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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2020)
A Salute to Young Black Lives Darrelll Grant’s new CD inspired by protests, health crisis See Metro, page 7 Established in 1970 Jefferson Rebuild Proposed School next in line for bond financing See Local News, page 3 PO QR code ‘City of Roses’ Volume XLVIV • Number 18 www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • August 5, 2020 Committed to Cultural Diversity Adbi Noor examines a memorial on the downtown waterfront Friday for black lives lost at the hands of police. Nightly protests for racial justice have remained largely peaceful between demonstrators and police following an agreement last week between Gov. Kate Brown and the Trump administration to reduce federal officers in the city. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) New Police Oversight Gains Traction Council sends measure to voters by M iChael l eighton P ortland o bserver e ditor Portland’s City Council has voted to add a measure to the ballot this November that would create a new indepen- dent Community Police Oversight Board. The panel of community members would have more power to investigate complaints against police, compel testimony by officers and impose discipline. The measure would also provide funding to support the work of the new police oversight panel by creating a budget pegged at five percent of the Portland Police Bureau’s budget. Unanimous approval to send the measure to voters was TriMet Installs New Tracks Four weeks of repair bring disruptions TriMet has embarked on its largest MAX improvement project to date, a month long closure of the Steel Bridge to allow crews to make a series of major upgrades to the MAX light rail system that will improve resiliency, keep trains on time and create a smoother ride. On Sunday, the upper deck of the bridge was closed to auto, bus, light rail trains, and bicycle and pedestrian traffic to accom- modate the work. All MAX lines—Blue, Green, Orange, Red and Yellow—will be disrupted for the next four weeks while the construction is completed. a major victory for Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, the first black woman elected to serve on the City Council and a long time police reform activist. Hardesty won over the support of Mayor Ted Wheeler and City Commissioners Chloe Eudaly and Amanda Fritz to place the measure on To move people around the disruption, TriMet said shuttle buses will depart about every two to five minutes, serving the Rose Quarter, Union Station/Northwest Fifth Avenue and Glisan and Old Town/China- town stations. Bus lines 4, 8, 35, 44, and 77, as well as all auto traffic, will be detoured to other bridges. Pedestrian and bicyclists will be able to cross the Steel Bridge on the low- er-deck pathway, which will remain open during the entire project. C ontinued on P age 5 TriMet says the improvement project will have a positive effect for MAX rid- ers system-wide, improving reliability and keeping trains on time. Track and switch improvements were made earlier in the Rose Quarter area in preparation for this work. This project will build upon those upgrades, resulting in fewer issues that slow or disrupt access across the bridge, officials said. C ontinued on P age 5