Earlier this week Mayor Charlie Hales tackled the issue of people sleeping outside by issuing a new “Safe Sleep” policy – effective immediately – that allows sleeping bags and tarps on sidewalks during certain hours and camps in sanctioned areas throughout the city. Around the same time the mayor announced his new policy, the city listed for sell 15 acres on NW Front Avenue, including a vacant 96,000 square foot building. How can the mayor say it’s OK for people to sleep in public rights of way and sanctioned camps when the city owns land and vacant building that could become safe shelter? The mayor has declared that sleeping outside is a good option. Let’s ask the other members of Portland City Council pick the more humane solution: http://pdxcandobetter.com Sleeping outside is not a safe solution for anyone – since the beginning of this year, there have been 11 serious assaults involving homeless individuals either as perpetrators or victims. Eight of those assaults were stabbings. This trend is unacceptable. As Portlanders, we should call on the city to inventory all of its unused property and immediately convert as many locations as possible into shelter space. We should demand this as the first step toward solutions that treat people with dignity, provide homeless individuals with safe indoor options, respects neighbors’ concerns and keeps everyone safe by enforcing the law. The mayor refused to give residents and neighbors a voice on his new “Safe Sleep” policy. Despite what Mayor Hales thinks, you have a voice in the matter.