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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 9, 2018)
‘City of Roses’ N Touch Reunion Ballots Due Portland musician brings back original players Make your vote count See Local News, page 3 See Metro, page 9 Volume XLVII • Number 18 Established in 1970 www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • May 9, 2018 Committed to Cultural Diversity photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver Shawn Penney directs planning for Good in the Hood from the King Neighborhood Facility next door to Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary school. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the naming of the school after King and the 50 years since the civil rights leader’s assassination, the multicultural and community wide event will return to adjacent King School Park for this year’s celebration in late June. Multicultural festival sets course for annual event b everly C orbell t he p ortlanD o bserver The Good in the Hood music festival and community celebration is making plans for this year’s event with a new add- ed focus, a return to a previous venue and a legendary R & B performer. The multicultural gathering has been going strong for 26 years, but this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the naming of Martin Luther King Jr. Elemen- tary school for King and to pay tribute to Portland’s civil rights history in the 50 years since King’s assassination, the fes- tival will return to adjacent King School by for New Focus in the Good Hood Park in northeast Portland, June 22-24. Good in the Hood is also rebounding from racist threats from a year ago when an anonymous letter threatened a bloodbath at the event, which led to increased security by police and event officials, but thankful- ly no violence resulted. Shawn Penney, president of Good in the Hood, said the festival was held at King School Park in the past, but then moved to the larger Lillis Albina City Park to ac- commodate larger crowds. Last year an es- timated 25,000 to 30,000 people attended. The upcoming celebration won’t be pared down and planners expect just as much or more activities, including live bands every day, a big kid’s area, multi- cultural food, crafts, marketplace vendors, the Portland Farmers Market, free health screens, and a lot more. “It is a smaller park – but we’re going to use every square inch and all the streets around will be blocked out,” Penney said. “We’re looking forward to another great year of bringing communities and families together.” Security will be tight again this year. Last year, police traced a phone call threat- ening violence to an elderly woman, but determined it was not a credible threat. The source of the threatening letter, how- ever, hasn’t been solved and is still under investigation. The entire King School Park, including the streets on its perimeter will be fenced in and Portland Police as well as private security will make sure fest-goers are safe, Penney said. “They usually bring their big mobile C ontinueD on p age 15
