The BulleTin • Sunday, June 20, 2021 A3
TODAY
LOCAL, STATE & REGION
Frank, a home-
less man, sits
June 5 in his tent
with a river view
in Portland.
The city is try-
ing to emerge
from one of its
most wrench-
ing periods,
one that saw
its reputation
go from quirky
“Portlandia” to
violent dysto-
pia in the minds
of many on the
outside look-
ing in.
Paula Bronstein/AP
photos
After tumultuous year, can
Portland make a comeback?
BY SARA CLINE
The Associated Press/Report for
America
PORTLAND — The smell
of fresh empanadas wafted
through the stands at Port-
land’s Saturday Market. People
talked through their masks
with artists as others sifted
through fork windchimes,
crystal necklaces, tie dye
dresses and clay mugs.
The weekly event was
smaller than in years past, but
longtime attendees say it was a
sign of life being breathed back
into downtown.
Nine blocks away, past the
businesses still shuttered with
plywood boards — the names
of Black people killed by police
painted onto them — a pan-
handler leaned against a fence
outside the federal courthouse
in an area that was choked with
tear gas last summer as thou-
sands of protesters seized the
streets. It’s now overwhelmed
by a makeshift homeless camp.
The scenes are from a city
trying to emerge from one of its
most wrenching periods, one
that saw its reputation go from
quirky “Portlandia” to violent
dystopia in the minds of many
on the outside looking in.
The Pacific Northwest city
had best been known nation-
ally for its ambrosial food
scene, craft breweries and na-
ture-loving hipsters.
But last year, as a portion of
its downtown was consumed
by nightly protests that often
turned violent and resulted in
clashes with federal agents, for-
mer President Donald Trump
and his administration labeled
Portland an “anarchist juris-
diction.”
“It does feel kind of like
someone dropped a bomb in
some areas (of Portland), but
I think they’re very contained
areas,” said Ocean Howell, a
professor at the University of
Shoppers walk June 5 into Pioneer Place shopping mall, which is still
protected by wooden panels to prevent windows being smashed by
ongoing protests in Portland.
Oregon who teaches urban
history and planning. “I think
there’s likely some businesses
that are gone and aren’t coming
back. And there are just some
people, generally, who are kind
of spooked from everything.”
City officials insist Portland
is resilient as they launch a re-
vitalization plan — in the form
of cleanups of protest dam-
age, aggressive encampment
removals, increased homeless
services and police reform —
to repair its reputation.
But even the city’s famously
liberal locals grew weary of
months of racial justice pro-
tests, increased shootings, a
more noticeable homeless pop-
ulation and strict COVID-19
restrictions.
When the pandemic reached
Portland in March 2020, busi-
nesses boarded up, turned off
neon “open” signs and sent em-
ployees home.
“A year ago, when we were
at the end of the longest eco-
nomic expansion in post
World War history in this
country, we had 100,000-plus
individuals coming in and
out of downtown daily,” said
Andrew Hoan, president and
CEO of the Portland Business
Alliance. “And then, overnight,
they disappeared.”
Portland’s signature events,
such as its Rose Festival, brew
fests and drag shows, were can-
celed, postponed or held vir-
tually. Tourists shied away. No
other part of the city was so ob-
viously altered as downtown,
which saw an 80% decrease in
foot traffic, based on a study
conducted by the Portland
Business Alliance.
A year later there are still
“pockets” in the city that seem
frozen in a scene from six
months ago. However, officials
say there is hope and already
noticeable signs of recovery.
Gov. Kate Brown has begun
to lift some of the country’s
strictest COVID-19 restric-
tions, and restaurants and bars
have expanded capacity. The
state has set a goal to com-
pletely reopen the economy by
the end of June or early July.
“We’re in a virtuous cycle
now, where one element feeds
the other,” Hoan said, noting
customers are again lining up
outside the famous Powell’s
Books and fans are returning
to Timbers’ soccer games.
“Office workers start to
breathe life into the retail scene
and hospitality scene, and that
sends a signal to other retail-
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ers and hospitality owners,” he
said.
While all cities have dealt
with the impact of COVID-19,
Portland faced additional
challenges over the past
year — from a large home-
less population, to nearby
“once-in-generation” wild-
fires, to winter ice storms that
left tens of thousands without
power. But the events that chal-
lenged the city’s reputation the
most was political violence on
top of racial awakening.
The Rose City was thrust
into the national spotlight over
the summer as people attended
nightly racial justice protests.
Photos of thousands of people
laying on the historic Burnside
Bridge for eight minutes and
46 seconds in remembrance of
George Floyd captivated the
nation.
“We’re doggedly deter-
mined to recover,” Mayor Ted
Wheeler said in his State of the
City address this year. “Our
community has what it takes
to move forward to a much
greater future.”
