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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 2021)
Moose’s Heartfelt Legacy Armed car- jacker killed by police First Black police chief dead at 68 Crime spree shuts down I-5 See Local News, page 3 See story, page 2 PO QR code Volume XLVV • Number 19 ‘City of Roses’ www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • Decemeber 8, 2021 Committed to Cultural Diversity Photo by Mark Washington/Portland Observer Publisher Nancy Mejia (from left), Denise Tupper, Jataune Hall and Ahquoya Brooks of Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO) invite the community to shop for Christmas by visiting the MESO holiday market at 1237 N.E. Alberta St. Doors open Tuesdays through Saturdays through Dec. 24. Shopping to Make an Impact Holiday markets support Black community By Beverly Corbell The Portland Observer Businesses traditionally rely on Christmas sales to increase their bottom lines, and minori- ty-owned businesses have been hit particularly hard by the Covid pandemic. To give entrepreneurs of color an added boost this year, sever- al holiday markets aim to give minority vendors more exposure while giving shoppers plenty of options for buying holiday gifts. An innovative approach by the nonprofit Micro Enterprise Ser- vices of Oregon, or MESO, for example, is bringing the prod- ucts of 14 local, minority-owned businesses to a formerly empty storefront at 1237 N.E. Alberta St., now through Dec. 24, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. Since it was founded in 2005 by the Black United Fund, MESO has helped thousands of small businesses through its five area offices with services that include classes on financial education and wealth building, developing business plans and more, said MESO business development specialist Jataune Hall. “We provide hands-on techni- cal assistance, whether they are up and running or planning to open, but also lending opportu- nities,” Hall said. “Most banks won’t take on startups, but we do. We work with them so they can open or storefront or go on- line.” MESO has businesses offices in Portland, Gresham, Clacka- mas County and Vancouver. “We walk them through the process to figure out how to grow and prosper and help them ac- quire generational wealth,” Hall said, but it’s been a tough year. “It’s been a huge challenge, and holiday time for vendors is usually a time to grow,” she said. “So we decided, let’s cre- ate something and help vendors out. They can use our website (mesopex.org) so people can buy online.” The MESO holiday market has restrooms and hand sanitizer stations. Children are welcome, especially to meet Black Santa Continued on Page 2 Help for Burglarized Cannabis Stores City awards $1.3 million to offset loses Portland has becomes the first government jurisdiction in the country to allocate cannabis tax revenue to help marijuana busi- nesses and workers as they to en- dure negative impacts from mul- tiple robberies, COVID-19 and other issues. Photo courtesy Portland Office According city officials, a total of Community & Civic Life of 200 cannabis retail establish- Budtenders Cheyenne Hillard and Justin Jackson begin inven- ments have been burglarized since torying the sales floor before the store opens in the Burlingame March of last year—an average neighborhood of southeast Portland. of 10 burglaries a month—with many establishments being hit multiple times. Unlike restaurants, retailers, gyms and professional service-ori- ented companies, cannabis-linked companies are unable to file in- surance claims when their stores are damaged or money is stolen. Cannabis businesses are also in- eligible to receive federal or state funded relief for issues related to the 2020 wildfires or COVID-19. During this week’s City Coun- cil meeting, commissioners ap- proved $1.33 million in Cannabis tax revenue for grants to locally licensed cannabis businesses and employees that have been impact- ed by the emergencies. The financial help is geared to help marijuana businesses remain open and continue to grow their revenue, and ultimately the city's cannabis tax revenue which goes back toward community and busi- ness grants programs, like Social Equity & Educational Develop- ment (SEED) Initiatives, funds supporting economic and educa- Continued on Page 5
