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Homeless protest peaceful in Plaza By Sean Wolfe Ashland Daily Tidings Intense cold, a few hecklers, and a shortage of blankets did little to dampen the spirits of some 30 members of Ashland's homeless community. While some had anticipated police harassment, the first night of a two-night camp-out in Ashland's Plaza - staged to raise community awareness of homelessness, as well as protest the city's camping ban - went off without a hitch. If anything, police were pleasant and helpful. After discovering that public bathrooms were locked, Ashland Police Department officer Bon Stewart investigated the matter, and came back to the Plaza with his report. "I've got good news and bad news," Stewart said. "The good news is that they're unlocked now. The bad news is that there's no light, so it's pretty dark in there." "We've got flashlights, that's OK," responded one of the campers. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, temperatures began to plummet to an overnight low of 28 degrees. Volunteers distributed gloves to the participants. "The problem of homelessness is only increasing," noted William Hemphill, 52, who said he'd been homeless for several years. "Here in Ashland, you can be arrested for sleeping. Sleeping is a crime? Who can you harm? You're asleep. We really need to rethink this. I mean, you talk about priorities? The U.S. budget has allocated $39 million to help the homeless, versus $600 billion for the war effort. Some of that money would do a lot more good if it were spent domestically," Hemphill said. Representatives of the homeless camp-out met with city officials on Monday, securing permission to use the Plaza for two days and two nights. This morning, campers were in the process of striking their tents for the day, as part of their agreement with the city. "We're doing what we said we'd do, and we'll come back at 4 p.m. today, and put them up again," Hemphill said. Daniel Richards, 29, is one of two organizers of the event. Richards said he was rendered homeless when his van - containing all of his possessions - was impounded by police. Richards, a 6-10 former Southern Oregon University basketball player, said he returned to Ashland to study martial arts with his master, Daniel Rueff, who is also homeless. The pair used announcements at churches and word of mouth to organize the gathering. "Something needed to be done," Richards said. "We've been fighting for years, and in the last few months we came up with this. We need to be more visible, not less." The city's ban on camping goes back to 1995, as a reaction to aggressive panhandling. Representatives of Ashland's Chamber of Commerce, which supported the '95 ban, have said it will review its position on the current homeless situation next month. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -