METHLEHEM

Residents in Southeast Portland—in the Lents, Brentwood-Darlington, and Glenwood-Flavel neighborhood—are tired of their reputation as "Felony Flats or "Methlehem." So a group, organized by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), invited the mayor, a few city commissioners, and the chief of police for a chat on Thursday evening, September 6. Unfortunately, the officials all declined (though Chief Rosie Sizer did send a sergeant in her place).

The neighbors still want to "work with city officials and the police department to create a safer area in SE Portland, and address some of the problems they're having," like vandalism, break-ins, and drug use, says ACORN organizer Nakita Santiago. "They're tired of it, and that's not a reputation they want to have there. It's not encouraging. [Crime] seems to be increasing, and they're trying to find ways to not just get rid of the reputation, but fix some of the problems. They feel like there's no focus on their area." AMY J. RUIZ

LABORIOUS

The team looking for a day laborers' center site on Portland's inner Eastside has teamed up with land use consultant Peter Finley Fry—and won't have a list of potential sites until an October 3 public meeting.

"With our schedule, we were supposed to have a response today," project leader Jonath Colon told the day laborers' center committee on September 5, after updating them on site criteria several focus groups had vetted. "We now have the criteria, and we're out looking at the stock now. By the time we come back next time [in October], we'll have five properties that have met the minimum criteria." AJR