Concordia Neighborhood Association | Portland, Oregon

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Last Thursdays on Alberta return this month

Posted on by Posted in CNA, Events, Local Businesses, Volunteer Opportunities
Kara Maymi takes care of business at Clary Sage Herbarium, 2901 Alberta St. Photo by Christopher Baker.

Thank you again to all the volunteers and for all of the support from our community during the Spring Egg Hunt. The winners of the egg hunt raffle were Donna Amrein, Katie Schaumleffle, Brian Jensen, Michael French, and Catherine Swanson.

Last Thursdays
June is a great month for social events, including the return of last Thursdays on Alberta Street. The plan is to celebrate on Alberta Street between NE 15th Ave. and NE 30th Ave. from 6-9 p.m. every last Thursday of the month. Make sure to mark your calendars and show up to support our local businesses and vendors.

Black United Fund will open up their lot (corner of Alberta St. & NE 29th Ave.) to host several tents supporting our BIPOC community. Alberta Art Works (NE 19th St & Alberta St) will also be hosting live performances, art and many more surprises.

Additionally, Blind Insect (corner of NE 29th Ave. & Alberta St., across the street from Black United Fund) will host “Barrio Parties” on Last Thursdays from June to September, with a different theme each month:

  • June: African Party
  • July: Argentinian Party
  • August: Brazilian Party
  • September: Cabaret theme

Several other businesses on Alberta are getting ready to celebrate Last Thursdays, among them:
Bonne Chance (corner of Alberta Street and NE 22nd Ave.) will be celebrating with an eclectic selection of music and adult beverages.
DB Desserts (Alberta St. between NE 26th & NE 27th Avenues) is offering specials on some of their sweet treats to celebrate.
Holy Beanz Coffee (next door to DB Desserts) will host their “After Sundown Spoken Word & Poetry” from 7-9 p.m.
JRJ Skillets (on Alberta St. between NE 25th & NE 26th Avenues) will offer “Aguas Frescas, Tamales, Elotes, Tacos & Nachos” for the whole family on its brand-new patio.

Free concerts
Also coming this summer, the Concordia Neighborhood Association will collaborate with the City of Portland to bring back “Summer at the Park” concerts. The first band, Son de Cuba, a Latin jazz/merengue/salsa group, performs from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, July 15, at Alberta Park. Please stay tuned to next month’s column for more details.

Litter pick-up events
Moving on with neighborhood updates, the neighborhood litter pick-ups have been incredibly successful. Thanks to our many volunteers we have picked up more than 9,000 pounds of trash from Concordia’s streets. We still have work to do though, so please sign up for our next litter pick-up event from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 4, at Alberta Park. See Page 2 for more details. If you cannot make it to this one, we have future litter pick-ups scheduled on Aug. 6, Oct. 1 and Dec. 1.

Yard sales
A quick survey for residents: We have received several requests for different events. One of them is a coordinated “Neighborhood Yard Sale” where neighbors can set up their own yard sales. If you are interested in this event please email with the subject “Yard Sale.” Depending on the response we will plan to help coordinate.

Clary Sage
The Concordia Neighborhood Association would like to highlight Clary Sage Herbarium, 2901 Alberta St., which opened in 2011 and changed ownership in 2021. Kara Maymi is the entrepreneur currently behind the shop.

Maymi started her herbarium education as an intern at Clary Sage. Later, when an opportunity to join the management for Clary Sage materialized, the pandemic hit. Instead of letting the business close, Maymi decided to purchase the shop and continued following her passion for medicinal plants.

According to Maymi, her calling is the plant world. The shop has a large variety of medicinal plants, some sourced locally. Sharing knowledge of plants f rom scient if ic, spiritual and practical points of view with customers is a priority.

“We love to see how people express themselves through plants,” Maymi said. In addition to plants, Clary Sage offers house-made essential oils , candles, crystals, incense, body care and many other natural products. They are also proud of the quality of their teas and herbal extracts.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Maymi now considers herself a Portlander at heart, and said she finds Concordia to be her community. Community is one of the pillars of the Clary Sage approach. Plants, like people, live in diverse communities, she said. “When we engage with plants, we can learn how important community is and their relationships among themselves and even with humans.”

Volunteers needed
The social committee needs volunteers for all events. Please email social@ConcordiaPDX.org, or call/text Javier Puga-Phillips, chair of the social committee, at 323.573.1516. Finally, make sure to follow us on instagram @CNAPDX and use #SocialConcordiaPDX to get a shoutout.

