May 8, 2019
Page 3
INSIDE L O C A L N E W S
The
Week in Review
C ALENDAR
M ETRO
page 2
page 5
photo by b arry a munDson
Iman Pearce (from left), Jack Hill and Alyssia Maxwell are honored for their participation in a high school
writing competition to raise the public’s consciousness on systemic racism and help make the world
more healthy and peaceful. The contest was sponsored by Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility.
page 7
Writings for a Better World
Student leaders tackle
systemic racism
m aDison a rnolD -s Cerbo
Diverse students from Portland are raising the
public’s consciousness about systemic racism.
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility re-
cently honored three student winners at its annual
Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship at Celebration
by
Tabernacle in north Portland. The theme was “How
can you work against systemic racism to help make
our world more healthy and peaceful?”
The program included remarks from members of
the physician’s advocacy group and a welcoming by
Rev. E.D. Mondainé of Celebration Tabernacle and
the president of the Portland NAACP.
Dr. Nicki Nabavizadeh discussed the mission of
C ontinueD on p age 4
Mayor’s Budget Supports Albina Vision
Also backs
street response
proposal by
Hardesty
pages 5-6
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
O PINION
C LASSIFIEDS
pages 9-10
pages 10
To address a housing crisis,
Mayor Ted Wheeler’s proposed
city budget for the next fiscal year
prioritizes added funds to help the
homeless, which was not a sur-
prise. But the mayor’s plan also
provides a small stipend to boost
efforts to redevelop residential ar-
eas around the Rose Quarter for
Albina Vision, boosting a plan to
rebuild a diverse neighborhood
and correct historical displace-
ment.
The mayor’s $577.3 million
general fund budget released last
week had several new line items
compared to years prior, includ-
ing a $500,000 set aside for ad-
diction-treatment, a reversal of
past policy when the city has left
funding for such services up to the
county.
Wheeler proposes $187,000 in
new funding for a Mental Health
and Nurse Triage Program, a re-
quest by new City Commissioner
JoAnn Hardesty to defer low-in-
tensity 911 calls to a nurse to con-
Ted Wheeler
JoAnn Hardesty
nect the caller to services.
Also at Hardesty’s request, the
mayor included another $500,000
for a new “street response” team
—addressing people sleeping out-
side without law enforcement in-
volvement.
The first African American
woman on the City Council,
Hardesty also offered an alterna-
tive way to fund Wheeler’s plan to
increase funding to the Police Bu-
reau, recommending an end to the
Bureau’s gang enforcement unit,
citing its ineffectiveness. Instead
she would move the 28 officers
from the Police Bureau’s Gang
Enforcement Team (now known
as the Gun Violence Reduction
Team) to general patrol to help al-
leviate a projected 120 officer va-
cancies. She also recommended
defunding police body cameras.
Hardesty clashed with Wheel-
er’s budget on some issues as
well, such as the $200,000 feasi-
bility study for a water taxi service
on the Willamette and Columbia
Rivers, called Frog Ferry.
Albina Vision would receive
$75,000 under Wheeler’s propos-
al, for outreach—also a new item.
The diverse group of backers of
Albina Vision previously gained
the support of the mayor and Met-
ro Council President Lynn Peter-
son.
The full City Council will vote
on whether to approve the budget
in June.