Margaret O’Hartigan

Not in her backyard.

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IMAGE: Erin McCallum

Let’s be honest. Whether it’s that smell on the bus or litter at your door, many of us regret at times that Portland can be a homeless magnet.

But when the mercury drops below freezing, you cut the homeless a break because their search for warmth becomes a life-or-death quest. Or you’re Rogue of the Week Margaret O’Hartigan .

Apparently, the decades O’Hartigan has spent as a high-profile advocate for transsexuals haven’t made her sympathetic to everybody. That became clear last week, when a Red Cross warming shelter moved into O’Hartigan’s Northeast Portland neighborhood as temperatures plunged.

The shelter at Calvary Christian Church on Northeast Alberta Street was housing about 70 people a night. Then, O’Hartigan started raising holy hell with the Red Cross and the city about people coming and going at all hours, begging and littering. She even took a bag of trash into Red Cross headquarters, saying it came from shelter residents.

“It kind of goes above and beyond the bounds of normal NIMBY-ism,” says Marshall Runkel, a manager at the city’s Bureau of Housing and Human Development.

Red Cross spokeswoman Lise Harwin says the agency responded by limiting the shelter to 50 guests a night and locking its doors between 11 pm and 6 am.

O’Hartigan wants the Red Cross and the city to take some responsibility, and says she has nothing against the homeless. “Anybody who would characterize this as ‘I don’t want this in my backyard’ is a damn liar,” she says.

But Runkel, who worked with Red Cross to coordinate the shelters, says the consequences of O’Hartigan’s actions are serious. “People would be freezing to death out there.” Runkel says. “It’s no joke.”

01.30.2008 at 04:39 Reply

Daniel Motta

What's so wrong about having a shelter take some responsibility? (I'm referring to the trash and the late comings and goings) She doesn't want the shelter gone, she just wanted it run well for the sustainable future. And it sounds like she made a complaint, went to some lengths to get her complaint acted upon, and now conditions have improved (in the neighborhood). How many deaths are there a year in Portland that can be attributed to the homeless falling prey to the elements? Runkel is a bit over the top.

01.30.2008 at 05:36 Reply

Marshall Runkel

First, one of my colleagues, not me, did and is doing all of the complex and difficult work to get the severe winter shelters up and running. She's doing a fantastic job of coordinating with the Red Cross which is also doing heroic work.

I understand Daniel's point and I've got no problem with advocating for improving how critical services get delivered, but delivering a bag of garbage to the Red Cross is rogue-worthy.

I'll answer Daniel's last question with another question, how many homeless people should have to fall prey to the elements before we do something?

01.30.2008 at 06:56 Reply

Ret

I feel for the homeless too, but why do they have to act like pigs and trash the neighborhood of people trying to help them? Do we just write off their personal responsibility too? We want to treat them as humans, how about putting the onus on them to act like it?

I see no problem with her giving the trash to the Red Cross, it's their facility that's causing it. It's always nice to help people and the homeless need it in this weather, but for crying out loud, take some responsibility for the problems it causes others.

Nice try on the guilt trip, Marshall, but put some effort into regarding others' rights too.

01.30.2008 at 07:48 Reply

Lise Harwin

Just to add some more information that James didn't have room to fit in...

When Margaret first contacted the Red Cross, I spoke with her personally and worked to get her concerns (and those of Calvary Christian) addressed immediately.

Once she gave us the location, we picked up some blankets that were left nearby and worked with the church to come up with a plan for closing the doors between 11 pm and 6 am. We did this within hours of her contacting us last Tuesday and I called her back to give an update on the Red Cross response. Furthermore, we met personally with Margaret on Thursday morning -- a meeting which was said to have gone very well.

Despite having had extensive personal contact, direct phone numbers to call with questions, and a very quick response to all of her concerns, Margaret chose to drop off a small bag of trash at the Red Cross headquarters -- right in front of a receptionist who works with blood services and has nothing to do with the EWCs.

Point being, if anyone has concerns about trash that's a direct result of the warming centers, CALL US at 503-284-1234. We'll take care of it. We've been 100% responsive to feedback thus far and certainly have "taken responsibility" without anyone needing to resort to more extreme actions.

01.30.2008 at 08:00 Reply

Fernando

A hefty percentage of the homeless are mentally incompetent. So yes, we write off their personal responsibility because they're not capable of acting "human," as you put it.

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Margaret O’Hartigan

Not in her backyard.