Street Roots • May 1-7, 2015
News
also talk about where people are living
now, what they’re trying to build for
themselves, whether it’s out in East
Portland or it’s up in North Portland, or
really anywhere they live, to try to talk
about those places, too.
A.G: Tell me more about the plan’s focus
on black families in East Portland who have
already been displaced. What do they need to
be successful and hopefully not be displaced
again?
L.B: There is a whole team that is
specifically working on that. They’ve had
two open workshops with the public in the
past couple of months, and they are
coming together around some concepts
that have to do with the connections of
health, very broadly defined, and stability
— mental health, stress, depression,
anxiety, the things that happen when you
are in a precarious situation with your
P H O T O BY SH A N E VALLE
housing and you’re stressed out — trying
to really tie housing stability to this whole People attending a community workshop on March 28 participate in a group activity.
broader set of concerns, like how are you
going to be a great parent or family if
or a program that you really need to own
the Albina Plan, and how will the People’s
you’re out of your mind with worry or very,
your own house to participate in fully,
Plan differ?
very anxious or you’re moving schools.
that’s not going to affect African-Americans
You can’t have a stable situation so
as much because our home-ownership rate
L.B: I think that many people in the
they’re very on this theme of replanting
is much lower. That’s one way of looking at
community were pretty happy about the
people with “root shock.” This amazing
it.
content of (the Albina Plan). People
psychiatrist at Columbia University, Dr.
The other is culturally, socially. For
participated a lot; they were very engaged
Mindy Fullilove, she coined this phrase.
example, there was a group that looked at
in it. It was a process that was certainly in
It’s when people move involuntarily, it’s
response to the really bad old days of
the idea of crime prevention through
like pulling a plant up out of soil. You can’t
urban renewal — not that the current days
environmental design. It’s an interesting
just put it somewhere else and think it’s
of u rb an renewal are n o t bad, b u t it w as a
concept. Some of it has to do with, like,
going to grow. You’ve damaged the roots;
plan by official institutions. The content of
don’t put shrubs up against a building .
you’v esK o ck ed its roofe/Aiid'sKe'Kas^
it is perfectly fine; it’s very comprehensive;
b e cau se so m e o n e could hide b eh in d it.
documented those impacts for individual
it talks about all these issues, but then the
Some of it has to do with lighting, but a lot
people for families, for community at large.
responsibility for it went (away). Every
of it has to do with the idea of eyes on the
It’s disruptive, and you can see it in so
agency was kind of like, that’s not us, we
street and natural surveillance by other
many fields. It’s the equivalent to losing
don’t have the money.
people. So what does that mean if you’re
months in school if you’re a kid and you
It comes back to this organizing and
black youth and you want to go hang out at
change schools in the middle of the year.
accountability piece. The plan is not really
the park? If there are all these eyes on the
There’s job loss and job disruption and
the thing. Policies are important; programs
street who are other people checking out
income problems. There are so many
are important. We have a lot of ideas of
what you’re doing, is that a positive thing
pieces that wear down people
what those are going to be. The plan is
because they’re engaging with you as a
psychologically, and it harms their
getting people to pay attention and identify
community member, or is that potentially
networks. So how do you connect all that
the targets that can get it done. But part of
very negative because they’re calling the
stuff up to very clear resources and
that also means it’s not only the “capital C ”
cops and now you’re having a criminal-
City of Portland that’s gonna do it, but who
programs to say actually: This housing
justice system encounter because you’re
thing? That’s a health thing. This rental
trying to chill out at the park? So they did a in the nonprofit sector is going to get this
done, or what agency is going to change
deposit assistance thing? That’s an
little bit of thinking analysis around that,
the way they’re working to deliver
education policy. How do you build that up
talking to people about how they
something different for people if they’re
as official ways of doing things?
experience those things.
really going to serve this group.
Sö I think there’s more implementers;
A.G: What did the background work on
A.G: What is this next phase all about?
there’s an accountability structure. There’s
the plan involve?
L.B: The phase we’re in right now is all
an advocacy moment that we can put
about getting people who are - I’m going
L.B: Not directly part of the People’s
forward.
to use the term “experts,” - together in
Plan but something that’s been going on
circles to talk about hey, here’s all the
A.G: So how do everyday people enter the
for a while is the Urban League’s State of
policy stuff that’s been thrown out there,
conversation?
Black Portland project. We’ve been
which of these things sticks for you? And
connecting with them and getting
L.B: We’re just getting into that part.
then just get also their general human
information from that since last spring on
We’ve spent some time doing background
ideas
about
life
and
the
world
and
what’s
what are the key data pieces that you see,
work. And there have been a couple of
im portant So when we say experts, we
what are the most persistent, severe
events in East Portland. For us, that’s a
don’t
just
mean
certified
smart
people.
disparities, where are the biggest gaps,
real priority area to engage in East
We’re
trying
to
get
a
mix
for
each
topic
what are the worst things, what are the
Portland because that’s an area that’s been
area
of
people
who
are
some
kind
of
biggest priorities? Then I had a bunch of
underserved and overlooked in the
certified, titled person who is identified as
students who looked specifically at urban
conversation about black folks in Portland.
a
leader
in
some
way,
but
also
has
people
planning in Portland, urban plans in
We focus a lot of our time physically on the
who are personally impacted by the issue,
Portland, a wide variety of types, to
space that is Northeast Portland and then
who are experts oh their own lives, people
basically ask the question: Are black
going, “Oh no, we can’t find the black
who
have
experience
and
networks
in
the
people here? Does this do anything for
people to survey here.” Well, no kidding.
community.
black people? We know that the black
So one of the things we’re trying to do is
co m m u nity faces certain disparities and
figure out what people want to do and then
A.G: / imagine that the People’s Plan will
certain issues that might relate to their
deliver more of that.
get
compared
to
the
Albina
Plan
of
the
1990s
ability to engage with a specific kind of
over
and
over
again.
What
went
wrong
with
plan. So if there’s a project or a proposal
Page 9
Death of a
Building
by Maddy Brown-Clark
Dead buildings
Reach for the sky
And wait for the touch
Of the wrecking ball
To pound them into dust
Flatten them by bulldozers
And scoop them from the earth
In wait of a parking lot
For daily commuters
Up for sale on ancient computers
All a part of urban decay
And old dead buildings
Who have seen their day.
The Mirror: School
of Hard Knocks
by Leo Rhodes
Looking in the mirror
I start reflecting on being a youth
With eyes of wonderment
And a mischievous mind
Always knowing there’s a big world
(beyond my realm)
Jtist waiting for me to conquer
My teen years
Confusion, uncertainties
Making bad choices
Still waiting to conquer “The Big
World.”
Conquering the world
As an adolescent
I hit the ground running
“Take no prisoners!” “Do or die!” was
my war cry.
Pushing the envelope
Living on the edge
Taking life’s bumps and bruises
Many times my life spun out of control
I would seek shelter and safety
But as the years went by
Shelter and safety became less and less
Many years later as I look in the
mirror
I see a wiser elderly man
With scars of victory he once boasted
about
And other scars that weren’t so
victorious
As I look in the mirror
I see a wiser elderly man
Whose idea of conquering the world
Has changed in’many ways