Story by Pete Shaw Of all things that bring people together, food is among the most potent. Beyond it being necessary for survival, eating can be pleasurable. When done as a community, those pleasures expand and further buttress the values that support that community. Sharing, caring, and understanding—just to name a few—are fostered. Conversations develop…
Category: Headlines
Sweetness and Light
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by Peter Shaw May Day, 2015, 2:12 AM Let us sing songs of remembrance Let us praise great people Not the ones in the great books But the ones of the great stories The stories we tell The stories we write The stories we create and re-create My Friend Greg does not have…
Workers Expose Cruel Underbelly of Portland’s “Friendliest” Store
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Story by Pete Shaw The friendliest store in town is not so friendly after all. At least not to its workers. That was the message sent by a crowd of over 30 people outside the New Seasons on SE Hawthorne on April 21. Coming together on April 21 in support of raising Oregon’s minimum wage…
15 Now Rallies Workers for National Day of Action, Awareness
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Over 300 Portland workers rallied on April 15 in solidarity with workers from 230 cities who took to the streets in a day of awareness, action, and strikes in support of increasing the minimum wage to $15 and fighting for the right to form a union. The event followed…
Portland Commission Gives Propane Company Free Rein to Trample Environmental Conservation Zone
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Story by Pete Shaw Despite the overwhelming number of people testifying in opposition, the Portland Planning and Sustainability commissioners voted 6-4 on April 7 to approve a zoning change that may pave the way for a propane storage and export terminal at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 6. Prior to the vote, the land upon…
Inaugural Community Oversight Committee Meeting Hijacked By Police Dog & Pony Promenade
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Interest is running high in the Community Oversight Advisory Board (COAB), which convened its inaugural meeting on April 2 with over 200 people in attendance. The COAB, according to the terms of the settlement agreement between the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the City of Portland will “gather input…
Portland Mayor’s Abrupt Resignation Tipped by Housing, Police Injustice Issues
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Story by Raymond D. Davies Shocking the Portland political establishment, Mayor Charlie Hales announced today his resignation, effective immediately. Hales was expected to run for reelection in 2016, but citing his “frustration with certain elements of city governance, particularly the lack of effectiveness in dealing with the police and people without housing,” he has decided to…
Activists Continue to Press for Wyden Pass on Fast Track
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Senator Ron Wyden’s choice as to who he represents–the people of Oregon or the multinational corporations that stand to make huge profits at the expense of working people–is being pushed to a head over the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) . On Monday March 9 a collection of 200 labor…
$15 Minimum Wage Resolution Benefits Some Government Workers
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw With a unanimous vote, the Portland City Council on February 18 approved a resolution updating the City’s Fair Wage Policy to a $15 per hour minimum. Its passage will affect over 100 janitors, security guards, parking attendants, concessions workers, and others who work for companies that contract with the…
Anti-TPP Pressure Bearing Down on Oregon Politicians
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Story by Pete Shaw More than 50 activists visited the offices of Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Senator Ron Wyden to demand the men vote against giving President Obama the Fast Track Authority he likely needs to gain passage of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). A so-called free trade agreement (FTA) between 12 countries in the…
