Protesters stopped on the Morrison Bridge during a June 4 march downtown. Blair Stenvick Hall Monitor is a regular column on issues related to Portland City Hall and its influence on the community it serves. It’s been on hiatus since the Mercury halted its print publication in March. Now, it’s back! ___ For nearly three […]
Opinion
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Guest Editorial: The Hypocrisy in Portland State University’s Response to Racist Policing
Portland State University [The following is an editorial opinion piece written by Avery Panganiban, an activist and graduating senior at Portland State University studying Political Science. Here she explains how PSU’s response to the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers stands in stark contrast to the way the university has addressed racism and […]
Posted inOpinion
What Is A Peaceful Protest?
Tuesday night in downtown Portland. alex Zielinski Over the last five days in Portland, an easy narrative has emerged about the protests against police violence and racism that have followed the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. That narrative says that there is a large majority of peaceful protestors in this city who simply […]
Posted inOpinion
A Note from the Mercury’s Editor: Eyes and Hearts
Hey good friends, Last night was Sunday, May 31, and I along with a couple thousand others were out on the street in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center. I was covering the rally to remember George Floyd and end police brutality, because a) sure, that’s my job, b) our small staff is severely […]
Posted inOpinion
Guest Editorial: Oregon’s Mental Health Access Is Among the Worst in the Nation. This Needs to Change.
Ponomariova_Maria / Getty Images [Dave Dahl is the founder of Dave’s Killer Bread, the author of The Good Seed, and a longtime mental health advocate. In the following guest editorial, Dahl talks about the pressing need for Oregon to improve the way it provides mental health services.—eds] I am not an innocent. I am an […]
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Guest Editorial: Save Our Music Venues—Save Our Souls
Mississippi Studios in happier times. Jennie Baker [Jim Brunberg is the co-owner of Mississippi Studios and Revolution Hall. In the following guest editorial Brunberg introduces us to the Independent Venue Coalition, a group of venues from across Oregon that is lobbying the Oregon Legislature to save the state’s music clubs and performance spaces—eds.] Odds are, […]
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Guest Editorial: Oregon Must Act to Support Mental Health Care During COVID-19
japatino / Getty Images [The following is an editorial opinion piece written by Oregon State Rep. Janelle Bynum, a Democrat who represents Happy Valley and sections of East Portland, Gresham, and Clackamas. She is also a business owner and parent. Here, she explains why she and other elected officials are urging Gov. Kate Brown to […]
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Guest Editorial: Opening Hotels to the Homeless Could Prevent Further COVID-19 Tragedy
Portland’s Jupiter Hotel has made 81 rooms available for houseless Portlanders showing symptoms of COVID-19. Alex Zielinski [The following is an editorial opinion piece written by Rachel Lockard and Kelsey C. Priest, medical students at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). Here they present an argument in favor of opening hotels to the homeless during […]
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Guest Editorial: “Even If Offered a Loan from the Paycheck Protection Program, I Probably Won’t Take It”
Night Light Lounge: Closed due to the COVID-19 crisis. Courtesy Night Light Lounge [The following is an editorial opinion piece written by Paul Stevens, the owner of popular Clinton neighborhood restaurant/bar Night Light Lounge (home of the also very popular Portland Drag Queen Brunch). Due to the COVID-19 crisis, his business closed, and his employees […]
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How to Trauma-Proof Yourself for the Traumatic Days to Come
Ponomariova_Maria / Getty Images [Trauma is coming. And there’s little any of us can do about it. According to estimates from the world’s leading infectious disease experts, Americans can expect anywhere from 100,000 to 240,000 deaths due to COVID-19—and that’s if we do social distancing right. The number could easily go up from there. Trauma […]
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Portland’s Two Citizen-Led Police Oversight Committees Are Facing Critical Instability
Independent, citizen-led police oversight is one of the few tools Portlanders have to ensure cops are held accountable for misconduct. But 2020 has begun with the city’s two leading police oversight committees facing critical instability—and how the city responds will determine the future of Portlanders’ already shaky trust in the city’s law enforcement. “I’m feeling […]
Posted inNews
After Christian Verdict, Lessons In Interrupting Hate In Public
ALEX LINCH / GETTY IMAGES On February 21, a Portland jury convicted Jeremy Christian on 12 charges, including murder, attempted murder, and intimidation crimes (the legal term for hate crimes in Oregon) for his actions on multiple MAX trains in late May 2017. Notably, the jury found that Christian had intentionally targeted two Black women […]