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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2024)
March 13, 2024 The Skanner Portland & Seattle Page 3 News cont’d from pg 1 longest-serving House member in Oregon’s con- gressional delegation. “These major federal investments in Portland will help to right the shameful wrongs inflict- ed on historically Black neighborhoods and to make our city a stronger and safer community for generations to come,” Wyden said. “I am grat- “ sive, vibrant community,” Merkley said. “When I-5 was built, it cut through the heart of Portland’s Black community, dec- imating the center of Black culture, politics, social life and business. As ODOT and the city of Portland embark on this long-overdue project to right this historic wrong, we need to continue to When I-5 was built, it cut through the heart of Port- land’s Black community ified the teamwork to achieve these major re- sources totaling nearly a half-billion dollars has been accomplished for the Lower Albina neigh- borhood, and will keep battling to secure similar significant investments that contribute to keep Portland a great place to live and work.” “Today marks a major milestone for the Albina community, signifying the federal government is committed to their vision of restoring Portland’s historic Black neighbor- hood back into one cohe- ensure it stays true to the Albina community’s vi- sion for the future.” These awards come af- ter Blumenauer brought U.S. Secretary of Trans- portation Pete Butti- gieg to Portland to learn about the history of Lower Albina and how a federal investment will help reconnect a neigh- borhood torn apart by the construction of the I-5 freeway more than a half century ago. Blu- menauer also led Sena- tors Wyden, Merkley in letters of support to the Department of Trans- Monuments PHOTO COURTESY OF PROSPER PORTLAND Albina Community Grant Application to Open A Community Livability Grant in the Central Eastside TIF District helped to fund improvements in Kickstand Comedy’s new building. Represent a Non-Profit? Sign up to learn about the Community Livability Grant. Prosper Portland seeks grant proposals from non- profits for projects that foster vibrant and healthy neighborhoods and improve the prosperity of area residents and businesses. Funds are available through the Community Livability Grant (CLG) for permanent, real property improvements. Projects must add, expand, or improve physical space. Project bids must be submitted within three months and completed within one year of grant award. Applications open Monday, April 15. To learn more, visit https://prosperportland.us/portfolio-items/community-livability-grant. portation for the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project and Broadway re- design. “Today’s news marks a momentous leap for- ward in the longstanding fight to rebuild Albina,” said Winta Yohannes, executive director of the Albina Vision Trust. “The construction of Interstate 5 intention- ally bisected Portland’s Black community, pav- ing the way for decades Ryan said. But some council members had reser- vations about the policy. Mayor Ted Wheeler called the policy “potentially divisive” during the Feb. 28 meeting. “ The events of 2020 only underscore the city’s need for a more structured approach “I think it would be a thankless task to serve on this committee,” he said. “Let me give you an example: Abraham Lin- coln. I think he was a great leader. But I know for a fact that there’s people in this community who do not think that, they have very different opinions than I do on the greatness of Abraham Lin- coln. How is a committee going to be able to resolve that conflict? It’s a ques- tion of history and perspective, back- ground, tradition…How does a commit- tee resolve that conflict?” Jones pointed out that during the development of the South Park Mas- ter Plan, members of the Indigenous and Black communities were invited to weigh in and overwhelmingly stat- ed there should be more public monu- ments honoring Indigenous and Black community members. “But also when these monuments are up that have already been erected, (re- spondents said) they should also have greater context and clarity that talks about the full story and honors the times in which people lived, because it’s easy for us to look back in time and criticize the behaviors of folks today, but we also need to be able to talk about the world in which they lived at the same time.” Commissioner Rene Gonzales ex- pressed concern about a mob mentality taking over the review process. “How do we allow citizens of Portland to speak out on a particular monument they find objectionable, but don’t make decisions by the mob breaking things down?” he said. “When I look at this lan- guage, what we’re partially responding to is what occurred in 2020, and you have – depending on how you describe it – protestors, vandals, the mob, mak- ing decisions about what statues they VP Harris Announces Landmark Childcare Reforms to Alleviate Financial Strain on Working Families I n a move towards eas- ing the financial bur- den on working fam- ilies, Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a comprehensive set of measures to lower child- care costs and provide crucial support for ear- the beginning of a new chapter, one where gov- ernment plays an active role in not only healing the harms of history, but investing in commu- nity-driven visions of a better tomorrow.” cont’d from pg 1 city arts program submits to the City Council and Historic Landmarks Com- mission. Jones confirmed the city had com- mitments from the Oregon Historical Society and the Ladies of Mount Ver- non Association to work as partners in monument reviews. The policy guideline drew from sim- ilar policies in Chicago, San Francis- co and Vancouver. It was created and refined through the Portland Monu- ments Project, which was bolstered by a $350,000 grant the city received from the Mellon Foundation last year. Meanwhile, Portland’s city arts pro- gram worked with Lewis & Clark Col- lege to create the Portland Monuments and Engagements Process Committee, which issued a public engagement re- port around monuments and memori- als around Portland. “It’s important to note that if a mon- ument were removed, such as the case of the five from 2020, the report would require further public engagement ac- tivities and the addition of interpretive and educational elements to the monu- ments, if they were removed by public request and recommended for return,” By Stacy M. Brown, NPA Newswire of government-led ur- ban renewal policies that decimated the wealth, well-being and place- based stability of our city’s most marginalized. This catalytic federal investment represents ly educators. The White House noted in a Fact Sheet that the initiative aligns closely with Pres- ident Biden’s historic Executive Order on Care. The White House said the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized a rule that bolsters the Child- care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, a cornerstone for childcare assistance benefiting over a million families monthly. Under the new rule, families participating in CCDBG will now face a cap on co-payments, limiting them to no more than 7% of their income. Administration officials asserted that the move is expected to alleviate the significant financial strain that high co-pay- ments have placed on working families, partic- ularly those with low in- comes. The HHS projects that more than 100,000 families will see their co-payments reduced or eliminated due to these found objectionable, a relatively small group getting to make that decision for everyone else.” Both Jones and Ryan emphasized that the policy did not condone criminal ac- tivity. “What this seeks to do is provide an avenue for people to know that there is actually a process to express these com- plaints to the city and encourage them to use that process, versus vandalism or criminal behavior,” Jones said. Some public testimony shared Gonza- les’ concerns. But local mother Emma Colburn told the council, “When I’m out and about with my family, monu- ments to settler culture intrude into our afternoon.” Colburn argued the new process was particularly onerous to marginalized communities. “It’s weird to task disadvantaged members of the community with the burden of convening a volunteer com- mission to explain to your body, who is sitting on payroll, why it is harmful to public health and inconsistent with public opinion and just generally mor- ally inappropriate to keep erect such statues,” she said. reforms. Moreover, the rule urges states to eliminate co-payments entirely for families facing specific challenges, such as those with disabilities, expe- riencing homelessness, in foster care, in Head Start, and families at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. Financial relief is not limited to families alone. Officials said the rule also addresses the chal- lenges faced by childcare providers. States must now pay CCDBG provid- ers more fairly and on time, which is designed to improve financial sta- bility for approximately 140,000 childcare pro- viders. This change is anticipated to incentiv- ize more providers to participate in the CCDBG program, leading to a broader range of child- care options for families. Read the rest of this story at TheSkanner.com
