By Mark Vorpahl It’s no secret that most cities, counties, states and school districts in the U.S. are facing big deficits. What is less understood is the extent to which austerity cuts have become politicians’ bipartisan response to the situation. The dramatic measures being implemented in Portland, Oregon are no exception. By “austerity” is meant…
Category: Sections
Judge Releases Grand Jury Resisters; Declares Their Due Process Rights Violated
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By Pete Shaw Matt Duran and Katherine “Kteeo” Olejnik, the two grand jury resisters who were imprisoned in September 2012 after refusing to testify about the anarchist movement, were released from the Sea-Tac Federal Detention Center on February 28. Maddy Pfeiffer, who also was found in civil contempt, remains in prison. United States District Court…
Rise Up, Strike Down Sexual Violence Against Women
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Only Alaska has more dismal state statistics regarding women and sexual violence: Fifty-five percent of Oregon women will be the victims of sexual or domestic violence and 27% will be raped. With numbers this mind-numbing, it would have been heartening to see thousands flooding the streets in protest. Still,…
Taking Responsibility for Racial Injustice a Necessity for All Americans
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Story and photo by Pete Shaw Not one person in a Portland crowd of over 1200 dissented when Michelle Alexander recently told them, “We’ve got to admit we’ve allowed a human rights nightmare to occur on our watch.” Alexander, an associate professor of law at Ohio State University and the author of The New Jim…
Students Test School District Will To Maintain One Size Fits All Standards
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Standing in solidarity with Seattle’s Garfield High School teachers and all instructors in the Seattle Public Schools who have refused to administer Washington’s Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Test, a crowd of 30 Portland Public Schools (PPS) students and about 5 parents gathered in front of PPS headquarters on February…
Houseless, Immigrant & Worker’s Rights Rally Showcases MLK Legacy
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Photos and story by Pete Shaw By the end of his life, Martin Luther King had come to the conclusion that the gains of the Civil Rights Era were nothing if they were not part of a larger human rights movement, one that brought together all the disparate struggles for justice. On January 19, over…
Sheriff Staton’s Loyalty to ICE Leaves Local Groups Cold
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Story by Pete Shaw Activists Coming Together For Justice and Dignity (ACT) has issued a response challenging Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton’s December 20, 2012 statement claiming that he has no discretion in deciding whether or not to comply with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holds. Speaking for the local faith groups and member organizations that…
Longshore Struggle Brews On Both Coasts: Trouble in the Northwest
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By Mark Vorpahl Second of two parts In the Northwest, at the terminals on the Columbia River, Puget Sound, and Portland, Oregon, the membership of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) are on the defensive against the Northwest Grain Handlers Association (NWGHA). The conflict involves nearly 3,000 workers at terminals that handle a quarter…
Community Home Defenders Sit In to Persuade Sheriff to Step Up
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw “Some of us take risks. We’re asking you to take risks,” said John Schweibert to Multnomah County Sheriff Daniel Staton, during a sit in at the Sheriff’s office staged by Schweibert and four other community home defenders on January 24. Though Staton expressed his support for homeowners, he said…
GM Worker Willing to Die Seeking Labor Justice
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By Pete Shaw If Jorge Parra lives to see the Portland Auto Show being held from January 24th through the 27th, he will have passed his 65th day on a hunger strike in support of the Association of Injured Workers and Ex-Workers of General Motors-Colmotores (ASOTRECOL). Appearing at press conferences outside the North American International…
