MLK
Dream Run
Weekend events
celebrate Soul of
Portland
QR code for
Portland Observer
Online
‘City of Roses’
See Local News, page 3
Volume XLIV
Number 32
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • July 29, 2015
Voices from
Vanport
Play recounts
family histories,
experiences
See Metro, page 9
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Renewal and Repurpose
PHOTO BY O LIVIA O LIVIA /T HE P ORTLAND O BSERVER
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Strip club and plaza giving way for community use
O LIVIA O LIVIA
T HE P ORTLAND O BSERVER
What was once a rundown corner
of northeast Portland’s Cully Neigh-
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ter.
Earlier this summer, a coalition
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organizations united to purchase the
triangle block of land that for years
accommodated the Sugar Shack
strip club and other adult business at
Northeast Cully Boulevard and Kill-
ingsworth Street.
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Habitat for Humanity, Hacienda
Latino Community Development
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advocacy arm Verde, have started
the transformation of the dilapidated
retail block, bringing hope to what
many viewed as a blight on the cul-
turally diverse neighborhood.
Hacienda Executive Director Vic-
tor Merced says that the coming
change is an exciting opportunity.
“We can do so much with this
space,” he said, “I have high hopes
for the families that live here to share
the experience of seeing something
change, and having a hand in that.”
Hacienda already owns and man-
ages several housing units across
Killingsworth Street from the Cully
site and in the surrounding neigh-
borhood, serving many low income,
minority and other disadvantaged
residents.
Tony DeFalco of Living Cully Pla-
za, the formal name for the coalition
representing the new mixed owner-
ship of the Cully property, explained
that it’s still unclear what exactly will
be in the space, but that it will ad-
dress the needs of neighborhood.
“The community has worked real-
ly hard to make this a reality over 20
years,” he said. After acquiring the
property, all he could say for sure was
that they wanted to let the community
know they were welcome to celebrate
the upcoming changes. That point was
made as group of Hacienda resident
children arrived at the plaza last week
with paints and art supplies.
C ONTINUED ON P AGE 5