Page 8
The
Portland Observer Black History Month
Februaty 6. 2013
Postal Worker Witness
to Portland Changes
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 5
Carol Marquez, M.D.
Radiation Oncologist
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w hile B riggs w as it the m ilitary,
and th ro u g h a p ro g ram to help
em p lo y soldiers upon th eir re ­
turn, B rig g s fo u n d a jo b at the
n o rth east P o rtlan d p o st office.
B riggs says he has seen a lot o f
c h an g e s in the n e ig h b o rh o o d
w here h e ’s w o rk ed for so long.
B rig g s w as b o rn in P o rtla n d
in 1949 at th e c o u n ty h o sp ita l.
H e g re w up o n N o rth K erb y
A v en u e, atten d ed B eech S chool
o n n o rth H u m b o ld t S tre e t an d
g ra d u a te d fro m J e ffe rs o n H ig h
S chool.
H e rem em b ers being a little
kid, 4 o r 5 years old, w hen the
V an p o rt flo o d w ip ed o u t the
largely A frican A m erican co m ­
m unity living at the w artim e Kai-
m em b er w here fro m .” H e relates
his jo b to being a bartender, w here
p eo p le co m e up to y o u and tell
you th eir p ro b lem s and k n o w
th at y o u ’re g oing to be there day
after day.
“I like p eo p le d o w n to e a rth ,”
said B riggs. “I d o n ’t care if y o u
don ’ t have m oney, as long as you
have a g o o d attitu d e and a g o o d
heart, I ’m c o o l.”
A s the n eig h b o rh o o d builds
and b u stles aro u n d him , B riggs
says h e ’s w atch ed p eo p le w alk
into the p o st office, into his life
and out. “I t’s life— ev ery th in g
seem s to have g o tten a little bit
b etter,” said B riggs. “I en jo y it-
have been all m y life.”
B riggs says the p o st o ffice has
also ch an g ed a lot in his 43 years.
W hen y o u ’re reg u lated by the
_--------------------------
I like people down to
earth. I don Y care if you
don’t have money, as long as
you have a good attitude
and a good heart, I ’m cool.
r u o t a i n u m e i r u u iid r u
ser S hipyards. H e also rem e m ­
bers w hen A lb erta and M issis­
sip p i stre e ts w e re lik e g h o st
tow ns. “N ow y o u can b arely get
d o w n the street it’s so b u sy ,” he
said.
A n in flu x o f n e w p e o p le , in ­
c lu d in g w h ite s a n d H isp a n ic s,
in to w h a t w a s b a s ic a lly a b la c k
c o m m u n ity is on e o f the b ig g est
c h a n g e s B rig g s say s he h as w it­
n e sse d . B u t h e sa y s, h e d o e s n ’t
m in d . H e lik e s all p e o p le a n d
p e o p le te n d to lik e him .
“ You get to really know people,
I like w orking w ith p eo p le ,” he
said. “It’s nice to see p eo p le and
g reet p eo p le.”S o m e p eo p le h e ’s
k n o w n fo re v e r h av e sto p p e d
com ing in, passed aw ay, w h ile he
has en jo y ed m eeting new faces
ev ery day.
B riggs recalls a m an stepping
out o f a resort in M ex ico Where
the p o stm an h ad been visiting.
“D o I kn o w y o u ? ” the m an said,
but c o u ld n ’t rem em b er w here
from . “U h, the p o st o ffice?” said
Briggs.
“P eo p le ju s t k n o w m e,” said
B riggs. “T h ey ju s t have to re ­
g o v e m m en t there w ill alw ay s bt
lim itatio n s an d to u g h tim es, u n ­
like U PS an d F edex, h e said.
“ B ut the p o st o ffice w ill su r­
v iv e,” he said.
P eople take fo r g ran ted thal
y o u can still sen d a le tte r a n y ­
w here in the U nited States. Briggs
hopes people think about the good
things. “E v ery b o d y th in k s w e ’re
g o in g o u t o f b u sin ess, b u t w ere
not going out o f business, w e ’ 11 be
alright.”
B riggs liv ed in G resh am from
1977 to 1993 befo re he and his
fath er-in -law b u ilt a h o u se in
B eav erto n fo r B rig g ’s w ife and
six kids, w here the fam ily has
lived e v er since.
A s y o u ’re read in g this, B riggs
w ill alread y be on a p lan e to
M ex ico w ith his fam ily. H e sold
his house in B eav erto n (in one
day) and is ex p lo rin g p laces to
live in C ab o San L ucas.
B ut not to w orry, in no m ore
than 6 m onths, h e ’ll be back. “I
d o n ’t really w an t to leav e P o rt­
land. I love Portland,” said Briggs.
“I ’m ju st trying to live life the best
I c an .”