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PORTLAND OBSERVER
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Fred Meyer meets neighborhood resistance on Hyster Plan
At a press conference held at the Hyster Co. site.
Cheryl Perrin of Fred Meyer discusses the results of a
poll and questionnaire that was favorable to the build
ing of a superstore at the location
(Photo Richard J Brown!
fcv Robert I .olhtan
“ Fred Meyer wants to shoehorn a
suburban shopping center in to an
urban n e ig h b o rh o o d ,” said G rant
Park neighborhood resident B ill
G ayiord. G a ylo rd testified Monday
rught at a packed land use hearing on
the proposal by Fred Meyer, Inc., to
build a new superstore on the Hyster
Go. site near N.fc. 28th Ave. and
Clackamas St.
Fred Meyer wants a /one change so
it can go ahead with plans tor a $12.3
m illio n fu ll service store on the 17-
acTe site.
Those against the proposal, mainly
residents o f nearby neighborhoods,
South African picket
wore green ribbons and appealed to
far outnum ber supporters M uch ol
their testimony dealt with the potential
tor increased neighborhood traltic, tor
attracting crime and prostitution, and
harm to businesses in the H ollywood
area, on Broadway and Sandy Blvd.
" O u r neighborhood is s ita i and
doesn't need to be re vita lize d ," said
Ciaylord "M s kids can ride their bikes
wifely, they can walk to school, they
can luck or tre a t." G aylord said the
new store w ould haun live a b ility in
nearby neighborhtxxls
I hose in favor said the new store
would create jobs, bring business into
the area, levitali/e the Hvsler site and
nearby business district, and till a need
tor a new store in the area I hey dis
counted the p o tential fo r increased
crime, and several said increased trat
fic would actually benefit Itx a l busi
nesses
" I h e y need those extra 12,000
cars," said I I Green, a 3 ' seal rcsi
dent ol the neighborhood near the
site Green said he has watched the
deterioration ot (he Ussier property.
" It wmikl lx- a tremendous mistake to
present the developm ent that I red
Meser is promising lor this location,"
lx* said.
A nthony B a rso tti, a resident o f
Grant park neighborhood, testified
representing the A d Hoc Committee
on the Ussier I red Meser proposal, a
coalition o f residents opposed to the
store from nine surrounding neighbor-
hrxxls Barsotti listed three requests
that the zone change be denied, that
the city help Fred Meyer upgrade its
Hollywixxl store, and that a task force
be formed to find an alternative use
tor the site I he coalition "approves
development that promotes neighbor
hood liveability and protects the viabil
its o l existing business in the area,”
Bor sold said
( hers I P e rrin , I red Meyer vice
president lor governmental allairs, led
a company delegation that included
architects and public opinion research
ers Ihey came prepared with a slide
show and colored plastic over lass
A ppiusing the new store would be
an opportunity lo r the city to demon
strate that M ayor C la rk 's slogan,
"P o rtla n d is open lo r business," is
more than "ju st words,” said Perrin.
Ihe company reported the results o f a
poll conducted by I I I Research, Inc.,
which showed
percent approval o f
the proposal by residents o f the nine
neighborluxxls ( it responses to 17,(1(11
questionnaires mailed by the com
pany to residents near the site, 75 per
cent approved the new store, said
Perrin.
An architect’ s drawing ol the new
store showed a modern, landscaped
fa c ility sim ilar to stores in C la cka
mas, Vancouver and Fugene mails.
Perrin said the company has already
uiveaed Ixuvilv in the project.
Some o f the most dam ning te s ti
mony against the proposal came from
the C ity P lanning Bureau Bureau
representative Jean H arrison read a
bureau s ta ll report recom m ending
against the new store.
Fix- company projxwal tails to meet
the c rite ria fo r a zone change and
co n flicts w ith the Com prehensive
Plan, said Harrison, reading from Ihe
rejxnt, because tra ffic w ill increase as
shoppers attem pts to cut through
neighborhoods, the new store w ill
encourage sir ip developm ent, and it
will draw business awav from the Hoi
lywixxl area where the city has made a
substantial investm ent in street im
provement to attract business. “ Ihe
public is not served by granting the
request at this time," she said
Penin said the company planned to
light the Planning Bureau report with
technical studies of its own. She called
the re p o it "e rro n e o u s, biased and
slanted."
Ihe land use hearings process w ill
lake several weeks, w ith tune for re
buttals by both sides possibly followed
by another lu ll public hearing
Oregon Fair Share
targets District 18
on sales tax vote
Oregon Fan share, the stale's largest
consumer organization and a leading
opponent ot the proposed sales tax is
launching an extensive "G e t Out the
Vote” campaign in District IK Mary
Cavill, o f Fair Share's Portland Chap
ter, staled that the central reason tor
Fair Share's opposition to the sales lax
plan is that it would shill the burden ol
taxes o ff businesses and onto house
holds. D is tric t IS, a p rim a rily low
and moderate income aiea, has been
targeted for a major election turnout
campaign because this is an area which
will be hardest hit if the sales tax is ap
proved.
