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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 8, 2022)
Page 4 June 08, 2022 Barbecue Chef Gets Unsafe Housing Charged Much Needed Help Conditions inhabitable, Black tenants say James Dixon, a well known Portland entrepreneur who has served generations of families with his Dixon’s Rib Pit barbecue is getting some much needed help after the theft of his barbecue equipment and the pending loss of his rented home in the Alberta district. Neighbors rally to keep operator in business, housed James Dixon, a well known Portland entrepreneur who has served generations of families from his Dixon’s Rib Pit barbecue cart in the Alberta district is get- ting some much needed help after the theft of his grilling equipment and the pending loss of his rented home in the same neighborhood. According to neighbors who are rallying to support the long time Black community resident, Dix- on has been a selfless and caring friend to many in the community. Daniel Greenstadt and other neighbors started a GoFundMe account to help Dixon recover from the theft and help him get his rib pit back up and running, along some financial help to find another place to live and stay in the neighborhood. Already, more than $8,000 was raised after just a few days and a TV news report on his plight. Dixon’s handmade barbecue smoker and trailer were stolen from his home on May 15. Un- fortunately, it followed the loss of his beloved wife who died last year and current plans by his land- lord to sell the home he has called home for years. “As you can imagine, the housing challenge is a difficult one, and we are appealing to any individuals or organizations who may be able to help financially or with other resources in the search for an appropriate and af- fordable place for Mr. Dixon to hang his hat,” Greenstadt said. After a TV news report on Dix- on’s plight, more than $8,000 was initially pledged. “Mr. Dixon has given so much for so many years to so many people in so many ways that he’s touched a lot of lives, and he’s never asked for anything,” Greenstadt said in his gofundme post. “We hope to replace his equipment and get him up and running for the summer BBQ sea- son and beyond.” For more information and to contribute, visit gofundme. com/f/james-dixon-friends- neighbors-fund/. Don’t Shoot Portland, the Portland-based activist organi- zation promoting civil rights, racial equity and solutions to gun violence, is leading a community-based response to a mass action lawsuit against Reach Community Develop- ment claiming unsafe and un- sanitary conditions for a hous- ing complex serving the Black community. Five tenants at Allen Fre- mont Plaza, 221 N. Fremont, have filed lawsuits claiming the non-profit housing provid- er forced them into inhabitable conditions by not maintaining the 64-unit building, causing them and other low-income and elderly residents to live in filth and fear for their safety. Reach Community Devel- opment, which has not publi- cally responded to the lawsuit, promised it would make im- provements to the building sev- en years ago when it took over Black tenants at Allen Fremont Plaza have filed a lawsuit claiming unsafe and unsanitary conditions. management, but since then, tenants say conditions have only gotten worse. A lack of basic and necessary maintenance, for example, is blamed for non-functioning re- strooms that deny tenants’ basic hygiene needs, the tenants say. In addition, a failure to main- tain elevators has forced dis- abled tenants to literally crawl down flights of stairs to exit the building or to stay in their apart- ments for days until the elevator was working again, the lawsuit claims. Other complaints include a failure to provide effective light- ing and security cameras, result- ing in criminal activity taking place on the premises as well as elderly tenants being harassed by non-residents; and failure to provide adequate ventilation ands safety from fire hazards. Last year, an employee at the complex was removed from her role at the facility after tenants alleged the worker used racist slurs against Black residents, the Oregonian reported. In the current complaint, legal advocacy and services are provid- ed with support from Don't Shoot Portland and the civil rights law firm Olsen Daines, officials said. Run-off; Re-Elected Continued from Page 3 She will face political new- comer Rene Gonzalez in the runoff. Gonzalez a soccer coach and business owner endorsed by the Portland Police Association narrowly outdistanced his oppo- nent Vadim Mozyrsky. In the Multnomah County sheriff’s race, O’Donnell will succeed Sheriff Mike Reese, who was unable to run for re- election due to term limits. “Today is also a win for trailblazers everywhere, as I’m honored to be the first wom- an elected to be your Sheriff," Morrisey O'Donnell tweeted Tuesday night. In an election for Multnomah County Chair to succeed Debo- rah Kafoury who was term lim- ited, Multnomah County Com- missioner Jessica Vega Pederson captured the most votes, but short of avoiding a runoff. She will face fellow County Com- missioner Sharon Meieran who narrowly finishing second. In the governor’s race, Kotek will face a three-way race in No- vember against the Republican nominee Christine Drazan and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek speaks to supporters Tuesday night after the results of Oregon's primary election are announced in Portland. Kotek defeated Tobias Read to win the nomination. (AP photo) Betsy Johnson, a former Dem- ocratic state senator who is run- ning as an independent. “I think it’s important to re- member that all the Democrats in this race share a similar vision for what we want the state to be,” Kotek said in her victory speech, addressing a crowd of supporters in Portland on Tuesday night. “We’re all going to work togeth- er to make sure we win. That a Democrat — that I win in No- vember, because frankly there is just too much at stake.” In Oregon’s new sixth Con- gressional District, State Rep. Andrea Salinas was declared the winner in a crowded field of candidates which includ- ed former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith, a long time member of Portland’s Black community. If elected in November, Sa- linas would become the first Latina member of Congress from Oregon.
