Story by Pete Shaw Multnomah County Commissioners unanimously supported a resolution on April 4th revising the Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) plan for handling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immigration detainers. Under the new rule, which goes into effect on April 15th, the MCSO says it will only honor ICE requests to hold prisoners it believes to…
Category: Headlines
State Legislature Lobbied to Extend Driving Rights to All
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw The Oregon DMV currently allows driver’s licenses to be issued only to documented US citizens and immigrants with work permits under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) a 2012 executive order issued by President Obama. Various immigrant rights groups and other groups supportive of immigrants’ rights have been pushing…
Activist Targets Need to Reform Unchecked Police Power
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By Pete Shaw Jo Ann Hardesty, a local activist and tireless voice in the struggle for police reform, was the featured speaker at a recent Justice Social Happy Hour. The March 12 gathering, hosted by the McKenzie River Gathering Foundation (MRG) at Portland’s Queen of Sheba restaurant, included a discussion on the movement to hold…
Occupy Portland is Moving Out
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By Daniel Hong Occupy Portland is moving, out but it’s not for certain where they’re moving to. Their last day with St. Francis Parish is April 15th, with plans to move on this International Workers’ Day, May 1st. While it might seem rushed, it’s actually been a long standing collaborative effort representing several months…
ILWU Strength Imperiled by Dangerous Course
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw A crowd of over 200 Longshore workers, other union members, and community supporters rallied at Esther Short Park in Vancouver, WA, on March 8 in support of ILWU Local 4 grain handlers locked out of their jobs by United Grain Corporation in late February. After some speeches, the assembly,…
The Dream of Sleep
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A Light in the Commons Illumines a Truth Entropy of ordinance Makes for horrid experience Miles of empty real estate Heated for the plumbing Souls shiver on sidewalks Denied legal bedding Shattered Realities And Neighborly Angst Breed environment of Fear No politician will stand against A cadre of neighbors Riddled . . .…
Former Black Panther Remains Committed to Legacy of Party
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Story by Pete Shaw There are few groups in the annals of US history more willfully misunderstood than the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. According to the FBI line pushed by the corporate media, the Black Panthers became the face of everything white people should fear: black men with guns. The Panthers hold a place in…
The Choice In Portland: Austerity Versus a People’s Budget
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By Mark Vorpahl It’s no secret that most cities, counties, states and school districts in the U.S. are facing big deficits. What is less understood is the extent to which austerity cuts have become politicians’ bipartisan response to the situation. The dramatic measures being implemented in Portland, Oregon are no exception. By “austerity” is meant…
Judge Releases Grand Jury Resisters; Declares Their Due Process Rights Violated
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By Pete Shaw Matt Duran and Katherine “Kteeo” Olejnik, the two grand jury resisters who were imprisoned in September 2012 after refusing to testify about the anarchist movement, were released from the Sea-Tac Federal Detention Center on February 28. Maddy Pfeiffer, who also was found in civil contempt, remains in prison. United States District Court…
Rise Up, Strike Down Sexual Violence Against Women
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Only Alaska has more dismal state statistics regarding women and sexual violence: Fifty-five percent of Oregon women will be the victims of sexual or domestic violence and 27% will be raped. With numbers this mind-numbing, it would have been heartening to see thousands flooding the streets in protest. Still,…
