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Special Coverage,
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Read back issues of the Portland Observer at www.portlandobserver.com
‘City o f Roses’
Volume
Volume XXXXI,
XXXXI. Number
Number 18
18
Established
¡n in
1970
Established
1970
Wednesday
2012
Wednesday • • May
May 16. 16.
2012 Committed
Committed to to Cultural
Cultural Diversity
Diversity
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Standing Your Ground
Activists join
battle over
foreclosures
by M indy C ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
It’s not just the Occupy Portland
movement that’s putting economic
disparity issues on the political land­
scape.
A new organization formed by
labor activists to fight for a fair
economy is increasingly helping
local residents facing eviction take
on banks, which have foreclosed
on their mortgages.
Founded in September by the
members of the Oregon Service
Employees International Union, We
Are Oregon began their journey by
knocking on doors to talk to people
who work for a living, but don’t
experience long-term stability.
“Folks, who work for living, es­
pecially poor communities of color,
are on the short end of the power
dynamic,” said Angus Maguire, We
Are Oregon communications direc­
tor. “People say you should play by
the rules, but the problem is the
rules are broken.”
Maguire said what makes his or­
ganization unique is that it is bring­
ing people together to confront the
problems that affect them.
The result, he said, has been the
birth of several campaigns to help
residents struggling against fore­
closures, but also addressing is­
sues like low wages, wage theft, and
the availability of healthy and af­
fordable foods for disadvantaged
populations.
We Are Oregon took roots be­
fore the Occupy Wall Street move­
ment spread to cities across America,
but mirror much of the energy of
Occupy by trying to solve an eco­
photo by M indy C ooper /T hf . P ortland O bserver
nomic crisis for working families and Debbie Austin celebrates Mother’s Day on the front porch o th e r northeast Portland home. Skyrocketing bills from cancer
continued
on page 4
treatments and other health issues put her family into bankruptcy and now they are struggling to keep the house as a bank
executes a foreclosure.