Last week, the Portland Police Bureau announced its acquisition of a dozen Tasers–the “less-lethal” electroshock weapons recently distributed to United Airlines pilots. According to the manufacturer, these Tasers fire two probes at a target from up to 20 feet away; upon contact, a 50,000 volt electrical charge flows through the probes. The decision to put […]
City
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A Sleeping Giant Ready to Fight
NAACP’s New President Promises A Forceful Offense Against Racism
“I’m putting Oregon on notice because unfortunately racism is alive and well,” says Skip Osborne, the newly elected President of the local chapter of the NAACP. Osborne has an intense and unflinching smile. A former Air Force intelligence officer and a current student of divinity, he pulls strength and inspiration both from physical and spiritual […]
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Hating Hate Radio
Local Groups Try To Oust Loudmouth From Airwaves
The Coalition Against Hate Radio, a local organization of community anti-hate groups and churches, don’t like what Michael Savage has to say. A talk-radio show host broadcast locally on KXL, Savage has content and format similar to that of Rush Limbaugh, pointedly ranting against every ethnic group under the sun and bashing everything liberal. Lobbying […]
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Rebels Without A Home
Street Youths Face More Problems With Closure of A Favorite Shelter
With the announcement last week that a city-sponsored youth program plans to shut down an ad hoc, all-hours night shelter, street youths around Portland began to wonder what’s next. For the past few years, the Janus Youth Access and Assessment Center–fondly and/or bitterly nicknamed “Jackass” by street youths–has provided space and a revolving door for […]
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Spies Among Us
Portland Enlarges Terrorism Task Force
When Portland’s Joint Terrorism Task Force faced its biannual reauthorization in late September, activists packed City Hall to voice their complaints. Their primary argument was that the Task Force was being used less to investigate terrorism cells and more as a J. Edgar Hoover-type of tool to monitor activists and pry into citizens’ private lives. […]
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Free Speech Chokehold
State Agency Tries To Shut Down Local Entertainment
What would Jesse Ventura say? After two years of performing mock wrestling matches at Satyricon, the state’s Boxing and Wrestling Commission has stepped in to put a stop to the shenanigans of Portland Organic Wrestling (POW). Although the local promoter insists that the performances–which often involve shaving cream and host absurd, fictitious stars like Harvey […]
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Wipe-Out!
Failed Park Levy Screws Over Local Skaters
The days are ticking down until the Portland Parks Bureau is forced to begin implementing $2.2 million in cuts from their 2002-2003 budget. Since low voter turnout defeated the parks levy in the May 21 primary election, July 1 begins one long year of infrequently mowed grass, overflowing trash containers, and decreased youth programs. It […]
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Same As the Old Boss
Newspapers Blamed for Low Voter Turn-Out
Despite frustration with a dreary local economy and relentless unemployment, Portland residents who bothered to vote in Tuesday’s low-turnout election overwhelmingly voted for the status quo. All county positions available–excepting sheriff–went to incumbents. In Portland, commissioners Erik Sten and Dan Saltzman were re-elected by substantial margins. Asked why Portlanders rejected new leadership despite widespread dissatisfaction, […]
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Fish Fry!
Oregon Salmon Jeopardized
For the Pacific Northwest, salmon are the canary in the coal mine; the barometer of environmental health and politics. Over the past decade, the seven endangered species of salmon have gained a near-mythical symbolism as fights over dams have focused on dwindling fish populations. Even arguments over clear-cutting forests have pointed out that removing trees […]
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Move Along!
The Battle Begins Over City’s Sit/Lie Ordinance
J.P. Smith has been homeless since he was 14, since his parents kicked him out of the house for being gay. After sleeping on the streets of Daytona, Florida, where he grew up, J.P. was tired of cycling in and out of prison, due to the city’s strict anti-homeless laws. “If the police catch you […]
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Soul-Sucker
Katz Puts the City’s Heart on the Auction Block
What’s the difference between Beaverton and Portland? Besides about a 10-mile stretch of Hwy 26, perhaps the fundamental difference can be summarized by Washington Square Mall. While Portland has fiercely clung to its independently owned boutique shops, surrounding cities have opted for chain stores and mega-outlets. Even many of the larger companies in Portland–Oregon Chai, […]
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In the Line of Fire
The Black Cross Serves as an E.R. for Activists
The American Revolution had Molly Pitcher; Northwest activists have the Black Cross Health Collective, a group of medical personnel determined to provide emergency first-aid treatment and education “specific to the radical community.” How determined? Recently members of Black Cross doused their eyes and bodies with pepper spray, a burning chemical that has become widely used […]