“ We feel that a strong voter turnout
in D istrict IS w ill be an im p o rta n t
component in the deteat ol the sales
tax We have found strong support
against the sales tax here We need to
insure that this support is carried to the
polls on election day, September I7 ."
Fair Share’s " tie l Out the V ole" el
fo rt w ill include a lite ra tu re d ro p
throughout the district on Saturday ,
September I4. It w ill also include a
phone-calling campaign on Monday,
September ,6 and on election day,
September I7. Volunteers are needed
to wage a successful campaign. I hose
interested in becoming involved in the
"G e t O ut the V o te " e ffo rts should
contact Oregon l air Share, 223 298I
Correction:
In the article in last week's Observer
(Sept. 4, 19NX) entitled "P a y ro ll de
ductions fund National Black United
Front,” all references to the National
Black United Front should have been
references to the National Black Unit
ed Fund. Our apologies lot any corilu
sion which may have arisen horn the
error.
Year o f the D ragon boycott called
by Jerry (.turner
Protestor» march in front of tha offices of the Port of Vencouver in an
effort to convince management thet they should not allow ships carry
ing cargo from South Africa to use the port Protestors were also at the
port when the Nedlloyd Kingston arrived w ith South African cargo
Wednesday night.
(Photo Richard J. Brown)
C o m m u n ity organizations held a
press conference I uesdav at City Hall
to protest the recent release o f the
film Year o f the Dragon. Asian Amer
icans across the country have called for
a national boycott of the M t M pic
ture. I he movie film ed in the C h in a
tow n district o f New Y ork and p ro
duced by Michael C im in o has been
blantantly called and Asian, racist,
violent and sexist. Asian Am ericans
say Year o f the D ragon recycles the
worst stereotypes o f Asians fo r the
U S movie-going audiences, especially
in the context o f a growing anti-Asian
clim ate and rise in incident o f anti
Asian violence in this country. It
promotes the view o f Chinese and by
extension all Asians as "th e enem y."
Speaking at the press conference
was Chisao Hata o f the Japanese
American Citizens League, Portland
chapter. Ms. Hata stated, " T h e re
cently released film Year o f Ihe D ra
gon has raised strong opposition across
this nation. Not o n ly have Asian
American communities been vocal, but
all com m unities who are concerned
w ith abolishing racist and sexist a tti
tudes have taken a public stand against
Year o f the Dragon We must progress
tow ard creating a better day fo r all
Americans. This is a dangerous film ."
Hata contends that the movie main
tains fo r our youth negative role
m ixlels o f Asian Am ericans, Black
Americans, women, men arxl even law
enforcers. The Year o f the D ragon
fuels the burning fires o f violence
towards Asians and other co m m u n i
ties o f color. It bom bards us w ith
needless images o f violent warlike dc
struction o f human life
The movie is about a Polish police
(Left right! John Blank. Rainbow Coalition; Dr Fey
Lee. Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Ass n.; Chisao
Hata. Co Vice President Japanese American Citizen
League; Dr. Ron Eng Chinese American Citizens
captain who declared a private war
against drug peddling and youth gangs
in C hinatow n. Ih e cop, played by
actor Mickey Rourke, is the only per
son who can save (h in a to w n from its
evil elements. Asian women arc de
picted shabbily; they arc portrayed as
either whores, molls or appendages of
men. The movie also has been c riti
cized for its degree o f violence Shoot
ings. stabbmgs and strangling* can be
seen th roughout the picture Public
protests o f The Year o f the Dragon
have already been held in New York,
Chicago, boston. Los Angeles. Wash
ington, D.C ., and other
H ala asked that c i " 1®’?.* and or
Alliance and Reymundo Marin, Executive Director
M HR C . speak out against the movie Year <»/ i/rr
Dragon at a press conference
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
gamzations become involved in a pub
lie education program that includes the
follow ing actions: support prefacing
the film with a verbal and written dis
claimer that states the film docs not
portray activities and hie in the Chi
ncse American communities; support
activities and prixluctions that create a
positive and accurate image o f Asian
Americans and other ethnic commum
tics and women, w rite letters to p ro
ducers, directors, d istrib u to rs, and
theatre owners to protest the creation
o f the film and encourage production
of shows that portray ethnic commun
ities with respect to human dignity.
Some o f tlx- local organizations who
have voiced concern with the film arc
Chinese American C itizen's Alliance,
Chinese Chamber o f ( ommcrce, C h i
nese Consolidated Benevolent Asso
ciation, Japanese American Citizen's
league, Chinese Social Service, Black
United F ro n t, M e tro p o litan Human
Relations Commission, Native A m er
ican Resource N e tw o rk, Am erican
Jewish C om m ittee, Rainbow ( oah
lion, Oregon Committee for Hispanic
Advancement, M e tro p o lita n E thnic
M inority Executive Coalition
Citizens and organizations who are
concerned about this film are invited
to attend a meeting on Wednesday,
September I8th, 7:30p.m ., C ity Hall