Javier Puga-Phillips holds the At Large 4 position on the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors, manages rentals of the McMenamins Kennedy School Community Room and chairs the CNA Social Committee. He is a real estate professional locally, and he is a published author and motivational speaker in Latin America and Spain.

Houseless campsites crisis comes to a head

Posted on by Posted in CNA
Hamlet 33, at the intersection of NE 33rd Avenue and Dekum Street, currently comprises two independent but closely situated camps, camp A (top photo) and camp C (bottom photo). Camp B was evicted by the city  in April. Photos by Shawn Mihalik.

A number of Concordia residents are concerned about the status of a houseless campsite occupying the medians at the intersection of NE 33rd Avenue and Dekum Street. Initially three camps—A, B, and C— the site known locally as Hamlet 33 now comprises two independent but closely situated camps, after camp C was evicted by the city in April.

“I definitely empathize with the people who live there and are going through this wave of homelessness and drug addiction and the hard times we’re going through,” Concordia resident Matt Caldwell said. His post about the situation on the hyperlocal social network Nextdoor has received over 500 comments. Nevertheless, Caldwell and other Concordia residents have expressed concern about fires, ecological and sanitation issues, and alleged thefts connected to the camp. Caldwell said the camps have been connected to at least four incidents of theft and prowling and claims to have security footage connecting inhabitants of the camps to at least two auto breakins.

Neighbors have also expressed concern over the camps’ proximity to the highway and to Faubion school, which is just two blocks away. “My freshman daughter has to walk down 33rd and the now-closed ramp to Columbia Boulevard from school every day,” Concordia resident Meg Stansfield commented on Nextdoor. “This camp has been a big concern for us for a while now, and [I] wish it would be taken care of like the other camps … that have been removed.”

Neighbors have reported the site to Portland city officials 23 times since March of 2020, but aside from the eviction of camp B, they say their reports have gone unaddressed.

Meanwhile, the site has grown from a single tent in 2019 to around a dozen. “We’re seeing what happens when the government doesn’t do its job,” Caldwell said. His goals for the area include the cleaning and clearing of the remaining camps; the installation of “No Camping” signs, barriers, or rock gardens to prevent future camping; and the creation of volunteer patrols to protect the area after evictions. “I know how complex this is, but the more I think about it … to really do nothing and just let it be, that can’t be a solution,” he said.

In response to their neighbors’ concerns, residents of Hamlet 33 are asking for the neighborhood to work with the houseless community to avoid sweeps. Rebecca Lang, de facto leader of and spokesperson for camp A, where she has resided since April 2020, has been working to make improvements to the camp. She started a vegetable garden, which she hopes to use to bridge the gap with the neighborhood’s housed residents, hoping they will join her in tending the garden and share the produce. “I started gardening to show my thanks to the neighborhood for allowing us to have a camp here,” she said.

Additionally, Lang has overseen the installation of several improvements to the site’s limited infrastructure. “We have a dumpster through Republic Services’ dumpster rental program thanks to Clean Camp PDX,” a nonprofit whose goal is to provide regular garbage collection services to houseless camps. “Trash service is one of the integral parts of being able to maintain a camp that is sanitary,” Lang said. The site also has an ad hoc handwashing station, clean water for which is often provided by nearby Concordia neighbors.

Keri Morin Handaly, a resident of the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood, has been working to help Hamlet 33’s residents keep their camps clean and support their goal of connecting with the Concordia community. “We have about 20-plus volunteers who have availed themselves to support the camp,” Handaly said.

Camp C

The camp members are fully on board with talking to the community and creating guidelines for them to be able to stay there. “We really want the community to understand that [the camp residents are] not just refusing to leave,” Handaly said. “It’s not permanent. It’s compassion-based.” Lang urges her Concordia neighbors to consider the costs associated with evicting camps and pushing the houseless into shelters.

“The thought of sleeping in a room with a hundred people you don’t know is kind of scary,” she said. “Every homeless person has had happen or heard of terrible things that have happened around shelters. All shelters do is hide the face of homelessness for eight hours at night.”

Instead, Lang would like the community to work with Hamlet 33 so that its residents have a place to stay until the city’s Safe Rest Villages are established, even if it means moving the location of the camps.

