Portland observer., October 10, 2018, Image 1

‘City
of
Roses’
Funk Master
Tribute
On Race
and Class
Ural Thomas
joins Oregon
Music Hall
Profile Theater
tackles a
divided nation
See Metro, page 9
See Local News,
page 3
Volume XLVII • Number 40
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • October 10, 2018
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
The Albina Christian Life Center in north Portland is one of a number of historically black churches in Portland that do not meet new earthquake safety standards, along
with hundreds of other commercial buildings and several schools. Bishop Marcus Irving, pastor of the Albina center, says the cost to make $1 to $1.75 million in upgrades
to the church would be difficult to obtain and fears that could trigger the city to condemn the church building or force it to close.
Shaking Up Controversy
Earthquake retrofits seen as
next wave for displacements
by D anny P eterson
t he P ortlanD o bserver
A city-led effort to post and label some
buildings in Portland as potentially unsafe
during a major earthquake, the first step
to requiring major and costly upgrades, is
shaking up controversy with many Afri-
can American community church leaders,
among others, who say the unintended con-
sequences of such a measure may lead to
an undesired repetition of history: homes,
businesses and non-profit organizations in
traditional communities of color being dis-
placed at the hands of the city.
A proposed placarding ordinance, slat-
ed to be voted on by the City Council on
Wednesday, is the first part of an over-arch-
ing effort to get certain buildings made
of brick and mortar or brick and plaster,
called unreinforced masonry (URM), up to
current codes over the next several years.
Over 1,600 such buildings exist in Port-
land, according to the city’s website.
Though scientists consider Portland to
be due or overdue for a major earthquake,
the city has more URM buildings that are
at risk of collapse during an earthquake
than any other city on the West Coast, a
city official said.
Bishop Marcus Irving of Albina Chris-
tian Life Center on N Willamette Blvd says
his church is one of the properties the city
has earmarked to receive a warning sign
for posting, which conveys its message in
50-point bold font.
Irving was upset to learn about the re-
quirements, just one month prior to a res-
olution being passed back in June setting
guidance for an eventual adoption of the
A new placard warning for unreinforced
masonry buildings.
C ontinueD on P age 5