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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar, Jan. 23, 2016 ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Why we love bombing ... City plans for potential flooding ... Ashland Calendar, Jan. 23, 2016 ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Why we love bombing ... City plans for potential flooding ... ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL Downtown 'behavior issue' discussion continued Council runs out of time before making decisions among staff-developed options Comment By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jan. 21, 2016 at 8:31 PM By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jan. 21, 2016 at 8:31 PM » Social News Come Feb.1 the Ashland City Council will once again take up the question of what to do about “behavior issues downtown” in a continued study session. The subject has been on on-going one for months and, some would argue, years as the council grapples with how to deal with panhandlers on sidewalks and the Plaza. The discussion has become more heated now that many complaints about “aggressive” behavior have been documented. Councilor Greg Lemhouse said the discussion and any solutions must center around behavior, not homelessness nor travelers, but most who spoke during public comment at Tuesday’s study session disagreed. J.C. Ramero, a self-described "home-free person," argued that enforcement is disproportionate toward those who sleep outside, including fines for camping, ticketing for loitering and the assumption that those who go to the bathroom outside or act aggressively are homeless. “We get blamed for a lot of things we don’t do," Ramero said. "I am taking CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) in March. I am a member of this community and I’d be happy to help and look over downtown.” Another man, Eric Wallace, who also refers to himself as home-free, criticized one of six proposals for dealing with downtown behavior issues. “The only thing you’re suggesting is more cops," he said. "It’s selected enforcement. Imagine if you were targeted.” The six proposals in front of the city which have been suggested so far by city staff include the hiring of two more police officers; the hiring of part-time seasonal cadets; the hiring of part-time social workers, also during tourist season; and a proposal to create downtown ambassadors. Another option would be to work with the Chamber of Commerce, which is planning a sign program to suggest ways of helping the homeless that does not involve giving cash to panhandlers. Each item comes with a different price tag, some as low as $35,000, with a total in excess of $300,000. While the discussion and possibilities are said to be for the purpose of stopping aggressive actions, several of the public speakers and at least one council member said it’s not so much the behavior but the fact of homelessness that needs to be better addressed. Louise Shawkat, an Ashland resident, told the council, “Homelessness is a symptom of a greater societal problem. Removing and ticketing are not a solution, it is an attempt at appeasement to those persons who feel uncomfortable facing the reality of just one of our social problems.” Councilor Carol Voison, echoing the theme of the Ashland Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration Monday, told her colleagues on the council, “Be dissatisfied with the proposals in front of us." She urged fellow councilors to move away from law enforcement as a solution, saying she wanted the police to focus on more serious crimes. All council members who spoke discussed the idea of cadets, ambassadors and social workers as a less costly, more feasible option, except for Lemhouse, who suggested authorizing the police to hire two more officers now so they could be recruited and trained by the summer of 2017. The City Council, running short on time as the mandatory 10:30 p.m. closing time approached, made no final decisions among the staff suggestions on the table. If other suggestions emerge around the “downtown behavior” or homelessness in general, they could be discussed at the next study session. It will be held in the Ashland City Council chamber at 1175 East Main St. Proceedings are cablecast live on Channel 9 (or 180) and streamed online at rvtv.sou.edu . Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins is a journalism instructor at SOU and author of “Common Miracles: Gifts from a Grateful Universe.” Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ @julieakins. By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jan. 21, 2016 at 8:31 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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