In the ongoing war over Portland’s transportation future, City Hall now finds itself fighting on two fronts. Not only is the ugly skirmish over new street funding still very much in question, but Commissioner Steve Novick and Mayor Charlie Hales now have the moneyed juggernaut of Uber to contend with. The ride-sharing company barged into Portland yesterday, deftly avoiding (for a while, at least) city workers seeking to levy steep fines, spurring cheering and complaining over the city’s slow reaction to new technologies, and giving the NYT another reason to write about us.
You ready to rally again? There’s a big demonstration planned this afternoon, calling for federal charges against the officers who killed Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and others. Be at the federal building at 1 pm if you want in. The Mercury will have the scoop if you can’t make it.
Not feeling energized after more than a week of similar demonstrations? This AP story about cops blaming Eric Garner for his own death should help.
Or the fact that a Seattle officer won’t face charges for punching a handcuffed woman in the face, breaking her eye socket.
What to do with the Mount Tabor Reservoirs? Plenty of people in this city would say ‘nothing,’ that the open-air drinking water repositories are just fine and the city is perverting our rights and health by planning to close them. That ship has probably sailed, but the question of what becomes of the reservoirs will linger for months longer than planned.
Football! First the Oregon Ducks beat the hell out of my team. Then some other things happened, and now the Ducks will certainly have a shot at the national title. Quarterback Marcus Mariota is pretty much just awaiting the official announcement he won the Heisman Trophy, too.
Navy Seals swarmed a compound in Yemen last night, but couldn’t surprise an Al Qaeda affiliated group enough to prevent militants from murdering an American photojournalist and a South African teacher held captive there. It’s a tough situation, made worse by speculation the South African citizen may have been released this weekend.
To and fro. Actions and reactions. Isaac Newton. Just as President Obama removed the threat of deportation for millions of undocumented immigrants, his administration is updating rules federal agents must follow in investigations. And immigration agents? Still totally allowed to profile.
Meanwhile, the attempt by 20 states to shut down the president’s immigration action is half-baked and reactionary. This is a surprise.
There is something wrong with the sickening and enraging account of a frat house gang rape that Rolling Stone published last month—namely that it doesn’t seem to have conveyed the truth, a fact the magazine was forced to acknowledge in a statement yesterday.
Here’s a fun spin on falling oil prices, from a story that doesn’t once acknowledge climate change: Everyone’s gonna have a great Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!
Next pressing question before the Supreme Court: Are Confederate flag license plates legit? Thanks, The South!
Heartening news out of Florida: Turns out the state WILL imprison you if you murder and cook your neighbor. We’d all been wondering.
It’s typhoon season, and the Philippines is hoping it doesn’t get its second cataclysmic storm in as many years.
I just saw the video of that cop punching the woman up in Seattle.
You omitted the fact that the woman had just kicked him in the jaw.
In the context of bringing it up with the Garner case, one could assume that this was another racial incident – but both the officer and the woman were black.