Skip to content

Portland

Court Upholds Portland’s Carbon Infrastructure Ban

January 9, 2018 Natasha Geiling, Thinkprogress.org ,
The Oregon Court of Appeals dealt one of the most progressive climate policies in the country a major victory on Thursday when it ruled that Portland’s fossil fuel infrastructure ban does not violate the U.S. Constitution. The ruling overturns an earlier decision by the state’s Land Use Board of Appeals — an administrative body charged with deciding land use conflicts — which found that the ban on new fossil fuel infrastructure within city limits violated the Interstate Commerce Clause of the Constitution. “We’re thrilled,” Regna Merritt, director of the Healthy Climate Program at Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, said in a statement. “Today’s decision affirms that Portland and other communities can implement innovative protections to counter threats to human health and safety from dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure.”

Police Put Hoods, Earmuffs On Protesters Detained By Portland ICE Facility

October 14, 2017 Staff, www.seattletimes.com , , , ,
By Staff of The Associated Press - PORTLAND, Ore. — Authorities handcuffed several Oregon protesters who tried to block a bus from taking immigrants to a Tacoma, Washington, detention center. Dozens of protesters lined up Wednesday afternoon outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland. They blocked the entrance and exit for several hours while several activists linked themselves together. Federal Protective Services officers started arresting protesters at about 5:30 p.m. The agency has not said how many were detained. The Portland Mercury reported that six people were handcuffed — three members of the chain and three of their supporters. Videos showed Portland police placing hoods and earmuffs over the heads of protesters who were bound together. Portland police Sgt. Chris Burley said that was done for protection, because officers initially believed they needed spark-prone power tools to separate them. Burley said Portland police made one arrest, but it was not directly related to the protest.

Big Oil Overturns Portland’s Landmark Fossil Fuel Ban

July 22, 2017 Nick Caleb, www.therealnews.com , ,
By Nick Caleb for The Real News Network - Sharmini Peries: It's The Real News Network. I'm Sharmini Peries coming to you from Baltimore. Back in December last year, we all hailed the city of Portland for taking a remarkable step by banning new fossil fuel infrastructure projects within city limits. With this move, it became the first city in the US to take such a bold step forward. Portland mayor, Charlie Hales at the time, said this is the first stone in a green wall across the West Coast. Then the zoning ordinance drew a challenge from the oil industry and the Portland Business Alliance. This week, the fossil fuel expansion ban got overturned by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals. With us to discuss the fossil fuel interest behind this and what's next for the city, we are going to speak with Nicholas Caleb. He is from Portland, Oregon. He is an attorney with the Center for Sustainable Economy, the organization that intervened in the recent appeals case. Thanks for joining us, Nick. Nicholas Caleb: Nice to be here. Sharmini Peries: Nick, the city of Portland had already decided what was good for the city and its citizens, so who was behind overturning the decision and will the decision stand?

Violence Erupts In Portland Amid Alt-Right, Anti-Fascist Rallies

June 5, 2017 Andy Campbell and Lydia O’Connor, www.huffingtonpost.com , , ,
By Andy Campbell and Lydia O’Connor for Huffington Post - This city has been preparing for war for a week. PORTLAND, Ore. ― For days, Portland has served as ground zero for American hate, heroism and healing. Today, it served as America’s battleground. What started Sunday as two counterdemonstrations outside City Hall between anti-fascist protesters and members of the alt-right during a “Trump Free Speech Rally” evolved into an impromptu march and standoff with police. As police began closing off Chapman Square, where the anti-fascists had staged their protest, at around 3:45 p.m., officers lobbed loud explosives in the protesters’ direction. It’s unclear whether they were concussion or tear gas grenades, but there was a yellow smoke emanating from some of them. At least five explosions were heard as police pushed people back from that square. Portland police said the explosives were in response to projectiles thrown at its officers.

