January 24, 2018 The Skanner Page 3
News
cont’d from pg 1
and was crowned “Port-
land’s Funniest Person”
in 2012. He was voted into
the Willamette Week’s
“Portland’s Funniest 5”
in 2013 while releasing
his first comedy album I
Black Out the same year.
In 2016, Nathan record-
ed his second album, Be-
cause, on distinguished
record label Kill Rock
“
family or on the road.
TSN: Have you been
auditioning for network
shows?
NB: Yeah, it’s actually
funny. I’m new to it all,
so it’s weird seeing new
shows come out and see-
ing all the people that
are picked over you, but
it’s pretty great. [I’ve au-
I’m excited to talk to, es-
pecially, a Portland crowd
because I can say some stuff
that I have had a harder time
in other areas talking about
Stars. He has opened for
national headliners such
as Dave Chappelle, Da-
mon Wayans and Maria
Bamford -- and he’s the
creator and host of “The
Hamster Village,” a pod-
cast about interracial re-
lationships.
The Skanner News talk-
ed to Brannon about
performing in more con-
servative parts of the
country, L.A. auditions
and what makes Portland
audiences squirm.
This interview has
been edited for space and
clarity.
The Skanner News:
The bio on your website
says you’re “originally
out of Portland, Oregon.”
Are you still here?
Nathan Brannon: No,
no. I moved about a year
ago. I’ve kind of been all
over the place.
TSN: Are you in L.A.?
NB: Part time. My fam-
ily lives in a different
town so I kind of com-
mute when needed, for
auditioning and show-
cases and stuff like that,
but it’s not my center. I
kind of split time every-
where.
TSN: You’re just kind of
on the road all the time?
NB: Yeah, for the most
part. I’ve been in L.A. for
pilot season, I’m there
when there are audi-
tions, but the rest of the
time I’m either with my
Study
ditioned for] “Saturday
Night Live,” Showtime,
NBC, Comedy Central.
“SNL” has been the big-
gest one. It kind of goes
nonstop during this time
of year.
TSN: Are you looking
forward to being back in
front of a Portland audi-
ence again?
NB: Yes, yeah I am. I’ve
had a lot of experiences
[on the road] so it’s al-
ways gonna be nice to
kind of bring those sto-
ries back. There’s been a
lot of really weird stuff.
I moved right before the
election. The town that
my family is in, it’s a very
nice town — a progres-
sive small town. But it is
surrounded by more con-
servative areas. So in the
middle of doing shows in
that area, some of the au-
diences are really, really
crazy. I’m excited to talk
to, especially, a Portland
crowd because I can say
some stuff that I have had
a harder time in other ar-
eas talking about.
TSN: Do you mean
talking about the elec-
tion or talking about pol-
itics?
NB: Yeah. I’ve done
shows where it was very
apparent that White su-
premacist groups were
in town and they weren’t
happy about me being
there — things like that.
Read the rest of this story at
TheSkanner.com
PHOTO BY BERNIE FOSTER
Comedy
Outlaw Formally Sworn In
Portland’s new police chief Danielle Outlaw was formally sworn in Jan. 22, during a ceremony at the Oregon Historical Society.
The oath of office was given by Carmen Sylvester, the first Black woman patrol officer to be hired by the Portland Police Bureau in 1974.
Rev. Dr. Leroy Haynes, pastor of the Allen Temple, delivered the invocation, while Mayor Ted Wheeler and actor Russell Hornsby gave
remarks. Hornsby is best known for his portrayal of Detective Hank Griffin on the Portland-based NBC series “Grimm.”
Outlaw has been on the job since October, and is the 48th Police Chief since 1870, when the Metropolitan Police Department was
formed. She was selected as Chief of Police in August by Wheeler, following a national search. As a 19-year veteran of the Oakland
Police Department, Chief Outlaw is the third woman to be police chief in Portland and the first African American woman to hold the
position.
Bill
cont’d from pg 1
says cops involved in incidents
of deadly force, which result in
death, are required to meet at
least twice with a mental health
professional, paid for by the
agency.
