Story and photo by Pete Shaw A few steps forward, one back. That was again the story for Right 2 Dream Too (R2DToo), the rest area for people without housing that has been located at the corner of Burnside and NW 4th for over two years. At a City Council meeting on February 12, it…
Tag: houselessness
MLK Rally Honors More Radical King
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By Pete Shaw Today, politicians of all stripes will step into celebration of the life and vision of Martin Luther King, Jr. The rhetoric of justice will be heavy, and praise for King’s dream will abound. Most pronouncements will overlook King’s latter years when he fought for the abolition of poverty and the redistribution of…
Class Warfare, Compassion Emerge at R2DToo Hearing; Move Hangs in Balance
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CLASSLESS AND CLASSIST Story by Pete Shaw Since Right 2 Dream Too (R2DToo) and the City of Portland came to an agreement in July to move the rest area for people without housing to a spot in the Pearl District, those opposed to the move have been trying to walk a tightrope. On the one…
“Dream” Move Challenged by Ugly Reality of Class Politics
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw The Portland City Council will be hearing testimony this Thursday, October 3, as it considers granting Right 2 Dream Too a permit to continue its work helping people without housing at a new location. The group is planning a move from West Burnside to NW Lovejoy Court and NW…
R2DToo In Court Fighting for Housing Rights
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Story and photo by Pete Shaw The thought of camping conjures images of freedom, romance, and perhaps even daring. Pitch a tent, lie under clear skies, sit in front of an open fire telling stories or picking a guitar. Forage for food that will become dinner. Hike down a trail to a pristine lake and…
Housing Justice Advocates Land Trial Date
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Local housing justice activists will go on trial in June for their attempts to help keep a foreclosed family in their home during an eviction in which police used pepper spray against protesters. In October 2012, deputies from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and Portland police evicted Patricia…
The Dream of Sleep
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A Light in the Commons Illumines a Truth Entropy of ordinance Makes for horrid experience Miles of empty real estate Heated for the plumbing Souls shiver on sidewalks Denied legal bedding Shattered Realities And Neighborly Angst Breed environment of Fear No politician will stand against A cadre of neighbors Riddled . . .…
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…
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…
Sheriff Ousts Family, Spends Tax Dollars To Maintain Their Houselessness
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw On the morning of January 16, soon after Ron Austin had gone to work, Debbie Austin and her two children awoke to the sound of the Multnomah County Sheriffs and Portland Police banging on their door. At the demand of Fannie Mae, the police forces entered the Austins’ home…
