Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2018)
‘City of Roses’ Protest Turns to Brawl Blazers mourn Paul Allen Repeated clashes has mayor calling for new rules Billionaire owner had loyalty to team, city See story, page 2 See Local News, page 3 Volume XLVII • Number 41 www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • October 17, 2018 Established in 1970 Committed to Cultural Diversity photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver Katrina Holland of the Community Alliance of Tenants is working to get the city to adopt more equitable housing policies in order free up housing stock for people of color and other residents who face huge obstacles to finding a house or apartment. Advocating Tenants’ Rights Security deposit, screening and other reforms urged by D anny p eterson t he p ortlanD o bserver Several community organizations rep- resenting Portland tenants and communi- ties of color have united to ask Portland city officials to address housing discrimi- nation and the disparate treatment of rent- ers from marginalized groups. The goal is to provide more access to housing for people who currently face huge obstacles to finding a house or apartment to rent. Spearheaded by the Community Alli- ance of Tenants, a statewide social justice organization, and co-signed by the Urban League of Portland, Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, and Unite Ore- gon, among others, the housing advocates sent their request last week to Mayor Ted Wheeler and the City Council citing the harm that current housing policies by landlords, such as screening criteria, high security deposits, and predatory credit practices , cause African American, Lati- no, and other communities of color. Citing a Portland Housing Bureau report that showed that communities of color are more likely to be barred from housing access in the city, the tenant advocates pointed to Fair Housing test- ing reports that showed discrimination against people of color was prevalent at each stage in the Portland rental market, from receiving preliminary information about an apartment, all the way to when they moved out. In some of the worst cases, “We’ve heard of situations where people have been unfairly screened out or told that a property isn’t available because of what they look like or what language they speak. Whereas somebody who has the same qualifications will probably walk in, C ontinueD on p age 5