Under Activist Pressure, Portland Agrees To End All Corporate Investments

April 14, 2017 Mike Ludwig, www.truth-out.org , ,
By Mike Ludwig for Truthout - In a sweeping move that follows a wave of divestment activism in Portland, Oregon, and across the country, the Portland City Council voted last week to pull all of the city's investments in corporate bonds and securities. The decision was a major victory for a broad coalition of activists who have pushed for the city to end its investments in corporations that have questionable records on the environment and human rights, including ties to the Dakota Access pipeline, the private prison industry and the Israeli occupation of Palestine. "As their decision stands now, it's permanent.… We can rest assured in Portland that our money won't be funding prisons, pipelines and the occupation of Palestine," said Amanda Aguilar Shank, an organizer with the racial justice group Enlace, in an interview with Truthout. Portland's City Council had originally considered adding Caterpillar, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase and six other companies identified by a volunteer committee on socially responsible investing to a so-called "Do Not Buy" list

Portland Leads Way To Nationwide Divest From Dakota Pipeline And Private Prisons?

December 5, 2016 Mike Ludwig, www.truth-out.org , , ,
By Mike Ludwig for Truthout - Not long after returning home from the Dakota Access pipeline protests at Standing Rock, Oregon resident Ali Pullen was testifying before the Portland City Council in an effort to dump several large corporations from the city's list of contractors and investment interests. Pullen, who had traveled to Standing Rock with a delegation of people of color from Portland, specifically testified about Caterpillar, a major construction contractor for Dakota Access, and Wells Fargo, one of 17 banks financing a pipeline that activists are now risking life and limb to stop.

Portland Is A Sustainable Utopia—How It Happened

June 7, 2016 Yves Smith, www.nakedcapitalism.com ,
By Yves Smith for Naked Capitalism - Yves here. We so often feature stories about what is wrong, because in our view, you need to have an accurate diagnosis before you can come up with solutions. I know some people who view themselves as very liberal who believe that it is impossible to get Americans to move to more environmentally responsible lifestyles. One good contact claimed earlier this week, “No one is being honest about what it would take. You’d need to shower only once a week and give up on air conditioners, dish washers, and most use of cars.”

Solidarity Networks As The Future Of Housing Justice

March 7, 2016 Shane Burley, www.roarmag.org , ,
By Shane Burley for ROAR Magazine - As we get further away from the shocking chain of foreclosures that marked the 2008 financial crisis, it has become more apparent just how deep the catastrophe hit. The crisis led to 2.9 million foreclosures that year — a level of housing displacement comparable to an active war zone. For those without the means to even own a home, the crisis never had a clear beginning or end. In major cities across America, rents are responding to the influx of massive internet start-ups, “creative-class” corporations and financial institutions that are bringing in large incomes in small numbers.

Portland Pipe Line Corp Sues Over Ban On Crude Exports

January 24, 2016 Kelley Bouchard, www.pressherald.com , , ,
By Kelley Bouchard for Portland Press Herald. Portland, ME - The future of the Portland Pipe Line Corp. will be in jeopardy if it’s not allowed to reverse the flow of its pipeline to bring tar sands oil from Canada to its marine terminal in South Portland, lawyers for the company argued Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland. The company is challenging South Portland’s controversial Clear Skies ordinance,passed by the City Council in July 2014, which banned the loading of crude oil into tankers on the city’s waterfront and effectively blocked the company from reversing the flow of its South Portland-to-Montreal pipeline. Attorneys for South Portland questioned why the company still hasn’t submitted any plans or sought any of the permits needed to reverse the pipeline’s flow. “They haven’t taken any steps to actually do what they claim they want to do,” said Jonathan Ettinger, a lawyer with Foley Hoag in Boston. “If they’re not taking steps, (the claim of urgency) is hollow.” Ettinger said global market conditions – not the city’s ordinance – are the source of the company’s hardships.

Oregonians Protest Reinstating Cop Fired Over Fatal Shooting

January 1, 2016 Andrew Theen, www.oregonlive.com , , ,
By Andrew Theen for The Oregonian - A group of protesters gathered Thursday morning outside Portland City Hall to oppose a court ruling this week requiring the city rehire Ron Frashour, a police officer who was fired after he fatally shot an unarmed black man in the back. The Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform organized Thursday's demonstration, one day after the Oregon Court of Appeals sided with an arbitrator's ruling to reinstate Frashour. 2012 Statement From Marva Davis, The Mother Of Aaron CampbellKate Lore, a social justice minister with the First Unitarian Church of Portland, reads a statement from 2012 by Marva Davis about Portland Police officer Ron Frashour and the shooting death of Davis's son, Aaron Campbell.

