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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2021)
M artin L uther K ing J r . January 13, 2021 Mapps Calls on End to Violence c ontinued fRoM p age 4 One of Mapps’ first moves in city government will be to intro- duce the annual resolution cel- ebrating Dr. King’s birthday, he said. “I hope this is the beginning of a reflective time in our city, a perfect time to think about the politics of peace,” he said. “Two weeks after Martin Luther King’s birthday, we’ll be celebrating Black History Month, another opportunity to think about where we’re going as a city, and I hope that as we head into March we really begin to put some concrete proposals for the city to bring down the violence.” Portland’s murder rate nearly doubled last year, Mapps said, and we’ve “given up a gener- ation” to gun violence. He said he plans on working closely with the mayor and Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, a frequent critic of Portland police tactics, to bring down the violence in downtown and reduce the murder rate that has spiked, particularly in east Multnomah County. “I know the mayor cares deeply about this and we have 2021 special edition Page 7 already begun discussions on moving forward with concrete proposals,” he said. Along with reducing violence and police reform issues to ad- dress, Mapps said the mayor has appointed him to head up the water bureau, environmental ser- vices, sewer department and 911 communications. He also was just assigned to oversee the Bureau of Hydroelectric Power, which man- ages decommissioned dams. “It’s an enormous obligation to deliver all these services,” he said. “But the great thing about (city) staff is that they’re moti- vated by challenges, have high standards and good delivery of basic services at equitable pric- es.” Mapps sees the pain of city businesses struggling to stay open because of COVID-19, but said we still have to think about protecting natural resources. “We also need to re-imagine what an essential worker is,” he said. On MLK’s legacy as a civil rights champion, Mapps said, he wants “to help people reflect on the lessons of King’s work. It’s incredibly important.” C eLebrating M artin L uther K ing J r Saluting Martin Luther King Jr. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” --Rev. MLK Jr. Marvin Barber, Owner pdxcleaners79@gmail.com MBE-DBE-ESB certified Green Cleaning certified Cell 541 518-3265 Fax 503 289-3099 PDX Cleaners Residential and Commercial LOCATION 5408 NE M L King Blvd, Portland, OR 97211 503- 335-0271 • Mon-Sat 9am-7pm • Sunday Open 11am-5pm Over 5,000 Hair Care & Nail Care Items
