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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2002)
( f lb « r lit r June 05, 2002 (Elje ^Jurtlanb (Ûbseruer Page A4 O pinion Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f <£lje J J o r tla n b (f)b s e m e r The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 1996 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART W ITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. 503-288-0033 • FAX5 0 3 -2 8 8 0 0 1 5 • EMAIL: news@Dortlandobserver.com subscnotion@Dortlandobserver,com ad$@M«landQbservçr.çQm The Portland Observer—Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication—is a member of the National Newspaper Association—Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Repre sentative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver. R on HERNDON S peaks : Displacement Hits Community Once Again Ron Herndon Speaks is a se ries feature o f the Portland Ob server. In this installm ent, Herndon, a community leader and activist, talked with correspon dent Yugen Fardan Rashad on a number o f topics. Y ugen: Please speak on im m i nent dom ain, and its historic im pact on P ortland’s low -incom e residents, particularly com m uni ties o f color. B usiness entities and developers draw up plans for ex pansion that often change the landscape and disperse folks into oth er areas to live. T he expansion plan o f Portland C om m unity C ol lege seem s to have affected the ability o f R enaissance M arket to rem ain open. O perators o f the store indicate negotiations with Portland C om m unity College hit a snag, but are on-going. H e rn d o n : You have black in stitutions that have served the co m m u n ity w ell, such as the church (Albina Christian Life Cen ter), R enaissance M arket, and H ead Start. T hese institutions are helpful to a num ber o f people and families in thiscom m unity. W e’ve had a great relationship with the college and students o ver many years. A nd 1 think it’s unfortunate now that PCC says it has a better use for the property in the sur rounding area. It’s hard enough to establish institutions in o u r com m unity. Then to be told you have to pull up stakes for the ‘good o f soci ety ’. W here I w ork (H ead Start) it’s very disappointing. W e’ve had a facility located on the PCC C as cade cam pus since the eighties. W hen they (PC C ) begin discus sions about expansion, we were told we w ould be part o f the plan. And now we get told (2001) w e’re When property values fall, speculators come in who have access to capitol that was denied black people. i not involved in the expansion. In 1992, the strategic plan also reflected support for reserving space for H ead Start. G o back and look at the m aster plan draw ings for proof. In fact, our contractor told us we had to hold h alf our slots open for PCC students so they could enroll their children in our program . The college w anted, and got, voters to support bond m easures Spring Auto Lo R ates as low as *APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Interest rates vary based on repayment period, down payment and credit standing. All loans are subject to approval. Serving all who live, work, worship or attend school in the Portland communities o f Arbor Lodge. Boise, Bridgeton, Buckman north o f Hawthorne, Cathedral Park, China Town, Concordia west o f 33"1 WILLAMETTE Avenue, Concordia University, Downtown Portland, East Columbia, Goose Hollow, Humboldt. Irvington, Kerns, King, Northwest Portland, Northwest Industrial Portland, Old Town, Overlook, Pearl District, Piedmont, Portland Community College-Cascade Campus, Portland State University, Ports mouth, Sabin, St. Johns, Sullivan’s Gulch, University o f Portland, Federal Credit Union 2151 N.W. Front Avenue Portland, Oregon 97209 (503) 299-4539 • (888) 900-8559 University Park, Vernon, and Woodlawn. for expansion; that it w ould have a positive im pact on the com m u nity. And once the bond passed, and the plan w ent forw ard, th a t’s w hen w e’re told ‘you have to m ove’. A s o f m id-June, we have to move. And let me make it clear that this doesn’t reflect any negative criticism o f Dr. M ildred O llee (p re sid e n t, C a sca d e cam p u s). W e’ve had a great relationship with her. Thjs has to do with board m em bers and the folks that run the college. It (displacem ent) rem inds me o f w hat happened som e decades ago with Em anuel H ospital. They told residents that this was urban renewal, we have the right o f im m i