Letter from the Neighborhood Association Co-Chairs

Posted on by Sue Stringer

By Allan Rudwick and Jimmy Wilson

Being co-Chairs of the Eliot Neighborhood Association (ENA) has not been what we expected this year. We started out the year wanting to work on vacant land, diesel pollution and wanting to see the city pushed on houselessness. This year has seen the City put up people in the Convention Center for months. It has seen a dramatic reduction in pollution due to the pandemic. And it has seen neighborhood meetings move to the internet. One last thing we wanted to do was to keep space for neighbors to local residents to get help with their issues.

Along the way, the Eliot Neighborhood has been dragged into multiple other issues that we didn’t foresee. Interstate 5 widening near the Broadway Interchange seems to be moving ahead despite a high volume of comments in opposition to the project. The ENA has been vocally opposed to the project from the beginning and we may be getting our toes wet again. We have been contacted regarding rezoning land in the name of providing more affordable housing. We also have been approached by neighbors about crime around Dawson Park and the surrounding blocks. This issue is attracting neighbors to reach out to each other and rally around a common cause. 

We are still here, we are still supporting people in Eliot even though we are not always doing it in person. Thank you for continuing to be neighborly through these challenging times. It is not easy but we will get through this. Together

Within and Beyond the Borders of Eliot: Essential Workers – Part 2 of 2

Posted on by Sue Stringer

This column features businesses or people in Eliot and just beyond our neighborhood’s borders. This issue we focus on essential workers who have been on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to thank them for their commitment, service, selflessness, and putting their health and lives on the line to bring us the essential services the rest of us need to survive day to day. Sue Stringer and Monique Gaskins contributed to this column. NOTE: All interviews were conduced prior to the protests and the opening up of Multnomah County to Phase 1. Therefore, some situations, restrictions and details are now different than stated in the articles. Read with this in mind.

Kate Johnson, Grocery Worker

We all need groceries. Then a pandemic and lockdown strike. What does grocery shopping look like and how we are going to stay safe? Grocery workers are on the front lines and have greater risk since they are in contact with countless people who may or may not be contagious. However, throughout this pandemic grocery stores have all pivoted to offer us the food we need while trying to keep us and their workers healthy and safe.

Kate Johnson is a cashier at New Seasons. She works at the Grant Park location but her experience is similar to other grocery workers. In March when we closed down, Kate took almost two months off since she had a young child at home. Thankfully, New Seasons let her keep her benefits so her family was protected. If an employee had a health issue like asthma or was immunocompromised they could take off and still get paid and keep benefits for almost two months because the company understood the danger to those employees. At the end of April, employees had to choose to either go back to work or quit.

At that point, all the details of safety were worked out. Some of the changes were the logistics with one-way aisles, customers and employees wearing masks, providing hand sanitizer, wiping carts down after each use, installing sneeze guards at checkout stations, and using a disinfecting spray and wipes to sanitize check out station after every customer. Customers are waiting in line far from the cashiers and aisles. Extra employees were hired just to manage the lines of customers and also to sanitize the belts at each checkout stand after each customer. “It is very exhausting, cleaning continuously. The (New Seasons) friendliness factor doesn’t really work anymore because it is hard to hear with masks and the seriousness of the time,” Kate admits.

“To be fair, being a local company is in our favor.  The only other place there are stores is in California. Both those states are really on board with social distancing. Kroger has stores nationwide so it is harder to manage the message with all the different states and levels of strictness to enforce social distancing,” says Kate. Some additional benefits to retain employees and keep them safe are hazard pay plus lunch and dinner served free from the deli.

“Something that I really liked about New Seasons was that it acted as the idea of the ‘third place’.  Most people have work, home and then they have this third place where they have community. New Seasons was really that way especially for people without homes. They would come in and respectfully spend all day in the dining room – turn in cans, buy some lunch and sit there all day. And I think that goes like that for a lot of people, especially seniors. They would come in and get their cup of coffee, meet with their friends. We had game nights on Thursday, story time on Monday morning, we had classes, a mom’s group. That’s all gone.  It is really weird not to see these individuals every time I worked and I’m really worried about them.  I don’t know where they are, I don’t know if they’re ok.”

If there’s a silver lining in all of this Kate says it is that this is a reset. Customers like the new distancing and cleanliness and would like them to stay in place. We can rethink how we shop for our groceries and how we keep each other healthy and safe and maybe think about our grocery workers and how much they do to make that happen.

Leah Bandstra, High School Teacher

The first year as a high school teacher is not easy. Lesson plans, gaining respect from your students, offering a safe environment to learn, and preparing your students for the next school year and life are only some of the challenges a new teacher faces. Now add a pandemic and stay at home order to the list of those challenges and you have an overwhelming task.

Leah Bandstra, an Eliot resident, is a new teacher and she is just one of the thousands of teachers trying to adapt to a new way of teaching. Most have never taught online before and or used the software needed to accomplish this. Try putting this together in just a couple of weeks as well as trying to get students lunches and interim paper homework packets and you can see how difficult the logistics are for school districts.

Leah works as a high school chemistry teacher at Century High School in Hillsboro. Teaching 10th graders science is hard in a normal environment. “I was just hitting my stride with the students in February and then the rug was pulled out from underneath me,” says Leah, “and it’s a shame we couldn’t fill out the year and see how they changed by the end of the year.”

Leah got her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and mastered in chemical oceanography so the subject matter comes easy to her. Having taught preschool, had kids of her own, and now teaching high school students, she can see the whole developmental process as to where kids start and where they need to end up to be successful not just in chemistry, but in life.

The new normal of teaching from a computer without a whiteboard or seeing your students and being able to physically do lab experiments are the hardest parts. With new family dynamics with multiple kids needing computer time, students getting jobs to help pay the rent because of parents being laid off, and just motivating students, attending time-specific online sessions were impossible. The result is each teacher recording lectures and creating online lessons for students to complete in their own time. Special Ed and English language learners are having a tough time and have extra challenges logistically.