“I’ve been open to us moving to a place that’s preferable,” she said. “It’d be an awesome thing if we could work with Concordia to open a campground. If you see people as people and not just homeless, they’ll want to do better. When you sweep people constantly, they have no connection to where they’re at. If you give them a place they can trust in, they want to do better.”

Portland Commissioner Dan Ryan, who is championing the Safe Rest Village program, describes SRVs on his website as “an improved point of entry for Portlanders on the continuum from living on the streets to finding stability in permanent housing … All Safe Rest Villages will include case management with wraparound behavioral and mental health services. They will not be unmanaged tent or vehicle camping as people are currently living in—they are a way to address that unsafe, unsanitary, and dehumanizing way of living.”

Ryan’s office currently has plans to establish 10 SRVs, with expansion in the future. The city’s first SRV, in the 2300 block of Southwest Naito Parkway, opened in May. Portlanders can learn more about Safe Rest Villages at www. portland.gov/ryan/safe-rest-villages.

“We’re people that ran into some problems,” Lang said of she and her fellow Hamlet 33 inhabitants. “But we don’t mean anyone harm. We’re just trying to live our life like everyone else, just trying to do it with love in our hearts.”

Shawn Mihalik is a novelist, photographer, martial artist, and the Concordia Neighborhood Association’s media team lead. Although he’s fairly new to Portland, he already loves it here.

NE Village PDX volunteer enjoys connections

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Volunteer Opportunities

By Jon Dickman | CNA Media Team

Retiree Abe Cohen (left) volunteers to drive members of Northeast Village PDX to appointments. On this rainy day, John Bear was a passenger headed to an appointment at OHSU. Photo by Jon Dickman

An appreciation of authentic human connection and a love of helping others inspired retired chiropractor and Cully resident Abe Cohen five years ago to volunteer with Northeast Village PDX, 5830 NE Alameda St., serving Concordia and other neighborhoods in central northeast Portland.

For the past five years, the group– volunteer-based, member-led and self-governing–has enabled older people to remain in their homes and enjoy a meaningful quality of life. Services may include transportation, light home maintenance, tech support, social visits, phone check-ins, tax help, yardwork and neighborhood walks. Membership fees help pay for village operating costs.

A driver for the village, Cohen cherishes the one-on-one time he spends when taking a member to a doctor, dentist, or physical therapy appointment or to go shopping, on a park walk or to a hair salon.

“It’s like when I was a chiropractor,” he said. “It’s a meeting of different people from different backgrounds, different personalities, different walks of life. It’s very stimulating.”

John Bear – a writer, former Jeopardy contestant and one of Cohen’s regular passengers – said Cohen was always cheerful. “Abe is one of those people who would rather be 15 minutes early than one minute late. So, I can always count on him for pickups and rides.”

Although the pandemic has limited socializing, some village members use videoconferences for book and movie discussions and arts and crafts. Cooking groups also conduct their meetings via videoconference, as well as speakers who share information of interest to older adults. More in-person cultural, recreational, and social activities are slated to start up again soon.

In February, Northeast Village PDX joined more than 280 similar villages across the country to celebrate the movement’s 20th anniversary. The U.S. House of Representatives marked Feb. 15 as National Village Day.

The milestone was also commemorated by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, who issued a statement into the Congressional Record of the United States Senate to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of the national movement.

“I see a lot of gratitude,” Cohen said. “It’s nice to do something for people who appreciate what you’re doing – not for ego gratification – but because you’re giving them something.”

Northeast Village PDX holds videoconference information sessions for prospective members and volunteers at 2 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month. Register on the calendar at NEVillagePDX.org, or call 503.895.2750 for more information. Also, you can check out their introductory video on their Northeast Village PDX YouTube channel.

Jon Dickman, enthusiastic volunteer with Portland FolkMusic Society and lover of classical jazz vocals, leads a memoir/ show-and-tell group for NE Village PDX called “It’s All About Us.”

Theatre, pub welcome post-lockdown crowds

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Rob Cullivan | CNews Editor

From left: Gordon Freeman (fiddle), Richie Rosencrans (guitar), Jacob Grieco (flute) and Preston Howard Wilde (pipes) perform at the Concordia pub T.C. O’Leary’s, a hub of Irish music in Portland. Contributed photo.

As Covid lockdowns and masking mandates end, people have come out to slake their live music thirst at two of Concordia’s most popular venues, the Alberta Rose Theatre and T.C. O’Leary’s.

