Portland observer., May 06, 2020, Page 5, Image 5

May 6, 2020
Page 5
Young Activist Runs for Metro Council
c ontinued froM P age 2
den History of Albina,” and talked about the
Albina neighborhood that was first divid-
ed by Interstate 5 and further replaced by
Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum, the Moda
Center, the Portland Convention Center and
expansion of Legacy Emanuel Hospital.
“The reason why, sadly, we called it “The
Hidden History of Albina” tour is because
when we walk down these historic streets,
everything is gone, it’s hidden, everything’s
been destroyed,” he said. “We have to have
programs like these walking tours, because
once it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind.”
These days, Whitten is more concerned
with the future of the Albina neighborhood
than its past, given current discussions
about how proposed new construction to
Interstate 5, built in 1947, might be used to
bring the neighborhood back together.
The latest Rose Center project, as it’s
called, was proposed by the Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation to add shoulders and
auxiliary lanes to I-5 in the Rose Quarter
area in order to smooth traffic flow between
I-5 and two other interstate highways.
ODOT has stated that the project will
“improve community connections by rede-
signing overpasses and reconnecting neigh-
borhood streets, enhancing public spaces
and promoting economic development op-
portunities.”
But just how that will play out is still up
in the air. The nonprofit Albina Vision wants
to rebuild a diverse neighborhood by see-
ing caps built over I-5 that will support a
connection to the Willamette River with a
waterfront park, a public plaza with local
markets and events, public park blocks with
neighborhood emphasis, residential and
commercial development and more.
The project as proposed by ODOT —
without caps — is estimated at $795 mil-
lion, and with caps the cost could run as
high as $1 billion.
Whitten said he supports Albina Vision’s
position to create caps over the highway.
“With a seismically sound cap, you
could rebuild this community, bring it back
together,” he said. We could have parks,
streets, multi-use buildings, but they have
to be done right. I believe the black commu-
nities deserve nothing less than a full, safe
and seismically strong capping that allows
us to recreate what was lost. I fully support
Albina Vision and I will do what I can so
they are successful.”
He further spelled his platform in the
race for Metro Council.
“I will commit to working with a broad
coalition in the fight to ensure that Portland
has an economy that works for all, that we
have affordable housing and that we take
action on the climate in a way what does
not leave our diverse communities behind,”
Whitten said. “When it comes to the econ-
omy, we know that even as there have been
new jobs in the region, the benefits have not
been equitable. And for our black commu-
nity there are huge disparities in access to
living wage jobs and the ability to get ad-
vanced degrees and to secure positions of
management and leadership.”
He said management should also pay at-
tention to the way it treats employees.
“We need to increase the support that we
have around anti-harassment in the work-
place, we need to ensure that people have
living wage jobs, and we need to make sure
that we see the diversity within our own
management and leadership,” he said.
Whitten is also closely watching devel-
opments for the massive Broadway Corri-
dor project that will entail development of
the 14-acre site of the downtown U.S. Post
Office distribution center, which the city
bought for $88 million in 2016, that will
eventually include “4 million square feet of
new commercial, employment and residen-
tial development.”
Whitten said he plans to make sure that
the city lives up to the goal listed on the
project’s website at broadwaycorridorpdx.
com, “to connect the Old Town/Chinatown
and Pearl District neighborhoods, with the
goal to maximize community benefits, par-
ticularly to those groups that haven’t bene-
fitted from other urban projects.”
“We need to have living wage jobs, proj-
ect agreements, meet diversity goals for
recruitment, implement strategies for reten-
tion, find resources for people to get drivers
licenses and child care, monitoring and ac-
countability, stop wage theft and create safe
working conditions, “he said.
Other candidates running in the May 19
vote-by-mail election include Karen Spen-
cer, a patent lawyer and business consul-
tant; Chris Smith, a member of the Portland
Planning and Sustainability Commission;
Mary Peveto, executive director Neighbors
for Clean Air; and Mary Nolan, former Ore-
gon House Majority Leader.
Robert Lewis IV, 34, died in a shooting
on April 24, 2019.
Unsolved Homicide
Hits One Year Mark
Reward offered in cold case
The Portland Police Bureau, in partner-
ship with Crime Stoppers of Oregon, is ask-
ing for the public’s help to solve a homicide
that occurred one year ago.
On April 24, 2019, at 7:07 p.m., Portland
Police and medical personnel responded
to the report of a person injured in a shoot-
ing near Southeast 93rd Avenue and Henry
Street. The victim, Robert Lewis IV, 34, was
found dead. An autopsy determined that he
died from a gunshot wound.
Officers located evidence of gunfire at the
scene but did not locate any suspects in the area.
Crime Stoppers of Oregon offers cash re-
wards of up to $2,500 cash for information,
reported to Crime Stoppers, that leads to an
arrest in any unsolved felony crime and tip-
sters can remain anonymous. Visit the App
Store and download P3 Tips to submit se-
cure and anonymous tips; online at p3tips.
com/823 or call 503-823-HELP (4357).