Story and photos by Pete Shaw Lunch time in the Summer is usually a festive occasion at Pioneer Square. People take to the tables or bricks with their brown bags or a hot dog bought at a nearby cart and there is often some kind of music scene going down. Wednesday August 15th was no…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw Back in the day, civics class taught us that the grand jury was among the government institutions that made the United States the greatest country on Earth. It was a shining example of our commitment to justice – a body that ensured you could not be accused of a…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw The notice on the door of Room 3000 at 1900 SW 4th Avenue — home of Portland’s Bureau of Development Services (BDS) — listed the various administrative hearings that would be taking place on September 6, 2012. I was present because I expected a 9 a.m. hearing between the…
This story originally appeared at the Occupied Chicago Tribune. By Nick Burt News of the Chicago Teachers Union’s declaration of a ten-day strike notice spread across the city’s evening news broadcasts Wednesday. As Chicagoans prepared for the first schools shutdown in twenty-five years, hundreds rallied at the downtown Chicago Temple to build community support for the prospective teacher…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw A boisterous crowd of over 100 people descended on the Northwest Headquarters of the Army Corps of Engineers on August 28 to demand an environmental and public health impact study for all four possible export coal terminal sites, as well as planned routes for the trains and barges that…
By Shamus Cooke The Great Recession and its possible continuance has brought the issue of privatization to the forefront of American politics. But most Americans aren’t even aware that this debate is happening, because the media and politicians aren’t using the word “privatization”. Instead, less threatening substitutes are used to ram through a corporate…
By Mark Vorpahl Many of the social expectations and political outlooks of today’s Labor Movement, and workers in general, were formed during the post-World War II economic expansion. With a growing economy and steady job supply, many people seemed content to focus on improving their immediate community or individual union with the expectation that, if…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw “Protecting a competitive race to the lowest wages is crucial,” said Tom Chamberlain, President of the Oregon AFL-CIO. After a confused pause, Chamberlain restated himself, replacing “protecting” with “preventing.” It was a slightly awkward moment at this strange gathering billed as a “Listening Session on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)”.…
This week in Occupy, Pussy Riot was sentenced to two years in Russian prison, we expressed solidarity with General Motors hunger strikers in Colombia, activists far and nigh set their sights on Tampa and the Republican National Convention, and the one-year Occuversary is approaching. #After a short trial, three members of Pussy Riot, an all-girl…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw The Lombard Overpass of the railroad cut that bisects St. John’s – from the Willamette River to the Columbia Slough – was the site of an August 18 demonstration, with over 75 activists protesting and educating people about the proposed transportation of coal through Oregon and Washington. With faces…
