Not even a year after a rookie police officer fatally shot a 21-year-old black woman at a routine traffic stop, this week, Portland police shot and killed a 28-year-old black man. Jahar Perez was driving through North Portland on Sunday evening when police pulled him over for failure to signal within 100 feet of making […]
Phil Busse
Posted inMovies & TV
Growing Pains
Revisiting the Age of Naked Hippies
The Same River Twice dir. Moss Opens Fri March 26 Cinema 21 When talking about the new documentary The Same River Twice, referencing The Big Chill is inevitable. In that 1983 Kevin Kline/Glenn Close blockbuster, a group of college friends reunite after one of their chums kills himself. They sit around, listen to R&B records, […]
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Gay and Staying that Way
County Stands Firm While Governor Cowers
“The verdict is in,” said Multnomah County Commissioner Lisa Naito. She was facing several TV cameras and explaining that the county will continue to grant same-sex marriage licenses. That decision came a few days after Governor Ted Kulongoski gave an ambiguous ruling, which said that handing out those licenses may not be legal–but then again, […]
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A License for All
An Interview with Commissioner Serena Cruz
Last Wednesday morning, City Councilperson Serena Cruz and her three female counterparts stood at a hastily convened press conference. Joined by the county attorney, they announced perhaps the most controversial policy change in Multnomah County history: Starting at 10 am that morning, the county would begin handing out marriage licenses to same-sex couples. To do […]
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Wedding Bells Keep On Ringing
Same-Sex Opponents Lose First Round
Commissioner Serena Cruz leaves her sixth floor office to take a look at the commotion that she, in part, has created. Only five days earlier, four out of the five commissioners hosted a press conference to announce the surprising news that the county would begin to hand out marriage licenses to same-sex couples. At the […]
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Happily Ever After
City Council Approves Dignity Village For the Next Decade
A woman named Sunshine sat in front of city council last Thursday and talked about being homeless. She explained that life on Portland’s streets is hard and cruel. “Then I found a newspaper article about Dignity Village,” she said, and now claims to have found her family. For over three hours, residents told similar stories […]
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A Name Without a Face
Watchdogs Want Photo of the Cop Who Shot Kendra James
Last week about 300 posters showed up in East Portland, depicting an inky outline of a police officer, proclaiming they were a “public service announcement” and reading, “ARMED AND DANGEROUS KILLER RELEASED!” The face in the poster is ghostly, with only a few shadows from the nose and eyebrows casting any sort of outline. But […]
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Who Is Portland’s Most Rotten Cop?
Decide for yourself and vote in our “Most Rotten Cop” poll!
We can all agree that the Portland Police Bureau is mostly populated by brave individuals whose main concern is to protect and serve our community. However, what about the inevitable “rotten apples” of the bunch? Why do City Hall and the Police Bureau turn a blind eye to the rotten cops that give the entire […]
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A Gay Union
Now’s the Time to Push for Same-Sex Marriages
On Thursday, about 10 same-sex couples gathered on the pavilion in front of City Hall for the sixth annual National Freedom to Marry Day. The couples cut a wedding cake and listened to speakers explain where same-sex marriages stand legally. It was a small but joyous ceremony. Over the past few months, the issue of […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Vote NO on Mooseport
Mr. Hackman Goes to Crapsport
Welcome To Mooseport dir. Petrie Opens Fri Feb 20 Various Theaters There have been plenty of fine films about elections. The deeply cynical 1972 film The Candidate, for instance, stars Robert Redford as a lawyer smart enough to win a senate seat, but clueless as to how to be a senator. The bitterly smart Bob […]
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Why Measure 30 Went Down
Out-of-State Republicans Take Over Oregon
“Nothing I vote on ever seems to win,” lamented a PSU student. After participating in her first election, she watched George W. Bush inexplicably waltz into office after failing to win the majority of votes. Last Wednesday evening, the day after Measure 30 was severely trounced, she was once again baffled. “Who are these people? […]
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Bullets Over Portland
Recent Gang Violence Sends Residents Scrambling
Three Fridays ago, Jermaine Owens, a reputed leader of the Bloods gang in Portland, was getting a haircut. While sitting in the barber’s chair, several bullets were fired into the North Portland shop. The assailants hopped in a car and peeled away. Owens was shot, but survived. The following weekend, there were five bold gang-related […]