter area under the younger evergreens that have branches close to the
ground. People broke off incense cedar
branches and hung them in the trees for screens in one place and stuck them in the
ground in another. Following a path
broken by the mower I found a third place where big fir branches had been
gathered and set up in a lean-to, and two furniture-moving blankets were in a
pile nearby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">We all own public property like city parks, and they are there for
all to use. Claiming a personal piece of
it by leaving one’s stuff there sullies the view and restricts others in their
use of it. But we are free to clean up
the messes left by others. I reclaim
public property for me and you by doing just that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-10567426925548337212014-05-04T09:46:00.000-07:002014-05-04T09:52:46.602-07:00Who litters our city?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Who drops their trash on the ground all
over our town and county? A lot of people like to blame vagrants, or
tourists, or teenagers, or even spoiled rich kids. Generally, it's
something one is not.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
As the Litter Cleaner, I believe that, generally, those who clean up litter do
not drop it except by accident. An observed exception is a habitual
subconscious litterer who has been a janitor for only a few years of a long
working life, who has a great ability to separate work and the rest of life and
to ignore ugliness and disorder away from work. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">But your subconscious litterer starts out littering consciously as
a child, sometimes out of laziness or revulsion, sometimes out of rebellion. The Litter Cleaner once balled up her gum
wrappers, and sometimes her gum in them, and discreetly dropped them, before
she became totally offended by litter. Someone
else once saw himself as the anti-hero "Litterman," and threw his trash defiantly
to the wind, before his youthful rebellion hardened into subconscious habit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;">Disorderly vagrants appear to pick and guard their campsites with litter, leaving some and seeing if it gets picked up. If it doesn’t, or if there is old trash, it’s a safe place to leave their stuff. They keep leaving more until they leave, sometimes sleeping on it. Broken glass is a warning to respectable, orderly people to stay away; they break bottles deliberately. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Z_yGrwltj5j2ukj4OJpqI-pgmT60sWUvvovNAV5hnDXssymVXP27mVQIRMnwdaP6qp2hhZIroY6FGlPD8DA2YXn6HT-cepc5Dp88h5IOkrz6W_P9U_EjY_cQ47a38dMw3UGfo8JcYQAU/s1600/Vagrant+camp,+5+days+old.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Z_yGrwltj5j2ukj4OJpqI-pgmT60sWUvvovNAV5hnDXssymVXP27mVQIRMnwdaP6qp2hhZIroY6FGlPD8DA2YXn6HT-cepc5Dp88h5IOkrz6W_P9U_EjY_cQ47a38dMw3UGfo8JcYQAU/s1600/Vagrant+camp,+5+days+old.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Vagrant camp below the Wastewater Treatment Plant, 5 days old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Orderly homeless folks leave no sign of their sleeping except,
perhaps, a cleared space. Both are
generally gone before daylight reveals them to passing walkers; it is perfectly
safe, though tedious, to clean up the camps of the disorderly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">But walking around residential neighborhoods, the Litter Cleaner
sees that it is mostly residents who litter the streets of the City.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It must be residents, because I see much less litter by the river along the walking/biking trails used by both vagrants and exercise enthusiasts where I regularly clean up than in neighborhoods that get the same treatment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It has gotten to the point that I drive my dog to the park and walk him along the trails to avoid having to see the litter on the streets and yards between my weekly litter cleanup in my neighborhood. It's too painful not to pick it up, but picking it up slows us down too much for aerobic exercise. I tend to avoid parking lots and shelters within the park on my dog walk for the same reason, but since I have to use one parking lot, I've adopted the Harry and David shelter area and parking lot for 5-day-a week cleaning along with my walking route, as a demonstration of what almost daily cleaning can do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;">Some properties are littered from the street to the door; most are clean or littered only on or near the street.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;">Some have free Country Weeklies mouldering in their driveways; if they do, there is other litter as well.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;">Some have beer cans right up by the sidewalk, behind their fence.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Children who live in
such houses are not taught to pick up their litter, so they drop it, following
their parents’ example. Some are explicitly
taught that the world is theirs to mess up; they can go wherever they want,
leave whatever they want, and it is supposed to be there when they return.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">There are other children who are not taught to pick up litter; the
children of the “filthy rich” who are picked up after by house cleaners and gardeners, whom
an ex-house cleaner once said were the worst for filthy houses, while
middle-class customers would clean before their cleaner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">But the poor and middle class are not exempt, when their mothers
clean up after them constantly, rather than doing the hard work of teaching
them to clean up after themselves. The
youthful rebellion mentioned above may have been against just such a mother. I often reflected, when growing up, that our
mom worked harder getting us to do our chores than if she’d done them herself,
but I knew why she did it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Some children, I have learned, are explicitly taught to not pick
up litter, because their parents are afraid of germs. They may not drop
it, but they've been taught to ignore it.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">In the commercial zones, the most littered places tend to be bars,
fast food, and convenience stores. Some
car repair shops are pretty bad, too.
