Does Nick Kristof’s thwarted campaign signal trouble for all entitled white guys? Michael Blann / Getty Images Dear fellow entitled white men: We are living in a time of crisis. Today we learned the sad (and baffling!) news that fellow entitled white man, Nick Kristof, was denied his inalienable right as a property-owning white guy […]
Opinion
Posted inFood and Drink
In Defense of the $34 Chicken
Courtesy of Rotigo [This is the second in a two-part series on the rotisserie chicken to-go restaurant Rotigo. For part one, click here.—eds] I have a (chicken) bone to pick. In response to my review of the restaurant/bar/market Rotigo last week, a small number of folks dismissively scoffed at the price difference between a Rotigo […]
Posted inOpinion
A Sentimental, Navel-Gazing, and Profoundly Grateful Goodbye Post
A picture I took of my desk on my first day at the Merc, in October 2018. No workplace is perfect. Jobs are not identities, employers are not families, and some days you are going to really fucking hate your job. That’s kind of the whole deal with capitalism, and it’s especially true in an […]
Posted inComedy
Tips for Surviving Your Racist Family Thanksgiving
ISTOCK/KARENFOLEYPHOTOGRAPHY [Here are some wise words from former Portlander/current Denver resident and verrry funny comedian Andie Main that she wrote for us in 2016—and yet still hold true today!—eds] Tips for Surviving Your Racist Family Thanksgiving 1) Steel your nerves in the car before entering the house by watching the opening scene of Saving Private […]
Posted inCops
Hall Monitor: If the Number of Cops Doesn’t Impact Crime, What Can?
MATHIEU LEWIS-ROLLAND Hall Monitor is a column on issues related to Portland City Hall and its influence on the community it serves. ——— In City Hall discussions about the city’s budget (which, in Portland, seems to occur every few months), there is one factor that tends to steer the conversation: data. Bureau programs often win […]
Posted inComedy
Ghost Busted: The Mercury Uses Science to Expose Portland’s Real-est and Fakiest Ghosts!
ILLUSTRATION BY MICHELLE MRUK [Happy pre-Halloween! All week long the Mercury will be publishing classic tales of local Halloween horror from our archives, as well as brand spankin’ new (and creepy) pieces… this one is from our 2019 special feature in which we investigated Portland’s most terrifying places.—eds] Portland is home to many so-called “haunted” […]
Posted inComedy
Which Mall Is More Haunted: Mall 205 or Lloyd Center?
Campy Draper [Happy pre-Halloween! All week long the Mercury will be publishing classic tales of local Halloween horror from our archives, as well as brand spankin’ new (and creeeepy) pieces… such as this one!—eds] Looking down on the empty ice rink, an irrational fear grips me. Tears I can’t explain run down my cheeks. Below, […]
Posted inMusic
Dispatch from an Indoor Concert During a Pandemic
Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan shredding the guitar as his wife, Georgia Hubley smashes the drums behind him. Alex Zielinski There have been moments in the past year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic where it’s felt like some societal customs would never return. Handshakes: Over. Salad bars: Done. Karaoke: Seems risky. Every time […]
Posted inOpinion
If I Ever Run for Governor, Please Don’t Vote for Me
Nick Kristof Ilya S. Savenok / getty images Nick Kristof, the longtime New York Times opinion columnist, is probably running for governor of Oregon. From an OPB report yesterday: On Tuesday, Kristof officially formed a political action committee, a move that will allow him to raise money and hire staff ahead of a likely official […]
Posted inCops
Hall Monitor: Risk-Averse
Portland Police—and Politicians—Have Given Protesters Little Reason to Feel Safe
Michelle Fawcett in 2019 Doug Brown Hall Monitor is a regular column on issues related to Portland City Hall and its influence on the community it serves.— It’s been three years since a Portland cop shot a munition into a crowd of people protesting a right-wing rally and struck Michelle Fawcett, leaving her with searing […]
Posted inOpinion
Hall Monitor: When Public Records Protect the Police
Mathieu Lewis-Rolland Hall Monitor is a regular column on issues related to Portland City Hall and its influence on the community it serves.___ The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has been on the defensive for more than a year. In the face of funding cuts, program closures, legal penalties, and the public’s general disdain, the bureau […]
Posted inCity Hall
Hall Monitor: Frustrated by Portland Bureaucracy? Keep an Eye on the Charter Commission.
COSMONAUT / GETTY IMAGES Hall Monitor is a regular column on issues related to Portland City Hall and its influence on the community it serves. There are no fewer than five city bureaus in Portland that are responsible for trash cleanup in public spaces. Depending on the location, need, and availability, one of them might […]