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SPECIAL COVERAGE
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neighborhood news
Winston Churchill famously said, "first we shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us". Indeed, the 'built environment' -- the collection of structures, streets and open spaces that makes up our cities, towns, and suburbs -- affects each of us deeply. It makes a difference who constructs what where, how many 'empty' lots are left empty, and which business moves in down the street. This section is for posts about zoning, planning, gentrification, sprawl, neighborhood association goings-on, urban growth boundaries, the effects of Measure 37, anti-Walmart and Starbucks campaigns, and anything else dealing with life not-in-the-country. It's also the place to post small local news that doesn't fit any of the grander categories. For example: interesting weather, non-political community events, star-gazing anamolies, etc.
Volunteer opportunity: Become a Tree Scout with Portland Fruit Tree Project! As a Tree Scout volunteer, you will help to find and register fruit trees in your neighborhood whose fruit might otherwise go to waste. Tree scouts serve as a vital liaison between PFTP and tree owners, helping us to connect with people that want to share their bounty with the community. It's a fun way to meet neighbors and help make locally grown produce available to all. Good record-keeping and reporting are essential to this position. All the necessary materials and information will be provided. You can expect to spend approximately 2 hours per week (on average) on this volunteer position, which begins June 22nd and goes through October. Click here for more information on this position and how to apply: http://www.portlandfruit.org/2013-tree-scout-volunteer-position-description
homepage: http://www.portlandfruit.org
StreetNews Report: On Sunday a surprise solidarity event took place in southeast Portland. Yet one more desparate family came forward to the community with their story of being wrongly evicted from their home. Portland Solidarity Network, Occupy Portland members, and community neighbors met with upstanding citizens Patricia Williams and her husband at Raymond City Park to hear her story and bring some support. She addressed the crowd of 50+ people and told them of how she has been ordered to evict by a judge in favor of her mortgage brokerage firm. Williams and her husband have lived in their home for some time, paying off eight years in good faith on their mortgage and they believe the eviction is unfair. Dealing with sickness and financial problems, the couple say they are staying right where they are. Supporters signed a large banner and a neighbor gave a great speech, saying that the couple is well respected within the community where they live. Just like Alicia Jackson and Annette Steele, this woman and her family will not be moved. Video Link: Patricia Williams Will Not Be Moved!
The Sleeping Bag Drive is now an ongoing organization, and Portland's houseless population need your help! The Red & Black & Laughing Horse Book collectives have teamed up to collect sleeping bags and donations (which will go directly towards sleeping bags as well as weatherproof tarps to protect from the weather) to be distributed in the local area. With so many Portlanders living without adequate shelter and vulnerable to the dangerous, harsh winter conditions sleeping near our homes and businesses, it's our duty to provide what resources we have to assist those in need. Visit www.sleepingbagdrive.com to donate online now, or drop off new or clean sleeping bags at one of the following locations in Portland: The Red & Black 400 SE 12th Ave Open 10AM-10PM (503) 231-3899 www.redandblackcafe.com Laughing Horse Books 12 NE 10th Ave Open Mon-Sat 11AM-7PM (503) 236-2893 (volunteer run, please call for availability) www.laughinghorsepdx.com
When: Thursday, June 17, 7pm to 10pm Where: Sweetpea Vegan Baking Co. located at 1205 SE Stark st Why: To raise money for the animals, and to have a great time! Sweet Pea is putting on a fabulous benefit to raise money to help with vetting costs for the rescue dogs of Ananda Farm Sanctuary. Ananda saved a group of dogs last month who were on death row in Los Angeles. Each of them came in with some very serious health issues, and would have been put down in the shelter had Ananda not stepped up to save them.
From the open publishing newswire:
Healthcare activists and their supporters, take over the campus of Regence-Bluecross, in an attempt to meet with their CEO, and have demands heard, but are denied justice, and refused entry.
