Mayor Vera Katz took a moment from last week’s city council meeting to praise a voluminous report from the Citizen Review Committee. Formed a little more than a year ago, the committee was put in place to provide more bite to the city’s police watchdog group. But in doling out compliments for the annual report, […]
City
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Home, Sweet Homelessness
Out From Hibernation, Dignity Village Is Ready to Stir Things Up
by Anna Simon Sporting his trademark blond dreadlocks and quiet air of resolved authority, Jack Tafari swept into the room at Berbati’s last Sunday. The spokesperson and ad hoc mayor for Dignity Village, Tafari was at Berbati’s for a streetroots benefit concert and a screening of a documentary film being made about the homeless camp […]
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Double Jeopardy
City Hall Puts the Squeeze on the Homeless
by Anna Simon It would seem like once the summertime weather elbows out the winter rains, life would become slightly easier for homeless men and women around town. But, in fact, the opposite is true. In the next few weeks, winter shelters will close and severely limit the number of beds available around town. During […]
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Putting “Us” in the USA Patriot Act
A New Group Steps Up to Stop Civil Liberty Violations
When the USA Patriot Act stormed through the U.S. Congress 18 months ago, very few people objected. The Act swings the door open for federal agents to tap phone lines, check library records, and take unprecedented inroads to individuals’ privacy–all in the name of fighting terrorism. But now, as the reality and scope of allowances […]
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What’s in the Water?
Residents Fight to Stop Reservoir Caps
Almost a year ago, city council voted to place caps on top of water reservoirs around the city. At the time, city council members reasoned the water tanks were susceptible to terrorist attacks. But in their haste to protect the city’s water supply, the council failed to consult the neighbors who look at the water […]
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Interview with the “Terrorist”
Lawyer Lynne Stewart Is John Ashcroft’s Archenemy
The terrorist attacks on September 11th clearly shaped the past year-and-a-half of global politics, as well as impacted millions of individual lives. But perhaps no one was more blindsided by the “war on terrorism” than Lynne Stewart. A civil rights attorney in New York City, in 1995, Stewart represented Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the so-called […]
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Round ‘Em Up
How the USA Patriot Act is Bending the Constitution
by Anna Simon No one is quite sure why Intel employee Mike Hawash was whisked away a month ago, or why a dozen armed FBI agents woke his wife and three children and raided his home that same morning. But what civil rights attorneys are quite certain about is that this is just the beginning. […]
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Camping With Vera
Someone Needs to Challenge the Camping Ban!
Given 24-hour notice that police would soon bust up their camp, the demonstrators at the Portland Peace Camp began to tidy up, as if they were expecting dinner guests. Since the first day of bombing in Iraq, a handful of protesters have held a round-the-clock vigil at Terry Schrunk Plaza. They removed most of their […]
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Last Call
Are the OLCC’s Days Numbered?
The Oregon Liquor Commission (OLCC) has been a thorn in the side of barflies, strippers, and musicians for decades. A few months ago, for example, the OLCC shut down a Beaverton strip club after it was discovered that 18- and 19-year-olds were dancing there, violating a new OLCC rule prohibiting underage performers from any venue […]
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A Tale of Two Cities
Mayor Katz’ Annual State of the City Ignores the Real Problems
On Friday, at the exclusive Multnomah Country Club, Mayor Vera Katz put on a jovial face and delivered her annual State of the City. She spoke optimistically and in cheery tones, barely pausing on the very real problems facing Portland– the scuffles between police and protesters, a local economy in the shitter, and a deep-seated […]
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Heroes & Villains
War Brings Out the Best and Worst
HERO: On Friday, Portland Peaceful Response used their weekly vigil to call for a cease-fire in Iraq. Let’s face it: It’s unlikely at this point that Bush will cease-and-desist because a few hundred people in Pioneer Square are asking them nicely. But, there are viable ways to pull the plug on Bush’s war machine–namely, Congress […]
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The Superpowered Activist
So… What Are You Going To Do Now?
by Phil Busse, with reporting by Erik Henrikson It started when three skateboarders sat down on the west end of the Burnside Bridge–right in front of oncoming traffic. On Thursday, the 1000-person demonstration had already walked past the Morrison Bridge, where a dozen riot cops stood, batons resting menacingly in their palms. And, in spite […]