December 26, 2018
Page 9
A look back at some of our top stories
‘Now is the Time to Act’
April 4 – Moved by gun violence, faith leaders representing
Portland’s diverse religious communities, come together to
promote a proposed ballot measure to regulate semiautomatic
weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines in Oregon.
NAACP Strong
April 11 – The Portland NAACP opens an office in Lloyd Center, its first office in 30 years, marking a
milestone for increasing public outreach and building on the local civil rights group’s 104-year-old history.
Green and Equitable
New School
Model Lauded
April 18 – Dr. Jill Biden, the wife
of former Vice President Joe Biden
and keynote speaker for Concordia
University’s Leadership in Education
Awards, praises partnership between
Concordia and Faubion Elementary as
a shining example of making changes
in education that promote the health
and welfare of all students and their
families.
‘Left Hook’ to
Displacement
June 20 – The opening of Green Hop, an African-American owned and hip-hop
themed marijuana dispensary in northeast Portland, shows promise for bringing
economic growth to a disadvantaged community while also helping black residents
obtain access to the legal cannabis industry.
May 17 – A new play that touches on
the history of displacement in 1970s
Portland, where hundreds of homes
and businesses were razed in historical
black neighborhoods, and featuring
an all-black cast, debuts as part of the
Vanport Mosaic Festival.
Deadly Force Review
July 4 – The death of a local black resident
and U.S. veteran killed while trying to break-
up a fight outside a bar adjacent to Portland
State University, draws fierce protests,
outcries from the victim’s friends and family
and a reignited debate over on whether PSU
should have armed officers in the first place.
Tracking
the Hate on
Measure 105
Court Pick Derailed
Team Beats Back Jail Door
July 18 -- Case managers from a pilot project work outside
the court system to help low-level drug offenders, often people
on the streets and the homeless, get the social services and
treatment they need instead of continuing a cycle through the
criminal justice system.
July 25 – Oregon Assistant U.S.
Attorney Ryan Bounds had his
nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals
withdrawn after Tim Scott, the only
Republican black senator, made clear
he couldn’t vote for him because of
concerns about his attacks on multicul-
turalism as a student at Stanford.
Betting on Diversity
Aug. 15 -- Ifanyi Bell, an Emmy-
nominated filmmaker and multimedia
artist, leads a new fellowship for black
Portland filmmakers at Open Signal,
a community broadcast organization,
as a way to increase opportunities for
African Americans.
Aug. 8 – Activists like Cristina
Marquez point to the racism
behind a ballot measure to
kill Oregon’s sanctuary law,
legislation that was adopted
30 years ago to combat racial
profiling by law enforcement.
Accepting the
Challenge
Sept. 12 – Dr. Danny Jacobs,
the fifth president of Oregon
Health and Sciences University
and the first African American to
lead the medical institution, talks
to the Portland Observer about
his efforts to successfully steer
OHSU at a time of challenging
intersections between education,
patient care and research.
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