Street Roots • June 2-8, 2017
E d ito r ia l
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TriMet incident tests a growing, changing city
very now and then, something shocking rattles a
aggressions for generations, right here in Portland. This
event may have rattled hearts across the city - even
reached across the nation - but it is definitely not a
It s been one week since a man spewing racist
new thing.
epithets on a TriMet M AX train stabbed two men to
And if the perpetrator had invoked Islam, we all know
death and seriously injured another. The men k illed and
he would be labeled a terrorist. Instead it was the
wounded were trying to defend two young black women,
language
the target of the killer’s horrific attack. All
of us at of the extreme right used in our highest office,
and reinforced by broadcasters on our airwaves and
Street Roots are saddened by these
online. It is as much a gross distortion of “patriotism”
events, the loss of life and the latest
as most of us know it, as terrorism is of Islam.
reminder of the toxic racism people
The killer in this case may be considered an
of color
face people
every have
day. responded in
We re also inspired
by how
individual and his violence an isolated incident, but he
support of the victims, in opposition to hate, and in
and many others are tethered together ideologically by
solidarity with the whole community. It is impossible to
white nationalist organizations that exist all across
look upon the memorial at the Hollywood Transit
Oregon and the nation.
Station where the violence occurred without feeling the
In fact, the Southern Poverty Law Center said that
overwhelming love displayed there. It is difficult to
among metropolitan areas, Portland has had one of the
make room for it all.
highest rates of hate incidents since the election. The
In its wake, however, are rallies of the so-called alt-
SP LC invited people to report incidents through its
right, whose platform of racial and religious intolerance
website, and since the election, it has gathered nearly
the killer embraced. The online world is abuzz with
1,500 reports from the area - and they continue to roll
political extrapolations over the event. Labels are flying.
in.
But it wasn’t politics that abused those girls or killed
What happened on May 26 was horrific, even if it
those men, it was hate and intolerance, fueled, possibly,
wasn’t a total aberration.
by mental illness. Still, national political leaders are
validating and empowering the most basic impulses of
We hope the emotions Portland is feeling now can
bigotry in this country - exploiting ignorance and hate
take deeper roots. There’s a vibrant network of cultural
for their own profit and power. There are terrible
and civic organizations people can plug into to learn
events happening all across this country under the
more about the diversity in our community and get
banner this administration is waving.
more engaged. If the white nationalist rhetoric is
As much as we would like to silence the hate,
trickling down into our community, then we will push
Portland honors free speech and expression above all
back from the ground up.
else. Bring it on. We can take it. We’re stronger than
As more people move into our city and region, with
that.
each passing year, Portland needs to reaffirm who and
Communities of color have endured these kinds of
what we stand for. We stand united. We stand for love.
E
community’s foundation.
503-228-5657, joanne@streetroots.org
Street Roots
211 NW Davis SL J
503-228-5657
Fax: 503 227-3117
Hours: 7:30 a.m,-3 p.m. Mon-FfL, 7:30
a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. and 7:30-1 p,m. Sun.
Staff
Israel B a y e r V
:
israei@streetroots.org
Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl
joanne@streetroots.org
Vendor Program Director Cole Merkel
cole@streetroots.org
Operations Director Sarah Beecroft
Sarah Cloud
Jesuit Volunteer
Development Assistant Patricia Romero
Editorial Assistant Monica Kwasnik
Reporters Emily Green, Suzanne Zafokar,
Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben,
Amanda Waldroupe, Stephen Quirke
Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode,
Arkady Brown
Canvasser Desmond Hardison
Board of Directors
Chairman Brad Taylor
Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford
Treasurer Heather Stadick
Secretary Dan Jones
Directors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson,
Sandra Hahn, John Brown, Nels Johnson and
Alison Hallett
Volunteers
Illustration by Elizabeth Considine
Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Anjali Rathore,
Zoe Klingmann, Dan Jones, Dennis Hogan, Monica
McKune, Susan Wolfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas
Buell Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoleymani,
Jason Cohen, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah
Kamala, Jon Raymond, Diana Richardson, Cherie
Manning, Paul and Madeline Gefroh, Mary Anne
Joyce, Del Shawn Davidson, Gillian Floren, Mark
OIDani, Bridget Brown, Cody Travels, Bianca Butler,
Robb Hengerer, Alex Cherin, Jenny Fames, Evan
Firsick, Camber Hansen-Karr, Miranda Woods, Henry
Brannan, Megan Smith, Luke Scheuermann, Annie
Aube and Helen Hill. If you're interested in
volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a
volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or
you can call for more information at 503-228-5657.