Story and photos by Pete Shaw Very early in Senator Ron Wyden’s town hall meeting on January 3 he proudly announced that he had held over 700 of these meetings since becoming a senator. As events turned out in this surprising evening, It may have been the first one where he actually had no choice…
Category: Headlines
Current Institutional Prison, Policing Failures Rooted in Larger Historical Narrative of Oppression
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Story by Pete Shaw Walidah Imarisha was winding down a late November presentation about alternatives to police and prison at Portland Community College when a person in the audience announced the failure of a Ferguson, Missouri grand jury to indict Officer Darren Wilson for murdering Michael Brown. Imarisha paused, then shook her head. “I’m…
Facets of a Movement
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Protests and others actions, ranging from peaceful gatherings to more militant non-violent marches, as well as the rare–but widely reported by the corporate media–examples of rioting and looting, began around the country on November 24 in the wake of the failure of a Ferguson, Missouri, grand jury to indict…
Filmmakers Create Feature Length Documentary to Spotlight Egregious Local Police History
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Story by Pete Shaw In 2013 local filmmakers and activists Jodi Darby, Julie Perini, and Erin Yanke produced Safe and Sound?, a short video to educate people about police violence, not as the product of a few rogue officers, but one that is inherent to the current system of policing. The film, which was…
Immigrant Rights Prospects Slowly Brightening In Wake of Continuing Community Pressure
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A year ago, inside the lobby of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) jail on SW Macadam Avenue, a group of 20 people gathered to protest President Obama’s deportations, conducted through ICE, that had resulted in about 1.5 million people being torn away from their families and communities. They were demanding that immigrants detained by…
Community Activist Aguirre Released from Jail Pending Early 2015 Trial; ICE Detainer Against Him Lifted
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Story by Pete Shaw Federal judge Janice Stewart ordered the release of immigrant justice activist Francisco Aguirre on November 7, one day after his arrest. Aguirre, who had been taking sanctuary, in Augustana Lutheran Church since September 19, was arrested by federal agents for alleged “illegal entry” in the US while appearing in Clackamas County…
Community Activist Emerges from Sanctuary, Feds Move in to Arrest
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Francisco Aguirre, the community leader and immigrant justice activist who has been taking sanctuary in Augustana Lutheran Church since September 19, was arrested yesterday. Aguirre was taken into custody inside the Clackamas County Courthouse on a warrant for “illegal entry”, issued through collaboration between the US Attorney’s Office of…
Roosevelt Community Group Suing For Equity in School Program Design
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw A community group based in North Portland has filed a complaint with the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights declaring that Portland Public Schools (PPS) “approved a discriminatory plan for the major remodel of a high school in a lower-income, minority white neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.” The…
Plight of Local Activist Mirrors Nationwide Immigration Siege Mentality
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Story by Pete Shaw Supporters of Francisco Aguirre gathered outside the Portland Field Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) the day after USCIS cancelled the activist’s visa appointment. Aguirre has been taking sanctuary in Augustana Lutheran Church since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials showed up at his home on the morning…
Movement to Raise Minimum Wage to $15 Keeps Growing; Activists Demand Change to State Law
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Story by Pete Shaw “I’m here, and I’m tired, and I’m speaking out with all the strength that I have. We need 15 now.” Those words, spoken by Janice Niag, a First Student bus driver, demanding changes to the City’s Fair Wage Policy summed up the feeling at SEIU Local 49 Hall on October 20.…
