Six people arrested after downtown food cart fight
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Police arrested six people in connection to a fight that broke out Monday afternoon at some downtown food carts.
The fight is believed to have been part of an ongoing conflict between food cart operators and "street youth," police said.
Amir Amani, the 31-year-old operator of the cart, Persian Plate, was apparently upset with the group of suspects after his neighboring food cart sustained a gas line cut earlier in the day Monday, police said.
Arrested were Tatiana D. Gutierrez, 18; Mathew A. Juniper, 21; James Paine, 21; Matthew Koontz, 23; Samuel G. Hambrick, 25; and Zachary L. Lloyd, 19.
The suspects could face charges of fourth-degree assault, menacing, harassment and second-degree disorderly conduct, according to a news release from the Portland Police Bureau.
Portland police officers had responded just before 4 p.m. to the food carts on SW Stark, between Second and Third Avenues.
As officers responded, they learned some of the people involved in the fight were armed with weapons, such as knives and sticks, or were being threatening, police said.
Another food cart owner, a man named Lefty, said he’s fed up with the homeless young adults who hang out downtown and the vandalism and harassment he believes they’re responsible for.
"They call themselves gutter punks. They have different names for their different gangs," he said. "We're harassed all the time by the street kids. They're down here every day panhandling. When people don't give them change, they call them names (and) threaten them."
He said the harassment turned violent when a gang of people surrounded him and fellow food cart owner, Amani, after the two men reported vandalism of a cart's gas line to police.
"If we didn't have something to fend them off, you know, it was like walking through a blender," Left said. "All of them had knives, and they attacked us. I mean, it was like a bad movie."
There were some injuries but none was serious.
KATU News reporter Lincoln Graves contributed to this report.
I wouldn't be opposed to the idea of forced sterilization of these "street youth" Â could cure the problem in one generation.
By the way, I haven't given anything to any homeless person because I have nothing to give. All I can give is a kind word and a smile, and I have never been cursed or shouted at for it. Just because you don't approve doesn't mean you have to treat them like garbage.
The hate I see in these comments is astounding. There are so many reasons for homelessness, and many are beyond our control. Anyone remember the homeless trumpet player who used to hang out near the Hawthorne bridge? He brightened a lot of people's days. He and other homeless Portlanders are some of the nicest people you could meet, who have just fallen into hard times and can't find the helping hand they need to get back on track. And people like all of you, who can't just ignore people hurting but have to go out of their way to hurt them FURTHER, you people are the reason that trumpet player shot himself.
It is your kind of judgemental, self-righteous filth that needs to be gotten rid of. If you don't like Portland then move away. We'd all appreciate it.
you know what I find funny is the fact that Samuel Hambrick one of the guys that was arested because of this. is NOT homeless, was across the street when it happened, was never even involved in the fight, had NO idea what it was about, is NOT In the video of the fight, has no Idea who these people are in the fight, got booked on false charges, and does not even live in portland and had only been in portland for a day, thats what I find funny. just thought you guys should know that.
If the city gov will not clean up downtown then maybe the publuc should.Bring back vigalance commitees.Heavliy armed ones at that.Sorry for the typos.
 @Jim330rifle King Sam has the 'qweer patrol'... Too bad these cart owners aren't gay.Â
@MarkKpic @Jim330rifle What on earth are you going to do when the new heterosexual mayor gets sworn in next month? How will you survive? I suppose you will have to get some new material.
 @MarkKpic LOL!
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 @FrankCastle I wonder what the litle ba----d would of done if you pulled out a .45?LOL!
@Jim330rifle @FrankCastle As a fellow CWP carrier.I think I'll wait until my life is in imminent danger.L.E doesn't look kindly at vilagantes who think this is still the wild wild west.
@Jim330rifle @FrankCastleÂ
Probably have him arrested for brandishing a firearm as well as menacing.