“Most figured out that if they were passing then they weren’t going to be held accountable for the rest of the lessons for the year. Those that weren’t passing, the teachers have to do more work to get those kids across the finish line for their school year. There’s no reason for (the students) to do it and once they figured out that grades didn’t matter they were kind about it but, ‘we’re not going to do this for no reason that we can see’. I don’t have any recourse,” Leah laments.

The important take away is schools are such a central part of the community. Take schools away and that’s the central part of kids’ lives – to see their friends, have another human adult look them in the face, and see if they are okay. “School is necessary for the structure and regularity of routine. We are grownups and have coping mechanisms, time management, how to shower and take care of myself. A 15-year-old does not know how to do that.  Pandemic and now the protests require perspective and coping mechanisms. Most kids don’t have access to that kind of coping mechanism. School is a place that provides structures, holds boundaries for them, lets them know what’s acceptable, when we eat, go to the bathroom,” says Leah, “we need to help them with that.”

So, even if education was not what we expected this spring, Leah wants to emphasize, “It’s going to be ok if they need a couple of days to veg out. I promise you as a teacher of older children that the trauma that they will have from this (pandemic) will be lessened if you pay attention to their mental health rather than force-feed school.”

Within and Beyond the Borders of Eliot: Essential Workers – Part 1 of 2

Posted on by Sue Stringer

This column features businesses or people in Eliot and just beyond our neighborhood’s borders. This issue we focus on essential workers who have been on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to thank them for their commitment, service, selflessness, and putting their health and lives on the line to bring us the essential services the rest of us need to survive day to day. Sue Stringer and Monique Gaskins contributed to this column. NOTE: All interviews were conduced prior to the protests and the opening up of Multnomah County to Phase 1. Therefore, some situations, restrictions and details are now different than stated in the articles. Read with this in mind.

Dr. Qian Liya Leng, Physician

By Monique Gaskins

During the month of April, National Public Radio estimated that 1.4 Million health care workers lost their jobs. Although we’ve heard about joblessness concerns, the impact on healthcare workers isn’t as widely discussed. Ironically, these frontline workers, many of whom are seen as key to combating the pandemic as they continue to go to work, are also feeling anxiety about the possibility of passing on a dangerous illness to their families and job security. These layoffs have impacted people across healthcare, from hospital cleaners to physicians.

Qian Liya Leng has practiced medicine in Portland for 10 years. She is currently at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in the Eliot neighborhood. As a Hospital Medicine Doctor, Dr. Leng’s patients include anyone who is admitted to the hospital; she does everything but performing surgeries and delivering babies. Lately, this also includes treating patients with COVID-19.

Dr. Leng thinks about ensuring she doesn’t expose her elderly mother to COVID-19. In response to safety concerns, the medical center closed employee entrances, requires temperature checks and a health survey, and has updated their PPE protocol. There are silver linings to fewer hospital admittees; before the pandemic, Dr. Leng juggled a high patient volume. Now, with fewer patients, Dr. Leng is able to connect more with the people in her care. She continues to look for further ways to serve her community. 

Qian has taught Yoga for 13 years. After her own pregnancy, she started to specialize in movement for pregnant and recently pregnant women. Amidst all of the concerns about physical proximity, she is starting an online movement and yoga studio focused on prenatal and postnatal women. Dr. Leng wants to provide resources and expert advice for women in this phase of their lives without requiring physical proximity. Her studio will be available at Bump.health in mid-June.

During the pandemic, Qian encourages Eliot residents to do two things: 1) Wear a mask when outside of the house to cut down on the spread of the disease. 2) Devote some time to their mental health by getting some fresh air. After all, very few instances of COVID-19 have been traced to outdoor transmission.

Terra Dudley, RN

By Sue Stringer

At Legacy Emanuel Medical Center all departments have been touched by COVID-19. The newly created COVID unit is staffed with nurses volunteering to work in that unit as well as those that are “floated” from departments that have an excess of nurses. Terra Dudley is one nurse who has spent a number of shifts in the COVID unit. After graduating from Duke University’s registered nursing program, she started with Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in February 2019 and she is really glad that she had some “normal” nursing experience before the pandemic hit.

Terra normally works in the Medical/Surgical department. Terra has only had to work on the COVID wing for a few shifts so far. Work there is challenging because of the intensity of patient’s symptoms and the level of detail that needs to be exercised with personal protective equipment (PPE).

Nurses are only assigned one to two patients so you can really focus on those patients. It takes so much time to work with patients because of the PPE. “It is not getting the PPE on, it is getting off that takes so much time. An additional nurse must watch as you take off your protective equipment to make sure you are removing it properly so you are not exposed to the virus. You have stand next to the door and take off your gown pulling it forward and into a trash can so it doesn’t touch anything. Take your gloves off inside out a very specific way. Hand sanitize. Put on fresh gloves before leaving. There’s a very specific order and that’s what’s breaking down in those medical staff that are getting sick. If you don’t take the time and do it properly then you get exposed,” says Terra.

At first, before the rapid testing kits were available it took 3 days to get test results back. Not every patient was being tested unless they were showing symptoms. Patients on the Med/Surg unit after a couple of days post-surgery would start showing fever and cough which made for paranoia amongst the staff. However, it is very common for those surgical patients to develop those symptoms post-surgery because of lying in bed and easily developing pneumonia from not moving around enough. Since many of the patients were treated before all the PPE was in place it is lucky that no one in the surgical unit developed COVID.

Now the patient population in Med/Surg has changed. They are post-COVID patients. Most patients started in ICU COVID unit then transferred to Med/Surg after they were taken off the ventilator which was sometimes 30 days after they were first admitted. By that point their bodies are so decompensated from being on life support and ventilators for that long that they are very weak and have a lot of recovery and rehab to do to get back to somewhat normal. One bright spot is the discharge parade the medical staff give when the patients finally get to leave the hospital.