Talent Buyer Adam East of Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., says the venue has hosted live performances since last September and is now just about back to its pre-pandemic average of five shows per week.

Upcoming shows include Booker T. Jones of “Green Onions” fame May 1; Portland singer Stephanie Schneiderman and indie rockers Swansea on May 6 as well as a musical tribute to Dolly Parton on June 4 called “Dolly Hoot” featuring local musicians.

Alberta encourages patrons to be vaccinated as well as wear masks, East said, but doesn’t require either. Alberta weathered the Covid storm by being creative.

“We switched to online shows, and presented over 150 livestream shows during lockdown,” East said. “We had a subscription service that kept some of our staff working, and provided some work for musicians in the local scene who had seen all their gigs dry up. We lost a few staff members, but most came back.”

Down the street at Irish music hub T.C. O’Leary’s, 2926 Alberta St., owner Tom O’Leary said he’s hosted performances since the end of the first lockdown, in spring 2020 and whenever regulations permitted after that. However, O’Leary’s did move its performers to an enclosed area outside the pub to decrease the potential for Covid transmission.

“We kept it outside as much as we possibly could depending on the temperature,” he said, noting patrons could enjoy the performances via video screens inside the pub. O’Leary’s doesn’t ask patrons to be masked or show vaccination cards, but the pub owner said his establishment can accommodate those who are concerned about Covid exposure.

“If anyone was feeling nervous to be back in this environment, we have plenty of space outside,” he said, noting the pub has seating room for up to 60 people outside.

O’Leary’s will ask for proof of vaccinations and that patrons be masked when Tom stars in the award-winning Irish American tale “The Smuggler,” which opened April 28 and which runs through to May 22 (see related story page 8). The Dublin born actor says regulations are different for theater as opposed to music, and the pub must abide the rules guiding playhouses for its staging of “The Smuggler.”

CNews Editor Rob Cullivan is a veteran journalist, publicist and grant writer who has written about everything from rock ‘n’ roll to religion. He possesses a deep affection for writers and photographers who hit deadline.

Bureau addresses bridges’ issues

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Keith Daellenbach CNA Media Team

Bridge access closure signs stand on the Northeast 33rd Avenue access ramp to and from Northeast Columbia Boulevard. Photo by Keith Daellenbach

Two bridges span Northeast Lombard Street and an adjacent railroad connecting the Concordia neighborhood to Northeast Columbia Boulevard, and both have changes in store as planned by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT).

These bridges are at the northern termini of Northeast 33rd Avenue and Northeast 42nd Avenue. They provide necessary vehicular and bicycle access to Northeast Columbia Boulevard as well as north to Northeast Marine Drive.

The Northeast 33rd Avenue bridge has been partially closed for eight months and, according to PBOT’s website, the bridge could reopen at the earliest in late June (Portland.gov/transportation/pbot-projects/construction/ne-33rd-avenue-bridge). Meanwhile, PBOT plans to replace the Northeast 42nd Avenue bridge.

The Northeast 33rd Avenue bridge was constructed in 1929 and, according to a brass plaque affixed to the bridge, was originally called the “East Thirty-Third Street Viaduct.” According to PBOT, a bridge of this design has a typical life of approximately 50 years. In a 2021 report on infrastructure in the United States, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) reports that 42% of all bridges are at least 50 years old and many need repair (InfrastructureReportCard.org/cat-item/bridges/).

In 2019, the ASCE gave Oregon a “C” grade for its bridge infrastructure and said the state had the lowest percentage of bridges in good condition among western states (InfrastructureReportCard. org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ FullReport-OR_2019.pdf). Funding for Oregon’s bridges, according to the ASCE, is critically low. Now 93 years old, the Northeast 33rd Avenue bridge’s life has been considerably extended due to upgrades and repairs. As recently as a few years ago, it was closed for many months as it was upgraded to include lanes designed to accommodate increased bicycle traffic.

PBOT inspectors found damage to concrete in one of the bridge’s crossbeams at the northern terminus of the bridge. Two of the three ingress/egress lanes were closed in late August 2021. Only the undamaged northbound fly-over section, which transports northbound traffic on Northeast 33rd Avenue to a westbound direction on Northeast Columbia Boulevard, remains open.

