Friends mourn the death of activist Sean Kealiher at a Sunday night vigil.
Friends mourn the death of activist Sean Kealiher at a Sunday night vigil. Alex Zielinski


Happy Indigenous Peoples Day! Take time today to learn about the native land you’re occupying and how to support (and not further harm)America’s indigenous communities.

Japan Underwater: Typhoon Hagibis drenched Japan over the weekend, causing catastrophic flooding in and around Tokyo and leaving at least 50 dead.

Murder the Press, But Make it Art: A (fake) video depicting Donald Trump brutally murdering members of the media and his political opponents was aired at a conference for Trump supporters at one of his resorts last week. Apparently, it was played as part of a “meme exhibit.”

Standing In Your House While Black: A Fort Worth cop shot and killed a 28-year-old Black woman in her home after a neighbor called a nonemergency police number to make sure she was safe (he was worried because her front door was open at 2 am). It appears the officer assumed Atatiana Jefferson was breaking and entering—when she was just up late playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew.

Chill Pro Quo: Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador who tried to persuade the Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden’s family, is set to testify before Congress this week. According to the Washington Post, he’s going to tell lawmakers that he was just following Trump’s demands and that Trump’s desire to withhold military funds to Ukraine “was a quid pro quo, but not a corrupt one.” Pass the popcorn.

Portland Drops Provenance: Oh, did we mention Sondland is also a major Portland hotelier and campaign donor? This weekend, protesters marched in downtown Portland, calling for a boycott of Sondland’s Provenance Hotels.

Close To Home: Early Saturday morning, 23-year-old Sean Kealiher (an activist who also used the pseudonym Armeanio Lewis) was hit by the driver of a SUV shortly after leaving Cider Riot, a Northeast cidery popular with anti-fascists. After someone fired bullets into the SUV, the car crashed into a wall, and those driving the car fled the scene. Kealiher died en route to the hospital. Police are investigating his death as a homicide, and have yet to make any arrests.

So Much For the Mutter: Yer boi (our boi? their boi?) Ted Wheeler is going to make his official re-election campaign announcement this evening. He’ll be joined by several local politicians and business leaders who support his run.

Guy With Money Didn’t Get What He Wanted For Once: Billionaire developer Jordan Schnitzer has bitterly admitted that he won’t be able to turn a giant empty jail into a homeless person warehouse. He used some choice words to express his grumpiness. Example: “Not in a mean way, but where is it that there’s a right for homeless people to occupy the streets of downtown Portland?”

The Life and Death of Great American Vaping: Oregon’s 180-day ban on flavored vaping products starts tomorrow. Then what?

ARE YOU HUNGRY? Today’s the first day of Portland Mercury‘s Nacho Week! OH! AND YES, YOU DO LOOK SEXY! Tickets for HUMP! 2019 are right here. (Oh, and psst! Check out the new, very sexy, and decidedly NSFW HUMP! trailer here.)

Alex Zielinski is a former News Editor for the Portland Mercury. She's here to tell stories about economic inequities, cops, civil rights, and weird city politics that you should probably be paying attention...