It’s Sunday, June 20, the 171st day
of 2021. There are 194 days left in
the year. This is Father’s Day. Sum-
mer begins at 11:32 p.m. EDT.
Today’s Highlight in History:
In 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was
convicted in Houston of violating
Selective Service laws by refusing
to be drafted and was sentenced
to five years in prison. (Ali’s convic-
tion was ultimately overturned by
the Supreme Court).
In 1782, Congress approved the
Great Seal of the United States,
featuring the emblem of the bald
eagle.
In 1791, King Louis XVI of France
and his family attempted to flee in
the so-called “Flight to Varennes,”
but were caught.
In 1837, Queen Victoria acceded
to the British throne following the
death of her uncle, King William IV.
In 1893, a jury in New Bedford,
Massachusetts, found Lizzie Bor-
den not guilty of the ax murders
of her father and stepmother.
In 1921, U.S. Rep. Alice Mary Rob-
ertson, R-Okla., became the first
woman to preside over a session
of the House of Representatives.
In 1943, race-related rioting
erupted in Detroit; federal troops
were sent in two days later to
quell the violence that resulted in
more than 30 deaths.
In 1944, during World War II,
Japanese naval forces retreated
in the Battle of the Philippine Sea
after suffering heavy losses to the
victorious American fleet.
In 1947, President Harry S. Tru-
man vetoed the Taft-Hartley Act,
which was designed to restrict the
power of labor unions, but had
his veto overriden by Congress.
Gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel
was shot dead at the Beverly Hills,
California, home of his girlfriend,
Virginia Hill, apparently at the
order of mob associates.
In 1972, three days after the
arrest of the Watergate burglars,
President Richard Nixon met at
the White House with his chief of
staff, H.R. Haldeman; the secretly
made tape recording of this meet-
ing ended up with the notorious
18½-minute gap.
In 1990, South African Black
nationalist Nelson Mandela and
his wife, Winnie, arrived in New
York City for a ticker-tape parade
in their honor as they began an
eight-city U.S. tour.
In 2014, the Obama adminis-
tration granted an array of new
benefits to same-sex couples,
including those living in states
where gay marriage was against
the law; the new measures ranged
from Social Security and veterans
benefits to work leave for caring
for sick spouses.
In 2019, Iran’s Revolutionary
Guard shot down a U.S. sur-
veillance drone in the Strait of
Hormuz; it was the first time the
Islamic Republic had directly at-
tacked the U.S. military amid ten-
sions over the unraveling nuclear
deal. A U.S. official said prepara-
tions had been made for a military
strike against Iran in retaliation
for the downing of the drone, but
that the operation was called off
with just hours to go.
Ten years ago: Syrian President
Bashar Assad promised a national
dialogue to consider political re-
forms, but his vague overtures to
a pro-democracy uprising fell flat
as protesters took to the streets
shouting “Liar!” and demanding
his ouster. “Jackass” star Ryan
Dunn was killed in a fiery car crash
near Philadelphia; he was 34.
Five years ago: Donald Trump
abruptly fired campaign manager
Corey Lewandowski in a dramatic
shake-up designed to calm pan-
icked Republican leaders and end
an internal power struggle plagu-
ing Trump’s White House bid.
One year ago: At a rally in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, President Donald
Trump defined the election as a
choice between national heritage
and left-wing radicalism; there
were thousands of empty seats at
the rally, believed to be the largest
indoor event in the nation since
the start of the pandemic. Most
attendees bucked the guidance
of health care experts and did not
wear a mask. Six staffers helping
to set up the Trump event tested
positive for the coronavirus.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Bonnie
Bartlett is 92. Actor James Tolkan is
90. Movie director Stephen Frears
is 80. Singer-songwriter Brian Wil-
son is 79. Actor John McCook is
77. Singer Anne Murray is 76. TV
personality Bob Vila is 75. Musician
Andre Watts is 75. Actor Candy
Clark is 74. Producer Tina Sinatra is
73. R&B singer Lionel Richie is 72.
Actor John Goodman is 69. Rock
musician Michael Anthony is 67.
Pop musician John Taylor is 61.
Rock musician Mark degli Antoni
is 59. Actor Nicole Kidman is 54.
Movie director Robert Rodriguez
is 53. Actor Peter Paige is 52. Ac-
tor Josh Lucas is 50. Rock musi-
cian Jeordie White (AKA Twiggy
Ramirez) is 50. Rock singer Chino
Moreno (Deftones) is 48. Coun-
try-folk singer-songwriter Amos
Lee is 44. Rock singer Grace Potter
(Grace Potter & the Nocturnals)
is 38. Actor Mark Saul is 36. Actor
Maria Lark is 24.
— Associated Press
“Have no fear of perfection,
you’ll never reach it.”
- Salvador Dali
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