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M .W .: Well, one of the things we need to
do is look at the different programs that are
out there. For instance there is the home
ownership opportunity area. And a lot of it
includes the David Douglas School District.
Part of the problem with that is twofold: It
gives incentives for people to buy new
homes, so it encompasses an area that’s
divided by 122nd Avenue, and both sides of
122nd are zip codes that are the first and
second with the highest number of
foreclosures in the area. So if folks are
trying to sell their homes and buyers are
getting incentives to buy new homes, then
there’s tons of foreclosures. The ability for
them to sell their homes is almost non
existent. I know a couple of people who lost
their homes and moved into foreclosure
because of that. So we need to make sure
that there’s not unintented consequences of
our programs.
The other incentives that the city has
used in the past that I’m pretty sure of is to
build three-, four- and five-bedroom units,
and that is one of the reasons why the
complex I mentioned has so many children,
because there’s lots of really big units with
three to five bedrooms. And every single
school within the David Douglas School
District is either at, or over capacity. I think
a large part of that is because of incentive
programs done by the city, and I don’t think
there’s any discussion about changing those.
It’s really seriously damaging the David
Douglas School District’s ability to do its job
well. I have to say I’ve been to a number of
school board meetings andThese are
incredibly passionate people who embrace
the diversity that exists in the community
and are doing a tremendous job doing the
best they can with what’s there, but I think
it would be better if the economic situation
was a little bit more blended, and it wasn’t
just so many folks who were on free or
reduced-price lunch. For example, in David
Douglas High School there’s over 2,250 kids
on free or reduced lunch.
If we can’t do things to help rectify those
challenges, it doesn’t help anyone in the
city, because eventually, what’s going to
happen is, areas like this that become so
incredibly blighted and overwhelmed, it’s
going to start sucking resources from the
rest of the city. It’s really important for us to
have blended and balanced communities,
and if we can’t achieve that, we need to
reevaluate who we are.
J.T.: What do you think the city’s doing
right or wrong with urban renewal?
M .W .: I have to really think about what’s
being done right. Obviously what’s
happened in the Pearl District, some would
say has been a good thing; it’s changed that
area quite a bit. It creates tons of tax
revenue, which unfortunately stays in the
urban renewal area.
I think others would say that there are a
lot of folks who live there who were pushed
out, and I think that’s the case in North and
Northeast Portland, obviously. I think if
things don’t change with the strategy, if
there is one, on the east side of the river
with urban renewal, we’re going to see the
same kinds of things.
Part of the problem is that Portland has a
tendency, I think, to apply inner Portland
codes and zoning to East Portland, and it
doesn’t work. The same thing with urban
renewal. What worked in downtown just
doesn’t work outside of downtown. For
example, in downtown there are lots of
street roots
Jan. 6, 2012
buildings and activity. You can buy a
building, and someone in a short period of
time is going to want to develop it. In the
Lents Town Center Urban Area there are
properties; some have been owned for a
decade or more, and nothing has happened
with them. We also need to focus on
employment and infrastructure, particularly
transportation infrastructure.
J.T.: You’ve been outspoken on the lack of
transit in East Portland. In the past you’ve
said that the way the city has invested in the
street car has created “two Portlands” What
would you do to make transit more equitable
in East Portland?
of their homes if they wanted to do that. It
becomes really important for there to be
this beginning of a renaissance of
communities out here, because before,
when there wasn’t a lot of folks out here, it
didn’t matter as much, but now we just have
so many children it’s mind boggling.
Coming up with the money to do it is
hard, but coming up with civil engineers to
do it is one of the most expensive parts of
putting in sidewalks. So if that part of the
component is already done for residents,
then they might be able to band together
and come up with a way to pay for the
concrete and the other stuff on their own
and reduce the amount of cost to them
personally and make it happen a lot more
quickly than the city would be able to.
problem with urban renewal, is that all of a
sudden there’s almost no urban renewal
money. With the housing levy, each year you
know how much you’re going to have for
very targeted projects that give you serious
return on investment. What I’d look to do is
combine money from the housing levy with
money from urban renewal to further
supplement it and make sure there’s an
economic development component as part
of it.
J.T.: Do you have ideas on how the city can
collaborate with the county to address the needs
o f its neediest citizens?
M .W .: Off the top of my head, I’d say that
we should probably play to our strengths.
Portland is really good at capital projects.
The county is really good at social services.
If we have respect for those things and work
toward a common goal, that’s our best
course of action. As far as specifics, I don’t
know. I’d have to talk to the county in order
to really have some specific answers.
M .W .: Well, I think if you were to look at
a map of transit activities and investment
J.T.: On your website, you write about a
within the city of Portland — I’m pretty sure
plan to champion a nonprofit food-processing
I’ve seen this map — it would show that the
facility that would
vast majority of this
employ marginalized
activity is in and
communities. I ’d like
around downtown.
to hear more about
And while I think
a
lo
t
©I
folks
who
that and how it would
that’s a good thing —
J.T .: I wanted to get your thoughts on the
l
i
w
there
(the
Pearl
B
lstrlct)
work.
downtown is
creation of the Office o f Equity and Human
who were p a s lie i ontr and I
beautiful, it’s very
Rights and i f there were and any issues you’d
M.W
.:
My
dream
important to the city
th in k th a tfs the case lit Worth
like to see it take up.
would be that folks
as a whole — it
and Northeast Portland?
