When Virginia Hankins and her father bought a commercial building on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. in 1990, business in the area was far from booming.
“Times were hard,” Hankins says. “We couldn’t find anybody to rent in that building.”
Nearly 30 years later, that’s no longer the case. Hankins’ building is occupied by what she calls three “mom and pop” local and independent businesses: a beauty salon, a record shop, and an art supply store. She calls the location, just north of where Northeast MLK intersects with Fremont, “an upcoming spot.” Hankins has watched as shiny new condos, hip restaurants, and boutiques have taken over her neighborhood; now, the two closest grocery stores are New Seasons and Whole Foods.
Hankins and her husband have long been looking forward to living off the property’s rental income when they retire. But now Hankins fears that plan is in jeopardy.
That’s because of a city ordinance that’s intended to increase Portland’s earthquake preparedness, but that also has the potential to displace hundreds of property owners and tenants from the central city—many of whom, like Hankins, are African American.
While Portland City Council is currently attempting to rework the ordinance to address these concerns, the way things have progressed thus far hasn’t inspired confidence in building owners like Hankins. If anything, it’s exacerbated the deep mistrust in city government that’s already felt by many Black Portlanders.
“To be honest,” Hankins says, “I think all of this boils down to a land grab.”
