By Phil Busse, with Amy Grennell When the proponents of Measure 26-48 tried to convince voters in May to pass a self-inflicted income tax increase, they used scare tactics: Without the tax increase, jails would close, criminals would run free, and social services would come to a screeching halt. Measure 26-48 passed handily; however, in […]
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The Watchdog Who Couldn’t
Despite Increased Concerns, Police Oversight Remains a Joke
by Erin Ergenbright In an attempt to strengthen the public’s lagging trust in the police department, last January the city’s auditor, Gary Blackmer, created the Citizens Review Committee (CRC). Consisting of nine citizen volunteers, the police watchdog group had every intention of hunting down and correcting injustices. (Saying too many citizens would be too hard […]
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Where Are You Now?
Liberals Fail to Shut Down Major Republican Brainstorming Party
by Anna Simon Surrounded by a cluster of fast food joints, the Jantzen Beach Double Tree Hotel sits just off I-5, near the Columbia River. It’s a dumpy, gray building with weeds growing from the cracks in a parking lot that surrounds the hotel like a moat–unassuming, if not somewhat desolate. But last weekend, it […]
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It’s Not Like That!
Homeless Advocates Fight Unfair Characterizations
By Joshua Cinelli “It’s like something out of Lord of the Flies,” commented Norm Frink, Multnomah County Chief Deputy District Attorney. He was talking about the recent murder of 22-year-old Jessica Williams, whose body was found May 23, beside the train tracks on the Steel Bridge. According to her family, Williams was a gentle giant–six-foot-four […]
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Going Over Vera’s Head
Community Leaders Give Up on City Hall
by Joshua Cinelli Over the past week, Mayor Vera Katz has had plenty of time to muse over the Rose Festival activities–but she’s been wholly absent from the continuing discussions about Kendra James. More than a month ago James, a black, 21-year-old recovering crack addict, was pulled over after her boyfriend rolled through a stop […]
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They’re Just Like Our Cops!
Protesters and Seattle Cops Clash Over, Well, Cops
June 2nd started out quietly enough. Activists in Seattle showed up in shirts sarcastically emblazoned with “Dangerous Terrorist” logos. They had gathered at Westlake Plaza in Seattle to protest a meeting of the Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit (LEIU)–a cop organization that is an umbrella group for 240 law enforcement agencies across the country. The LEIU […]
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Recalling the Bad Times
Two Groups Hope to Yank Katz from Office
In 1977, Ford was forced to recall its compact Pinto. A design flaw created a four-wheel bomb; when rear-ended, the Pinto’s gas tank would allegedly ignite. It was the first time the term “recall” was burned into the public consciousness. Since then, it has come to stand for a product that’s too dangerous and needs […]
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Censoring Censorship
Can Court Decide on Who Stays and Goes?
At one time or another, Edward Gathright has offended just about everyone. The perennial street preacher patrols Pioneer Square, shouting down women for their promiscuity and condemning gays to hell. But, as it turns out, Gathright may also be the city’s foremost crusader for free speech rights. Over the past few years, Gathright and his […]
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No More Deadly Force!
Community Leaders Demand Police Accountability
by Phil Busse and Lance Chess Kendra James has been added to a tragic roll call: Jose Santos Mejia Poot, Dora McCree, Bruce Browne–a list of minority residents who have been mistreated or killed by Portland police officers. A 21-year old black woman, James was shot nearly a month ago after she reportedly tried to […]
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Stripping the Strippers?
Francesconi May Tighten Down Nudie Clubs
Traditionally, city councils and lawmakers in Oregon have been told to keep their hands off nude dancing–no regulations, no zoning requirements. Unlike laws in 48 other states, free speech allowances in Oregon are so liberal that strippers can take it all off (no bottoms, no pasties) and can pretty much rub it, move it and […]
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Painting The Town!
City Code Puts the Chill on Murals
Several weeks ago Jason Brown, the owner of New American Casuals, invited aerosol artists to paint the side of his store. The mural that resulted features a mix of graffiti-style writing and a large figure posing with a can of spray paint. The colorful mural is a component of his ongoing campaign to show off […]