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Good morning, Portland! Look, I’m sorry about this, but we’re gonna have to open today’s post with a troubling anti-vaccine tweet from my Nicki Minaj—a tweet that entirely eclipsed last night’s Met Gala looks—not because I endorse this message, but because I believe it will be studied by social scientists for years to come:
My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021
OKAY, now that that’s out of the way, here are the headlines.
• Portland police have identified the two officers involved in a shooting Sunday morning in which a person was injured, shedding more light on a largely opaque incident. According to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), officers Ivan Alvarez and Jonah Gellman both fired their weapons at Andreas Boinay early Sunday morning, after following a tip that Boinay had allegedly stolen a truck. Our own Alex Zielinski has more details here.
• In case you missed this excellent reporting from Isabella Garcia last week, be sure to check it out: “How Flawed Population Data Conceals the Reality of COVID for Oregon Pacific Islanders.”
• A data scientist from Oregon Health and Sciences University predicts that based on current data, Oregon’s hospitals will be full of COVID-19 patients until mid-November, per KGW. Here’s some related data on how helpful vaccines are in keeping folks out of the hospital:
Current #COVID19 hospitalizations at OHSU and OHSU Health @HillsboroMedCtr as of Sept. 13, 2021. pic.twitter.com/4m14IrLuhv
— OHSU News (@OHSUNews) September 13, 2021
• Do you support the recall effort against Mayor Ted Wheeler? If so, you’ll want to read this piece about local arts and culture venues that also support the recall—and are using their weight as businesses to help advance it. As one person told the Mercury, “It’s not unprecedented that businesses are involved in politics, they’re just usually involved on the side of people like Ted Wheeler.”
• Today’s the day for our neighbors to the south: It’s the California recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the stakes are pretty damn high. If Newsom loses and is recalled, his likely replacement is a Trump-style Republican. If any Californians who have yet to vote just happen to be reading this: VOTE NO! Sure, Newsom is an elitist image-obsessed goon, but this election is not your solution to that particular problem.
• Okay, we have to talk about the Met Gala. Specifically, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s dress, which declared “TAX THE RICH” in big red letters on the back. Look, AOC is my favorite American politician (which is kind of like having a favorite zit on your back), but I’m gonna have to agree with Gawker on this one:
AOC stands for Alright, Objectively Cringe https://t.co/clN2BP8Zjx
— Gawker (@Gawker) September 14, 2021
• Brace yourselves, because another abortion rights case appears to be making its way to the Supreme Court. This time, it’s a 15-week abortion ban in Mississippi—and if the Court allows this one to go into effect, it will effectively sever the last thread of Roe v. Wade.
• Democrats in Congress have introduced a new, compromise-laden voting rights bill. But although it’s less progressive than the failed John Lewis Voting Rights Act, it will likely still face a Republic filibuster in the Senate. Outr voting rights may be eroding before our eyes, but I’m just glad we continue to protect that most sacred and iconic of American rights: the filibuster!
• And finally, we’ll end today with a shameless plug for the Mercury’s own Fall Arts Guide! You’ll want to check this one out, I promise.
Portland’s art scene has never shied away from politics. But in a year at the intersection of a pandemic, a mass extinction event, and political incompetence, Portland arts are taking a turn toward the radical.
Presenting the Mercury’s Fall Arts Guide.https://t.co/GRtzsu5sKA— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) September 13, 2021
Key takeaway— 100% of the people in the ICU or on ventilators are unvaccinated
I shared this on FB about 15 minutes ago and already have one antivaxxer person say “wonder how they managed to turn that around” , and another just said “made up bologney[sic]!!!”… I’m starting to feel like the real conspiracy here is how these people ever managed to convince others they weren’t complete idiots for so long, apparently nearly half the population is shockingly stupid, like “how did you graduate high school?” level stupid. But at least it’s obvious these days!!!