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Opinion
Posted inOpinion

THE BLACK BYLINE: The Prodigal Elk Statue — And What It Really Means for Portland

The Thompson Elk is set for an April return. What does that mean for the toppled statues of the 2020 protests?
Avatar photo by Donovan Scribes (fka Donovan Smith)

God is Change—Seed to tree, tree to forest; Rain to river, river to sea; Grubs to bees, bees to swarm. From one, many; from many, one; Forever uniting, growing, dissolving—forever Changing. The universe is God’s self-portrait.”— Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower, 1993 In just a few weeks, the Thompson Elk Fountain will be restored to […]

Posted inOpinion

THE BLACK BYLINE: Your Guide to “Portland Nice”—And How to Avoid It

Avatar photo Donovan Scribes (fka Donovan Smith)

Port•land: a seaport in NW Oregon, at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Nice: pleasant; agreeable; satisfactory. •••• In case y’all missed it: Last week during a public meeting, Metro Councilor Juan Carlos González was discussing his concerns surrounding housing policy in the region, when fellow councilor Mary Nolan—who is White—asked González to […]

Posted inOpinion

THE BLACK BYLINE: Portland Police Union Insults Our Intelligence

Attempts by the police to steal clean energy money fits into an ongoing pattern. 
Avatar photo Donovan Scribes (fka Donovan Smith)

An attempt by Portland Police to recolor the thin blue line to green was gently swatted down this week by a Multnomah County judge. The Coalition of Communities of Color mounted a legal challenge against a Portland Police union-backed ballot initiative that would divert 25 percent of the monies from the groundbreaking climate initiative, Portland […]

Posted inOpinion

THE BLACK BYLINE: Kamala Harris, and Why the History of “First Blacks” Is Complicated

Avatar photo Donovan Scribes (fka Donovan Smith)

[What follows is one of the many articles in the Mercury‘s Black Innovators & Changemakers issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you’re feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.—eds.] Domino. Domino. Only spot a few Blacks the higher […]

Posted inOpinion

Remembering Judith Arcana

Portland’s own underground abortionist-turned-poet was a legend. She was also my friend.
Megan Burbank

In 2017, Judith Arcana sent a postcard to the old Mercury offices in Old Town/Chinatown. I was the arts editor at the time—it was my first real journalism job—and after many stories covering local theater (I still think about the plays I saw at Shaking the Tree) and books (a reading at Powell’s followed by […]

Posted inThe Black Byline

THE BLACK BYLINE: Top 10 Takeaways from 2025, A Wild Year in Portland

Naked Bike Ride reflections, police antics, Black innovation, and more!
Avatar photo Donovan Scribes (fka Donovan Smith)

Portland, in addition to being my hometown, is many things. “War-ravaged” is not one of them. 2025 brought us a slate of memorable, profound, troubling, and laugh-to-stop-from-crying moments: ramped up terrorism from ICE, groundbreaking reclamation efforts from Black Portland, and thousands of people bare-assing it to disarm the POTUS’ hot-takes about Portland. So what did […]

Posted inOpinion

THE BLACK BYLINE: Netflix’s Perfect Neighbor Proves That Not All Hate Wears Hoods

Neighborly racism, and the faux safety of body cameras.
Avatar photo Donovan Scribes (fka Donovan Smith)

“Some things you can’t escape Death, taxes, and a racist society that make  Every nigga feel like a candidate For a Trayvon kinda fate Even when your crib sit on a lake Even when your plaques hang on a wall Even when the President jam your tape” —J. Cole, “Neighbors,” 2016 NO HOODS A new […]

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The Black Byline: A 10-Year-Old (Forgotten) Emergency

In 2015 a Renters’ State of Emergency was declared. Ten years later, Oregon has its highest eviction levels in history—why? 
Avatar photo Donovan Scribes (fka Donovan Smith)

REMEMBER: DIKES ARE SAFE AT PRESENT. YOU WILL BE WARNED IF NECESSARY. YOU WILL HAVE TIME TO LEAVE. DON’T GET EXCITED. —Housing Authority of Portland (present day Home Forward), May 30, 1948 notice to Vanport residents.  THE STORM The ground was eroding beneath Portlanders. Yet another rent increase. An eviction notice is on the door. […]

Posted inOpinion

An Amphibian Resistance

There’s a movement leaping into action through Portland’s inflatable frog protest mascots. Their real-life amphibian counterparts are resisters, too, but they need our help. 
Suze Wehr

Earlier this month, the image of a courageous inflatable frog standing alone before militarized law enforcement during a protest at Portland’s ICE facility filled the newsfeeds of folks in Oregon (and around the world). Bright green and wide-eyed, the peaceful demonstrator embraced the power of contrast, cartoonishly innocent in the face of weaponized government overreach. […]

Posted inThe Black Byline

THE BLACK BYLINE: The Drake v. Kendrick Verdict, and the Ghost of 2pac’s Hologram

Fighting for The Culture in a new era of hip-hop lawsuits and artificial intelligence.
Avatar photo Donovan Scribes (fka Donovan Smith)

[What follows is a new column from Donovan Scribes, a writer, producer, former VP of the Portland chapter of the NAACP, and the editor of the Mercury‘s print issue BlackOut: a 5 Year Retrospective of Portland’s Racial Justice Protests.—eds.] “No matter what these people say about me, my music doesn’t glorify any image. My music […]

Posted inThe Black Byline

THE BLACK BYLINE: I’ve Never Joined the Naked Bike Ride—But I Won’t Hate on It

White whimsy, federal troops, and what Portlanders should really be focused on.
Avatar photo Donovan Scribes (fka Donovan Smith)

[What follows is a new column from Donovan Scribes, a writer, producer, former VP of the Portland chapter of the NAACP, and the editor of the Mercury‘s print issue BlackOut: a 5 Year Retrospective of Portland’s Racial Justice Protests.—eds.] This week, against the backdrop of attempts by the President of the United States to flood […]

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