Some, particularly fast food restaurants, do frequent lot pickup; others
ignore it. One can tell which by the old
litter. One suspects that the yards of
the ignoring owners are littered as well, but maybe they separate their work
and home in the opposite manner of our janitor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;">But then there are Walmart, Walgreens, and other large corporations, who do only what local police or their corporation make them do.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;">In the absence of litter code enforcement, Walmart has a crew come in every</span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;"> two weeks</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 20.700000762939453px;"> to clean up the trash, when they need one employee dedicated to constant litter cleaning during store hours to actually obey our code and not let litter lie on their property and blow to the vacant lot across the street.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeo2tp5PCXQCSwlO1OGVJHlWzaMik_YAJpxoS0BwI1UMoD3d-5uX47ZsetK_29VeaVATkOnmHtbNfZ2LI4sewFAKkgnVhxMNcmZ06M93xgvGsko5H834udxkUMTGZBFQPEgk9OhB_NzVM/s1600/Walgreens%252C+Grants+Pass%252C+next+to+their+entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeo2tp5PCXQCSwlO1OGVJHlWzaMik_YAJpxoS0BwI1UMoD3d-5uX47ZsetK_29VeaVATkOnmHtbNfZ2LI4sewFAKkgnVhxMNcmZ06M93xgvGsko5H834udxkUMTGZBFQPEgk9OhB_NzVM/s1600/Walgreens%252C+Grants+Pass%252C+next+to+their+entrance.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Walgreens, Williams Hwy, Grants Pass, at the front door</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06XbELRW32DfTPowB4zfxRMCPq7qEOq4QisuP7rzDuQ2a8TW9ZsHOfLKnPYltrjXudW5Y96INR5Dr1Q9Kh3ANbcr_g5nIF2jynzVvIlK-SnqvQSP2F2Mg-iKjr9gmUJaVOROMmO-gJy07/s1600/Grants+Pass+Walmart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06XbELRW32DfTPowB4zfxRMCPq7qEOq4QisuP7rzDuQ2a8TW9ZsHOfLKnPYltrjXudW5Y96INR5Dr1Q9Kh3ANbcr_g5nIF2jynzVvIlK-SnqvQSP2F2Mg-iKjr9gmUJaVOROMmO-gJy07/s1600/Grants+Pass+Walmart.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Walmart, Terry Lane, Grants Pass, bark long since evaporated or blown away.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiD6iAI91ME5Fj1ra2p2ufoLP0qX1TXDG5cAmosmLjXxL9DsljTT5eaaDv83v9PTT0JufqsnOC8zEspa9vwcEM4zUGFHrU_hlGJdT_jt-oxIwh6DTWDsUg34FBXV18rjZuGYaLdHs5EevP/s1600/Walmart%252C+Newport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiD6iAI91ME5Fj1ra2p2ufoLP0qX1TXDG5cAmosmLjXxL9DsljTT5eaaDv83v9PTT0JufqsnOC8zEspa9vwcEM4zUGFHrU_hlGJdT_jt-oxIwh6DTWDsUg34FBXV18rjZuGYaLdHs5EevP/s1600/Walmart%252C+Newport.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Walmart, Newport Oregon. It's a newer store with newer bark.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Let us not forget the vacant lot owners who might mow their
lot against fire danger occasionally, but don’t pick up the litter on it. Mowing just divides the litter and thereby
multiplies it; it builds up either way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">We have many vacant properties in this city, despite the Urban
Growth Boundary (UGB) and the restrictions on building outside it that boost
the price of city property, because our city does not enforce its nuisance
codes against weeds and litter. The
owners can just pay the low “unimproved” property taxes until someone pays them
what they think their lot is worth. If
they had to eliminate the noxious and nuisance weeds and keep the litter picked
up, they would lower their prices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Seeing litter provokes littering.
The subconscious eye sees all, while the conscious sees only what it is
trained to see by the subconscious.
