Whistler plagues Parkside

Last night, starting as early as about 8:00pm, a woman wandered up and down State Street around the Sherman Street and Grant Street block, and further, whistling a piercing note, much to the annoyance of the neighborhood. Every now and then residents wouldn't hear her for a while, and all hoped that she had finally quit her racket. However, each time, this was not the case.

In a method not unlike Chinese Water Torture, this shrill and un-ignorable presence reared its noisy head hour by hour, sometimes more often, and found locals calling the police for assistance repeatedly, to no avail. As late (or rather early) as 3:00 in the morning, if you can believe it, this was continuing, at which point Portland Police Dispatch replied to this caller that, "Things seem to be quieting down in the rest of downtown -- they have been extremely busy tonight. They should be able to finally get someone over there shortly. We'll see what we can do."

After 3:00am the woman seemed to give up (either that or the police finally caught up with her, or I finally passed out from sheer exhaustion), a full 7 hours after she started her spree. We'll see if she shows up again tonight.

IF SHE DOES come back, and you would rather get some sleep: Please call in a noise complaint to the Portland Police Department. Their non-emergency number is (207)874-8479. I'm pretty sure she's violating the local noise decibel limit ordinance, not to mention the basic right to an environment where one should at least get some sleep in the middle of the night, i.e., she is most definitely disturbing the peace.

The woman's description from last night is as follows, with some allowance for difference due to the dark nighttime conditions:

Height: around 5 foot 6 inches, possibly on the shorter side of that measurement

Hair: appears to be dark blonde, long, and pulled back

Wearing: jeans, flared at the bottom, brown tank top

Overall: Caucasian (white), mid-twenties to mid-thirties in age

Various theories of what she was trying to accomplish that have been heard are:

That she is stark raving mad

That she is a hooker that has come up with the most annoying way of attracting customers ever developed in the history of mankind

That she is looking for a lost pet that she desperately wants to find

All I know is, folks around these parts want to get some sleep tonight, and if they don't, things may get pretty nasty in the ol' Parkside neighborhood.