Month: March 2012

Transparency vs. Security: The Two-Headed Beast

By Adam Rothstein Another terminological quandary that Occupy has found itself snared within recently is the issue of Transparency Culture versus Security Culture. Similar to other issues that we are slowly teasing out, explaining, and working through, the impasse with this issue is that viewing the argument in opposing terms has formed a poor understanding…

March Forth with Occupy Portland

by Wendy Lincoln The March Forth event represented the perfect opportunity to experience a march in person. March Forth’s call to action asked for every participant to make a sign about the cause that moved them most, then all causes would march in solidarity with one another. The event was scheduled on March “Fourth”, the…

Diverse Ideologies Fuel Diverse Tactics

by Ahjami Umi A wise man in Africa once told me that, contrary to popular opinion, everyone functions based on an ideology. He said that even the simple act of using the bathroom is a political action that requires an underlying thought process. If you don’t believe that, try finding a welcoming bathroom when you’re…

Let’s Occupy Ourselves with Occupy Wall Street

by Lauren Paulsen Our eclectic media is puzzled. What is it these people (unwashed rabble) are protesting over there at the financial district of New York City? Longshoreman-philosopher Eric Hoffer provides us with the easy answer. People who are down and out do not raise their voice when they are totally desperate and bereft. I,…

Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder

By Anonymous There seems to be a beautification, or as some call it, gentrification process that is taking place in our neighborhood. We have lived here for almost 11 years, and although that hardly qualifies us a indigenous to Portland’s Hawthorne district, we have noticed some changes we aren’t happy about as current residents. My…

The Unmet Demand for Subsidized Housing

By Joel Handley This morning at 6 a.m., Mercy Housing Lakefront, a subsidized housing provider, opened up “wait lists” to two of its apartment buildings: the Belray apartments at Belmont and Racine, and the Major Jenkins Apartments at Winthrop and Argyle. In total, Mercy Housing will accept 325 new applicants to its waiting lists. Between…