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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 2018)
FEBRUARY 28, 2018 Portland and Seattle Volume XL No. 22 25 CENTS News ..........................3,8-10,12 A & E .....................................6-7 Opinion ...................................2 Boko Haram .....................9 Calendars ........................... 4-5 Bids/Classifieds ....................11 CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW IMAGE COURTESY OF FAIR HOUSING COUNCIL OF OREGON FIGURING HISTORY A restrictive covenant from a 1941 deed in Portland’s Hillsdale neighborhood, states that “No person of any race other those of the Caucasian or White race shall use or occupy any building on any lot” in the housing tract. By Christen McCurdy Of The Skanner News his week the Oregon legislature passed a bill that would make it easier to remove racist language from property deeds. House Bill 4134 passed out of the Senate Monday and heads toward the governor’s desk this spring. Under the new law property owners would be able to remove discriminatory re- strictions in their deeds by petitioning their county’s circuit court with no fee. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Julie Fahey T AP PHOTO/RUSSELL CONTRERAS See LAW on page 3 Former U.S. Sen. Fred Harris, of Oklahoma, holds a copy of “The Kerner Report,” as he discusses the Kerner Commission, a panel appointed by President Johnson in 1967 to examine the causes of the 1960s riots. Harris is the last surviving member of the Kerner Commission and he says he remains haunted that its recommendations on U.S. race relations and poverty were never adopted. Study Findings on US Inequality Released page 8 BOOK REVIEW: When They Call You a Terrorist page 6 Jordan Allen studies a painting by artist by Robert Colescott at the Seattle Art Museum. Colescott is one of three artists whose work is featured in the Seattle Art Museum’s exhibit Figuring History: Robert Colescott, Kerry James Marshall, Mickalene Thomas. The large paintings represent three generations of black artists whose work questions the narrative of American history. The exhibit will be on display through May 13. Could Portland Adopt Municipal Broadband? After net neutrality repeal, a local group is pushing for a public provider Christen McCurdy Of The Skanner News small group of Port- landers wants local government to of- fer Internet access as a public utility. They have the ear of a few gov- ernment officials, one city council candidate and the co-chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon — but the plan is still in the nascent stages. Municipal Broadband Portland held a rally in De- cember and one in January to voice support for a mu- nicipal Internet provider. Those rallies were small: the first attracted 40 and A the second attracted about 30, according to Michael Hanna, an organizer with the group. The Municipal Broadband PDX Facebook group currently has 1,800 members, though. But Portland residents are interested in the con- cept again in part because of the Federal Communi- cation Commission’s De- cember vote to repeal net neutrality, opening the door for private Internet providers to block com- peting applications, slow connection speeds or offer higher speeds only to cus- tomers who are willing to pay more. “The repeal of net neu- trality has sparked a wild- fire across the nation,” Hanna said. Earlier this week Ore- gon’s House of Represen- tatives passed a law requir- ing state agencies to sign Internet service contracts with providers that abide by net neutrality practices. While Municipal Broad- band organizers support net neutrality, they see net neutrality as a symptom of the bigger problem: that two private companies, Comcast and CenturyLink, hold a near-monopoly (and in some neighborhoods, a monopoly) on Internet ac- cess in the city. Advocates for making Internet access a public utility say access is critical for daily life activ- ities and for getting ahead in society, that building out and maintaining a fi- ber network would cre- ate jobs and that revenue could help pay for needed services. The idea isn’t unique to Portland, and the idea is not new, said Russell Se- nior, president of Person- al Telco, a Portland-based nonprofit wireless net- work and member of Mu- nicipal Broadband Port- land. Russell, along with Hanna and Roberta Phil- lip-Robbins, are working See BROADBAND on page 3 Kathleen Saadat Releases First Album at 77 The civil rights activist teams up with Pink Martini’s Thomas Lauderdale to play jazz standards By Melanie Sevcenko For The Skanner News t 77 years old, Portland’s leg- end of civil rights activism, Kathleen Saadat, is making her recording debut after a lifetime of singing behind the scenes. With an international release date set for March 2, “Love for Sale” is a 10-track album of jazz standards featuring Saadat’s lead vocals and A arrangements by Thomas Lauder- dale. It also includes performances from members of his Portland-based “little” orchestra, Pink Martini – an ensemble that fuses classical, Latin music, pop and jazz. As one of Oregon’s most respected social and political activists, Saadat has advocated for equality and so- cial justice for over 40 years. Her dedication has assisted marginalized See SAADAT on page 3 COURTESY OF PINK MARTINI & HEINZ RECORDS HB 4134 passed out of the Senate Monday PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED Law Makes It Easier to Remove Racist Restrictions From Deeds Singer and civil rights activist Kathleen Saadat with Pink Martini’s Thomas Lauderdale.