@FrankCastle Â
Wow, Great story Dude, you're really tough. You know what's even tougher than (almost) having an altercation with societies most marginalized and writing about it on the internetâ¦Â Having love and compassion in your heart and treating people with respect. They ask me for money too. I say âI canât do it brother but God bless you.â That has been my reply for years and it gets nothing but a positive response.
 @shorin After the 3000th time politeness gets a little old.
Maybe if the City figured out that A LOT of people would like to go downtown to shop and eat, they would finally do something about the vagrants and panhandlers. I see tons of people who could be working, WE ALL HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE. I had to work in a corn field for $2.35 an hour, and that was not very long ago.....Portland needs to wake up and smell the coffee, not the other smells emanating within the city. I am all for giving them one-way bus tickets to L.A. That's what L.A. did before their olympics back in the day, sent them down to Honolulu....
"Make Portland Normal"
 @PDXsoccerguy I like it.
But it aint ever going to happen.
New Portland motto: "The City that Doesn't Work"
No one should be giving money, cigs, etc. to panhandlers. That includes at every street light in town. If you want to be charitable, give to a homeless shelter. It ticks me off when I see drivers holding up traffic at a light, because they're digging in their vehicle to scrape up some change to give to some panhandler. People, STOP FEEDING THE WILD ANIMALS.
I used to carry pennies in my pocket and when one of theses loosers asked me for money, I would give them a penny and then tell them to get a job and earn the rest. Got sworn at a few times but finally they stopped asking me ...everyone needs to remember there are homeless people and there are these looser punks....the looser punks need to go..
 We also need to limit access to homeless shelters and kitchens to those who can show proof that they have had a permanent address in Portland within the last 5 years.Â
 @swede999 Nothing personal, but what a stupid comment. Really stupid.
 @swede999 no, so you're saying that after losing a home they need to survive for 5 years panhandling before they can go get a lunch at a kitchen?
No, he's saying that unless you can show proof that you've gone homeless in Portland, you should not be allowed its freebies. This city is a mecca for the homeless parasites. That's very different from the regular homeless. All of these moochers and beggars that want nothing more than free money for a fix and a place to get attention(aka act like spoiled brats), they can go starve for all I care. I went to a bar to drop off some food for a friend. A bum kid said he was hungry, hadn't eaten much and would give me his bit of change for the food. I told him to suck an egg. Maybe he shouldn't have had a shot and a beerback in front of him. Thanks for nothing, Occutards.
Yes, something definitely needs to get done. When I have visitors from out of town, they are appalled by what they see. Arresting them for the night does not solve anything. We need to make panhandling and loitering illegal and enforce it by rounding them up and dropping them off somewhere out in the wilderness hours from Portland. Only by making it highly undesirable to be a bum in Portland will we get rid of the vermin.
 @swede999 Never happen if people keep voting worthless POS like Sam Adams into office.
 @swede999 Not for nothing but this goes on in every city, not just Portland.
This city is so broken! I remember moving here in the early 90s from the worst hellhole on earth (Houston, Texas) and loving how clean and safe the downtown area was. Now....I rarely venture downtown at night. These kids have been given way too much leeway to harass and assault citizens with no repercussions (other than a night in a bed and a shower courtesy of an overnight stay at city jail). Seriously, Charlie, you have your work cut out for you.
The really sad part about this is that, for this group, being arrested and brought before a judge serves two purposes.Â
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1) Vacation- They get off the streets, and into a nice cozy cell with "3 hots & a cot" for a few nights on the taxpayer dime. Just short of a felony assault charge, they will be released after the hearing Monday morning.