Terra said that at first when the virus hit it was really scary. She felt weird being with people and there was this uncontrollable element and couldn’t call in sick or skip a shift. She is also one of the people who the N95 mask does not fit so she had to wear this electronic filtration machine which looks like a hazmat suit. It was definitely scary because a few nurses got COVID and she felt so vulnerable even with all the PPE.

The silver lining in all of this, that seems to be a resounding theme, is that it is nice to reset to evaluate what activities in your life are important and which ones you are willing to keep or forego.

Terra says, “There is a universal “time out” in surgery to recheck what you’re doing to make sure everything is going correctly and now this is happening with our lives. This is really nice but would be nice if there were not so many consequences.”

Some unexpected highlights were the nightly 7:00 pm pots and pans banging to honor the essential healthcare workers, Nurses Appreciation week where different neighbors with signs would stand outside Emanuel and also the fly over by fighter jets.

Terra says it is hard to do your job every day with all the new complications but the city’s residents appreciating the medical staff’s hard work really makes a big difference and easier to put your life on the line.

Douglas Matthews, Police Officer

By Sue Stringer

We think of most essential workers as being part of a business that supplies us a specific item like food or perhaps keeping us healthy like medical workers or pharmacists. However, keeping our streets safe and enforcing traffic laws falls to the police officers.  They are on the front lines having to work with the public in sometimes not so physically distanced situations.

Doug Matthews is a police officer at the North Precinct who works patrol in North and Northeast Portland. He has been a Portland police officer for over 26 years. As Officer Matthews describes, “I answer emergency calls for service. I’m the guy who wears the blue uniform and drives a marked police car.”

The challenges have changed throughout his career. “In my mind, the biggest challenge to our community is the homeless, mentally ill, and drug affected. Our society hasn’t quite figured out how to effectively deal with these demographics.”

Despite what you read on the internet, the citizens of Portland value their police officers. Matthews says, “The overwhelming majority of people I come into contact with thank me for what I do. I get a lot of satisfaction out of assisting citizens in all things whenever I can. And…I still like putting criminals in jail if they commit a serious crime.”

The job of a police officer has changed in a lot of ways, according to Matthews, from the traditional law enforcement oriented police officer to a social justice warrior. In the end, our primary role will always be to protect people when they can and assist in holding people who break the law accountable for their actions.

Now because of COVID-19, the police bureau is handling most of the calls by phone and the officers decide if an in-person response is needed. People may not like that, but it’s necessary to reduce everyone’s exposure. When it comes to serious emergency calls, the police will respond immediately.

One thing that is different during COVID times, is that traffic has been much better since the pandemic started, however, the police have seen a substantial uptick in drivers driving at excessive speeds.

One bright spot is as of today, there haven’t been any confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the Portland Police Bureau. Matthews admits, “I have always been a good hand-washer, but I’m a bit OCD about it now due to the pandemic.” Also, most citizens are adhering to the Governor’s restrictions related to the pandemic. The Police Bureau isn’t enforcing the Governor’s restrictions, instead, the Police Bureau has chosen to educate the public over enforcing.

Office Matthews would like to thank Portland residents for your continued support. “Citizen involvement is crucial to solving crimes in the community. You would be surprised how often a person breaks a cold case for the police or points us in the right direction to solve a serious crime.”

Eliot Neighborhood Association Minutes February 17, 2020

Posted on by Sue Stringer

In the Saint Philip the Deacon Church, 120 NE Knott St, Portland, OR 97212

Board Members Present

  • Jimmy Wilson – Co-Chair
  • Allan Rudwick, Co-Chair  
  • Jennifer Wilcox – Recorder
  • Susan Stringer – Newsletter Editor
  • Jim Hlava – Treasurer –
  • Shireen Hasan – Community Outreach –
  • Jere Fitterman   
  • Jonathan Konkol   
  • Sherry Staggs  

Board Members Absent

  • Darren Holcomb   
  • Patricia Montgomery   

Others Present

  • Richard Hunter
  • Johnny Engleheart
  • Ernest Warren
  • Dory Nafshun
  • Merik Smith
  • Micah McCrany Dennis
  • Anthony Saunders
  • Thursday Bram Cook
  • Audrey Terrell

Meeting called to order:  6:37 p.m.  Food was available during the meeting including pizza provided by Mississippi Pizza.

Robert Boyer—Eliot Neighborhood Past, Present, Future

Mr. Boyer gave a presentation about the history of the Eliot Neighborhood Association which he helped to create. 

Byrd Cruz—Emanuel Displaced Persons Association 2

Byrd is a Librarian, Researcher  and Founding Member of the Emanuel Displaced Persons Association 2, EDPA2. EDPA2 is an ad hoc community based organization comprised of survivors and descendants of the Emanuel Hospital expansion forced removal. Byrd is a local expert on this issue and has devoted extensive study in this area toward advocacy for the descendants of this unresolved and painful era of Portland’s history.  Byrd will be giving a presentation entitled Reclaiming Stolen Black Lands in the “Whitest City” at the Eliot Center of the First Unitarian Church on March 31 at 7pm.

It was noted that the ENA has sent a letter to Emanuel Hospital requesting that land be donated to the community.

Garlington Garden

The Garlington Center includes a 2400 SQ foot vacant outdoor area which Cascadia intends to develop a 1200 SQ foot community garden and a 1200 SQ foot children’s play area.  Growing Gardens will partner with Cascadia to develop and maintain and teach gardening skills to Garlington residents, clients and the community.  Cascadia is applying to Metro, to City of PDX, Prosper Portland as well as a few small foundations.  Cascadia requests that ENA will support the effort in general and by getting the word out via their membership – in case there are some very interested in gardening who’d like to participate.

An offer was made for Constructing Hope to assist with building the garden beds.

Jere moved and Jonathan seconded that ENA edit the letter of previously written to support the garden and play area.  This motion passed unanimously.

People Stepping Down

Two people are stepping down from the Land Use committee. One is moving and the other has other commitments.  This leaves only 4 people on the committee.  Carla who is currently chair of the livability committee is planning on moving as well. 

