Stay up to date on Portland news and politics. Looking for fun? Here are the best Things to Do in Portland today.
Good Morning Portland! It’s nice and cool outside right now, and it’ll get up to 74 in the afternoon. It’s a good week to get outside and enjoy yourself—host a barbecue! Swim in the river! Go hiking! Let’s get to the news.
The Department of Homeland Security is clearing out the #OccupyICEPDX camp this morning, focusing on clearing the entrance to the building. Some may have been arrested. Portland Police Bureau, which Mayor Ted Wheeler has said will not get involved, helped secure the perimeter.
Just got to the #occupyicepdx site. Here’s the vibe. pic.twitter.com/YEjBPqpjGd
— Alex Zielinski (@alex_zee) June 28, 2018
Speaking of Portland Police, over half of the bureau’s arrests in 2017 were of the homeless, even though that population only accounts for 3 percent of the people in Portland. 84 percent of the crimes were non-violent, and about 1,200 arrests were for procedural crimes, like missing court or skipping out on parole.
The Charlottesville car attack suspect has been indicted on hate crime charges. The charges are related to an attack against counter protesters during an 2017 alt-right rally which injured dozens and left one woman, Heather Heyer, dead.
Puerto Rico might have a chance at becoming a U.S. state: A new bipartisan bill in congress would make the colonized island incorporated territory a state by 2021.
Watch out for this one: The Oregon State Bar has recommended the disbarment of a Portland lawyer, alleging that she settled clients’ cases without approval, cashed clients’ settlement checks without their knowledge and didn’t pay some clients for years. Lori Deveny, instead of waiting for a decision on her disbarment from the Oregon Supreme Court, resigned.
Yesterday was PTSD awareness day—a good day for remembering how veterans can suffer, and for recognizing that victims of violent crimes, refugees, and even journalists can be affected too.
Today is #PTSD Awareness Day. It’s not only veterans who suffer from it, but regular people and journalists. For me, it started in Iraq after I covered a multiple suicide bombing. As the death and destruction piled up over the months, it got harder to function outside a war zone
— Lulu Garcia-Navarro (@lourdesgnavarro) June 27, 2018
In the perfect capstone to a complete shit storm of bad news this week, Justice Anthony Kennedy is retiring from the Supreme Court. This follows multiple horrifying decisions from the court that show just how important it is to keep assholes away from SCOTUS. Kennedy, ever the swing vote, will surely be replaced by a pro-lifer if Trump is given the opportunity, leading many to question the future of Roe v. Wade.
It seems like a good week for drinking. If you’re headed out on the town, why not take our beer guide along? Portland is perfect for a bar crawl full of tasty local craft beers, and there are tons of great new breweries to see.
That’s all folks! With so much bad news, it’s easy to forget that there’s good in the world. But even with language barriers and borders, cooperation is possible. Just look at this Korean tourist jamming with street musicians in Florence. If we can jam through linguistic barriers, we can overcome anything.