Story and photos by Pete Shaw Another year, another so-called free trade agreement. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is almost 20, while its younger sibling, the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is nearing seven years old. They sure grow up fast, don’t they? And now coming down the pike is the Trans-Pacific…
Story and Photos by Pete Shaw Governor Kitzhaber got a message. A very loud message from 120 people in Schrunk Plaza demanding Nestlé not be allowed to plunder water from the Columbia River Gorge, chanting “Water is a human right! Don’t let Nestlé win this fight!” Nestlé wants to erect a bottling plant in the gorge and use…
By Pete Shaw Labor unions and environmentalists have sometimes been at each other’s throats. A workshop on jobs and the climate held June 20 at Musician’s Union Hall in Northeast Portland was about building common ground and strategies for the two groups to work together for some shared goals, as they did when their cooperation…
by Pete Shaw Marching to chants including “Riders have no more to give/Read our budget alternative”, over 70 people with the activist group Bus Riders Unite rallied outside the TriMet office in Southeast Portland. Later that day they attended the TriMet Board Meeting where many testified about the pain and hardship the current TriMet budget…
by Pete Shaw, K. Kendall, and Elona Trogub The US government considers Army private first class Bradley Manning a threat. Such a threat, in fact, that he was held in military prison for over one and a half years–including 10 months in virtual solitary confinement–before being arraigned. Chanting “Free Bradley Manning!” and urging potential enlistees…
By Pete Shaw The recipe to combat looming budget cuts aimed at slicing away local jobs? Throw a bake sale. That’s what Laborers Local 483, which represents almost 700 City of Portland employees, did on Tuesday, April 17, outside City Hall. If the cuts go through, the job losses will impact all Portlanders–affecting street and…
By Pete Shaw Immigrant deportation not only tears families and communities apart, it’s one of the most divisive political issues in the U.S. today. Those expecting the Obama presidency to result in fewer immigrant deportations have been bitterly disappointed. Recently, that figure passed the million mark, a number that exceeds the deportation statistics in both…
By Pete Shaw Armed solely with their cunning, chicanery, deceit, campaign donations/bribes, lobbyists, owned representatives at various levels of government, and general sociopathy, a group of corporate CEOs nearly ran the table in the Tax Day Dodgerball Competition this afternoon at Terry Schrunk Plaza. With a deft display of the peculiar brand of socialism…
Photo by Paul By Pete Shaw “When’s the last time you had burgers and beer with your health insurance company?” Morgan Butler, just finishing his afternoon workout at the gym, asks me that question while nursing some drink whose primary component appears to be cranberry juice. He’s not eating a hamburger, but even had he…
By Pete Shaw A crowd of 15 striking steelworkers gathered outside the offices of Schnitzer Steel in Portland on Monday morning, April 9. Schnitzer is the parent company of Cascade Steel Rolling Mills, located in McMinnville, OR, where over 300 unionized members of Steelworkers Local 8378, went on strike Sunday, April 8th–one week after their…