Jere is stepping down as the NECN representative.  They meet on the 3rd Tuesday of the month.  Someone will need to take over this role.

Thursday is stepping down as the webmaster.  Sue has agreed to do this on an interim basis.

Jim would like to step down as treasurer.

Jimmy suggested that there should be a mentoring/teaching process from those who are stepping down to help teach new people the role.  Should we have a nominating committee?  It is helpful to have a smooth transition and opportunities for job shadowing.

No motions were made on this item and no vote took place.

Blazers Money:

We have the contact info for someone with the Blazers.  Jimmy agreed to reach out to the Blazers to discuss continuing the payment they have given us in the past.  The Board agreed to support him in this effort.   No motions were made on this item and no vote took place.

Candidate Forum:

We discussed the idea of a candidate forum.  It was agreed to ask NECN to put one on. No motions were made on this item and no vote took place.

General Meeting:

We have a general meeting coming up.  Do we want to have a speaker?  Alan agreed to reach out to Mary Peveto to ask her to speak. No motions were made on this item and no vote took place.

Business Connections:

Susan recently talked with Corey Kaster who is interested in connecting the Eliot District businesses with each other.  The goal would be to help the owners know each other and work together.  Jimmy has been introducing himself to all the businesses in the neighborhood.  No motions were made on this item and no vote took place.

Minutes of the Previous Board Meeting: January 27,2020

Two corrections were made to the minutes.  Susan moved to accept as corrected. Jere seconded.

Alan reported that 4 candidates have requested to come to a meeting and he asked for clarification on what to tell them.  It was agreed that he could tell them the ENA meetings are open to the community and they can attend.  We may ask them a question and they would be given 5 minutes to answer.  We may also ask them to listen to our concerns.

Newsletter Report:

The deadline for articles is March 1. 

LUTC (Land Use Transportation Committee Report

This committee currently consists of Allan Rudwick, Brad Baker, Jonathan Konkol, and Phil Conti.

 There was a discussion of whose responsibility it is to report to NECN. 

Livability Report:

We have a relationship with Central City Concern’s Clean Start PDX program to help with community clean up.  If there are large items left out we can call them and they will come and take care of it.  They are doing a great job.  The adopt a block captains have their contact information.

Treasurer Report:

Jim will email the report.  He noted that at this point we have no income so our bank account total is slowly decreasing.

NECN

Jere is stepping down and we will need a new representative.  There was a discussion of the ENA’s responsibility to NECN.  Do we need to inform them of changes to the Land Use committee membership?  No motion was made and no vote was taken.

Next Board meeting: March 16th at 6:30pm

Meeting adjourned at 8:45pm.

Eliot Neighborhood Association Minutes December 16, 2019

Posted on by Sue Stringer

Board Members Present                                            

  • Jim Hlava – Treasurer
  • Jimmy Wilson – Co-Chair
  • Allan Rudwick, Co-Chair  
  • Jennifer Wilcox – Recorder
  • Susan Stringer – Newsletter Editor
  • Shireen Hasan – Community Outreach
  • Jere Fitterman   
  • Darren Holcomb   
  • Jonathan Konkol   
  • Patricia Montgomery   
  • Sherry Staggs  

Others Present

  • Christian Rossnagel
  • Sara Ober
  • Johnny Engleheart
  • Richard Hunterson
  • Amir Hassan
  • Al’ec’ia Hassan

Meeting called to order:  7:01 p.m. after a potluck and time for socializing.

Goals: All present introduced themselves and stated their goals for the group for the coming year.  Goals listed were:

  • The work of the diesel committee/cleaning up the air
  • Addressing the homeless situation/ creating affordable housing
  • Design guidelines adopted
  • Addressing Black people killing Black people in the neighborhood
  • Livability/Adopt a Block
  • Transition to a new treasurer
  • Holding a social event/game night/ family night
  • Holding a neighborhood clean up (possibly with other neighborhoods)
  • Addressing the garbage truck after hours issue
  • The community garden (possibly including indigenous plants)
  • National Night Out/ Walk the Neighborhood
  • Getting the community involved
  • Debt forgiveness

New Business:

January Meeting: It was suggested that we should move our January meeting to a different date so that it does not conflict with Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations.  The group agreed to change the meeting to January 27th.

Mayo House: The Mayo House will be turned into a museum “ARTchives.” There was discussion of showing “Root Shocked” and having architectural models or posters at our April general meeting.  A question arose about the impact of showing this documentary and the need to be prepared for people’s concerns.  Another idea was to have a series of films including “Lift Every Voice”, “Vanport: Lost City”, and “Priced Out.” It was suggested that we should show a series with the focus on where we have been, where we are now and where we want to be. Susan agreed to get in touch with Cleo about the architectural students’ work.

Helping the Homeless: There was a brief discussion about what we might do to help those who are unhoused.  Suggestions included creating a new Right2Dream or a tiny home pod.

Goals: At our meeting next month we will break into groups based on goals we would like to focus on and create action plans to address those goals.

Accountability: There was a brief discussion on the need to be accountable.

Emanuel Land: The group reviewed the letter from the Land Use committee requesting the Emanuel blocks be donated to the community.  Alan moved and Susan seconded that the letter be sent.  This passed unanimously. 

Next Board meeting: January 27th at 6:30pm

Meeting was adjourned at 8:36pm

Respectfully Submitted,
Jennifer Wilcox, Recorder

Eliot Neighborhood Association Minutes November 18, 2019

Posted on by Sue Stringer

Board members present: Jere Fitterman, Jimmy Wilson, Pat Montgomery, Darren Holcomb, Sue Stringer, Jonathan Konkol, Shireen Hasan, Sherry Staggs, Jennifer Wilcox, Allan Rudwick

Board members absent: Jim Hlava

Guests present: Teressa Raiford ( and her two daughters), Fyndi Jermany, Perez, Tai, Cleo Davis, approximately 6-10 more that didn’t sign in.