On the underside of the bridge, workers erected temporary vertical steel supports and bolted them to new concrete footings which, in turn, support a large steel I-beam that supports a concrete cross beam to hold up the bridge while repair work is completed. The cost of repairing the bridge remains to be determined.

Meanwhile, PBOT notes the Northeast 42nd Avenue bridge sits on a recommended Emergency Transportation Route. However, the bridge is vulnerable to earthquakes (Portland.gov/transportation/pbot-projects/construction/ne-42nd-ave-bridge-over-ne-lombard). A $17 million dollar project will pay for the replacement of this bridge. A new bridge will meet modern seismic code and will provide better access for freight, walking, and biking. Bidding and contracting will happen this summer and construction is expected to start this fall.

Keith Daellenbach is a mechanical engineer and outdoor enthusiast who loves mountain climbing, skiing, biking, canoeing, and beekeeping with wife Amy and son Micah. His home is in Concordia.

Exhibit features resident’s botanical paintings

Posted on by Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News 2 Comments

By Rob Cullivan | CNews Editor

Amy Daileda’s ‘Bitter Nightshade’ is among the paintings she’ll be exhibiting this month at Flour Market.

Concordia resident Amy Daileda will showcase a group of paintings in “Micro Flora,” an exhibit at Flour Market Bakery, 5507 NE 30th Ave., from Wednesday, May 4, through Sunday, May 29. A reception will take place from 5-8 p.m. Friday, May 6. Admission is free and open to the public.

Daileda said her paintings are being exhibited “mere blocks from where my subjects grow. Flora is a list of the plant life of a particular area, period or habitat. These acrylic paintings represent part of the flora of my Northeast Portland, Oregon native, edible, organic garden.”

The artist used macro, or close-up photos of plants to help her create her works. “I also study their botany, edible and medicinal uses, history and beauty, and try to connect to them using all of my senses,” she said. “Using acrylic paint on locally made wood panels, I painted them while working next to the studio window that overlooks our organic garden where they grow.”

The exhibit is part of the Taking. Up. Space. Initiative facilitated by the Artist/ Mother and Thrive Networks. Taking Up Space or T.U.S. is a female focused community global art exhibition taking place in more than 80 locations in May. You can learn more about them by visiting the #takingupspace2022 hashtag on Instagram.

Daileda has lived in Concordia for 21 years and is a clothing designer creating wearable art for even longer under the name Vivid Element. She said that this is her first painting exhibit since 1993.

“During the pandemic I started painting again,” she said. “Since we were quarantined at home, I used the details of plants and flowers I grow in our Backyard Habitat Certified garden as subjects. I studied painting in college and am now inspired to take it further. I’m thrilled to be showing at this great new bakery in our neighborhood.”

For more information, visit VividElement.com/art_event/micro-flora.

You’re invited to tour local linear arboretum

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Trees
Concordian Jim Gersbach will lead people of all ages on an April 16 walking tour of the Ainsworth Linear Arboretum. Pictured taking their own pre-tour are Naomi Anderson, Audrey Sullivan, Willa McCauley, and Gina and Crosby Levine. Photo by Nancy Varekamp

By Jim Gersbach | Linear Arboretum Founder, Concordia Tree Team Member

You’re invited to join me on a free walk to explore the Concordia Linear Arboretum Saturday, April 16. The 90-minute walk, sponsored by Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry, will start at 9 a.m. at the southeast corner of 30th Avenue and Ainsworth Street.

Concordia is fortunate to have one of a handful of Portland’s tree-lined medians. It’s a stretch of about 1.5 miles from Fernhill Park to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Since 2005, the median – and the right-of-way planting strips on the north and south sides of the street – have been designated by the city as an investigational arboretum.

Here, city residents can get to know less familiar, approved street trees, including ones in a trial for suitability in this climate.

Originally conceived as a grand entrance to the city from the east, Ainsworth was envisioned as a boulevard with a tree-lined median running from the Columbia Gorge to the Willamette River.

The only part ever developed as such is what exists today. The original Ainsworth planting was a classic monoculture – a single species of tree (Acer platanoides) that conformed to the uniform look so prized by European city planners. That made Ainsworth more vulnerable to any pest or disease that especially afflicted maples.

Portland’s mild climate can support hundreds of different tree species. As the city began to allow and then encourage more choices of species, many people still selected only what was familiar. Exposing people to great new options is what the Ainsworth Linear Arboretum is all about.

