Story and photos by Pete Shaw The Portland City Council unanimously passed an ordinance declaring a housing state of emergency in the city on Wednesday. The ordinance theoretically paves the way for steps to ease the housing crisis affecting a large swathe of people who rent housing, as well as those experiencing houselessness, stating in…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw Anne Christopher of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and I have a few things in common. We are both from New Jersey, and thereby, as the joke would have it, we both are intimately knowledgeable about toxic waste. Now, 3500 miles away from our roots, we are again sharing…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw The Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) declared a renter state of emergency in Portland at a September 15 press conference in Peninsula Park. The CAT–a grassroots, tenant-controlled, tenants rights organization that educates, organizes, and develops the leadership of low-income tenants–called on local officials and landlords to agree to immediate…
Story by Raymond D. Davies Shocking the Portland political establishment, Mayor Charlie Hales announced today his resignation, effective immediately. Hales was expected to run for reelection in 2016, but citing his “frustration with certain elements of city governance, particularly the lack of effectiveness in dealing with the police and people without housing,” he has decided to…
Story by Pete Shaw Members of Right 2 Dream Too and Don’t Shoot PDX appeared before the Portland City Council on January 21 to demand action to ensure people without housing and people of color receive the same justice afforded the most privileged members of society. Their demands were laced with quotes from Martin…
Story by Pete Shaw Ibrahim Mubarak has been found guilty of trespass and interference with a police officer stemming from a February 27 incident in the parking lot under the west end of the Burnside Bridge. Mubarak is the co-founder of Right 2 Dream Too, the downtown rest area serving people without housing. After the…
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,…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw Ibrahim Mubarak, co-founder of Right 2 Dream Too (R2DToo), the rest area serving people without housing, has had his court appearance rescheduled for April 4 at 9 AM. Mubarak was arrested on February 28 for trespassing and interfering with a police officer as he spoke with people without housing…
Story by Pete Shaw Troy, a person without housing who sleeps outside near St. Francis Church on SE 12th Avenue, was assaulted on the night of March 2. “Last night I was sleeping in my sleeping bag. Had been there for a few hours when suddenly I hear someone say, ‘Hey, wake up. Get up’,”…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw Mayor Charlie Hales’ war against people without housing has taken an unexpected turn with the arrest of Right 2 Dream Too (R2DToo) co-founder Ibrahim Mubarak, on the night of February 27. Mubarak was arrested while questioning increased police and security surveillance underneath the west side of the Burnside Bridge…
