News
Portland area police don’t show warrants during arrests, despite state law
Local police and sheriff’s departments charged with enforcing the laws of the land aren’t in compliance with one of the laws governing their authority to do so. According to Oregon state laws dictating arrest procedures by peace officers, anyone arrested under a warrant must be shown the arrest warrant at the time of their arrest.…
Feds: Don’t criminalize homeless for camping
People experiencing homelessness and their advocates got a powerful new ally in their corner when it comes to decriminalizing sleeping outdoors — the U.S. Department of Justice. On Aug. 6, the justice department declared that when shelters are full, it’s unconstitutional to prosecute homeless people for sleeping outside. The declaration came in the form of…
Tree loss spurs Portland residents to action
Three towering sequoias in Eastmoreland. A Paradox walnut near Mount Tabor, one of the densest and largest deciduous trees in all of Portland. All are 150-year-old trees that have become flashpoints for how Portlanders are responding to the city’s white-hot real estate market and development. Longtime Portlanders are watching sleek condo buildings go up along…
Comedian Amy Miller is in control: In a funny kind of way
It’s official. Amy Miller is Portland’s funniest person — the first time a woman has won Helium Comedy Club’s top honor. Raised in the Bay Area near San Francisco, Miller grew up more wallflower, less center of attention. These days, though, you wouldn’t know it. Miller is captain of her own comedy ship. In the…
Opinion
Commentary: The death penalty is broken
If a majority of the Supreme Court justices eventually strike down the death penalty as unconstitutional, Henry Lee McCollum may be an important reason why. Perhaps that will provide some small comfort to him, given the 30-year ordeal he suffered on death row in North Carolina as an innocent man. McCollum and his brother, Leon…
Director’s Desk: Support local businesses that reflect our diversity
There are a lot of ways to support an equity agenda in Portland — one of the ways is by supporting minority owned businesses, or frequenting places that hire people of color. If the people working in a local business don’t reflect the neighborhood, then I typically don’t support that business with my money. I…
Bicycle Transportation Alliance: Transform Portland neighborhoods to combat disparities
The soon-to-be updated Portland Consolidated Plan calls for the implementation of 20-minute neighborhoods. The 20-minute neighborhood, in theory, is a place where people can reach most of their routine destinations within a 20-minute walk from home — schools, groceries, library, restaurants, parks, barbers, nail salons; you name it. This is a beautiful concept and raises…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: Maddy Brown-Clark
Maddy Brown-Clark has always been surrounded by music. When she was a baby, Brown-Clark’s mother and her mother’s cousin would dance around while cradling her in their arms. As she grew older, music continued to play an important role in her life. Her father collected jazz and blues records, and played them often. In addition…