Shell Ice Breaker Leaves Portland After Inspiring Delay

July 31, 2015 , , ,
By Staff for RT - The Arctic-bound vessel got through after police intervened, arresting campaigners. All protesters were eventually lowered into Willamette River by the Coast Guard, Oregon State Police and Portland Fire & Rescue crews and detained for alleged criminal trespassing and interfering with law enforcement, according to reports. After the human blockade was removed and the icebreaker, which is central to Royal Dutch Shell’s plans for extracting oil in the Arctic, began to depart, so-called “kayaktivists” tried to engage the vessel by rowing into its path. Greenpeace claimed the action was a success. “We found that the blockade was successful." Nicole added that the goal is to bring attention to the issue and persuade President Barack Obama to reconsider giving permission to Shell to drill in the Arctic.

Obama Protested As He Pushes TPP At Nike

May 11, 2015 Luke Hammill, www.oregonlive.com , , , ,
Chants of "TPP – just don't do it" and "Corporate greed has got to go" rang through the air outside Nike headquarters in Beaverton on Friday morning, as President Obama prepared to push the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership inside. More than 50 protesters from groups such as the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign and unions such as Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757lined Murray Boulevard with signs and loudspeakers, urging Congress not to give Obama "fast-track" authority to submit the trade pact to lawmakers for an up-or-down vote, with no amendments allowed. The TPP has divided Oregon's Democratic congressional delegation. Sen. Ron Wyden and Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici and Kurt Schrader support the deal. But Sen. Jeff Merkley and Rep. Peter Defazio oppose it.

Portland City Council’s Earth Day Session Disrupted

April 24, 2015 Ted Sickinger, www.oregonlive.com , , ,
Portland City commissioners walked out of their Earth Day hearing Wednesday after opponents of a proposed propane export terminal in North Portland staged a small demonstration in council chambers. The council will vote soon on whether to amend zoning at the Port of Portland's Terminal 6 to allow the propane terminal to build a pipeline over land that is currently zoned for conservation. The vote has not been scheduled, but opponents have vowed a long and loud campaign to derail the project, proposed by a Canadian company, Pembina Pipeline. Wednesday's protest shook up Mayor Charlie Hales, who expressed strong support for the $500 million terminal project when it was first announced last September, and claimed it met all environmental and safety standards before any analysis had been presented on that front.

Nationwide Protests Are Bringing Issue Of Police Abuse To Forefront

December 5, 2014 Staff, www.PopularResistance.org , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Below are a series of headlines, photos and opening paragraphs from major media sources describing how they covered the nationwide protests against the grand jury decisions in police shooting cases in New York and Ferguson as well as police abuse which has become a nationwide epidemic. Some papers like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette where there were major protests did not cover the local protests in their communities. Others, like the Washington Post, focused more on the politics of the issue with photos of protests in DC and nationally. The Associated Press summarized the night of protests writing: "Thousands and thousands of diverse people united by anger took to the streets from New York City to San Francisco for a second straight night to protest a grand jury clearing a white police officer in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man. Grandparents marched with their grandchildren. Experienced activists stood alongside newcomers, and protesters of all colors chanted slogans. A 61-year-old black woman was accompanied by her daughter and twin 10-year-old grandchildren, a boy and a girl. She said it was important to her that the children saw a crowd that was racially mixed and diverse in many other ways all insisting upon the same thing - that something must be done." That was the message, too, in cities across America: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis Oakland, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., among them.

Ferguson Protesters In Portland Build On Occupy Wall Street

December 3, 2014 Anna Griffin, www.oregonlive.com , ,
Zuccotti Park and the Ferguson, Missouri, street where Wilson shot Michael Brown sit almost 1,000 miles apart. But in terms of their recent impact, they're practically next-door neighbors. As they did three years ago, marchers the past week have opted for civil disobedience rather than simply making speeches and rallying in front of Portland civic landmarks. They've held "die ins," led police on long, winding marches through downtown, filled Willamette River bridges during rush hour and attempted to seize Interstate 5. The crowds have included black-clad anarchists and a few Occupy-style protesters inGuy Fawkes masks. The large groups have advocated for a number of causes besides police reform, including a $15 minimum wage, policies to stop gentrification and government disinvestment in multinational corporations.
«123456»