by Peter Shaw May Day, 2015, 2:12 AM Let us sing songs of remembrance Let us praise great people Not the ones in the great books But the ones of the great stories The stories we tell The stories we write The stories we create and re-create My Friend Greg does not have…
Tag: Solidarity
Workers Expose Cruel Underbelly of Portland’s “Friendliest” Store
• 107 Comments
Story by Pete Shaw The friendliest store in town is not so friendly after all. At least not to its workers. That was the message sent by a crowd of over 30 people outside the New Seasons on SE Hawthorne on April 21. Coming together on April 21 in support of raising Oregon’s minimum wage…
15 Now Rallies Workers for National Day of Action, Awareness
• 0 Comments
Story and photos by Pete Shaw Over 300 Portland workers rallied on April 15 in solidarity with workers from 230 cities who took to the streets in a day of awareness, action, and strikes in support of increasing the minimum wage to $15 and fighting for the right to form a union. The event followed…
Activists Continue to Press for Wyden Pass on Fast Track
• 0 Comments
Story and photos by Pete Shaw Senator Ron Wyden’s choice as to who he represents–the people of Oregon or the multinational corporations that stand to make huge profits at the expense of working people–is being pushed to a head over the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) . On Monday March 9 a collection of 200 labor…
$15 Minimum Wage Resolution Benefits Some Government Workers
• 0 Comments
Story and photos by Pete Shaw With a unanimous vote, the Portland City Council on February 18 approved a resolution updating the City’s Fair Wage Policy to a $15 per hour minimum. Its passage will affect over 100 janitors, security guards, parking attendants, concessions workers, and others who work for companies that contract with the…
Anti-TPP Pressure Bearing Down on Oregon Politicians
• 0 Comments
Story by Pete Shaw More than 50 activists visited the offices of Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Senator Ron Wyden to demand the men vote against giving President Obama the Fast Track Authority he likely needs to gain passage of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). A so-called free trade agreement (FTA) between 12 countries in the…
Monthly Vigil Numbers High as Fifth Anniversary of Keaton Otis Murder Draws Near
• 0 Comments
Story by Pete Shaw On May 12, 2010, Keaton Otis, a Black man, was killed by the Portland police. Since that date there has been vigil in his honor and memory on the 12th of each month near the southwest corner of NE 6th and Halsey, just feet from the site of his murder. The…
Local Vigil Honors Muslims Murdered in North Carolina
• 1 Comment
Story and photos by Pete Shaw A Valentine’s night vigil was held in Portland’s Pioneer Square to reflect upon the lives of three young Muslims murdered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on February 10. Over 100 people held candles in memory of Deah Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha and to stand in…
Local Advocates Echo Dr. King’s Call for Justice
• 0 Comments
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…
Filmmakers Create Feature Length Documentary to Spotlight Egregious Local Police History
• 0 Comments
Story by Pete Shaw In 2013 local filmmakers and activists Jodi Darby, Julie Perini, and Erin Yanke produced Safe and Sound?, a short video to educate people about police violence, not as the product of a few rogue officers, but one that is inherent to the current system of policing. The film, which was…