TERRITORIAL PIZZAS

RE: "Have Pizza, Will Travel" [Last Supper, May 7], a positive review of the Montavilla neighborhood's new pizza addition, East Glisan Pizza Lounge, in which author Andrea Damewood declares it "worth the trip."

Thanks for reviewing one of my favorite neighborhood places. Great food, fresh ingredients, reasonable prices, lots of non-meat options. Although, sort of not-thanks... it's been pretty well hipster/yuppie-free up to now and it would be great if it stayed that way.

-Aunti

This used to be a Mexican restaurant that survived on gambling. I just thought it was another hipster bar now, but wondered why it was getting business. I'll have to try it out now.

-posted by Renniz


CAPTION THIS

RE: "Portland Police Need Your Help..." [Blogtown, May 9] in which Mercury reporter Dirk VanderHart invited readers to help the Portland Police Bureau caption a photo they tweeted bearing the same request, along with "PLEASE KEEP IT CLEAN AND RESPECTFUL!" It depicts a SWAT team officer poised to open a metal screen door with an orange circular saw.

"Steroid-addled former jock saws unarmed 93-year-old woman in half, on paid leave of absence."

-igotthis

"Yeah, yeah, I know the key's under the flowerpot, but... I LOVE THESE TOYS!!!"

-Todd Mecklem

"I forget—is the less-lethal grinder the orange or black one?"

-shaitan


MINOR THREAT

RE: "Here's How Cops Could Change Their Policies for Arresting Children" [Blogtown, May 7], regarding suggested changes in the wake of the Mercury's reporting on an instance in which a nine-year-old girl was handcuffed and taken to Central Precinct following a playground scuffle.

It's too much to expect for the police to ever be fair and reasonable. Police officers become police officers because they like to abuse people.

-Fred Upton


BUMPS IN THE ROAD

Re: "Road Work Ahead" [News, May 7], regarding the idea of charging a flat monthly rate per Portland household to help fill a gap in transportation funding.

We spend way too much money delegated for street improvements on areas that are already doing pretty well and not enough (or any money) on areas that don't even have basic necessities like smooth, pothole-free surfaces, safe sidewalks, streetlights, and crosswalks. I don't know how I feel about paying additional fees to fix stuff that should already be fixed but is being overlooked because it isn't in a sexy part of town.

-Chandra Marie Dragulin

What the poll DOESN'T say is that only a part of the "fee" would go to actual street improvements. [The Portland Bureau of Transportation] has a terrible track record for how they spend money, so why give them more? And the mayor is withholding money for any improvements (even though there's money that could be put to them) because he wants to increase the urgency to put this "fee" into place. Ridiculous!

-Cindy Abernethy

There has to be a better way to get funding for these basic necessities. How are they going to collect this monthly fee—send around Ye Royale Tax Collector with a large leather satchel and a donkey cart and two hooded goons with cudgels to carry off half of the livestock, rifle through the thatched roof huts of the kingdom looking for valuables, and to strip the peasants naked looking for carefully concealed coinage? Furthermore, if you live in an area where less than 75 percent of the roads are paved and or have traffic signs do you get exempted? And why does it cost the same amount for five people to write a report as it does for a 10-person crew to fill a mile of potholes and lay six blocks of sidewalks?

-JRRTrollkien

IF WE COULD, JRRTrollkien, we would deliver the news of your winning this week's Mercury letter/comment of the week by donkey cart, but acquisition and maintenance of a company donkey cart would require a $5 monthly fee from each Mercury employee and for some reason the idea got voted down. You still get two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, and you can't bring donkeys in there anyhow.