Concordia Neighborhood Association | Portland, Oregon

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Juneteenth holiday offers marker, touchpoint

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By Lew Frederick | State Senator, District 22

State Sen. Lew Frederick celebrates the Oregon House of Representatives’ approval of Juneteenth as a state holiday. The Senate was expected to vote on the bill after CNews press time. Photo courtesy of Lew Frederick

House Bill 2168 designates June 19 as an Oregon state holiday commemorating the arrival on horseback of the news of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to the cheers of African Americans then enslaved.

The Emancipation Proclamation news arrived in waves to the enslaved Black women and men of my family in Mississippi. Family stories say “joy” was the first emotion. Next “skepticism.” Active and often deadly reactions followed against freed African Americans by whites fearful that they might be treated the way they treated their former slaves.

“Hope” stood at the center of a possible future for my family.

Hope continues to this day. So does the skepticism.

The two dance together in our time. We need to understand how they fit together, and how they create a new world.

My family traveled the country attending science conventions and visiting relatives, conscious of but not bowing to the Jim Crow laws that kept us from staying in motels in the North and South; not bothering with restaurants that might not serve us.

We stopped at every historic marker along the way. I suspect that it was also a way for Dad to rest. He made it a point to read out loud every marker so that we had in our memory his voice, the words on the marker, and a sense of being in a certain place at a certain time.

Celebrating Juneteenth is not just a legal historical marker. It is a memory that lives on in each of us.

Especially now.

This year we faced the racism of the past and the racism of the present.

The murder of George Floyd in front of us, all of us, focused clearly the issues of racism and lack of personal safety. It was no longer a myth of “victimhood.”

The pandemic exposed huge holes in the fabric of our safety net for African Americans and other minority/marginalized groups, while pointing out the essential worker role praised but not compensated.

The year gave us a marker, a touchpoint, on other times. We now, via this bill, this proclamation, can learn from another time. And dedicate to changing the future in real-time without waiting for the news of equality to arrive on horseback.

I recognize efforts to resist the arc of history bending toward justice will always be there. This new holiday recognizes that the people of the State of Oregon, despite our past, can take the veil of ignorance away and each year celebrate Hope on Juneteenth. A marker to read and remember.

Lew Frederick has served in the Oregon Legislature since 2009, first representing House District 43 and now Senate District 22. Professionally, he is a strategic communications consultant, and he worked previously as public information director for Portland Public Schools and as a reporter for KGW TV.

News from the NET – Prepare, no matter where

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By Erin E. Cooper | Concordia/Vernon/Woodlawn Neighborhood Emergency Team

As Portland heats up for the summer and COV ID -19 restrictions loosen, lots of people will be heading to the beach for vacations and weekends. Although tsunamis – the giant waves caused by offshore earthquakes – are not a concern in Portland, we should be aware of what to do in case of disaster while we’re away from home.

There are two possible scenarios for a tsunami on the Oregon Coast. If the earthquake is far away, like Japan, there will be hours to evacuate and no damage to evacuation routes. In this scenario, you won’t feel the earthquake itself. You’ll be notified about the evacuation by local emergency responders, and they’ll provide instructions on where and how to evacuate.

If you feel the earth shaking, it’s potentially the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Drop, cover and hold on – this the recommendation no matter where you are if the earth is shaking.

If you’re on the coast, however, be ready to move as soon as the shaking stops. There will only be 15-25 minutes to get out of the tsunami zone, so start moving inland and uphill immediately without waiting for instructions or assistance from emergency responders.

Because of damage to roads and bridges, the most direct evacuation route might not be available, and cars may not be useable. On foot, follow the blue and white “Tsunami Evacuation Route” signs. If you visit the same area frequently, download the tsunami flooding maps and evacuation routes. The waters may surge and recede several times before the danger is over, so don’t return to low-lying areas until given the all-clear.

The odds of a tsunami happening on your vacation are low and shouldn’t keep you from enjoying yourself, but it’s always good to know what to do in a disaster.

