Story and photos by Pete Shaw Fair trade advocates scored a major victory earlier this year when Congress failed to hand over fast track authority on trade issues to President Obama. That triumph, which currently has quashed hopes of passing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), was due to extensive and effective organizing on the part of…
Category: Pete Shaw
Activists Show Path to Increasing Minimum Wage; City Council Stands Still
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Just how unpalatable the Portland City Council finds 15 Now PDX, the activist group working to raise Portland’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, was made known about a half hour prior to the council session on June 11. One City Hall official approached about 20 of the group’s…
Da Vinci Students Stand Against PPS; Model Values Learned from Well-Designed Education
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Chanting “1-2-3-4, we are not a test score! 5-6-7-8, let our teachers educate!” about 75 da Vinci Arts Middle School students gathered on June 2 to demand their principal respect them and their school. The lunchtime rally on da Vinci steps was in protest of a proposed change to…
Portland Patient/Physician Cooperative Fills Healthcare Gaps
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Story by Pete Shaw While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has certainly been a boon for many people, particularly those who prior to its passage could not afford health insurance, it is still lacking in many areas. The most glaring of these is that it is not a single payer system, which is the standard…
Communities Fight for History on Road to Justice
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Story by Pete Shaw Of all the forms of struggle against oppression, there is none more fundamental than memory. It is the substrate from which all resistance germinates. Nurtured and nourished, those sprouts bloom, fruit, and scatter more seed upon ground both hallowed and fallow, their shoots pushing up with great tenacity against at times…
Populist Newcomer in Commissioner Race Insists City Work for Its Citizens
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Story by Pete Shaw With Election Day less than two weeks away, one of Portland’s most interesting races is City Commissioner Position 3 featuring Nick Caleb and incumbent Dan Saltzman. Caleb, a Concordia University professor of law and government, is running an upstart campaign against Saltzman, who is seeking a fifth term. Caleb’s campaign is…
Judge Upholds Eviction Against Home Defender; Jackson Appeals
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw On the eve of the second anniversary of taking back her house, Alicia Jackson El was told she was to be evicted. On April 30 Judge Marilyn Litzenberger of the Oregon Circuit Court ruled that Fox Capital Corporation, the “foreclosure flipping” corporation, was in legal possession of Jackson El’s…
Major Victory for ICE Detainer Foes; Battle for Immigrant Justice Not Over
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Story by Pete Shaw Watershed moments are always interesting. On the one hand, there is great cause for celebration. Raise a glass, take a bow, give a pat on the back–even your own–and revel in your moment. But no such moment is ever an end point. Morning becomes afternoon. Afternoon rolls into evening. Night falls.…
Trial Date Set for R2DToo Co-Founder; Mubarak Affirms Trial Important Challenge in Housing Justice Campaign
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Housing Justice advocate and Right 2 Dream Too (R2DToo) co-founder Ibrahim Mubarak was arrested for trespassing and interfering with police in late February while reaching out to help people without housing. He will be tried for these charges on June 9. The trial is expected to last two days,…
Successful Home Reclamation Under Threat as Alicia Jackson El Faces Pressure from Court
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Story by Pete Shaw Nearly two years after taking back her house, Alicia Jackson El is having her day in court. On April 11, Jackson El appeared before Judge Steven Evans to defend herself against Fox Capital Corporation, the “foreclosure flipping” company that claims it owns her house. On May Day 2012, Jackson El, with…
