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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2011)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM A UGUST 10, 2011 P ORTlAND , O REGON V OlUME XXXIII, N O . 41 25 CENTS I NSIDE Tea Party Impasse page 4 ‘The Help’ page 5 US Debt Downgrade C hallenging P eoPle to S haPe a B etter F uture n ow Census Expert Speaks page 8 Swim for Safety We are not who we think we are. So who are we? By helen Silvis of The Skanner News hElEN SIlvIS photo T erryl Ross can predict the future. He will be telling all about it next Tuesday, 11:30 am, Aug. 16 at Portland City Hall. How can he do that? Ross doesn’t have a crystal ball or a time machine. What he does have are the latest census figures. And they tell a powerful story about Portland, about Oregon and about America. Come along, he says, and watch the data shatter some outdated, yet persistent myths. “We are not who we think we are,” Ross says. “We are making decisions based on false perspectives about who Americans are.” “The Changing Face of America: What the 2010 Census Isn’t Telling You” is the title of a presentation that will explain what Ross means when he says we don’t know who we are. It will cover key trends revealed by the census, including the truth about our diversity, the wealth gap, migra- tion and more. What you’ll learn will give you new insights into the real challenges we face, and how we can solve them for future generations. “It’s data driven: this won’t be about what I think. It’s about what the data says,” Ross told the Skanner News. “I want to people to examine this for themselves. We’ll look at how this is affecting us and what it all means.” Ross, who has a Ph.D. in educational communication and technology, argues we can create better solutions if we simply rec- ognize the truth about ourselves. For exam- ple, one in every three Americans is either a senior or a baby boomer who soon will be a senior. And one in every four people has at least one parent who is an immigrant. If that surprises you, Ross has plenty more facts to fire you up. “Everything is going to change – it’s already changing,” he says. “People feel Olympic gold medal swimmer Cullen Jones visited the Wattles Girls and Boys Club to talk about why all kids should learn to swim, before bringing five of the boys and girls who attend the club to the Multnomah Athletic Club for a special lesson. The American Medical Response River Rescue Team will distribute copies of Portland Parks and Recreation’s swim lesson schedules to all parents at Safe Kids Water Training: 10:30 am Aug. 18. at Troutdale Parks and Recreation’s Glen Otto Park. The AMR team also will be providing water safety information from 10am-2pm Aug. 27 at Clackamas Town Center Safety Fair. North Williams Avenue – 1956 Much-discussed corridor has long history of gentrification By lisa loving of The Skanner News D octors’ offices, bike shops, groceries, churches and an ice cream store. Manufacturing, greenspace, boutiques, salons and plenty of affordable hous- ing. If ever the City of Portland wanted a model for a 20-minute urban neighborhood, Albina in 1956 was it. Until city leaders opted to bulldoze it for “urban renewal.” The current debate about North Williams Avenue – once the heart of Albina’s business district — is only the latest chapter in a long story of devel- opment and redevelopment. the Skanner news this week unveils our special tribute to the families who lost their homes and businesses over the past 60 years with this interactive Google map feature listing every business along North Williams Avenue in 1956 – including Dr. DeNorval Unthank’s medical office — paired with a street view of what is on North Williams now. Go to our website at www.theskanner.comto read the map, “Portland Gentrification: The North Williams Avenue That Was -- 1956.” a Fateful Era For Albina, the district which included the city’s traditionally African American neighbor- hoods, 1956 represents the height of home ownership, busi- ness success and tightly-bound family connections. See Who on page 3 INDEX News ................2,3,6,8 Opinion ...............4,6,7 A & E .........................5 Food..........................6 Bids/Classifieds ..........7 It was a watershed year for other reasons as well: Terry Doyle Schrunk won election to mayor on an urban renewal plat- form, firmly laying the track for creation of the Portland Development Commission two years later – the arm of city gov- ernment which carried out wide-scale demolition of neigh- borhoods for decades to come. It was the year voters approved construction of Memorial Coliseum in the Eliot neighborhood, ensuring the See avENuE on page 3 What’s a Mayor to Do? Jobs, Crime, Sports We asked candidates for mayor in 2012 to lay out their priorities N ow Mayor Sam Adams says won’t be running for a second term, candi- dates are lining up to succeed him. The Skanner News asked Charlie Hales, Eileen Brady and Max Brumm which chal- lenges they would prioritize if elected mayor. We know one thing for sure about who will be elected Portland’s next mayor: it won’t be Mayor Sam Adams. Adams bowed out last week, leaving the field wide open. Candidates can file officially with the City’s Auditor’s office from Sept. 8, but two high profile Portlanders already have announced they will run. Gearing up to be Portland’s Mayor are: Charlie Hales, a city commissioner from 1993 to 2002; and Eileen Brady, CEO of New Season’s markets. But if the 2012 race runs true to form, these likely frontrunners will face plenty of opposition. Max Brumm, a 19-year-old Clackamas Community College student and baseball player, is one of the first to step up to the plate. And many others are expected to file before the closing date March 6, 2012. Whoever wins the mayor’s job will be responsible for a city budget of $3.6 billion See Mayor on page 3