This bill will change that to all
officers, regardless of incidence.
Frederick said that the culture
of police tends to be “nothing af-
fects me.” Yet under their hard
exteriors, anxiety and aggression
can be triggered by past trauma
on the job.
“Police are coming from a mil-
itary background. They think
they’re in combat or under siege,”
Frederick told The Skanner last
fall while the bill was still in ges-
tation.
He cited the now-infamous
Utah hospital incident last Sep-
tember where an aggressive offi-
cer with the Salt Lake City Police
Department broke protocol and
wrongfully arrested a nurse after
she refused to draw blood from a
comatose patient, as is hospital
policy.
‘Checking in’ or adding to
stigma?
By requiring all officers to at-
tend visits – described in the bill
as “not a mental health evalua-
tion” – the senator hopes it will
decrease the stigma of therapy
and provide a nurturing “check-
in” to unload potential stressors
“
Police are com-
ing from a
military back-
ground. They
think they’re in
combat or un-
der siege
that could turn into incidents if
gone unchecked.
“Police officers often deal with
some of the worst situations in
our culture,” Frederick told The
Skanner this week. “And because
of that they likely encounter sit-
uations that may cause over time
— or maybe right away — a need
to talk to someone about it. We
know they have a tough job and
they are often very tough people,
but they are in fact people.”
“So, this bill presumes, as peo-
ple, they’re going to be struggling
with things as well and it’s al-
ways a good idea for folks to get a
chance to talk with someone con-
fidentially,” Frederick continued.
Others see it a little differently.
“There’s no sense that I have
that (this bill) would be benefi-
cial,” said Jason Renaud, coordi-
nator of the Oregon Law & Mental
Health Conference and board offi-
cer of the Mental Health Associa-
tion of Portland.
Renaud said there are plenty of
police officers who are mentally
well, healthy and resilient – and
it’s important to remember that
those who do seek help can recov-
er and return to the force. In fact,
he noted, to assume that police
officers regularly need mental
health visits only perpetuates the
stigma of an out-of-control, men-
tally ill cop.
Moreover, “Police officers have
excellent health care insurance
and they have access to psychiat-
ric and psychological care,” added
Renaud.
That’s true for some police de-
partments, like the Portland Po-
lice Bureau, whose health insur-
ance plans cover mental health
services through a referral and a
$10 to $20 co-pay.
Read more at TheSkanner.com
cont’d from pg 1
ter for Women’s Welfare at the Univer-
sity of Washington, the “standard” —
which has been calculated for 39 states
over the past 21 years — is considered
to a more factual representation of pov-
erty than the Federal Poverty Level.
Other key findings include:
• 34 percent of households in Mult-
nomah and Washington counties are
not meeting the standard.
• The percent of households in Mult-
nomah County not meeting the stan-
dard is up 11 percent from 2008 and
Washington County is up 7 percent.
The increase is attributed to signif-
icant increases in the cost of child
care and housing.
• The standard for one adult, one
preschooler, and one school-age
child in Portland ($31.57 per hour)
is the most comparable to Chicago
(North Side), Ill; San Diego, Calif; and
Raleigh, N.C.
“
Minority house-
holds occupy a
greater share of
those not meeting
self-sufficiency
• Renter-occupied households are 50
percent more likely to not meet the
standard compared to owner-occu-
pied households.
• Minority households occupy a
greater share of those not meeting
self-sufficiency.
• In 2014, 25 percent of households
with inadequate income were
minorities; in 2017 that share has
increased to 37 percent.
• Just one in three households led by
single mothers meet the standard.
• Households in East Multnomah
County are 29 percent more likely to
not meet the standard compared to
West Multnomah households.
• Among those households not meet-
ing the standard, 76 percent have at
least one person working.
• Less than half of households with
A parent working full time and earning any of
the 2017 Oregon minimum wages will fall short of
meeting the standard for a family with a child.
a high school diploma meet the
standard, while over 80 percent of
households with at least a Bachelor’s
have adequate incomes.