Erin E. Cooper is a marine biologist living in Woodlawn. She spends a lot of time thinking about disasters and has been a NET member for many years. Contact her at OceanListener@gmail. com.

Local parks are open for safe, summer fun

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Brothers – Maxwell & Jubal Waissman – were photographed enjoying time in a local park even before Portland Parks & Recreation summer programs began this month. Photo by Maquette Reeverts

Summer activities in local parks may not be back to pre-pandemic days, but Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) has plans for an increase from last year’s activities and events.

“PP&R designed summer programming to meet public health guidance and to be flexible as conditions change,” explained Mark Ross, PP&R spokesman. “Precautions to protect public health include employees and participants maintaining physical distancing, and limited capacities in groups and programs.

“At this time we anticipate that all PP&R employees will wear face coverings when conducting summer 2021 programs, inside or outside,” he added in early May. “The same requirements will be in effect for all participants in the age ranges stipulated by public health guidance.”

For updated details on these abbreviated descriptions of activities and events, visit Portland.gov/parks/summer.

Concerts in Fernhill Park are off the table again this year, while Multnomah County navigates the levels of COVID-19 risk.

Lunch & Play returns this summer to continue meals when schools are closed. Details on days, times and parks weren’t available by press time, so keep an eye on Portland.gov/parks/free-lunchplay. Unannounced events – pop-up arts, music and culture – are being planned to surprise participants.

Day camps for children at Fernhill and Khunamowkst parks are also on tap this summer, with plans in the completion stage at press time. Find details for summer camps and nature day camp .

Splash pad hours and operations – depending on risk levels determined by public health guidance – are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily June 11 through Sept. 6. Local splash pads are at Fernhill, Khunamokwst and Woodlawn parks.

Pools are planned to open June 22 at seven outdoor venues and – if COVID-19 restrictions and staffing allow – five indoor pools. Registration opened May 24 for June and July programs, including swim lessons. View details here.

Safety measures at the pools will include limited capacity, one-way traffic flow, increased cleaning protocols and additional hand sanitizing stations, according to the spokesman. “Public health guidance informs our face covering policy. All visitors ages 5 and up must wear one when not in the water, face coverings are strongly encouraged for everyone over age 2 as long as they can remove it themselves and all visitors must remain six feet apart at all times throughout the facility. Restrooms will be open, but locker rooms and showers will be closed.”

Fitness in the Park – group exercise classes – are expanded this summer, with the venues closest to Concordia at Irving and Columbia parks. View details here.

From the Board – What would YOU do with the CU property?

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By Peter Keller | CNA Chair

I hope you enjoyed Mother’s Day like I did and were able to spend time with extended (vaccinated) family without masks. It’s only a matter of time, I hope, before we can start meeting together for various events in public again, such as our monthly CNA board meetings.

May was a busy meeting for the CNA board. We approved two letters to send to the mayor and Portland city commissioners.

One asks the city to provide more time and resources for public input into the new Design Overlay Zone Amendments (DOZA) standards being proposed. Garlynn Woodsong wrote about the proposed DOZA standards in his column last month. Our letter is here.

The second letter we agreed to sign on behalf of CNA was presented to us in the May meeting by James Ofsink, of the Police Accountability Network. It asks the mayor and city council to consider several changes to the contract that the council is currently negotiating with the Portland Police Association. You can see it at UniteOregon.org/policing.

The other major item discussed in the meeting was the public auction of the Concordia University (CU) campus and facilities at 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 29, at the Multnomah County Courthouse, 1200 S.W. 1st Avenue.

We decided to take an informal poll of the neighborhood to find out what neighbors would like to see the 24-acre site used for in the future.

As of press time, CNA has learned neither any definitive word on potential buyers, nor any wouldbe buyer’s plans for the CU property.