M .W .: I would say that my only concern
would have the ability
doesn’t really help
obviously, I th in k If things
to work within the
about the Office of Equity has been that I
other parts of the
facility at whatever
don’t think that it has the teeth in order to
city.
doart change w ith the
capacity, but all the
really seriously address the issues that are
My neighborhood,
strategy? W there is one? on
before us. The institutionalized racism in
profits would go
I think, is a really
the
east
side
of
the
riv
e
r
w
ith
towards folks to
the city is actually quite profound, and to
good example. In 10
nrban renewal? werre going
establish themselves
throw $1.5 million at it, I don’t want to say
to 15 years it’s the
within the social
insulting, but I don’t think it addresses the
most populated
to see the same kinds of
service network so
issues.
neighborhood in the
things,"
they can connect to
I think it’s really going to get down to the
city, and it doesn’t
different services like
public pushing these issues rather than
have a single major
employment and
allowing the city to drive them. I think it’s
street with
health care. I think
important for folks to realize that before the
contiguous sidewalks.
it’s a way to build an economic base for the
Office of Equity and Human Rights there
It has more unpaved roadways than any
entire city.
was the Office of Human Relations, and
other neighborhood in the city, and it has
For example, in East Portland in
there was something before that. I’ve heard
six of the 15 most dangerous intersections
in the city. So those are three^ftaB^portation particular, there are huge, huge amounts of
-th a t over time these agencies get a little
cultural new com ers. They have seven to
tread and they’re retooled. It’s probably
related things that clearly show that other
eight months to learn a new language, learn
something that needs to be independent and
parts of the city aren’t benefiting from the
a new culture, find a place to live, get their
not dependent on the city to fund it for it to
investment we’re making.
kids in school, get a job and all that stuff
really get going.
The city leadership has a tendency to do
before their government subsidies are cut.
But one thing I try to convey to folks,
what’s easiest instead of what’s right or
It’s really, really hard to do that. So one of
especially with Occupy Portland, is that the
best. It’s not easy to try and fix the
the things that would help is to use
ability to make sweeping changes in
transportation issues that exist in East
Culturally inspired foods, that they bring
government already exists, and it’s the
Portland and other parts of the city, but I
from their country of origin, in community
Charter Commission. The Charter
think it’s incumbent on us morally to at
kitchens that are spread throughout the city
Commission has the ability to do
least try. One of the biggest issues that I
that allow them to produce products that
tremendous, tremendous things for our city,
have is that there are always discussions
they can bring to a farmers’ market.
and City Hall has intentionally kind of bound
about doing low-hanging fruit. And often
Eventually, if their product becomes
our hands. I talked to Occupy Portland
what happens is that the city does the low-
recognized and popular, this facility could
organizers there and encouraged them to
hanging fruit and then they kind of walk
take it on and produce it and distribute it.
participate in the process.
away and say, we’ve done some stuff so
I ’d also like to see a hybrid of the food cart
we’re going to go do some other stuff. A lot
There’s so many things that we could do,
scene and Saturday Market, which is to kind
of times, they don’t come back. The
and my hope is that the Occupy Portland
of retool the mall concept and shrink it
problem with that is, if you look at a fruit
folks will use that in a very bottom-up
down
so
people
can
start
small
and
move
tree, the vast majority of the fruit is not low-
approach and go out into the community
up. Or it can be someone who just wants to
hanging. It’s up at the top, and you don’t
and work in places like East Portland and
supplement their income, or it can be a
pick it, it falls and rots and creates a big
North Portland and Northeast Portland and
haircutter or tattoo artist. Ultimately, I’d like
mess, and I think that’s kind of what’s
help people to find their voice and to
to see this facility as an incubator for
happening. You try and do the easy stuff,
reclaim the power that they have over
products once they reach a certain level.
and we kind of just look the other way when
government, because you do that, and you
it comes to the hard stuff. If you want to
start electing people who will effect the
J.T.: I ’d like to get your thoughts on how to
look at the hard stuff, drive down Powell
change you’d like to see. Not because you’re
Boulevard. I think it’s the single biggest
sustain or even increase funding for affordable
asking them, but because they know that’s
housing.
embarrassment to the city, and no one has
what needs to be done.
really done anything about it, until the last
You start in Portland, and you show the
M.W .: The housing commission has •
year or so, and now things are such that the
rest of the state that this can be done at a
discussed ways to replicate what’s been
money’s not really going to be there to do
local municipality and then spread this
done in Seattle with the housing levy that’s
the things that are necessary.
throughout the state and the country. I
dedicated to affordable housing. It gives you
One of the ideas I had was to try and use
really truly believe that Portland can be a
a definitive amount of money for a definitive
the system and development charges for
better template for better government, and
amount of time, so there’s no scrambling to
transportation to pay for the salaries of civil
I’m really disappointed that we haven’t
get things done or to know how much you’ll
engineers who would do nothing but help
really used the Charter Commission to that
have this year or that year. That’s the
residents work on putting sidewalks in front
end.
“Asperger s has real blessings. I am not focused on what most people
seem to be focused on. I live a very interior life and it’s filled with joy.
I have insatiable curiosity about things.”
— Leska Emerald Adams, shown here with her service dog, Orka.
LusKd tmeraia aaams story is part ot a series on people living with the controversial diaqnosis
on Asperger s Syndrome by photojournalist Leah Nash. This remarkable project was sponsored
by the Regional Arts and Culture Council and Street Roots. View the entire series can be seen
at www.streetroots.wordpress.com.