Clackastani Rebels Stand in Rain To Fight

Not Inevitable

Businesses are being shuttered, houses demolished and concrete poured in preparation for a light rail train to Milwaukie that few people want and in reality has little funding. And today, Tri Met and a phalanx of federal officials, including Congressmen and a Federal Transportation Official, will put on a show to pretend all is well and that the choo choo is inevitable. Don’t be too sure.
There to meet them at this PR show will be who- knows-how-many Rebels from the Clackastani Rebellion. The majority of Clackamas County doesn’t want the choo choo and all of its problems according to polling (see nearby) and the latest election where two of the three candidates won the right to a November run off election on a message of no light rail and no Portland urban creep into Clackamas.

A new major crimes study has found light rail is responsible for bringing gang members into Clackamas County and increasing the crime rate. There’s a

reason we call it “Crime-Met.” The Clackamas County Sheriff has reported a huge increase in crime–between 32%-40% –due to Light Rail.

In operation, the MAX Green Line has been a fail at every turn. Consider these points brought up by the Rebels:

• Ridership has been considerably short of expectations
• Service has been cut by 1/3. 
• None of the promised development has been spurred
• Planning officials say the current light rail line was built in the wrong location.
• $200 million/mile and all of the local match financing is borrowing against essential services already suffering form shortages

Add to this list the rest of the failures when Light Rail comes to town including added property crime, light rail platform beat downs, empty “Transit Oriented Development” buildings, cannibalized bus lines and you get the picture of why Clackamas County doesn’t want to waste the money to build the boondoggle.

Rebels will be the proverbial skunk at the garden party at the PR show this morning at 10am at the corner of SE 17th and SE Pershing (near Powell). I might just drop by.

Even if you can’t go to this morning’s protest please contact your local and federal decision makers about this. You CAN make a difference:
TriMet http://trimet.org/about/board.htm
Clackamas County Commissioners bcc@co.clackamas.or.us
Federal Transit Administration http://www.fta.dot.gov/13011_6903.html Jackson Federal Building 915 Second Avenue, Suite 3142 Seattle, WA 98174-1002 Phone: (206) 220-7954 Fax: (206) 220-7959
Congress: http://transportation.house.gov/contact/default.shtml