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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2011)
Crowned Jewels Garbage Pickup Changes Photo essay honors women impacted by breast cancer Weekly service gives way to food composting i - -<a See Metro, page 9 éjjînrtlattit ‘City of Roses' See page 3 hserucr / ? — Read back issues of the Portland Observer at www.portlandobserver.com Volume Wed Volume XXXXI, XXXXI. Number Number 41 41 Wednesday • October 12. 2011 L c sta t of» ! c- L e nx d l in i r-» 1970 IO 7 /Ì E b I lish ’ C o m m itte d to C u ltu ra l D iv e rs ity community service Wall Street Back Lash Occupy Portland rises up against the powerful by M indy C ooper T he P ortland O bserver photo by M indy C ooper /T he P ortland O bserver Northeast Portland resident Laura Shepard, 41, and her four-year-old daughter Gabrielle, join the Occupy Portland protests, downtown. The demonstrations, part of a national movement, counter the political power held by the richest Americans. T housands o f residents gathered at T om M cCall W aterfront Park, Pioneer C ourthouse S q u are and o th e r d o w n to w n lan d m ark s T hursday to unite in an g er against unequal access to resources, high unem ploym ent rates, and the w ealth o f the country residing in the hands o f the few. As one o f the biggest dem onstrations since the political protests in the 1960s C ivil R ights m ovem ent, countless P ortland resi dents jo in e d forces w ith the recent O ccupy W all Street m ovem ent in N ew Y ork, w hich has inspired activists, d em o n strato rs and individuals throughout the country to battle the political p o w er held by the richest one percent o f A m ericans. ‘We are the 99 percent’ echoed the voices marching through Portland, as individuals united in an effort to fight corporate greed through peaceful solidarity. No one knew the level o f local support before the rallies began. A lm ost a w eek later, how ever. O ccupy Portland is still very much alive, m aking it clear that the voices o f many citizens have been suppressed for far too long. W hile the initial fear o f police intervention lingered for m any w hen a perm it w a sn ’t a t tained for the m arch, officers did not arrest anyone for unlaw ful acts, despite the th ou sands o f individuals w ho filled the streets. M ike Leloff, a com m ander o f the North Precinct o f the Portland Police Bureau, was on the jo b at W aterfront Park as the protest grew. He said he couldn' t com m ent politically, but he said, “It’s a good group o f people, and they’ve got a m essage, and we are going to facilitate them to deliver that m essage.” A lth o u g h no d e fin in g o rg a n iz a tio n a l s tru c tu re e x ists to th e n o n -v io le n t p ro - continued on page 15