When trees die, we replace them with diverse species and new cultivars with better forms or disease resistance. Over 16 years, diversity in the median has grown from six to 47 species, and now there are trees native to Oregon.

Many people and organizations have helped. Trees and mulch have been provided by nurseries, Friends of Trees and Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry. The parks folks have also removed dead trees, ground the stumps to enable new plantings and watered young ones for the trees’ first two summers. Members of the city Youth Conservation Crew have weeded and mulched.

Because Portland has experienced multiple drought years, I have handwatered a lot of the trees beyond two years to help them establish.

Editor’s note: CNews space is limited, and there just wasn’t room for all of the information Jim Gersbach provided. To see his full-length story, visit ConcordiaPDX.org/2022-linear-arboretum-tour.

Concordian Jim Gersbach is public affairs specialist for the Oregon Department of Forestry and former urban forestry specialist for the city of Portland. His volunteer activities include serving on the Concordia Tree Team, founding the Ainsworth Linear Arboretum, acting as an outreach guide for the Hoyt Arboretum, and providing education as well as leading planting and pruning crews for Friends of Trees.

Volunteers rescue and foster lost pet rabbits

Posted on by Posted in CNA, Volunteer Opportunities
Concordian Brian Duval rescued Morgan from his neighbor’s yard. Usually, he just fosters lost,  domesticated rabbits for the Rabbit Advocacy organization – but this one he adopted.

By Mac Larsen | CNA Media Team

Take a walk down the grocery store aisle during this season. You see chocolate, marshmallow and stuffed rabbits, and the list goes on and on.

For many, spring brings bunnies to mind more often than any other time of year, unless you’re a volunteer for Rabbit Advocates. Then bunnies are a year-round concern.

Concordian Brian Duval is a volunteer with Rabbit Advocates and recently rescued a large white rabbit from his neighbor’s yard.

“I was in between fostering rabbits, so I took the offer to take this one in, and foster it for the time being,” Brian said. “He’s just hilarious, following me around everywhere, nipping at the bottom of my pants to pet him.

“You know, it takes a really long time for a rabbit to warm up to you. But this guy was like, ‘I’m ready for a friend.’ And I was like, ‘Me too,’ so we put in the adoption papers.”

Rabbit Advocates is an all-volunteer nonprofit founded in Portland 20 years ago. The mission is to help stray domesticated rabbits find new owners after they’ve been abandoned or otherwise left without permanent homes.

“There are domestic rabbits and wild rabbits, which are different animals. And these animals that we’re fostering and we’re rescuing are domesticated rabbits that are meant to be pets,” Brian said.

The most noticeable difference between pet rabbits and wild rabbits is size and color. A wild rabbit usually is small and solid brown. If a rabbit looks larger, has spots or is white, then the rabbit may be a lost pet.

Rabbit Advocates’ volunteers are trained to care properly for the rescued rabbits until permanent homes are found.

“In 2021, Rabbit Advocates rescued 160 new bunnies from perilous situations and found excellent adoptive homes for 148 bunnies with the help of 85 certified foster families in the Greater Portland Area,” cited the Rabbit Advocates year-end report.

According to Brian, Rabbit Advocates’ work is important because domesticated rabbits can’t defend themselves in the wild. “They don’t have the breeding to understand predators or survive.”

Rabbit Advocates educates the public about the differences between wild and pet rabbits, how to spot the differences and provides rescue and adoption resources for those who’ve found lost rabbits.

If you’re interested in adopting or fostering a bunny through Rabbit Advocates, visit RabbitAdvocates.org.

As for the rabbit Brian rescued from neighbor Peter’s yard, he named it Morgan. “I couldn’t name him Peter. That would be too obvious.”

Mac Larsen is a graduate student at the University of Oregon, pursuing a master’s degree in journalism. He grew up in Concordia neighborhood and can be found frequently on Alberta Street, complaining about all the construction.

Reader’s Opinion – SRV issue was a missed opportunity

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Andy Pfandler | Concordia Neighbor

I followed with interest the discussion around siting the Safe Rest Village (SRV) at the Whitaker site, ultimately I feel saddened and a little ashamed at the way things played out. I understand why Portland Public Schools (PPS) chose not to approve using that location, and I have a problem with the way our community reacted to the proposal. Instead of sending out flyers and letters I wish we had collectively said “Maybe not here, how else can we help?”