The city’s Planning and Zoning Code for “Campus Institutional Zones” – in which the campus is located – governs what uses are permitted. Language in the code points out, “The zones are for institutions such as medical centers … and colleges that have been developed as campuses, and for other uses that are compatible with surrounding neighborhoods.”

Any buyer who intends to put the property to a different use would be required to seek a zone change. That process assures neighbors’ input at both the Portland Bureau of Development Services and the Portland City Council.

In the meantime, the CNA Board of Directors wants to hear from you about what use(s) of the campus you’d like to see. Knowing the preferences of the majority of neighborhood participants, if only informally, will help CNA lobby the city government and whomever the new owner becomes.

So, before June 15, visit the CNA poll at ConcordiaPDX.org/CUPoll and offer your opinion. CNews and the CNA Facebook page will report the findings (and hopefully the identity of the new owner).

Native Portlander Peter Keller has lived in Concordia since 1997. He runs a small marketing agency with partner Max, out of their home studio. He loves exploring outdoors with and without his dogs.

Survivor embraced civics early on

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, History

By Nancy Varekamp | CNews Editor

Ed Washington’s childhood experiences in Vanport – and after escaping flood waters – molded his passion for community engagement. Photo by Travis Spencer, Office of Global Diversity & Inclusion, Portland State University

Vanport isn’t history to Ed Washington. The 84-year-old Concordian’s four years there helped lay his foundation for embracing education, civil rights and civic engagement.

In 1944, when he was seven, Ed’s family moved from Alabama to Vanport to join his father who was employed at Henry J. Kaiser’s Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation. Oregon’s second largest city was filled with apartments, schools, community centers and clinics.

“What I remember most about it was just the number of people there, though it wasn’t like we were all crawling all over each other. There were so many activities in Vanport, particularly in summer. There was never a lack of things to do.

“The schools were so wonderful.” One vivid memory was his class planting gourd seeds in early May 1948, in preparation for September harvesting, drying and painting. The flood took the garden, the entire city, most personal belongings and the lives of at least a dozen people.

From one of many evacuation buses on Denver Avenue, he witnessed the berm give way to the wall of water.

His family slept that night in a school cafeteria, then two weeks in a church before a longer stay in converted Army barracks on Swan Island.

Ed attributes much of his commitment to community to his mother. She raised seven children in those uncertain times. And she taught him the importance of family and community. While in Vanport – and even after the family’s stay on Swan Island – George H. Oberteuffer served as Boy Scout mentor to Ed.

Obie told him, “Things are not what they should be for you and for people that look like you and your brothers. But Eddie, I don’t want you to ever get discouraged, because things are going to change. When those changes start, I want you and your brothers to be prepared.’”

Two moves later, Ed attended Irvington Elementary School, where his teacher led field trips to the Legislature, county courthouse, city hall and elsewhere.

“I learned how government worked from Mrs. [Hazel] Hill. I used to take kids on trips like the ones she took us on to experience much of what I had.”

Ed began practicing what she taught him during his successful campaigns for Grant High School class president, and much later to the Metro Council.

His dedication to civic involvement and civil rights – including presidency of the local NAACP – grew over the years. He’s still going strong, serving as director of Community Outreach and Engagement for the Portland State University Office of Global Diversity & Inclusion, among a flurry of other commitments.

Editor’s note: Space here doesn’t allow for many of Ed’s memories. For additional details, visit ConcordiaPDX.org/EdWashington. For oral histories from him and fellow Vanport survivors, visit VanportMosaic.org/the-living-archive/ category/Oral+History. 

Urbanism – Architecture’s ‘language’ can span decades

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Land Use & Transportation

By Garlynn Woodsong | CNA Board Member, SW1 CNA LUTC Chair

We in the Concordia neighborhood live in a streetcar-era neighborhood – platted and built out during the first two decades of the 20th century – around streetcar service that connected it to downtown Portland.

Lines traversed from Union Avenue (now Martin Luther King) up Alberta Street to a wye – or junction – leading to a terminus at Alberta and 32nd Avenue, and another at Ainsworth Street and 30th Avenue, as well as a line on Dekum Street to 24th Avenue.

