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Harm
Groundwork Benefit
place,” said Nabarun Dasgupta, a
researcher, epidemiologist and founder of
the North Carolina nonprofit Project
Lazarus, which seeks to prevent overdoses
among heroin users.
Many speakers at the conference argued
that drug use and sex work should be taken
out of the criminal justice system altogeth-
er.
Instead
they
argue
that
decriminalization would make it much eas-
dollars that go into that, all the people that
work there. And the war on drug users is
supporting all those who are employed in
prisons.”
You won’t hear those kinds of political
statements from Kim Toevs, who manages
Multnomah County’s HIV prevention and
harm reduction program. Toevs’ concern is
preventing infectious diseases and helping
those affected improve their lives.
The harm reduction approach
allows staff to build trust with
people who otherwise will avoid
contact with health professionals,
Toevs says. Drug users and sex
workers have access to health
care, condoms and information
from a trusted source.
“The fact of the matter is that
people are using drugs,” Toevs
says. “And the reason they are
using drugs is complex, and often connect-
ed to past trauma. Trying to get someone to
stop using drugs who is not ready to stop
using, is not very effective.
“We are an anonymous service, so it feels
nonjudgmental and safe for people to come
to us. That helps us to deliver a lot of health
messages that prevent people from the
worst harms of IV drug use. And when peo-
ple are ready to reduce their use, they come
to us. So it’s trust-based.”
‘Trying to get someone to
stop using drugs who is not
ready to stop using, is not
very effective’
ier to prevent overdoses, disease, and also
property and violent crimes.
Kathy Brown, a licensed psychiatric tech-
nician and alcohol and drug counselor,
attending the conference, said deaths could
be prevented if people could seek medical
help without fear of arrest.
“We have a war on drug users in this
country,” Brown says. “It’s called the war
on drugs, but it’s a war on drug users, and
we have prisons that are stuffed with people
who are there for nonviolent, drug-related
crimes. So drug users are supporting inter-
diction and the millions and billions of
PHOTO COURTESY GROUNDWORK PORTLAND
continued from page 1
Groundwork Portland invites the public to attend its third annual
fundraiser and networking social celebration on Thursday, Dec. 6, at the
Center for Intercultural Organizing, 700 N Killingsworth Street, from 6 to 8
p.m. A nonprofit that brings about sustainable community improvements
to contaminated sites in low-income communities while promoting
environmental and social justice, the group holds fun gardening events,
including the one pictured above. The fundraiser features performances
by the Kemba Shannon Dance troupe, a variety of foods at no cost, a
music DJ, and a silent auction. For more information, visit
www.groundworkportland.org, or contact Executive Director Cassie
Cohen at 503-662-2590.
Read the rest of this story online at
www.theskanner.com
Cafe
continued from page 1
into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. Travis,
a product of the Jefferson High music pro-
gram, has been producing since 2000. He
founded Trillion Cuts Studios in 2004.
The two have focused on making food
and music to fill a void they saw missing in
Portland.
“Feed them and let them dance the night
away,” says McClendon. “We wanted to
provide the town with good music, good
food and atmospheres that you don’t see
that often.”
McClendon and Travis acquired the prop-
erty that used to be Varsity Blue Barbecue
and decided to turn it into a themed restau-
rant.
They went with chicken and waffles
because there were no such restaurants
in Portland.
Both men say the response was
encouraging. Mack & Dub’s has got-
ten write-ups in the Oregonian and
Willamette Week, as well as a feature
on BlackAtlas.com.
Travis says they have regular customers
come in from places like Wilsonville all the
way to Medford.
“We like to ask people when they come
through the door, ‘How far did you come
from?’” says Travis. “Some people are like,
themselves in the lens of one of the
last Black businesses standing (main-
ly because they just started), they do
recognize the importance of having a
diverse businesses in the North and
--James McClendon Northeast Portland community.
“I grew up right on the corner of
Fremont and MLK and he grew up in
the same neighborhood so to have
‘We came down here all the way from Seat-
something
in the neighborhood that we
tle.’”
To some, Mack & Dub’s has become the grew up with really meant a lot to us,” says
unofficial “Black gathering spot” in the McClendon.
wake of Reflections Coffee and Books clos-
Read the rest of this story online at
ing earlier this year.
www.theskanner.com
The owners say that, while they didn’t see
Tier 1 projects are for firms with a gross
annual receipt, which is the amount of
income a business receives before it takes
costs into account, of $1,700,000 or less and
the projects range from $5,000 to $150,000.
Contractors in this tier will be provided
such resources as tuition assistance for
classes at PCC’s Small Business Develop-
ment Center.
required to take a ten month, comprehen-
sive business development program that
teaches them the “back office piece” of con-
tracting, including marketing, human
resources and how to read financials.
The Tier 2 projects will be available to
contractors whose gross annual receipt
exceeds $1,700,000 and the projects will
range from $150,001 to $350,000.
After graduating the program, con-
tractors will go through an
evaluation and if they pass, will
move on to Tier 3.
“The whole idea is that for Tier 3
and Tier 4, we have enough contrac-
tors within those tiers so that we can
bid contracts,” says Moody. “Typi-
cally when we bid, there needs to be
at least three contractors. We’re try-
ing to make sure that within each tier
and each category of work we have an
ample amount of contractors so that we
have competition.”
She says the ultimate goal is for a con-
tractor to graduate from Tier 4 after five to
seven years.
Another issue that is hindering MWESBs
‘I grew up right on the corner
of Fremont and MLK’
Contracting
continued from page 1
contractors received 39 percent of all prime
construction contracts and only three per-
cent of those valued at $4,614,247. Out of
all the prime contracting dollars awarded to
MWESBs, 47 percent went to emerging
small businesses, 39 percent went to women
owned firms and only 14 percent went to
minority firms.
During an interview for The Skanner
News’ special MWESB Edition,
Greg Wolley of the City of Portland
said these initiatives would help cre-
ate a more equitable playing field in
an industry dominated by large,
established (the majority of which
are white owned) firms.
“Obviously a company that has
been in business longer and has done
more similar projects has often got-
ten the nod from our project
managers because they have made a bigger
impression,” he says. “Our goal is to pro-
mote the smaller company.”
The Prime Contractor Development Pro-
gram attempts to address this with a four
tiered system. Currently, there are only two
active tiers.
The Prime Contractor
Development Program
attempts to address this with a
four tiered system. Currently,
there are only two active tiers
“Over the three years that they’re in that
tier, we’ll provide them with technical assis-
tance and other business development
things,” says Moody. “The idea is that after
they’ve been in the tier they’ve progressed
enough as a business to move up to Tier 2.”
Once in Tier 2, contractors will be
is competition from larger firms, according
to the City.
The Professional Services Marketing and
Outreach Program hopes to address this
with two new procurement strategies, which
are:
Allow City project managers to contract
directly to Oregon certified minority,
women and emerging small businesses
(MWESB) for contracts up to $50,000 with-
out competition.
Allow City project managers to contract
with Oregon certified minority, women and
emerging small businesses for projects from
$50,001 to $100,000 without advertising,
provided that at least four proposals are
received and 50 percent of the responses are
from Oregon certified MWESB firms.
“They (large firms) have marketing staff
so they can just whip out these proposals
very easily and quickly without much
effort,” he says. “For a small company,
that’s a much bigger decision and so pro-
portionately, much more costly.”
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November 28, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 3