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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 2016)
December 14, 2016 The Skanner Page 3 News cont’d from pg 1 “ The sheriff ’s office is working in conjunction with the Portland Police Bureau’s North Precinct to distribute informa- tion about Morrison and her boyfriend through- out the North Portland area. Investigators think the couple lived near the Swan Island area due to her partner’s job. ‘In terms of a vague back- ground picture, this is as vague as we’ve ever seen’ “It’s been nagging us for 40-some years,” Clark County special deputy Dennis Hunter told The Skanner. Morrison’s sister told investigators that in 1973 Morrison participated in a job training program in Phoenix, Ariz. There she met her boyfriend and the two of them moved to Portland, where her boy- friend is believed to have worked in the ship yards. “In terms of a vague background picture, this is as vague as we’ve ever seen,” Hunter said. According to informa- tion released by the sher- iff ’s office, after her dis- appearance Morrison’s boyfriend contacted her mother and father to ask if anyone had seen her. Family members said he told them that they had had an argument, and that a neighbor had told him he saw her leave with her belongings after they left for work. Her boyfriend then went to the Eugene/Springfield area to check places they had seen together during her visit. A flyer distributed by the Clark County Sher- iff ’s Office and written from Morrison’s per- spective says her boy- friend was “the only per- son who looked for me after I disappeared.” Hunter told The Skan- ner investigators are looking at other cases similar to Morrison’s to see if there may be con- nections between the crimes. “In the period of 1971 to 1974, we have eight or nine cases of young girls either being homicide victims or disappearing and never being seen again, so we’re looking at all of those in conjunc- tion with Martha’s case,” Hunter said. But without more information about Morrison’s case in par- ticular, it’s hard to say whether there is any link between the cases. Hunter said investiga- tors are hoping a land- lord, neighbor, coworker or someone else who may remember Morrison or her boyfriend will be able to come forward with a little more infor- mation about the case. Those with informa- tion about Morrison’s case are encouraged to call the Clark County Sheriff ’s Office Cold Case tip line at (360) 397-2036 or Crime Stoppers of Or- egon at (503)283-HELP (4357). The Clark County Sher- iff ’s Office is offering a reward of up to $2,500 cash for information leading to an arrest in the murder. Vacant Lot cont’d from pg 1 cent of the lot’s commercial space as affordable for up to six or seven local minority businesses. The city-subsidized project holds through a 10-year master lease agree- ment with the PDC and rounds out the third phase of the commission’s Van- port Redevelopment. Phase I and II re- sulted in Vanport Square, a cluster of retail shops and small businesses, and a string of single family homes. “All the minority and small business owners located at Vanport Square are excited to see this site finally getting developed, after years of controversy and delays,” said Jeana Woolley, secre- tary of Black Investment Corporation for Economic Progress Inc., a group that engages in socially responsible commercial development in Portland’s North and Northeast neighborhoods. For some Black community members and business professionals, Alberta Commons will be the culmination of what they’ve long wanted in the area, Storm Cleanup Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)’s Urban Forestry division (UF), coordinating closely with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is working to address areas where has ice and snow have resulted in downed trees impacting roads, rights-of-way and/or private and park property. The focus for work crews is on safety and access, rather than immediate clean-up. If you come across a downed tree or limb, look up as well as down at the ground. Proceed carefully, knowing that the tree branches came from somewhere nearby and potential other hazards may remain. If anyone sees a new issue of hazardous tree in a City right- of-way, please email trees@portlandoregon.gov, or call (503) 823-TREE. You will need the site address, a good description of the issue, and to provide your name and contact info in case of any questions. Housing cont’d from pg 1 creases and no-cause termination of tenancies, the 144-page report undoubtedly confirms that Port- land’s affordability continues to worsen. With little surprise, the persist- ing housing crisis has dispropor- tionately impacted the city’s most vulnerable residents, including communities of color, low-income people, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. Wrote Saltzman in the report’s forward, “Rents and home pric- es continue to rise, and housing instability and involuntary dis- placement are a constant pres- ence for far too many Portland- ers.” Between 2000 and 2014, Port- land’s population increased by more than 83,000 individuals, currently estimated at over 612,000. Yet five-year projections from 2014 suggest a decline in the city’s African American population, particularly pronounced in the North and Northeast neighbor- regardless of past disputes over a via- ble grocer. “To continue the economic develop- ment opportunities in the district, it “ hoods of MLK-Alberta and Inter- state Corridor. “The nerve of some people to say, we’re going to celebrate the African American community in these areas where we’re not even prevalent. That, to me, is a “ creases in the proportion of the population that is from commu- nities of color. “Unaffordability just pushes people out to the less desirable, less supportive areas, that’s the way gentrification works,” said Unaffordability just pushes people out to the less desirable, less supportive ar- eas, that’s the way gentrification works slap in the face,” said Cheryl Rob- erts, executive director of the African American Alliance for Homeownership, a nonprofit that provides access to homebuyer re- sources for underserved individ- uals. With displacement due to soar- ing rents that outpace incomes, Portland’s racial makeup is shift- ing outward. The highest concen- tration of people of color tends to be located in Southeast Portland and Outer East. In fact, almost ev- ery East Portland neighborhood has experienced double-digit in- Roberts. She cites other factors that also lead to the displacement of com- munities of color — including a lack of investment in certain ar- eas and gang violence — which could further perpetuate a seg- regation of neighborhoods by in- come. Roberts is calling on the city to be more inclusive in deci- sion-making processes that affect affordability, such as how urban renewal funds are spent. Read more at TheSkanner.com commercial space at their disposable, the team behind the project — a mix of businesses owners, PDC personnel, community organizers, architects and All the minority and small business owners lo- cated at Vanport Square are excited to see this site finally getting developed didn’t matter what the anchor was, as long as there was some retail space that we could depend upon for minority businesses,” said John Washington of the North NorthEast Business Associa- tion, and chair of public art for Alberta Commons. While the planning process has been arduous, Washington said it’s also been an exercise in community engagement. Forgoing city steering that offers little transparency, Alberta Commons has relied on neighborhood input to drive the project. With just over 5,000 square feet of artists – is seeking “businesses that not only culturally engage the community, but provide a service that’s cost effi- cient, cutting edge, and lends credibil- ity,” said Washington. While the tenants are yet to be decid- ed, among the types of retail business- es the Commons is vying for are restau- rants and clothing shops. “Obviously the emphasis is going to be on entrepreneurs of color,” said PDC’s Tory Campbell, who co-chairs the project’s retail committee. Read the full story at TheSkanner.com PHOTO COURTESY OF PDC disappearance. Infor- mation released by the Clark County Sheriff ’s Department’s cold case unit says her boyfriend — who is described as a light-skinned African American man who was between five-feet-seven and five-feet-ten inches tall -- is not a suspect in the case. PHOTO COURTESY OF PORTLAND PARKS & RECREATION Morrison Alberta Commons is the new development at the long-vacant lot at NE Alberta Street and NE MLK Jr. Blvd. The anchor-tenant is Natural Grocers, with 50 percent of the lot’s commercial space dedicated as affordable for local minority-owned businesses.
