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January 17, 2018
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The King Neighborhood Association is complaining that a billboard
on Northeast Sandy Boulevard and other locations carries a racist
message. (KATU photo)
Billboard Called Racist
King
Neighborhood
asks for new
message, apology
A seemingly innocuous bill-
board advertising Dr. Martens
boots that has popped up around
northeast Portland and in other
locations has been called out as
harboring a racist message. The
billboard, which reads “Rock the
Holidays,” features a picture of
boots with red laces, a symbol of
white supremacy, activists said.
In a letter from the King Neigh-
borhood Association directed to Pa-
cific Outdoor Advertising, the com-
pany responsible for putting up the
advertisement, the citizen-directed
group explains how red-laced boots
have been used as racist imagery
for a person who has violently at-
tacked a person of color.
The letter cites the Southern
Poverty Law Center’s online
guide to skinheads, which states
that “racist skinheads will often
randomly attack non-whites to
‘earn’ their red laces.”
“Consequently, your billboards
are offensive to us, our neighbors
and our neighborhood,” the letter
states. “Surely you would not let
your billboard portray the burning
crosses of the Ku Klux Klan, yet
Dr. Martens’ display is simply a
more subtle communication of a
similar message,” the letter added.
The letter calls for the billboard
to be taken down, an apology mes-
sage to be posted in the same spot
and that the advertising company
“publicly disavows” the racist
message of the image.
Rev. Dr. T. Allen Bethel
Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes
Pastors as Advocates
for Social Justice
Haynes and
Bethel honored
for community
service
Dr. T. Allen Bethel of Maranatha
Church, were recently honored for
their longtime work in the com-
munity.
In December, Haynes and Beth-
el were awarded the Lowenstein
Trust Award, named after Steve
Lowenstein, a late Portland lead-
Two African American Port- er, activist, Jewish scholar and for-
land pastors dedicated to advo- mer Peace Corps member who ad-
cating for social justice and social vocated for civil rights and was a
change, Dr. LeRoy Haynes of Al-
C ontinueD on P age 14
len Temple CME Church and Rev.