January 1, 2020
Page 7
Tornado Hit
July 3 – A rare EF-0
tornado touched
down in northeast
Portland causing
widespread damage
in a mile long path,
including these two
trees which toppled
over against a single
home at Northeast
16th and Going
Street. Amazingly,
no injuries were
reported.
Safe, Clean and Sober Leader Dies
June 26 -- Michael Booker, 64, a beloved and longtime advocate of the
African American community in Portland, dies after an unexpected liver cancer
diagnosis just three weeks prior. Booker most recently helmed the executive
director position at the Miracles Club, a nonprofit for recovering addicts.
New Roots on MLK
July 24 – Business owners celebrate the replanting of roots in the historic
heart of Portland’s black community during a grand opening celebration for
Alberta Commons. Three person-of-color owned businesses, Cason’s Fine Meats,
Champions Barbershop and greenHAUS Galley + Boutique have opened in the
redeveloped block at Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Alberta Street.
Program Fills
Hunger Gap
Open for Summer
July 10 – A new outdoor pool at north Portland’s Peninsula Park opens, replacing
an outdated facility and expanding capacity for a resource that has a rich history of
serving a multicultural community.
Police Action
at March
Criticized
Aug. 21 -- Shannon
Long, Multnomah
County Library
programming
assistant, welcomes
kids for free
lunches as part of a
summertime Meals 4
Kids program to stave
off food insecurity for
families that would
normally receive
free or reduced fare
lunches for their kids
during the school
year.
Sept. 25 – A youth-
led climate strike
draws thousands
downtown to
peacefully protest, but
one incident involving
police enforcement against some young people and the arrest of a young black male
draws complains from civic leaders for brutality.
In the Middle of a Fight
Oct. 9 – A proposed change to
city code by City Commissioner
Chloe Eudaly to lessen the power of
neighborhood associations to better
serve diverse and underserved
populations becomes contentious.
One of Eudaly’s chief critics is her
former employee, public policy
consultant Mingus Mapps, who
plans to run for her seat.
Campus Police
to Keep Guns
Oct. 16 – Portland
State University alumna
and graduate student
Olivia Pace and others
addresss the PSU Board
of Trustees to strongly
criticize the university’s
decision to continue
arming campus police
with guns. The decision
followed the first ever PSU officer-involved shooting that killed a black man
braking up a fight outside a bar near campus in 2018.
PSU Black Studies at Risk, Professor says
Nov. 20 -- Professor Ethan Johnson, who heads up the
Black Studies Department at Portland State University,
says he doesn’t feel like celebrating the department’s
50th anniversary because PSU is failing to support the
department and even more is failing to listen to the
concerns of minority students and teachers.
c ontinued on P age 12