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2) Cred- To their fellow street urchins, having been arrested and charged is a type of badge of honor. They 'fought the man' and returned to tell the tales.Â
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The problem is bigger. It's systematic. Oregon (and, in particular Portland) has been flagged by the disenfranchized as embracing 'wierd', and this is known nationwide. (Portlandia- the TV show). We also are known to have lots of folks who 'care' (IE-can be taken advantage of by way of sympathy), and hand out their change, clothing and food for the homeless. In addition, it is known nationwide that Oregon is decidedly 'pro-immigrant', regardless of legal status.Â
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Unless/until a majority of Portlanders and/or the Portland City Council (as well as the state Legislature) decides to come to terms with these realities, such events will continue. I also suspect that such events will eventually escalate to the point of someone getting killed, or greviously injured by one of these 'gutter punks'.Â
@MarkKpic There are numerous instances over the last decade plus in which these street punks have preyed on their own (murdered) or those dabbling in the life style. Clearly this is not the first time they have gone after law abiding citizens either. The police have been aware of the popular hang outs these street folk use and have chased them around the city for decades. What to do? I personally believe a firm hand must be applied to repeat offenders but beyond that I must take a stand on the side of freedom until someone proves their are undeserving.
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A good question you allude to is how do we protect people from themselves, i.e. " We also are known to have lots of folks who 'care' (IE-can be taken advantage of by way of sympathy)," or do we?
There are undesireable consequences to maintaining a reasonably free society which beg the question, what are we willing to put up with to maintain that fredom. I wish I had some great answers but all I can come up with are more severe consequences (which come with their own additional draw on societies time and tax money) for these transients combined with better opportunities to get these people off the street.
 @33  @MarkKpic >'There are numerous instances...'
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Frankly, I tend to believe that culling the herd isn't necessarily a bad thing. While I do have utmost respect for the value of life, I find it exceedingly rare that such instances aren't results of a 'cause and effect' series of decisions. You make bad choices, there are going to be bad outcomes.Â
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>'Â The police have been aware...'Â
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Law enforcement is hamstrung by judicial precident, and laws (ordinances). Hence my statement above. While I do have a measure of sympathy for someone who, through no fault of their own, ends up on the street. A good percentage (I'd go so far as to say a majority) of individuals who live on the street are there because of drug/alcohol abuse, poor decision making (money responsibility), chosen behavioral patterns (anarchist/'counter-culture') or mental health issues. While I do feel that the state, and the federal government do need to do a much better job with regards to mental health, the other three aspects of the problem again fall under the heading of bad choices make for bad outcomes.
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>'There are undesireable consequences to maintaining a reasonably free society which beg the question, what are we willing to put up with to maintain that fredom.'
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This, IMO, is the crux of the problem we face with such issues. To me, it falls squarely under the heading of 'your right to swing your arm ends where my face begins.' So long as you are not impeeding/infringing upon my rights, if you choose to live in squallor, and abuse your body with alcohol & drugs (or be deep into Tre Arrows mindset), then so be it. It also begs the question of social services (IE-'handouts'), and where do we draw the line with regards to offering a hand-out vs a hand-up? Manditory drug testing for enrollment in social service programs, limits on what can be purchased with SNAP cards, and ABSOLUTELY no 'cash back' options. There are solutions, but they quickly get mired down in ideological sound-bytes.Â
 There also needs to be some serious revision to Portlands municipal codes, and Oregon revised statutes with regards to what consititutes an illegal campsite, and how one can be dealt with.Â
 Insofar as these types of cretins.... As much as I hate to say it, a CWP, training, practice and a full clip isn't out of the question in my book.Â
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@MarkKpic Im with ya for the most part but can you explain what immigration has to do with this? The street urchins are ALL white.
 @oh4FS  @MarkKpic In this instance, there was no component that involved immigration. A quick peek into Oregons judicial database, and that element of the problem quickly becomes apparent.Â
yet another reason why I have a concealed carry permit.  I have been down to those carts many times and have been harassed by these people when you don't give them money. Â
The street "children" aren't children after all.  According to the ages in this story they're adults. That makes them street criminals and let's not worry about their getting proper compassion and public assistance.
