Running
for Mayor
Rev. Willie
Banks
outlines his
priorities
Established in 1970
Honoring
VETERAN’S DAY
See Local News,
page 3
PO QR code
Volume XLVIII • Number 43
‘City
of
Roses’
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • November 6, 2019
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Moses Williams was a highly
decorated Buffalo Soldier in the U.S.
Army.
Veteran’s
Day Salute
Buffalo Soldier
is buried at Fort
Vancouver
Moses Williams (Oct. 10, 1845 –
Aug. 23, 1899) was a Buffalo Soldier in
the United States Army and a recipient
of America’s highest military decora-
tion—the Medal of Honor—for actions
in the Indian Wars of the western United
States.
Williams joined the newly formed
9th Cavalry in October 1866. By Aug.
16, 1881, he was serving in Company
I of the 9th Cavalry Regiment when he
participated in the Battle of Cuchillo
Negro Creek in the Black Range Moun-
tains of New Mexico. For his actions
during the fight, Williams was awarded
the Medal of Honor 15 years later. His
lieutenant, George Ritter Burnett and
private Augustus Walley also received
the Medal of Honor for their actions in
c ontinued on p age 4
photo courtesy of t ri M et
TriMet fare inspectors enforce rules for boarding light rail trains and buses and increase the presence of security on board. But
some rider advocates are concerned over plans to hire nine new fare inspectors, saying that will increase unjust stops against
poor people and people of color.
TriMet Defends Added Security
Others see fare
inspectors as part of
the problem
by b everly c orbell
t he p ortland o bserver
When TriMet recently announced plans
to hire nine more fare inspectors, some ac-
tivists claimed the move unfairly discrim-
inates against poor people and people of
color.
Gabriela Saldana Lopez of Bus Riders
Unite, a project of OPAL Environmental
Justice, said with increased fare enforce-
ment, TriMet is “spending a lot of money
to further criminalize folks.”
Lopez said she believes the public tran-
sit agency should lower its fares and even
have a fareless system. Last year, Bus
Riders Unite played a key role in pushing
TriMet to adopt a new low-income fare
program, and its members are now pushing
for a completely fareless TriMet system.
“I think they should lower fares and ide-
ally should have a fareless system,” Lopez
said.
But that would be impractical, said
TriMet spokeswoman Roberta Altstadt,
and would result in decreased services.
Adding more fare inspectors will actually
help riders, she said.
TriMet made its case for more fare in-
spectors on Twitter last month stating,
“We’ve all seen it: somebody not paying
their fare. It’s frustrating, especially if
you’ve paid yours – complaints about peo-
ple hoping on board without paying are
among the most common we get.”
But more than 900 responses almost
unanimously tweeted back that that’s not
the case, and agreed with the transit advo-
cates.
“I ride TriMet seven days a week,” stat-
ed one tweet. “I can state without a doubt
that most frustrating thing I have experi-
enced is fare inspectors harassing people
of color and unhoused folks. I mind my
own business in re fares, which should be
free anyway. I suggest Nosy Nellies do the
same.”
Many of the tweets responding to TriMet
said much the same thing.
“This does not make me feel any more
comfortable or safe,” another post read.
“Your fare inspectors constantly target
people of color more than anyone else. I
have watched your fare inspectors ask peo-
ple of color for proof of fare and ignore me
because I’m white.”
Altstadt pushed back, saying anyone
can post something on Twitter, and point-
ing out that comments from Twitter are not
c ontinued on p age 5