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CONTINUING COVERAGE: TRANSIENT ISSUES Ashland residents, tourists tired of rude transients Residents, tourists, transients report rude behavior on all sides, prompting 'listening session' Comment By Alec Dickinson for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Alec Dickinson for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 26, 2015 at 5:24 PM By Alec Dickinson for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 26, 2015 at 5:24 PM » Social News Some travelers are wearing out their welcome in Ashland. The Ashland City Council has heard multiple complaints from residents and tourists about aggressive panhandling and harassment from transients on city streets, prompting Mayor John Stromberg to hold a "listening session" Wednesday to address the issue. Stromberg says any solution to the problem will have to be a community undertaking. "Quality of life is at the core of what this community is about," he says. "But this season, our quality of life has been disrupted by the behavior of individuals and groups who mostly don't live here. This is a community problem that will require a community solution." The session, titled "The People Passing Through," will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Ashland Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main St. Stromberg and Councilor Stef Seffinger will take comments from people about behaviors seen both downtown and at the south Ashland exit that they find threatening, intimidating or dangerous and encourage suggestions for solutions. One of the chief complaints is rude or intimidating behavior directed toward passersby who decline to respond to requests for money. While the behavior might be offensive, it's not necessarily illegal, says Ashland police Chief Tighe O’Meara. “To constitute disorderly conduct, the behavior has to cause a reasonable person to be alarmed. And that’s a pretty high threshold," O'Meara says. "Oregon has, through its constitutional foundation and through case law, it has a very, very, strong threshold that has to be met.” O’Meara says any unwanted physical contact or intimidation based on a person not giving money when requested could be grounds for legal intervention. But he says that is not the type of behavior that has been on the rise. “We have seen uptick in reports of quality of life issues," he says. "There is a difference in the types of reports that we have to define here. We have behavior that is reported to us that is criminal behavior. And we have behavior that is quality-of-life, non-criminal, disorderly behavior. And that’s the stuff we’ve seen a rise in. The non-criminal stuff, we have very little ability to address because it falls under free speech or it falls under some other protection. "Increasingly, the behavior we see downtown is obnoxious, it’s antagonistic, it’s rude. But it’s not criminal. We do want to address it, but it’s not something the police have an immediate ability to address. It needs to be a more holistic approach.” As a city that depends heavily on tourism as an economic driver, Ashland can ill-afford a reputation as a city with an unpleasant or unsafe street culture. And, deserved or not, stories of visitors being harassed and feeling unsafe have made their way to travel websites. Sandra Slattery of the Ashland Chamber of Commerce says the chamber has received negative feedback regarding the transient population in town. “I’m glad the city is hosting the event,” Slattery says. “The chamber has definitely received feedback that people’s experience in Ashland has been negatively impacted by the behavior of people on the street.” A traveler named Abby, who asked that her last name not be used, sits with her two cats in front of the Black Swan Theatre panhandling for money. She says she is traveling on a bus with about 14 people and a menagerie of dogs and cats. She says those on the bus are a kind bunch and enjoy the experience of the open road together. But there are plenty of travelers she doesn’t want anything to do with. “The ones everybody tries to stay away from are the tweakers (a term for methamphetamine users)," Abby says. "You can’t trust them. You don’t know if they’re going to shank (knife) you for your cash, or steal your stuff.” As she speaks, a fight breaks out across the street between a group of four panhandlers and another traveler. While it is unclear what exactly transpires — something to do with a ukulele — the end result is cursing and shoving and, eventually, a backpack and sleeping bag being thrown into traffic on East Main Street. Tourists and locals alike move away from the incident as quickly as possible. “And that," Abby says. "The drinkers. That’s another thing on my bus. Nobody really drinks. That’s usually where a lot of problems start.” Abby, who lost her apartment while attending undergraduate school in Pennsylvania and found herself on the street, has been on the road about two years. She says she follows a circuit with like-minded folks, traveling between towns in a fairly regular route, staying long enough to find gas money, then heading out to more natural areas to spend time until visiting the next town. She says she doesn’t plan to settle back into regular life anytime soon. She says she and her boyfriend would like to get their passports and travel out of the country. “It’s too expensive," Abby says. "It costs so much to live! I’d like to get my own car or van so we can travel and have a place to sleep. Maybe go to Central America. Maybe up to Alaska. Not yet, though. We don’t have the equipment for that.” Another traveler goes by "Quest." He says Ashland has a reputation as a nice place to spend time, but he says it’s not exactly a transient paradise. He says people can often be rude. They criticize his lifestyle. His pack has been stolen. Not here, but it could have been, he says. Quest also describes Ashland as an integral part of the West Coast circuit, along with Slab City (east of San Diego) and the ever-moving Rainbow Gathering. When asked how long he plans to stay in Ashland, he looks genuinely puzzled. Not by the question, but by why it would have been asked in the first place. Finally, he says, “As long as it takes.” Alec Dickinson is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By Alec Dickinson for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Alec Dickinson for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 26, 2015 at 5:24 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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