This is Martha Perez, reporting to you live from SW Portland, where about 50 healthcare advocates are gathered for a non-violent, peaceful sit-in, rally and march around the campus of Regence Bluecross, home to one of the largest healthcare insurers in Oregon state. I am being told the building now is in lock-down, and will remain so, for the time being, in response to this latest action.
"The backyard food and chicken raising craze has many societal and public policy implications for Portland. Explore them with the man at the center of the local chicken and homegrown food scene, Robert Litt, owner of Urban Farm Store." Local chicken and homegrown food scene? What? And my guy is claiming to be at the center of it? Excuse me? My big problem with the commodification of this movement is that food has gotten incredibly spendy. I do not want anyone to be turned off from growing food because they only have access to overpriced goods. The Urban Farm store is taking advantage of peoples ignorance in prices, and selling an image to yuppies. A very clean, upper middle class image.
One of the things that jumped out at me from the fact sheets I got at the recent Columbia River Crossing "open house", (last Wednesday), was a projection from a sheet titled, "Traffic Effects of 8, 10 and 12 Lane Scenarios." This sheet compares the "local streets impacted by I-5 backups" in a 10 lane and 12 lane bridge scenario. In the 12 lane scenario, of course, there are no local streets impacted by an I-5 backup, either in Portland or Vancouver. But in the 10 lane scenario, there are six streets or highways that are impacted. All but one of them are in Vancouver. So this really is a Clark County thing. The new bridge must be as large as possible so drivers from the northernmost reaches of Clark County, and probably beyond, can get to Portland in time for...whatever.
From the open publishing newswire:
Over 800 million people are going with out regualr meals as a result of
the global economic crisis. Over 20 percent of public school students in America are homeless. Record forclosures are sending families to seek meals at Food Not Bombs in communities all over the globe. Join us Wed March 18th at the Red and Black Cafe at 7pm for a presentation by one of the founders of food not bombs, Keith Mchenry. Intrested in learening more about Food Not Bombs history or wanting to help out in portland? Come on down for the presentation and meet people from Portland Food Not Bombs and learn how to get involved in the local chapters. http://www.redandblackcafe.org
From the open publishing newswire:
March is upon us, comrades! There are many exciting things happening this month at the Red and Black; in particular, there are several benefits happening for people that really need your support. Show some solidarity and come out! Please note that all events start at 7pm unless otherwise noted. Also, not every event is listed here - consult the calendar for a complete list!
http://www.redandblackcafe.com
From the open publishing newswire:
20 Hour Street Medic Training: The last weekend of this month we're having another 20 hour street medic training. It'll be the usual schedule of 5-9pm Friday (the 27th) 9am-6pm both the 28th and 1st. Location TBA for now (but PSU is a likely general area).
We are in need of simulation patients on Saturday and Sunday in the afternoon!! To get registered for the training or volunteer as a simulation patient please email Oliver at ahayes8 (at) gmail (dot) com.
This is essentially just a reminder to call your local recruitment center and tell them to leave you alone! If you have a younger sibling or a child that they send their junk mail to on a monthly basis, let them know it's a waste of a tree (which is also disgusting), that no matter how bad the economy gets no one should be forced to harm other humans for money and that they are not welcome in our communities.
From the open publishing newswire:
The Town Hall on the Economic Crisis was a great success with over 800 people participating in the plenary sessions and workshops. But we know that the Town Hall was just a start.
Join us on Wednesday evening as we figure out how to continue building a movement for a just economy. We will hear short (2 min) presentations from groups working on different aspects of the economic crisis. Whether you want to figure out where to plug in or just find out more about what is going on, this will be a great opportunity. And we want to come out of this meeting with concrete ideas for actions and/or campaigns that will unite us across our different issue areas and continue to broaden and deepen the network developed out of organizing for the Town Hall. We need your ideas and energy to help make this happen! Wednesday February 18, 2009 6:30 PM SEIU Local 49 3536 SE 26th Avenue, Portland, Oregon |
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