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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 2020)
Page 4 September 16, 2020 Avalon Flowers 520 SW 3rd Ave., Portland, c ontinued froM f ront OR 97204 • 503-796-9250 a better and more just future,” said former Gresham Mayor Shane Be- mis. “His business acumen coupled with his heart will serve us well.” Former Multnomah County Commissioner Diane McKeel add- ed, “Travis will work for quality equitable education, job training and our local transportation needs.” Former State Sen. Margaret Car- ter, the first Black woman elected to serve in the Oregon Legislature, said voters in Gresham can make history by electing Stovall. “We have the opportunity to elect Travis Stovall as our region’s first Black mayor, she said. Some of his other endorsements include the Gresham Chamber of Commerce, the mayors of Trout- dale and Fairview, and Joe McFer- rin II, the Black president and CEO of Portland Opportunity Industrial A full service flower experience Cori Stewart-- Owner, Operator Historical Race for Mayor of Gresham • Birthdays • Anniversaries • Funerals • Weddings Open: Mon.-Fri. 7:30am til 5:30pm Saturday 9am til 2pm. Website: avalonflowerspdx.com email: avalonflowers@msn.com We Offer Wire Services Harris Photography 503-730-1156 On Site Printing 4x6 5x7 or 8x10 antonioharris@mac.com 4545 N.E. MLK 97211 5010 NE 9th Ave Portland, Or 97211 Phone: 503 284-2989 We specialize in a variety of cuts for men and women, hot towel razor shaves, braiding, hair extension, Shampoo, blow dryer and Platinum fade. Call Today or Walk in !!! Center and Rosemary Anderson High School, which operates sites serving Black communities in Gresham, Rockwood and Lents along with the historical Black neighborhoods of north and north- east Portland. Stovall said he was honored to have so much support from his community. His campaign provid- ed a list of accomplishments he has made as an advocate for the Gresham community, including improved transit access and infra- structure during his tenure on the TriMet Board of Directors, where he currently serves as Vice-Presi- dent and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee. Other accomplishments include his help to create affordable hous- ing units as member of the Gresh- am’s Community Development and Housing Subcommittee and creating local living wage jobs as an entrepreneur and Executive Director of East Metro Economic Alliance. Stovall started his career man- aging Adventist health clinics in Gresham and East County. He is the President of eRep, a company he founded and employs people locally. He holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Fi- nance, and an MBA. “I’ve spent my career helping our businesses thrive, creating quality healthcare, and building infrastructure so that our children and families can get around safe- ly,” said Stovall. “As your mayor, I will work across all political lines, to deliver the results Gresham de- serves.” As the Gresham Outlook noted in its endorsement: “Gresham vot- ers will not find a better candidate on the ballot to serve as the city’s next mayor than Travis Stovall.” Feedback Starts Over on I-5 Project c ontinued froM P age 3 panel was just a rubber stamp with- out real power. Retired educator and consultant Liz Fouther-Branch, a member of the committee from Portland’s black community, was one of those speaking out. She resigned from the committee on July 1 and issued a statement. “I find it frustrating to sit on advisory committees and know that all of the design, financial de- cisions and considerations have already been determined long be- fore any real restorative justice can take place,” Fouther-Branch wrote. “During this time of protest, it is imperative to reject minimal performance gestures that will not improve air quality, guarantee jobs, create wealth or dismantle policies, procedures and practices that con- tinue to harm and traumatize us.” The Oregon Legislature ap- proved $715 million to widen In- terstate 5 near the Rose Quarter to fix a bottle neck and improve neighborhood transportation links. ODOT has proposed constructing some freeway caps and overpasses that would provide new bike paths, sidewalks and greenspaces, but not space for new buildings. The African-American led Albi- na Vision is a grassroots campaign to see the I-5 Rose Quarter area made into a whole new neighbor- hood, one that is diverse, inclusive, affordable and accessible, and one that recognizes the injustice done by historical displacement and gentrification. ODOT officials, however, prom- ise that the new committee will be charged with facilitating a new set of values to address past harms to the Black community. The agen- cy has recruited Dr. Steven Holt, an African American pastor and a community planning consultant to facilitate the new public outreach. Holt has been deeply involved in bringing generational opportunity to Black residents and promoting restorative justice. He has promot- ed community components in plan- ning by Legacy Emanuel Hospital to finally develop a vacant block at North Russell and North Williams Avenue, a large parcel that was a center of African American life before being bulldozed nearly 50 years ago. Ensuring the long term benefit of the black community will be the priority as the I-5 project gets a new look, he told the Portland Observer. Applications for the new Histor- ic Albina Advisory Board will be online in the coming days, ODOT said. “We want to do this right and take the time we need to develop long-term relationships with the people on this board and the Black community, said Megan Channell, I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project director for ODOT. Learn more about the project and sign up for email updates at www.i5rosequarter.org. Unpaid Rents Grow during COVID-19 c ontinued froM P age 2 We are Open! For your light bulbs & parts to repair or make fixtures 503.281.0453 Fax 503.281.3408 3901 N. Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97227 Web: www.sunlanlighting.com • E-mail: kay@sunlanlighting.com requirement for landlords to pay relocation assistance to cover their tenant’s moving cost when facing eviction or foreclosure. Under code adopted in response to the afford- able housing crisis that existed be- fore COVID-19, the relocation help would have only kicked in if the rent increase was 10 percent or more. “While we are in the midst of a pandemic, we need to protect rent- ers at risk of losing their housing and support renters who may need to relocate due to rent increases,” Wheeler said. The mayor directed the Portland Housing Bureau to allocate an ad- ditional $500,000 of existing fund- ing towards housing stabilization and relief to residents in hard-hit east Portland neighborhoods. He also announced plans to ex- tend a local eviction moratorium to the end of the year. While renters have six months to repay any back rent accrued during the Portland moratorium, Wheeler said the impacts of COVID-19 on Portland’s already tight rental mar- ket and the growing magnitude of unpaid rent as a result of the pan- demic show the magnitude of the current crisis. The mayor was joined by Home Forward’s Michael Buonocore, the executive director of the Mult- nomah County Housing Authority, and Portland Community Rein- vestment Initiative Inc.’s (PCRI) Executive Director Kymberly Horner to share how continued rent increases and outstanding loan obligations have many Portlanders falling further and further behind on their rent payments and their loan repayments. The data shows that one in four Portland renters were already pay- ing more than half their monthly income toward rent prior to the c ontinued on P age 9