Lawyer Tom Steensen and the step-father of Aaron Campbell (left) at a city hall rally protesting the forced re-hiring of Officer Ron Frashour this morning. Who’s in charge of deciding whether police officers can be fired? In Portland, not the police commissioner. Here it’s the state employment bureaucrats—the Oregon Employment Relations Board issued a ruling […]
Sarah Shay Mirk
Sarah Shay Mirk reported on transportation, sex and gender issues, and politics at the Mercury from 2008-2013. They have gone on to make many things, including countless comics and several books.
Posted inElection 2012
Hey! Register to Vote!
Today is national register-to-vote day. It’s a good thing that Oregon is excellent—one of only 11 states that allow you to register to vote online. We still can’t register to vote via Facebook, but the process is super simple. If you’ve moved since the last election or changed parties, just register at the Secretary of […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning News!
Obama’s Gettin’ All Serious: What’s this, no campaign chatter? Just a speech to the UN about how we need to make sure Iran doesn’t build a nuclear weapon? Okay, go ahead, be the president. BTW: Obama is leading in Florida and Ohio. Pointless Violence: Academics’ research says the US’s drone strikes are counterproductive because they […]
Posted inPolitics
State Okay’s “Viva Las Portland” Fake Pro-Casino Campaign
Satirical pro-gambling PAC Viva Las Portland is supposed to be a funny spoof of the campaign pushing for November ballot measures to allow the construction of a private casino near Portland. But the group’s fake gambling message pissed off the actual Measure 82 and 83 backers, who filed a complaint with the secretary of state, […]
Posted inPortland
Portland: The Place Where Young People are Underemployed
This is a ridiculous sentence to write, but two Portland State University researchers have dug into what they call the Portlandia hypothesis: Portland is a place where young people come to retire. Yeah, it’s a joke, but it’s also a widespread perception of the city. The image of young people here is that we’re artsy […]
Posted inElection 2012
Mayoral Candidates Answer Your Ridiculous Questions
Our Mayoral Inquisition on Tuesday night was so packed that we didn’t get a chance to ask the candidates everyone’s questions. The candidates addressed the CRC, police oversight, parking spot minimums for developments, fluoride, and domestic violence funding, but they didn’t get to answer many fun questions. I really liked the audience question: “How often […]
Posted inBikes
Do Cyclists Make Better Customers?
Businesses in Portland and around the country sometimes push back against bike and pedestrian projects because they think removing space from cars will hurt their businesses. Customers who bike, walk, or take transit to bars, restaurants, and markets are a drop in the bucket, right? A new study shows that people who walk and bike […]
Posted inNews
Sexual Politics
It’s Not a Pissing Contest
Why do we get so squeamish about gender-neutral bathrooms?
Posted inSex
This is Exactly How I Feel About Strip Clubs, Too.
I’m just reading through Ian Karmel’s cover story this week about Voodoo Donuts and strip clubs and, oh man, it’s funny. Here’s my favorite line, which sums up how I feel about strip clubs, too: Getting drunk near vaginas is okay, I guess. It’s a little weird that it’s illegal to have alcohol and vaginas […]
Posted inArtsy
What If We Were a City Without Billboards?
An interesting project from local artist Nina Montenegro is imagining the city without billboards, using a Viewmaster to replace the sight of billboards on North Williams and elsewhere with images of artwork. The way Montnegro talks about the project in this video is rather precious (“I wanted to form a dialogue with people who wanted […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning News!
How Are Those Military Gays Doing? Just fine, thank you. One year after the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the open presence of LGBT folks has not undermined the military. Money in the Wind. With tax credit in peril, the major wind power industry is slashing jobs. Fast and Not So Furious. American Attorney […]
Posted inNews
Saving Us from Ourselves
We Asked, the Feds Spoke: Portland Cops Use Excessive Force Against the Mentally Ill
We asked, feds spoke: Our cops rough up the mentally ill.