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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 2012)
Arts & Entertainment The Hardest Working Street Musician in Portland has Died A daily fixture playing trumpet and doing clown tricks on the West end of the Hawthorne Bridge for years, Working Kirk Reeves has died. A memorial service is Sunday, Nov. 18 at Kirk’s spot on the bridge. There will be a small performance, then at dark candles will be lit to honor the best-known street musician in Portland. A native of Massachusetts, Working Kirk was an artist who struggled to find his place in the entertainment indus- try, said his friend Wanda Broadous. “This was a guy who was very humble. Very loving, very caring,” Broadous said. “He could not make it as far as his dream of playing the trumpet as an entertainer.” Broadous, a promoter through her company Broadous Entertainment, says that he worked for her in many street gigs. Typically Kirk wore a white tuxedo – with a hoodie under it during the winter months — and sat in his place playing trumpet songs, juggling and his signature magic trick that involved a round balloon. He also performed in Downtown Portland outside the Meier and Frank store, and had a comedy show on Portland Cable Access named for his own company — Low Come- dy Productions. He was a regular guest at OryiCon from 2004-2009, according to his LinkedIn page. That page also listed his groups and associations as Black engineers of MIT, MIT Model Railroad Society, and MIT science fiction society. Broadous says passersby were sometimes abusive to Kirk, throwing objects at him as he performed. The Oregon State Medical Examiner reported that Kirk died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at Bybee Lake in north Portland. “Help is available for community members struggling from a mental health crisis and/or suicidal thoughts,” the state office said. “Suicide is preventable.” “I think we need to take this opportunity to educate peo- ple about supporting these artists,” she said. “Kirk was a wonderful, wonderful man, and we will miss him.” RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE Are you feeling depressed or suicidal? Cascadia Behav- ioral Healthcare has a free of charge urgent walk-in clinic, open from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., seven days a week. If you or someone you know needs help with suicidal thoughts or is otherwise in an immediate mental health crisis, please visit Cascadia or call 503-963-2575. Lines for Life is available 24 hours a day at 503-972- 3456. ‘Working Kirk’ Reeves Movies continued from page 6 a promotion. With Annie Parisse, Edward Herrmann and Cheyenne Jackson. Who Bombed Judi Bari? (Unrated) Freedom of Infor- mation documentary seeking the truth about the FBI frame-up of cancer-stricken Judi Bari, an environmental activist who was arrested on trumped-up charges back in 1990 while trying to save California’s Redwood forests from the lumber industry buzz saw. November 14, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 7