The flyer that ended up at my house in November was full of dog whistles and not based in reality. It was also hypocritical. Do those who rent or own undergo mental health screenings when moving here? Are our choices around drug use, pets or anything else scrutinized?

The request for engagement in the letter the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) sent to PPS seems reasonable. But to me, the tone in that letter is “not here.” There is not even a throwaway sentence about wanting to support or provide housing for people who are homeless.

I think we need to do more to support our neighbors. Does the CNA represent all people living in the neighborhood or just those privileged enough to be living in a parcel? Do you want people to leave, or do you want to help, maybe both?

I work at a nonprofit that provides behavioral health support to people living in shelters. My No. 1 recommendation: ask people what they need. Experiencing homelessness is traumatic, and can cause a loss of agency and voice. I’d like to believe that we as a community can find ways to lift up the voices of people who have been marginalized and dehumanized. Individually, you can talk to people, the discomfort fades quickly. Systematically, the CNA could work to include our unhoused neighbors. What great ideas can we collectively brainstorm to lift up people’s voices?

In lieu of asking what people need, here are some suggestions based on my experiences: organize trash pick ups, provide sanitary ways for people to use the bathroom, set up a system for clean water, be friendly, advocate for housing-first policies, help people wash their clothes, give them money and let them choose, support mutual aid groups or nonprofits doing this work.

I think the SRV idea is a good one, the Whitaker site was not the place, and I wish we had been more welcoming. We can do better.

CNA respects the views and beliefs of all Concordians, and their cultures and faiths. The views expressed by this writer do not necessarily reflect the views of CNA. For details about submitting a Reader’s Opinion piece for publication, visit ConcordiaPDX.org/CNewsSubmissions.

JRJ features tastes of owners’ Oaxaca roots

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses
Look for mimosas and cantaritos on the menu at JRJ Skillets soon. Ramiro Eusebio Sanchez and his business partners expect to serve those in March, while continuing to offer cuisine from their homeland. Photo by Nancy Varekamp

JRJ Skillets brings traditional Mexican flavors to Concordia. The owners are proud of their Mexican roots, and they are incorporating Oaxaca’s flavors into their menu. “I like to recreate the flavors of my childhood and share them with my clients,” Ramiro Eusebio Sanchez said.

JRJ combines the first initials of Ramiro and his fellow entrepreneur,: José Cruz Lopez and José Juan Trejo Resendiz. They opened their doors at 2529 N.E. Alberta St. in October.

Ramiro is the main chef, and he is responsible for the menu and day-to-day operations. Most of JRJ’s salsas & mole are modeled after his mom’s cooking. “My mother is the biggest inspiration, teacher and critic of my food,” he pointed out.

However, the restaurant also offers American items such as biscuits and gravy, and burgers.

A best seller and recommended by the chef are the chilaquiles with green or red sauce and over-easy eggs. Also popular are carnitas and carne asada. “The enchiladas of mole are a must have.“ José Cruz said.

Ramiro immigrated to the U.S. at the age 16. At 35, he has nearly two decades of experience pouring into JRJ.

“I have worked in all aspects of the restaurant business. I’ve been a dishwasher, waiter and manager.” He found Portland to be the right city for him and Concordia the perfect spot for his longtime dream to open a restaurant.

As a business owner, Ramiro understands the importance of quality and feedback, and he believes they set JRJ apart. Owners import from México many of the key ingredients that cannot be found in the U.S., like chilies and spices – while using as many fresh local vegetables as possible.

“The quality can be tasted. We care, from the flavor and presentation of our plates to the presentation of our staff,” Ramiro reported.

“We want to offer excellence in taste, plating and quality,” he pointed out. For instance, the coffee is an original blend available only at JRJ. In addition, he takes to heart every review left on Yelp. com, and he invites all Concordia neighbors to visit, try the food and share their feedback online.

JRJ owners are in the process of acquiring an alcohol license, and they are hoping to have their fresh mimosas and tasty cantaritos on the menu in March. “We use fresh-squeezed juices, not concentrate” Ramiro promised.
The full menu is available on JRJSkillets.com.

Nota del editor: Artículo disponible en Español, visita ConcordiaPDX.org/JRJSkillets.

Javier Puga-Phillips holds the Southwest 1 position on the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors, manages rentals of the McMenamins Kennedy School Community Room and chairs the CNA Social Committee. He is a real estate professional locally, and he is a published author and motivational speaker in Latin America and Spain.