To the vegans

To The Portland Mercury

Please publish this letter for the businesses of SE 12th and Stark and residents of the area of 14th and Washington. I would address them personally, but even after polite encouragement they are unable speak with us in person. If you are reading this, and are able to, please forward it to the people to whom it may concern.

My name is Jon, and I was living in the black Toyota truck in the aforementioned areas, with my wife, Lauren, and our dog, Riley. We are unable to find affordable housing or employment in the area, though we are actively searching everyday. We chose to stay in this general vicinity for the hospitality of the kind people at St. Francis Dining Hall.

It has become apparent that we are not wanted in your neighborhood, though I cannot understand why. You left a note on our windshield, explaining that you reported our home as an abandoned vehicle, and reported our unattended dog to animal control. We move our currently registered vehicle at least once every 24 hours in accordance with the law. Our dog is only left unattended for brief periods of time while we eat a hot meal or spend what money we do have in your local businesses. We have a permanent note inside our windshield, requesting anyone with questions or concerns regarding us, our vehicle, or our dog, to contact us by way of two working cellular phone numbers.

I understand that you may not desire to have my completely painted and undamaged truck parked across the street and down the road from your business front, but it is our legal right. We know the name of the woman, and the place of employment, who wrote that note. We left her a note, asking her to come meet all three of us. We know who stole the used records that we were trying to sell. We know these businesses had cars moved into the area while we moved the truck once a day to block us out. We are not here to bother you. We moved around the block, to not inconvenience you.

The reason we chose to park in that particular location in the first place, was that it was adjacent to the dog park that we often frequent. Our Riley is very special to us. He is an AKC registered Papillon and is current on all vaccinations, Heartgard, and Frontline. He does not eat the free kibble offered by St. Francis; instead he eats the blend of Science Diet recommended by his vet, at a great expense to us. He eats twice daily, as directed by his vet, and he drinks several bowlfuls of water per day. We spend significantly more of our limited budget on him, than we do on ourselves. He has all of the toys, treats, and warm clothing he could ever need. He is kept clean, groomed, and healthy. He is never left in a hot environment, ever. When we leave him alone, we do not leave food out, because he eats a specific amount on a particular schedule. We do not leave water with him, because we sufficiently walk and water him before and after we leave him, which is 45 minutes at most.

This morning we received a call from an officer Hawkins. Apparently, someone has been calling the police department in an attempt to have Riley and our home taken from us during the 30 minutes we were gone to have coffee. The warning citation on the windshield read that our truck would be towed. There is no parking term limit in this area and the truck had been there only 13 hours. We have proof of this from the ticket stubs of the movie we went to see for my birthday. But, you were watching us closely enough to have the police come during our 30 minute breakfast.

People leave their dogs unattended. Until the day when dogs are welcomed everywhere, this is inevitable. We do it as little as possible. Now we will be taking him everywhere we go and limiting where we can go, because we cannot risk losing him. I am receiving a check that will allow us leave the area, permanently. It is truly a shame. Everyone we've met here has been very nice and personable. It's the people that can't speak to us in person that have not been so hospitable. I don't hold it against all of Portland, just you, and you know who you are.

I realize people in this area are animal lovers, humanitarians, and environmentalists... but so are we. Is it humanitarian to actively try to have our home, family, and all of our belongings taken from us while we are in a church? And, is it environmentally conscience to burn extra gasoline, at a personal expense to me, just to circle the block to remain legal? I did, so I wouldn't lose my home. Though there is a Chevy van, a Volvo sedan, and an El Camino, that have spider webs spanning from the wheels to the curbs, parked on these same streets, unmoved for weeks. These vehicles have no notes. I now realize that our driving activity was not the reason we were of concern to you. You are bigots. You do not understand our lifestyle and the difficulties associated with it.

I would also like to know what your specific goal is in threatening us and reporting us to higher authorities, capable of separating our family and taking away our home and everything we own. Is our home unsightly to you, and is that why you can justify doing that to us? Are you really looking out for the best interests and well being of our dog Riley, an important member of this family? If so, did you think it through? Do you actually think the best answer is for him to be taken away from his loving "parents" and put into an animal shelter where his future is uncertain at best? Animal shelters are unfortunately already overflowing with dogs that end up there, through no fault of their own, and a lot of them end up being killed because of this. To me, that doesn't seem like a better life for him than living with a loving family who, because of their lifestyle, are able to spend almost 24 hours a day with him, except for the 30-40 minutes a day where they leave him in a safe and suitable environment, while they go to eat a warm meal.

We are very nice people, accepting of all peoples' differences and lifestyles, and we would welcome a pleasant face-to-face interaction with any of those who would like to meet us, but anytime you have had any kind of interaction with us, it has been cruel and covert. Why were you unable to address us with your specific concerns? You are judgmental and you are cowards. Do you not have anything better to do with your time than stake out our home and plot against us? Is this your idea of being active in your community? What business is it of yours, how we choose to live our lives? I hope you feel good about yourselves and that this was your intention. What worthwhile deeds and causes are you neglecting while focusing your energy on intensifying our turmoil?

You want us gone, and since we are the minority, we will leave. You win. I just find it odd that people who live their lives advertising lifestyles of varying perspectives, celebrating openness and differences, and fighting to not be judged themselves, are the only ones that are judging us. I hope your customers will consider these intolerances before patronizing your respective establishments. I truly wish no bad will upon you, and I hope that someday you will learn to be more accepting of people of different lifestyles. May God have mercy on you.