Story by Pete Shaw On May 12, 2010, Keaton Otis, a Black man, was killed by the Portland police. Since that date there has been vigil in his honor and memory on the 12th of each month near the southwest corner of NE 6th and Halsey, just feet from the site of his murder. The…
Category: Headlines
Local Vigil Honors Muslims Murdered in North Carolina
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw A Valentine’s night vigil was held in Portland’s Pioneer Square to reflect upon the lives of three young Muslims murdered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on February 10. Over 100 people held candles in memory of Deah Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha and to stand in…
Jefferson High School Focuses on Injustices Facing Black Women
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Story by Pete Shaw Great courage is being show by Black people–particularly young Black women–leading the various groups demanding greater justice and, more specifically, those demanding police accountability and the abolition of the current police system built on a foundation of racism and brutality. Media focus, however, is often on Black men and the…
Local Advocates Echo Dr. King’s Call for Justice
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Story by Pete Shaw Members of Right 2 Dream Too and Don’t Shoot PDX appeared before the Portland City Council on January 21 to demand action to ensure people without housing and people of color receive the same justice afforded the most privileged members of society. Their demands were laced with quotes from Martin…
Protesters Disrupt Wyden Town Hall Meeting; Hold Their Own When Wyden Runs
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Very early in Senator Ron Wyden’s town hall meeting on January 3 he proudly announced that he had held over 700 of these meetings since becoming a senator. As events turned out in this surprising evening, It may have been the first one where he actually had no choice…
Current Institutional Prison, Policing Failures Rooted in Larger Historical Narrative of Oppression
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Story by Pete Shaw Walidah Imarisha was winding down a late November presentation about alternatives to police and prison at Portland Community College when a person in the audience announced the failure of a Ferguson, Missouri grand jury to indict Officer Darren Wilson for murdering Michael Brown. Imarisha paused, then shook her head. “I’m…
Facets of a Movement
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Protests and others actions, ranging from peaceful gatherings to more militant non-violent marches, as well as the rare–but widely reported by the corporate media–examples of rioting and looting, began around the country on November 24 in the wake of the failure of a Ferguson, Missouri, grand jury to indict…
Filmmakers Create Feature Length Documentary to Spotlight Egregious Local Police History
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Story by Pete Shaw In 2013 local filmmakers and activists Jodi Darby, Julie Perini, and Erin Yanke produced Safe and Sound?, a short video to educate people about police violence, not as the product of a few rogue officers, but one that is inherent to the current system of policing. The film, which was…
Immigrant Rights Prospects Slowly Brightening In Wake of Continuing Community Pressure
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A year ago, inside the lobby of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) jail on SW Macadam Avenue, a group of 20 people gathered to protest President Obama’s deportations, conducted through ICE, that had resulted in about 1.5 million people being torn away from their families and communities. They were demanding that immigrants detained by…
Community Activist Aguirre Released from Jail Pending Early 2015 Trial; ICE Detainer Against Him Lifted
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Story by Pete Shaw Federal judge Janice Stewart ordered the release of immigrant justice activist Francisco Aguirre on November 7, one day after his arrest. Aguirre, who had been taking sanctuary, in Augustana Lutheran Church since September 19, was arrested by federal agents for alleged “illegal entry” in the US while appearing in Clackamas County…