Meeting begins 6:40 pm

Minutes from October approved unanimously as corrected stating “… funding was provided for the Diversity Community Gardening Co-Op at St Philips Church led by Shireen Hasan.” Sue Stringer motions to approve, Allan Rudwick 2nds

Visiting mayoral candidate Teresa Raiford led a discussion about the needs of our neighborhood that she can focus on during her potential term as mayor. Topics included displacement of longtime residents and why she wants to run as mayor.

LUTC Report: LUTC voted to keep its board and officers. Current board includes:

  • Brad Baker, Chair
  • Jonathan Konkol, Vice Chair
  • Allan Rudwick, Recorder
  • Phil Conti
  • Monique Gaskins
  • Zach Garrard

Allan Rudwick motions to approve LUTC committee for 2020 term, Sue Stringer 2nds. Unanimously approved

Treasurer Report: Jim Hlava was not present. Per Jere Fitterman, Karla Gostnell still needs to find out about the blazer money for this year and ongoing continuation of funds as well as who should be our point of contact with the Blazer organization. Jere will follow up with Karla regarding this matter.

NECN: Mischa Webly with NECN is responsible for the NECN newsletter and has just launched heyneighborpdx.org which will be an online venue for articles, events and information in a timelier manner and for all the NECN neighbors to contribute to. Sue will connect Mischa Webly and Thursday Bram, our webmaster, to enable posts on their site that would be relevant to all neighborhoods.

Old Business: Darren Holcomb gave an update regarding Lauren Hall Barrons request for assistance on the loud garbage trucks that drive down her street, Monroe, in the middle of the night enroute to businesses on MLK. Darren will get the letter from the neighbor to Jere Fitterman. Jere Fitterman motions that she, Jere Fitterman, will write a letter to Metro and deliver it to Metro regarding this issue.

Election of Officers for 2020 term:

Allan Rudwick motions to remove the position of Community Outreach as an executive board position. Jonathan Konkol 2nds. Motion does not pass. Community Outreach continues as an executive board position.

Executive Board voted in unanimously:

Allan Rudwick and Jimmy Wilson, Co-Chairs

Jim Hlava, Treasurer

Jennifer Wilcox, Recorder

Newsletter Editor, Sue Stringer

Community Outreach, Shireen Hasan

Meeting adjourned 8:45pm

Eliot Neighborhood Association Minutes January 27, 2020

Posted on by Sue Stringer

In the Saint Philip the Deacon Church, 120 NE Knott St, Portland, OR 97212

Board Members Present

  • Jimmy Wilson – Co-Chair
  • Allan Rudwick, Co-Chair  
  • Jennifer Wilcox – Recorder
  • Susan Stringer – Newsletter Editor
  • Jim Hlava – Treasurer –
  • Shireen Hasan – Community Outreach –
  • Jonathan Konkol   
  • Patricia Montgomery   
  • Board Members Absent
  • Jere Fitterman   
  • Darren Holcomb   
  • Sherry Staggs  

Others Present

  • Johnny Engleheart
  • Maria McDowell

Meeting called to order:  6:39 p.m.

Welcome and Introductions:

Pastor Maria McDowell from Saint Philip the Deacon Episcopal Church was introduced.  She spoke about the Leven Community Housing Coalition, a group of faith communities who are trying to leverage land they already own to provide housing for individuals experiencing homelessness.  They are looking to assess the needs of the community and advocate with the city for changes to conditional use codes so that they build housing on their land.  Saint Phillip the Deacon church is looking at what they can do with their current land.  They want to invite the Eliot Neighborhood Association into those conversations. 

The following ideas were discussed: offering activities in the parish hall in connection with the housing, build something over the current parking lot with housing, intergenerational housing.  A comment was made that churches are not focused on making money and can help address greater city concerns such as homelessness. Emanuel church in the Humboldt neighborhood is working on a similar project.  Prosper Portland has money available for these types of projects.  The Meyer Memorial Trust is wanting to connect with the community and look for creative ways to offer/create affordable housing.

New Business:

Clarifying our reimbursement policy: We do not currently have a reimbursement policy. The following proposal was made:

if there is an approved budget item outstanding, any receipts that seem reasonably related to the item should be approved and paid ASAP

 if there is not an approved budget item, the board should be contacted before reimbursement

It was noted that in the past if someone had a project they had to present a budget as part of the project.  A clarification was made that there are currently no outstanding projects that need to be paid or reimbursed.

Jonathan moved and Allan seconded that we have a small discretionary budget of up to $100 for smaller items.  The chairs would be able to approve payment for these items.  This passed, 6 in favor and 1 opposed.

Current funding: Jim noted that we have no current money coming in to the budget. We need to follow up on the Blazers money.  Shireen will talk to Angela to find out the name of the person at the Blazers and we will send a letter as a board to follow up.  Also Susan will talk to Jere to find out if they have a contact at the Blazers.  Jim noted in the past we have had a balance of $8,000-$12,000 which is a good amount.  We should try to be revenue neutral for now until we have a source of income. No motions were made on this item and no vote took place.

Procedures on having speakers at our board meetings: It was agreed that we should direct people who want to speak at our meetings to the Community Outreach Coordinator (Shireen Hasan)  or the chairpersons to get the person on the agenda for the next meeting.  The person putting together the agenda will reply to the Outreach Coordinator so they know that the message has been received.  It was also agreed that the agenda will be sent out a week before the board meeting so people have time to review it.  No motions were made on these items and no vote took place.

Procedures on having political candidates speak at our board meetings: There was some discussion about if we have had politicians speak at board meetings in the past.  Allen said there are two reasons not to invite candidates: 1) we as a board cannot look like we endorse candidates and 2) we would need to invite all the candidates so as not to appear to be favoring some and this would take up all the time for the meeting. It was suggested that we could have a candidate forum.  Alan sent out an email from the Office of Neighborhood Involvement with guidelines for having politicians address neighborhood board meetings.  He suggested we should review it.  Susan moved and Patricia seconded that candidates may attend meetings.  We may ask the candidate a question and they would be given 5 minutes to answer.  We may also tell them our concerns.  This passed 5 in favor and 3 opposed. 

