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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2020)
Page 4 Minority & Small Business Week October 7, 2020 photo by d onovan s Mith /p ortland o bserver A wide variety of high quality products and services are available at Cason’s Fine Meats, now one year in at a new location at Alberta Commons in the heart of Northeast Portland and the city’s historic African American community. ‘We Know We Have a Future Here’ C ontinued froM f ront 10-year leases with Prosper Portland, the city’s development agency as part of their effort they say s to keep more Black busi- nesses in the area which has been upended by decades of racist policies, many being their own. In 2014, the long-vacant lot, be- came a focal point in the war against gen- trification after advocates from Portland African American Leadership Forum cried foul when Prosper Portland (then Portland Development Commission) sold the land for well-under market value to an out of state developer set to bring Trader Joe’s to the area. After the pushback made national head- lines, Trader Joe’s backed out of the deal, mayor Charlie Hales earmarked new mon- ies for affordable housing in the area, and new plans were drafted for the site. A half-decade and many conversations later, stands Cason — and he’s ready to feed you. His locally-sourced meats which in- clude hard-to-find Southern staples such as oxtails and neck bones, along with more traditional meats such as country style ribs and sausage links are all anti-biotic and chemical free — a source of pride for the journeyman butcher. A near four-decade vet of the meat-in- dustry, he says he understands the budget- ary constraints on some of the community that forces them to larger retail chains for what he calls cheaper, and “lesser cuts”. “People that want a good product, they understand that, ‘I want something good and healthy for me’,” he says. While he recognizes that his price points may be out of reach for some, especially for some in the Black community, he says he hopes they recognize the value they are receiving in exchange. And he has sights set beyond MLK and Alberta. Cason dreams of expanding out into “the Numbers” out in East County or even hopping the river over into Van- couver. “We’re spread all around now, and some of the things that we [traditionally] eat are not in some of those other places,” he states. Celebrating a year in his new space, while in a year marred by a global pandem- ic, historic wildfires up and down the West Coast, and unprecedented Black uprisings is not lost on him. Between the protests on the streets in particular, and a brand new sign outside the storefront, he says there’s been an uptick in hungry customers of all back- grounds funneling through his doors. And while a late May demonstration saw Cason’s front window tagged with some graffiti, he urges people to “keep march- ing” nonviolently. And as he rounds out a year at his new location, one marred by uncertainty, Ca- son’s vision for the future remains as clear- eyed as ever — for him, this is about leg- acy. “I’ve got grandbabies, sons, nephews, and I’ve got family that’s coming up be- hind me and to be able to ride up and down [MLK and Alberta] and see their name, it means a lot.”