Each of these areas was the focus of neighborhood main streets, surrounded by the homes sold by real estate developers to finance the construction of our original neighborhood. The streetcar lines were paved over in the 1950s as a part of a nationwide conspiracy to boost rubber, petroleum and automobile sales. However, the bones of our neighborhood from this era remain: the streets, sidewalks, alleys and buildings.

Regardless of style, the buildings from that era all speak the same design language. Just like with a spoken language, a design language has a certain structure and defining elements that allow for design conversations between different elements of the built environment. The results are mutual design understanding.

For instance, the main street buildings of the streetcar era all have certain characteristics in common:

  • A base-middle-top pattern is evident, in which the building has certain characteristics that it presents at the ground floor level, another set at the upper floor level and a third along the roofline.
  • At the base level, the pattern consists of typical store fronts, including raised sills, recessed entries, large storefront display windows and clerestory windows at the ceiling.
  • At the middle level, vertical recessed windows are aligned horizontally and vertically in paired groupings. • At the top level, articulated rooflines feature elements such as cornices, towers, curves, chevrons, gables or columns amongst many other roofline elements common to that era.
  • Within the building, all of the levels feature aligned floorplates with stacked openings, an age-old solution that results in affordable, long-lasting buildings.
  • The exterior skin of buildings from this era is made of natural materials, including brick, wood, metal, stucco or stone.
  • Consistent materials are used across the entire facade, if not the entire building.
  • Subtle ornamentation is applied at the facade – the face the building presents to the street. That includes brick detail work, cornice lines and wood trim details that are much less costly than the structural gymnastic and graphic approaches chosen by recent development stylistics trends.
  • At corners, chamfers – the cut aways – and recessed entries prevent people from running into one another.
  • A rhythm of recessed entries is created for the pedestrian who walks down the sidewalk past a series of businesses.

These characteristics form the timeless approach to add distinct individual characteristics affordably. They also:

  • Increase pedestrian interest in the public realm through the use of building texture
  • Enhance the joy factor of the community experience of the built environment through the beauty and craft of each building as expressed in simple ways
  • Provide opportunities to highlight local cultural representations and reflections of the surrounding community

For a Main Street Minute, you can watch the Main Street Patterns video, here: tinyurl.com/mainstpatterns.

Register here to join us for a walking tour of Alberta Street at 6pm on July 15th, to help the CNA Board and LUTC learn about the design features of our unprotected historic main street. Attendees will learn how to identify local area patterns, and participate in a community dialogue about design priorities and goals for future development and/or preservation.

Garlynn Woodsong lives on 29th Avenue, serves on the CNA board and is an avid bicyclist. He also is a dad who is passionate about the city his son will inherit. He is the planning + development partner with Cascadia Partners LLC, a local urban planning firm. Contact him at LandUse@ ConcordiaPDX.org.

Concordia Art Works – Keep an eye out for tap master MC Shoehorn

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By Maquette Reeverts | Alberta Art Works

Michael Conley, AKA MC Shoehorn, plays 12 instruments to the rhythm of his tapping feet. A world traveler and local mainstay, he performed in the very first Last Thursday in 1997. Photo by Maquette Reeverts

Tap dance is an indigenous American dance genre that evolved over 300 years. In the 1700s, the Irish jig fused with the West African gioube to become “jigging.”

When slave owners took away traditional African percussion instruments, slaves turned to percussive dancing to express themselves and retain their cultural identities. Jigging was later refined for public entertainment and called tap.

The form of entertainment is honored with “National Tap Dance Day” on May 25, signed into law in 1989 by George H.W. Bush.

Twenty-eight-year neighbor Michael Conley, known as MC Shoehorn, is our very own tap master. As an exchange student in Peru his Peruvian “brother” played banjo and guitar while he played harmonica.

“I always listened to my footsteps when I would practice.” That led him to purchase an old pair of shoes at a thrift store and add taps.