Committee Updates

  Newsletter: Articles for the spring edition are due by March 1.  Ad copy is due by March 8.  The newsletter will be sent out April 1

  Livability: no report

  LUTC (Land Use Transportation Committee): The house on Vancouver and Page has been moved once and is up for demolition.  They are looking for someone to move it.  Three houses were just demolished, these were some of the last African American built houses in the neighborhood.  A letter was sent to the city in favor of infill.

  Clean Air: There was a brief discussion about data gathering.  The committee is putting together a letter to the trucking company the main contributor to the diesel pollution. There was also discussion about the need to make progress on this issue and that people want to be involved in the process.

  Community Outreach: Pastor Maria McDowell spoke earlier in the evening.

Minutes of the November 2019 Board Meeting:

Moved to accept: Susan         Seconded: Jim Vote Count: 7 in favor, no opposed

Minutes of the December 2019 Board Meeting:

Moved to accept: Susan         Seconded: Jim  Vote Count: 5 in favor, 2 abstained

Next Board meeting:  February 17, 2020 at 6:30pm

Adjourned at 8:37pm

Testing for COVID in the Neighborhood

Posted on by Sue Stringer

By Sam Wilson

Drive up Covid-19 testing by Dr. Kat onsit at Oasis of Change. Photo credit Sam Wilson

Matt Thrasher woke up one morning in early June feeling ill. He suspected food poisoning and called his boss at a bathroom surface refinishing company, where he works as a technician. The company relayed the message to Thrasher’s customer for the day, for whom he was tasked with detailing a tub and shower he had begun the day prior. Out of an abundance of caution, the clients asked that he get tested for COVID-19 before doing the work. His boss agreed, which is how he wound up parallel parked in his company truck on the 2000 block of North Williams Avenue, swirling a non-cotton swab around each of his nostrils.

Thrasher had been referred to Dr. Kat Lopez Sankey, 37, who runs a private member practice office in the basement of Oasis of Change, a community center on North Williams Avenue. Lopez began offering drive-up COVID-19 tests in early April, soon after the FDA began allowing the less invasive nasal swabs for sample collection, and still when the flatness of our curves was yet to be known. She anticipated a large demand for people looking for answers and planned on hiring employees to assist with the rush. She ordered a sign to be printed offering the service for $150, a price she settled on after weighing the many unknown factors. But the rush never came. 

Sankey began her private practice a year ago, distraught by the “insurance-industrial complex” after five years in an integrative medicine clinic. Her clients now pay $100 a month for “unlimited access” via office visits, emails, phone calls, or texts. The membership fee is out of pocket, although some insurance companies refund the cost. Her clients visit from around the Portland area, ranging from families to the elderly, but all have come by way of word of mouth. “My type of medicine doesn’t actually work very well in an insurance model,” she notes. “It’s not lucrative to spend a long thoughtful time with people with multiple follow-up calls and being accessible to them all the time. None of that is reimbursed by insurance.” 

When the coronavirus began keeping people indoors, Lopez saw less of her patients but also heard from them less as well. “I initially thought that because of the pandemic, there would be more sick people and I would be useful,” she said. “But instead, society just kind of shut down.”

It was surprising, too, that more people were not trying to get tested. Since she started offering them, Lopez has administered 13 drive-in tests to the public, all of which have been negative, and believes mixed messages have discouraged more people from getting tests. “I think there was a misunderstanding of how many swabs and tubes existed, and there was a mindset of conservation for those who were important and it was hard to know how inundated we would be,” she said. “An asymptomatic person with no exposures who’s not a healthcare worker still can’t get tested. Anywhere. Except for me or if their doctor wants to do it.” Lopez also acknowledged a Walgreens in Hillsboro began testing asymptomatic people with no exposures in late May.

As labs have become more streamlined with COVID-19 testing, Lopez has smoothed her process as well. She has settled on using LabCorp to process the tests she administers. They charge $52 per test, usually picking up the swabs within a half-hour of the sample being collected, and their results come in a few days at most. As such, Lopez has been steadily lowering her price, although the sign she had ordered at the beginning of April had only recently arrived.

As she sat in the sunny garden adjacent to Oasis of Change in early June, Lopez reflected that she should be doing the test for free, with insurance. Without insurance, the LabCorp fee would still need to be covered by the person getting tested. She had, after all, an abundance of swabs and sterile tubes, just waiting for samples. “It’s very rewarding. People are really emotional about it,” Lopez said of the peace of mind she sees when someone does a test. 

For Matt Thrasher, it was a simple process he was more than glad to do. “Look, we’re going through a pandemic. I feel like more people should get this done,” he said. Three days after Thrasher handed his swab to Lopez from his truck window, he got an email with his results. Negative.

To schedule a test with Dr. Kat Lopez Sankey, visit covidtestpdx.com.

Dr. Kat Lopez Sankey who offers Covid-19 testing at Oasis of Change. Photo credit Sam Wilson

Albina Library Moves Back to Eliot Neighborhood

Posted on by Sue Stringer

Multnomah County Library has declined to renew the lease for the current Albina Library location at 3605 NE 15th Ave. On July 1, the library will relocate back to its former location at 216 NE Knott St into a larger, historic Carnegie library building that currently serves as Title Wave Used Bookstore.

Title Wave Bookstore where the Albina library will relocate back to. This was the original location for this library branch.

This is unexpected and due to be a loss to many who have relied on the library in its current location. However, Eliot residents will probably be happy to have the library return to our neighborhood.  Relocating any neighborhood’s library was not a decision that the Multnomah County Library staff took lightly. As Vailey Oehlke, Director of Libraries, stated in her letter to library patrons recently, “A variety of factors contributed to our decision, including this pandemic, which has caused us to make difficult choices and think in new ways about how the library can serve the community.”

