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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2020)
Remembering John Lewis Civil rights hero galvanized opposition to racism Established in 1970 EDUCATION&CAREERS Special Edition See story, page 12 PO QR code Volume XLVIV • Number 17 ‘City of Roses’ www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • July 22, 2020 Committed to Cultural Diversity A group of moms stand arm-in-arm forming a human shield to protect protesters outside the federal building and Justice Center in downtown Portland on Saturday. The moms gained strength in numbers as protests continued the next day and Monday evening. (AP photo) Wall of Moms Enter Fray Grassroots actions defy Trump; escalate protests by M ichael l eighton P ortland o bserver e ditor A wall of moms forming a human shield to protect pro- testers is gaining strength in Portland in response to the show of force from President Trump and his dispatch of a stealthy team of federal police to protect the U.S. Court- house and other federal property. The unidentified federal troops, who are dressed in camouflage and who have used unmarked vehicles to grab protestors off the street to make arrests, is cueing up a potential constitutional crisis as the enforcement is being done with the consent of local officials, including Mayor Ted Wheeler and Gov. Kate Brown. State and local authorities are awaiting a ruling in a I-5 Project Moves Ahead Amid Outcry ODOT hires contractor, sets goals for diversity M ichael l eighton P ortland o bserver e ditor The Oregon Department of Transportation has hired a construction manager and general contractor with the task to help make the proposed I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Proj- ect one of the most fruitful in terms of benefiting minority by workers and disadvantaged business owners. An announcement to award the construction contract to Hamilton Sundt A Joint Venture, in association with Raimore Construction, a Black-owned Portland firm, adds important partners to help design and build a project that is founded on community input and values, ODOT officials said. The plans announced last week, however, leave out any immediate proposed changes to the project in response from Mayor Ted Wheeler, City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly and Albina Vision, a non-profit focusing on revitalizing the Al- lawsuit to put the brakes on the federal response. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in court papers last week that masked federal officers have arrested peo- ple on the street, far from the courthouse, with no probable cause and whisked them away in unmarked cars. The ACLU of Oregon has also sued in federal court over the agents’ presence. c ontinued on P age 8 bina area to right historic wrongs, and who all recently an- nounced they have withdrawn support for the project as cur- rently outlined. Short of formally withdrawing her support for the project, Gov. Kate Brown responded to the criticisms by saying she still wants the black community’s support for the project to go forward and is committed to helping bring people back to the table. Like Eudaly, Multnomah County Commissioner Vega Pederson, has stepped away from a community steering committee overseeing the project because of the controversy. c ontinued on P age 4