 @hankhandsome Ya that was my thought. These are not street children but lazy ass adults that deserve to work in an old fashioned chain gain for a year to get their attitude re-adjusted!
The perp mugshots...
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http://convicted.me/oregon/multnomah-county-jail/inmate/tatiana-d-gutierrez-118755
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http://convicted.me/oregon/multnomah-county-jail/inmate/mathew-d-juniper-118765
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http://convicted.me/oregon/multnomah-county-jail/inmate/james-n-paine-118793
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http://convicted.me/oregon/multnomah-county-jail/inmate/matthew-allen-koontz-118767
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http://pdxmugshots.com/mug/samual-gene-hambrick
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http://convicted.me/oregon/multnomah-county-jail/inmate/zachary-lee-lloyd-118769
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Gutter punks are exactly as the little poo's call themselves..... Punks. Call in the EXTERMINATOR..... spray them with Raid Bug Spray..... until they can be exterminated.
The six arrested are ages 18 - 25. These folks are all adults, not youths as the media is reporting. It is time that these street thugs, which they are, be put into proper perspective.Â
With the holiday season here or any time of the year for that matter, there is no place for criminals threatening businesses and their patrons on our city streets. I know our law enforcement are short staffed and over worked, but it may be time for the police to start sweeping the inner city core, as these street folks have proven they are not willing to allow others to carry on with their daily lives.
 @dDog Great idea, and we put them all on an island somewhere! Maybe they can buy them a one way bus ticket to San Diego! ( I actually like that idea).
 @dDog Well said.
The gutter punks are like some plague from the Dark Ages. Filthy, crawling with lice, scabies, tuberculosis, staph infections, strep infections, Hansen's Disease (leprosy), dragging along their mangy and sick dogs....these vagabonds are a menace to the health and safety of the community and to businesses downtown. There should be no loitering laws and they should be enforced. The reason Portland is crawling with human lice is because they are tolerated. It is wrong. (Dang! I think I've got the makings of a post apocalypse novel right here). (c)
Keep Portland wierd!
 @Riley35 There's a clear difference between "Weird" and being harassed by the wasted youth of Portlandia.
I was once on MAX and there was a group from Tennessee visiting, they were relentlessly begged by a homeless junkie (because he wanted to buy some cocaine). It made them very uncomfortable one even said they will never come back. Is this the perception we want to convey to the visitors to our city? I have never seen anything like this and I have lived all over the place. Why is panhandling and loitering tolerated EVERYWHERE? I've noticed the homeless people here are getting more aggressive too.  If you don't have change to spare or cigarettes to give them, they act like you owe it to them and sometimes shout or call you selfish among other choice words. That makes me not want to help even more and I tell them that "Today is support your own habit day." So, what I am trying to say.... Why don't we have anti loitering and panhandling laws. The ONLY thing I see on the books if if someone get overly aggressive, and it still doesn't make a difference. Please do something... YESTERDAY! It's out of control...
 @PDXBEAR Another reason to end fareless square....I'm seen homeless people jump on just to beg.
 @PDXBEAR  I work downtown and get besieged by people asking for money every day. I've started pointing out the nearest temp labor agency. That always shuts them up..
Occupy Portland at work again.
I moved to portland many years ago via Washington DC. What shock me in downtown Portland were the panhandlers and street people that were permitted to hang out and sit on the sidewalks. DC has a law, no loitering. DC police enforces that law, it is beyond me, why Portland doesn't. Even when picketing, you have to keep moving. I go downtown very often and have to deal with that scum and no one should have to. The police just drive right pass all of them sitting in front of the Food carts, Nordstrom's, the library, Macy's.....I have never understood why this lewd act of disorder is permitted in this city.
 @Tyler Van Pelt I lived downtown for a few years and I used to think it was a miracle if went out and didn't get hit up for something, the norm was usually within 200 yards of my place.
Do you think the cops will now pay closer attention to that area?Â
Nah, neither do I. Ow well, life goes on.