Albina Library is the smallest branch in the Multnomah County Library system. Its current location is just 3,500 square feet. It doesn’t even have a public meeting room. The small space would not accommodate  physical distancing which may be a necessary precaution for the foreseeable future. Therefore it would be likely that the space would allow only sidewalk service. However, the new location on Knott Street is about 2,000 square feet larger.

“The library’s lease of Albina Library expires on June 1, 2020. A three-year renewal would cost more than $260,000. As a steward of public resources, the library can’t justify that expenditure, when a suitable and larger option exists nearby that is already owned by the library,” stated Oehlke.

The new library will be 1.1 miles closer and easily accessible to both Eliot residents as well as not to far from the residents that were used to the Fremont and NE 15th Avenue location. The staff is working hard on getting the inventory relocated. If you have an item currently on hold at Albina Library the library will notify you about holds and pickups.

For information about the phased reopening plan, an FAQ and instructions for using the holds pickup service at other locations, please visit multcolib.org/covid19.

Cartside: New food cart pod in Eliot on N Williams

Posted on by Sue Stringer

By Monique Gaskins

Lots of options at Cartside the new food cart pod on N Williams at NE Hancock. Photo credit Sue Stringer

We have a new local food option available in Eliot. The varied purveyors at Cartside, a new food cart pod started serving customers in Mid-May.

The site includes space for at least seven food trucks and a tap house with indoor seating and WiFi. Located at 1825 North Williams Avenue at NE Hancock Street, this is a convenient option for Eliot residents, especially if you find yourself working from home more than usual.

Not all of the carts are open yet, but in the current environment, it’s encouraging to hear about small businesses opening in the neighborhood. With warmer weather coming to Portland, consider walking over to Cartside and trying out a new entree. 

Check out http://www.cartsidepdx for more information on carts, their websites and other information.

Care to share?

Posted on by Sue Stringer

We have been experiencing some challenging times with both the coronavirus pandemic, the subsequent economic impact and also the Black Lives Matter protests. We are currently collecting content for our fall issue of the Eliot News. Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus?Or perhaps a story from the Black Lives Matter protests you’d like to share? How you or your family handling the pandemic? Any silver linings or new routines or skills you’ve discovered? Please share with us by emailing to news@eliotneighborhood.org. We’ll follow up with any questions or clarifications. Thank you~ Sue Stringer, Editor, Eliot News

Change Now

Posted on by Sue Stringer

By Jimmy Wilson

I commend Chief Jami Resch who knew deep down in her heart and soul that in these times, she wasn’t the right fit for the job. That took courage and will power coming from a white person in a high office to choose a black man who deserved it. This needs to happen all over the country from the top legislation, congress, and the senate. This is what the black community needs to see now. For example, legislation needs to work for the interest of the people and not the special interest of the lobbyist.  

We as the people of color need change to supersede the Portland Police Bureau union contract and local policies by using tools like Civil Rights and Civil Liberties instead of using the word willful by replacing it with words like standards and reckless.  

We also need the Police to wear body cameras at all times.  Black people need infrastructures such as education, administration, reparation, jobs, justice, and inclusions to eliminate racial disparities. The two hundred forty-six million dollars that is allocated for the Portland Police Bureau for the year 2020 – 2021 proposed budget should be decided by including black people seated around the table.  

Eliot Neighborhood Association Board meeting minutes April 20, 2020

Posted on by Sue Stringer

Chairs: Jimmy Wilson & Allan Rudwick

6:30 pm via ZOOM

Board Members Attending:

  • Allan Rudwick
  • Jonathan Konkol
  • Jim Hlava
  • Sue  Stringer
  • Shireen Hasan
  • Jere Fitterman
  • Jimmy Wilson
  • Jennifer Wilcox
  • Pat Montgomery

Other individuals attending:

  • Aaron Brown of No More Freeways PDX
  • Scott Kocher
  • Monique Gaskins
  • Bradley Baker (Land Use Transportation)
  • Brooke Babcock (Clean Air Committee)
  • Mary Peveto (Executive Director Clean Air)

Meeting Called to Order: 6:35

Welcome & Introductions

The Freeway Fight (Aaron Brown, No More Freeways PDX)

Aaron gave some background information on ODOT’s Rose Quarter Improvement Project.  ODOT wants to expand the freeway, widening I-5 into the backyard of Harriet Tubman Middle School.  No More Freeways is working toward bringing ODOT to court about not being in compliance with laws. Two major tracks:

One track is the Governor’s Executive Order on Climate: Every government agency needs to be held responsible for climate impact. ODOT and OTC are covered by this executive order.

The second track is to focus on the impact on the local neighborhood, to argue that ODOT conducted a truncated environmental assessment

Is the Eliot neighborhood Association willing to be a part of these lawsuits?  We have as an association voted to oppose this several times in the past.

There was much discussion and many questions were raised about being a plaintiff including: What would being a plaintiff mean in this context? How will this affect insurance?

What are the risks? What are other options?

What personal actions would we be expected to take? The tasks we would be responsible for as a plaintiff include: communications, providing quotes to newspapers. Probably not a lot of asks as a whole group, periodic check ins with the organization, making decisions as they come up. 

What is the timeline? Hope to move in the next few weeks, then as long as the project is in process. ODOT claims they will break ground in 2023.

It was decided to move on to the other items on the agenda and provide more background information to members of the committee to help them make a decision.

Neighbors for Clean Air Presentation (Mary Peveto)

Mary gave an overview of Neighbors for Clean Air. They have worked with Harriet Tubman on clean air concerns for years.  They have also worked with the school board to develop an HVAC indoor air quality system to protect the children.  They have an NIH grant to understand total quantity of air impact. 

