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 […]
City
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
Shut Up and Listen
Community Leaders Turn To Youth For Answers
by Erin Ergenbright In response to several recent shootings in Northeast Portland, last Saturday the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN) held its second in a series of community meetings. But unlike other meetings on gang violence, this time it was those most directly affected who were allowed to speak–the kids. Adults were not allowed to […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
One Man, One Woman
Same-Sex Marriage Backlash Begins
by Joshua Cinelli Last week, Kathy Belge traveled from Portland to San Francisco with her partner of 12 years. They went to be legally married as a same-sex couple. As they waited with hundreds of gay couples outside city hall in the pouring rain, Belge had the feeling she was a part of something much […]
Posted inNews
On My Soapbox
BUSH’S WATERLOO? Is San Francisco’s mayor tilting at windmills? We don’t think so. Saying he believes that the California constitution supports equal rights for everyone, Gavin Newsom, the newly elected mayor of San Francisco, began handing out marriage licenses to same-sex couples two weeks ago. So far, more than 3000 couples have been legally married. […]
Posted inNews
We Make the Rules
Sex Club Owners Request Safe Sex Guidelines
by Bart Church In the late ’80s, bathhouses and sex clubs largely fell out of favor. In San Francisco, health officials blamed them for rabid spread of diseases–especially HIV. Down the West Coast, health regulators saddled the bathhouses with strict regulations and lobbied for their closure. As AIDS has faded from the forefront of health […]
Posted inNews
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 inNews
Pick Me! Pick Me!
The May primaries are just around the corner. Who you gonna vote for? Decide with these helpful Mercury mini-profiles!
Jim Francesconi Mayoral Candidate Can you give some examples of what you mean by needing more “public participation”? We need a unified effort by business, labor, the neighborhoods, churches and individuals to address the problems of creating jobs to keep families and our children in the city. For example, I have created the Parks Board, […]
Posted inNews
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? […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
Pick Me! Pick Me!
The May primaries are just around the corner. Who you gonna vote for? Decide with these helpful Mercury mini-profiles!
James Posey Mayoral Candidate You’ve talked about making Portland “a city of excellence.” Can you define that? Portland has so much potential. We’re caught between the way we’ve done things in the past and the new progressive way the world is now. Portland seems to be holding on to the horse and buggy. We need […]