Billed as the City’s “living room,” Pioneer Square has no walls. It is allegedly open to everyone: Shoppers carrying Nordstorm bags stroll alongside punks and panhandlers. But a recent court case and complaints from peaceful protesters who use the space have touched off a debate about who is really welcome in the park and what […]
Phil Busse
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Where’d the Money Go?
Battered Women and Others Face Reduced State Services
“We need $70 million; we asked for 25 and received 2.5,” explains Chiquita Rollins, the coordinator of domestic violence programs for Multnomah County. Badly understaffed and without specialized services for ethnic women, programs for victims of domestic violence around the state have been skeletal for the past decade. And though advocates convinced the State of […]
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Don’t Tread On Me
How the Federal Government is Slowly Chipping Away at Oregon’s Rights
“The people of the Northwest have always been different from the rest of the country,” explains John Phillips, an organizer for the Cascadian National Party. At the heart of a growing secessionist movement in the region, Phillips hopes that in the next few years Washington and Oregon will break free from the rest of the […]
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Hippies of the World Unite!
Wanting Their Eden Back, Nature’s Employees Vote to Unionize
Fought with pro-union pins and passionate notes on the company bulletin board, there is a war waging at Nature’s on Division. On the surface, the conflict may seem placid and even civil. But as a vote nears whether to approve a union for 70 employees with the local International Workers of the World, that battle […]
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The Money Pit
Anti-Displacement Programs in Jeopardy
The faultline between the Portland-that-was and the city-that-will-be is Interstate Avenue. The North Portland area is slated for a major overhaul over the coming decade; the backbone of the project is an extension of Tri-Met’s tracks intended to connect the much-neglected neighborhoods of North Portland to the city’s core. But urban developers have long worried […]
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The Tax Man Cometh
Court Decision Freezes Portland’s Future Plans for Urban Development
A year ago, the popular Northeast burrito shop, La Sirenita, underwent a facelift. Crumbling walls and peeling paint on the storefront were replaced with sand-colored, salmon-flecked tiles. It is the type of commercial improvement that makes business owners proud and helps draw in customers who may have been put off by a decrepit exterior. But […]
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You’re Not the Boss of Me!
Introducing… the New Laws for 2002
Like overly protective parents who saddle rule after rule on their teenage kids, the Oregon legislature passed a slew of new laws intended to slow down and curb Oregon drivers. On Tuesday–the first day of the new year–about 500 new laws were bestowed upon Oregon residents. Passed last legislative session, the new laws cover everything […]
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Wobbly Wheels
Bike Messengers Deliver Their Intent to Unionized
As 200 picketers stalked the OHSU campus in one of the largest strikes in Portland’s history, the city’s business districts were rumbling with calls for another labor movement on Monday. Concerned about pay and clamoring for respect, about 50 bike messengers and delivery drivers announced their intentions to unionize. If successful, it would be the […]
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Sign Up Now!
Ballot Measures Need Your Immediate Kick-Start
With only a few weeks remaining before the January cut-off date for collecting signatures, Adrienne Ratner estimates that the campaign for the Police Accountability Campaign (PAC-2002), a voter initiative she hopes to place on May ballot, is still about 2500 signatures shy. Under PAC-2002, everyday residents of Portland would have more opportunities to examine complaints […]
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Hemp Me!
Activists Try to Stop DEA From Outlawing Hemp Products
In a steady downpour, during Monday’s lunch hour, fifteen activists stood outside local DEA offices downtown and convinced bypassers to sample hempseed products, like hemp potato chips and energy bars. They also tried to convince the lunch-hour crowd to sign a petition to halt a new ruling by the DEA that would effectively outlaw hemp […]
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Law, Order and Civil Liberties?
Activists Ponder Cops’ New Role As Protector of Civil Rights
For political activists, the walk from Pioneer Square to City Hall is a well-worn path often used to voice their disgruntlement. But Friday evening, the fifty protestors carrying “Peace” and “No More War” signs delivered a different message: This time they were cheering on the Police Chief and Mayor for their decision to stand firm […]
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Not On Our Watch! Well, Maybe.
Local Police Say No–and Then Yes–to Terrorist Dragnet
Portland–and Oregon, for that matter, has officially become the pea under John Ashcroft’s mattress. Two weeks ago, the morally conservative Attorney General attempted to shut down Oregon’s assisted suicide law by authorizing federal agents to fine physicians who prescribe life-ending drugs. But everyone from Governor Kitzhaber to grassroots activists cried foul; a restraining order that […]