nent domain, and we will offer you a set price fo r your property. Y ug en : T he history o f this city show s how urban renewal dispro portionately affects residents in these neighborhoods. H e rn d o n : L ook at the freew ay (Interstate 5) w hen it was built and how it disrupted the general co m m unity, and blacks that lived in the area. And in the 70s, a m edian w as built up and dow n w hat was then know n as U nion A venue (M artin L uther K ing, Jr. Blvd), w hich took aw ay valuable park ing sp aces an d d e stro y e d o r harm ed black businesses along the corridor. So, U nion A venue expansion, 1-5, Memorial Coliseum, Emanuel Hospital, PCC - and some w ould argue the light rail project: Each section w as an area w here black people lived. A lm ost every decade since the 50s, you will find a m ajor event around develop m ent or urban renew al that is for ‘the greater g o o d ’, but w inds up being disruptive to com m unities o f color. Y u g en : O v er decades, I sus pect you’ve identified obvious displacem ent patterns w ith this scenario, and especially when we look at gentrification in corridors o f the inner north and portheast sections o f Portland? H e rn d o n : Sure there are. The way it happens here is in the form of divestment. There were no in vestments made in housing, no effort m ade to improve services in this area. Redlining by banks made it difficult for blacks to get loans to buy or im prove their property, and that’s a matter o f record. C om plaints about police services. You allow a com m unity to suffer eco nomically and atrophy follows. And when these things happen, many folks call these disinvestm ents. W h en p ro p erty values fall, speculators com e in w ho have ac cess to capitol that was denied black people. They (speculators) com e in and buy (real estate) for little or no m oney, fix it up to live in or sell and the price o f the real estate (taxes) then skyrockets. And con sequently, those folks who lived in the community for decades will find they are no longer able to afford the rent. S econd-generation hom e- ow ners and the elderly struggle to pay the property taxes. So with speculations and gentrification, the v alu e o f p ro p e rtie s h as sh o t through the ceiling. Y ugen; T h at’s am azing! H e rn d o n : Y ugen, som e folks saw this com ing 25 years ago. T his area o f northeast P ortland is som e o f the m ost valuable pieces o f real estate in the city because its centrally located and w ithin m inutes from the L loyd C enter, Union Station, and Portland Inter national A irport. You can w alk to d o w n to w n , and fre ew ay s fo r travel are in proxim ity. It was suggested that black folks buy up this property when it was depressed. Back then, you could get it for a song. But there were only a few people who did that. O ne o f diem was the late W illie Harris. That brother was very astute. I m eet a lot o f people w ho say they understand business. But I w on der if any o f them every sat down with W illie Harris to learn from Giving our best. Ron Herndon people in our midst. He was very successful and d idn’t brag about it. It w ould have been great if our fraternal and religious institutions had made those purchases by pool ing their collective buying power. W e would own today what is now King Boulevard, Alberta Street, w here all this developm ent is occurring. It was possible. A t one tim e, I was associated with what was know n as the Black Educational Center. W ith this non profit, in about four years, from the m id to late 70s, we acquired three pieces o f property on Northeast Alberta and 17th. Unfortunately m any o f us d idn’t have the fore sight to buy up more property. Y ugen: Back then that sounds like the G olden A ge o f buying up property, and today, a m issed op portunity. W hat w ill be the politi cal fall out on this issue? H ern d o n : Right now, it’s almost im possible to get property today because the value has gone up. T here are political ramifications, too, because blacks that can ’t af ford rent are being forced to m ove to southeast Portland and Gresham. A nd w hat strength you had politi cally, is now diluted. The next time you see reapportionment, you will find that what was once District 18, w hich at its height was 50 percent black, in 10 years will drop to 30 to 25 percent black. Your ability to elect folks that represent your con cerns and issues will be signifi cantly lessened. Â..'>■-• “ < ■ ' " '- 5 - - > A , " SAffWAV CLUfi’ It’s Safeway for Great Values! A A