MC Shoehorn now plays 12 instruments, has recorded 10 CDs and invented an electronic instrument that allows him to play additional instruments with his feet while he plays his saxophone and taps.

Performing spontaneously with no set routine, he improvises through blues, jazz, rock, world music and his own compositions.

MC Shoehorn started out busking on the streets of New Orleans and performed at Alberta Street’s very first Last Thursday in 1997. He plays at festivals and fairs, with local bands, school assemblies and other events, and he has toured Russia and Austria to share his passion for rhythms.

MC Shoehorn teaches his craft and is planning outdoor lessons for all ages this summer. Find out more at ShoehornMusic.com.

Michel Reeverts, aka Maquette , holds a master of arts degree in art education, serves Alberta Art Works as director and Alberta Street Gallery as a board member. She is also a practicing artist. Contact her at Maquette@AlbertaArtWorks.org.

News from the NET – Shake Alert technology comes to Oregon soon

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Erin E. Cooper | Concordia/Vernon/Woodlawn Neighborhood Emergency Team

What could you do with three to 10 seconds of warning before an earthquake?

Those seconds could be enough to take steps to prevent injury or even save your life.

Oregon’s new ShakeAlert system receives information from seismic detectors across the West Coast and sends a warning to cell phones in areas that will be affected by shaking. The system is not predicting earthquakes, but is sensing earthquakes that have already begun and alerting users before the shaking starts.

It’s not necessary to sign up for alerts, since they’ll come through the Wireless Emergency Alerts system, similar to Amber Alerts or other imminent threats, such as tornadoes.

These alerts will start when your location is expected to experience “light” shaking or stronger. It’s also possible, but not required, to download the MyShake App on Google and Android phones, which will alert you when “weak” or stronger shaking is expected.

What should you do with your seconds of warning about an impending earthquake?

The ShakeAlert will remind you to drop, cover and hold on. Rather than spending the first few seconds of the earthquake trying to identify the unique sensation, you’ll be ready to act. Get off that ladder or move away from the glass window, and the probability of getting through with no or minimal injuries is much better.

In the future, ShakeAlert will also connect to more than just individuals. By shutting off gas, water and the electric grid in the moments before shaking starts, ShakeAlert could save critical infrastructure, making it both faster and cheaper to get services back up and running.

Although ShakeAlert may save lives and minimize injuries, it’s not an infallible system. If you feel shaking, take action immediately, without waiting for your phone to alert you.

For more information on what to during an earthquake, including for those with limited mobility, visit Ready.gov/earthquakes.

Erin E. Cooper is a marine biologist living in Woodlawn. She spends a lot of time thinking about disasters and has been a NET member for many years. Contact her at OceanListener@gmail. com.

On/off job, she helps immigrants

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By Nancy Varekamp | CNews Editor

Beth Ronk, left, and Kelsey Rairigh provide for many needs of immigrant families. Since September they have helped with distribution of food and other necessities every two or three weeks to families affected by wildfires and the pandemic. Pictured here, the two staff a diaper drive. Photo courtesy of Immigrant Mutual Aid Coalition

Beth Ronk serves immigrant communities as not only a teacher, but also as a volunteer.

All 11 years she has lived in the Concordia and Cully neighborhoods, Beth has taught English as an additional language – first in public schools and now for individual children and/or their parents in their homes.

“It just kind of naturally goes with your work,” she explained. Beth is in a position to identify needs being underserved by available programs, especially in Clackamas County.

“With the pandemic, I lost a few students and had some extra time. It’s easy to fill it with work, even though it’s volunteer work.”

Last September – with the pandemic raging and fires destroying homes – she and others in immigrant rights and social justice groups formed a partnership they dubbed Immigrant Mutual Aid Coalition (IMAC). Those organizations include:

  • Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice
  • American Friends Service Committee
  • Causa
  • Never Again Action
  • Pineros Y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste
  • Familias en Acción

“We had all worked together in other volunteer efforts, and we realized we needed to shift our concerns to response, together,” Beth said.