Littered streets, parking lots, and vacant lots tell the subconscious
that this is a place for trash, and people drop it. The ugliness of weeds tells the under-mind to
drop one’s ugly trash among the ugliness where it will be less noticeable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It takes a truly hardened litterer to drop trash on clean
property. Smokers top the list with
their butts, and bring on the rest. An
ex-customer of mine, who now contributes to this cause, once told me that
smokers are naturally careless people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Fishermen would be better thought of if they picked up litter before
they fished an area, rather than leaving their bait cups, lines, and such, not
to mention their butts, bottles and cans.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">But there would be little litter in this city if our police would
enforce our litter nuisance code against property owners and residents. If it were not allowed to lie on private or
public property, it would be gone. If
parents were warned by police about their litter, most would make their
children clean it up and warn them against dropping it. By talking to those who tolerate litter, police
would get acquainted with most of the people who commit other crimes, as a
litterer does not love his neighbors and is apt to show it in other ways as
well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I lived in Snohomish County, Washington when the city of Everett
decided to start enforcing their code against litter. An unemployed friend immediately started making
money, cleaning up business properties.
If our code was fully enforced, quite a few people could make money
cleaning up this town and keeping it clean, and community corrections slaves
could work on weeding our public properties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">This is one reason why I have applied for a city temp job, hoping
to become the city’s permanent, dedicated litter cleaner. The city has been making great strides in
cleaning up its properties, but it needs a dedicated litter cleaner, not just
people doing other jobs as well. They
need their other cleaners, to be sure, but also one who can see the tiny stuff and has the fire
in her belly to pick up every litter bit.
Once its own properties are really clean, it can enforce its code against
everyone else, and get us to clean up our city. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573223910819613627.post-32762916208360937952014-04-16T09:02:00.001-07:002014-04-16T09:02:24.751-07:00Sunday in Reinhart and Tussing Parks<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Monday, March 22, 2014</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I felt like a Sunday in the Parks.
While walking Petey around dawn, I saw that someone had a party in the basketball
court on Saturday; trash all over the place.
By the time I got there around 11 AM, there were people playing in the court
and the larger trash had been cleaned up.
I gave the man there with his wife and kids a prize and got the little
stuff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Up by the front entrance, someone had a birthday party in the
shelter; they left the Happy Birthday banner along with the rest of their
litter. There were a bunch of big
glittery stars and such that I figured to come back and sweep up. I don’t know that I ever did, because I got
involved in the playground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The playground and the shelters around it had a lot of trash, and
when I came back around a short time later, it had more. It was certainly being well-used at the
time. There was no old trash, so the
parks staff keeps it pretty cleaned up.
Still, someone had spread a lot of paper confetti in one area that took
a long time to get it all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Playgrounds and picnic shelters in Riverside and Reinhart parks
would be good places to Super Sponsor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I had observed a fair bit of trash in West Tussing Park from the
pedestrian bridge, and was determined to give it a cleanup, so I drove over and
parked in the parking lot at the relatively new east end of the park. Started in the bio-swale right in front of my
truck and then proceeded to the east side of the lot. There was a lot of small litter in plain
sight, some larger farther back in the bushes and next to the fence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I found a bunch of lipstick-marked butts in the same place where I
had cleaned up what I thought at the time was a place where someone had dumped
her ashtray because of all the lipstick butts.
A gentleman I was talking to told me that a lady in a black sports car
drives in there every day; eats her lunch; stands outside her car and smokes;
and drops the butt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The litter in East Tussing was, as usual, mostly around the
parking lot, tables, and benches by the river.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">From there, I proceeded to West Tussing, where the big trash
was. There was some litter around tables
and benches, but not as bad as I remember it previously. I climbed to the top of the rocks under the bridge,
and found a piece of sleeping visqueen surrounded by small litter and dirty
socks. Picked up larger litter down the
downstream trail and down by the river.
Some was fresh; some had been washed up the steep bank in high water and
was hung up in the blackberries debris, very hard to get, but I got it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">By the time I got to the bridge, I had two full grocery bags and a
full bucket to haul up the hill to a trash can.
I strained my left wrist in the process and had to wear<b> </b><a href="http://news-you-can-use-by-rycke.blogspot.com/2013/09/if-it-hurts-put-cabbage-on-it.html" target="_blank">cabbage</a> on it all the next day. I reported some blankets and such upstream,
too heavy for me to haul out that day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rycke Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09740985764499785564noreply@blogger.com0