Each organization has connections to the community and to each other. “It didn’t take a lot of promotion,” she recalled. Within two days, IMAC launched its first distribution of food, household goods and hygiene necessities.

Every two or three weeks since, there have been other distributions at a Clackamas County church that draw 300 to 400 families from the Portland area and elsewhere in the state.

“We are seeing more and more families from east and northeast Portland as the weeks go,” Beth said. And IMAC was prompt to help residents displaced by the January Villa de Clara Vista fire on Cully Boulevard. That included several hundred dollars in gift cards.

IMAC clients are largely Latinx, and Beth appreciates help from the Oregon Food Bank to provide culturally appropriate food products. “It’s important to provide people with food that they would purchase themselves, especially during stressful times,” Beth said.

Due to the nature of the organizations in the coalition, IMAC is also able to help families improve their access to resources like healthcare and unemployment benefits.

Although the needs of IMAC’s clients have not subsided substantially, the volunteers and member organizations are already looking forward.

“What do our efforts look like post pandemic, once people can get back inside a building?” Beth asked.

“We’re thinking about what other opportunities can be created to have the community participate even more.”

Nancy Varekamp is semiretired from her career in journalism, public relations and – her favorite work engagement – writing and editing targeted newsletters.

Supernova blasts into Concordia vegan scene

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

by Tara Williams | CNA Media Team

Lindsay Knight Sligh opened a brick-and-mortar version of her two popular Supernova food carts in the midst of the pandemic. It hasn’t been easy, but she’s glad she did. Find her menu and order at SupernovaVegan.com and @SupernovaVeganPDX, or call 503.462.7910. Photo by Tara Williams

In the midst of the pandemic, Lindsay Knight Sligh created a brick-and-mortar version of her popular Supernova food cart in Back to Eden’s former space at 2215 N.E. Alberta St.

Lindsay said the year has been a doozy. “It was just one thing after another. August through December of last year was probably the hardest time of my life. I learned some really beautiful lessons and some really hard ones.”

Letting go of her staff and closing for several months was devastating. “And it came in conjunction with a significant loss of a family member at the end of the year. We thought we were done for good.”

But Lindsay has faced many challenges since starting Supernova as a food cart in Woodstock in 2017.

“The part I have been able to share in the vegan community has been very important to me. We pushed through, we pulled together some resources, and we’re still here.”

Reopened in April, Supernova’s Alberta location includes menu offerings of favorites developed at the Woodstock and Sellwood carts. The Space Cowboy, what she calls a “messy, decadent BBQ sandwich,” surprised Lindsay by becoming a signature item.

“I thought to myself, well, wouldn’t you want it all wrapped up inside a warm flour tortilla? You get all the same flavor profiles, but it’s handheld, and you can take it on the go,” she said. “Hence the play on the (Steve Miller Band) lyrics: Space Cowboy and Midnight Toker.”

A single mom and daughter of a single mom, Lindsay isn’t new to the food industry. “My family owns a bar and restaurant. I’ve been working my whole life to get to this place where I could open my own business.

“I wanted my kids to be able to come work with me and share in a family business.” Her oldest child now works weekends at the Sellwood location. Another will soon be working at Alberta.

“As a queer-identified female, I feel exceptionally fortunate. We have such a strong community here that lifts us and inspires us and reminds us of who we are, to keep pushing forward, to be seen and to be heard. I love this area and this part of town.”

Coming in May, Supernova plans to introduce a new brunch menu and vegan frozen desserts this summer.

“We’re excited to settle in and connect with the other businesses and people, get to know the names and faces and start to figure out what our place is.

“We hope we can contribute here in a real way.”

Tara Williams is new to Concordia and loving life on Liberty Street. She’s a writer and English professor, not always in that order. Contact her at Eudaimonia.Dr.Williams@gmail.com.