Their focus: everything they look through is about air quality. Their most recent fight was to petition the state to do rule making around indirect sources of pollution. The single biggest contributor to pollution is using older diesel engines.  HB2007 will regulate the trucks in the Portland metro area. Most diesel pollution comes from non-road sources: construction, rail and marine. They are looking at options right now for how to address this issue.  Want to put the problem of diesel on our radar.  About to launch a new website to help explain this to people and help them understand the problem with diesel air pollution. Diesel the most deadly thing in our air.

Mary suggested we read the series in the Oregonian: Polluted by Money. https://projects.oregonlive.com/polluted-by-money/

It is a political problem.  Associations of contractors have been able to hold off any changes in laws.  We are a dumping ground for old equipment because we have no regulations.  Outside Oregon professional interests are trying to hold the line against Oregon’s progressive interests.

Strategy question: would approaching companies individually trying to have them change their ways be effective?  Mary did that work with Vigor (the shipping company) and made significant changes.  But the Port of Portland won’t make those changes.  Mary states she is happy to work with us if there is a company we want to work with.  She can help them get government grants to make changes.

It was decided that Mary and Jimmy will sit down together to discuss options.  

COVID-19 – Updates on how everyone is doing / things we need right now.

The board members did a general check in about how they were doing during the current crisis and what thoughts or ideas people had. Some highlights included:

  • there is a testing site at One Medical in the parking lot of the Vancouver Baptist Church.  Have to join One Medical to get tested. They are offering free membership for the first 30 days.  An interesting medical model.  The Oasis of Change behind the Elks Lodge are also doing virus testing.
  • Jimmy received a Tri-Met Lift bus. How can he use it for COVID? If anyone has an idea let him know. Could people donate clothes and use it as a traveling clothing center?  Could also pick up food and deliver it.
  • Meals are what is needed because a lot of food sites have shut down. Meals on Wheels has also cut back. It was suggested we put something on the website about how to volunteer with Meals on Wheels

Updates

 – NECN update: pushing out a weekly email of resources.  They have an excellent website and their newsletter is on the website. Resources for COVID 19 which includes info about employment, money and housing, and how to get info about help.  They got statements from 92 out of 94 candidates in the upcoming election. Very informative.

 – Treasurer’s report: we are still slowly losing money month after month.  The first three months of this year just over $1000.  Balance: $8300.  Was someone going to reach out to the Blazers?  That is the only source of revenue that we could potentially have. Bringing the Blazer money back should be a top priority.  Jimmy tried to reach out to the person who did it in the past.  He will reach out to Angela to find out who to connect with.  She can potentially help him figure it out. Jere also offered to help. 

—Newsletter: Does it make sense to produce 4 issues of the newsletter this year?  Will we have advertisers?  Sue has almost covered the costs for the summer issue.  Have some good ideas for content as well. Will know by the May meeting on what she has or needs.  Now would be a good time to interview neighbors and spotlight on people.

 – Land Use: Not much to tell. Had a short meeting, agreed to move forward with the Rose Quarter Project lawsuit.  Allan will host a meeting to provide background info about the project for those that need it. 

– Webmaster– call for a new one: Thursday stepped down from being webmaster.  Sue is currently covering and enjoying learning WordPress.

 Jere, Sue and Allan will coordinate about a communication strategy.

Next month will meet via Zoom again. 

Adjourned 8:31.

Eliot Neighborhood Association Board meeting minutes May 18, 2020

Posted on by Sue Stringer

Chairs: Jimmy Wilson & Allan Rudwick

Monday, June 15 2020

6:30-8:00 pm

Board Members Present:

Allan Rudwick

Jimmy Wilson

Jonathan Konkol

Shireen Hasan

Jim Hlava

Sue Stringer

Darren Holcomb

Others Present:

William Francis (Community Cycling Center)

Cameron Whitten (Black Resilience Fund)

Meeting called to order at 6:33pm

1 Welcome & Introductions

2. William Francis of the Community Cycling Center spoke.  The Community Cycling Center’s mission is to broaden access to bicycling and its benefits.  More than just a bike shop, they do a holiday bike drive, donate bikes each year, run a repair shack in the New Columbia Village, offer a low income community discount and several other programs.  They are located on NE Alberta street. 

During the pandemic the Community Cycling Center is working towards providing mutual aid.  They are connected with a food pantry at the Rosa Parks school and another pantry in the Cully neighborhood.  They are reaching 91 families delivering food by bicycle each week.  There is a team of 6 volunteers making the deliveries.  The idea is to bring food to individuals who may not be able to go to pantries for a variety of reasons. 

They are looking for a food pantry to partner with in our neighborhood. There is one at the Boise Eliot School.  Immaculate Heart church has a food pantry.  Saint Philip the Deacon gives out food on Saturdays. They would also need to gather names of individuals or families in need.  They make their deliveries by bike so families need to be within a 1-2-mile radius.  Discussed putting an article up on the web about the program and then updating it for the fall newsletter.  Sue will put a brief ad in the summer issue of the newsletter to ask for individuals who are in need of support.  Shireen agreed to be the point person to help coordinate the neighborhood needs. Allan will also connect William to the Boise Eliot School as a way to gather names of families in need.

3. Cameron Whitten of the Black Resilience Fund spoke.  The fund was founded two weeks ago to create resources to provide immediate support to Black Portlanders. They have received over 3000 applications for support.  Their goal is to raise $1 million, and they are more than halfway there.  They want to support a path toward healing and reconciliation to communities; create joy and build community.  Their model is culturally specific.  People who apply are being interviewed by Black Portlanders and funds are delivered by Black Portlanders.  It is creating a way for individuals to be more connected. The website: BlackResiliencefund.com has lots of great stories.  The fund is solving immediate needs for neighbors who are currently suffering.  Becoming a program of the nonprofit Brown Hope. Jimmy stated it was very encouraging to see this work.  He suggested that Cameron speak to the mayor.  Black 211 workers are able to volunteer their time to help with Black Resilience Fund.  It is a very empowering experience for many people.  Sue suggested putting something on the website and also an article in the newsletter in the fall.  Over 600 people applied to volunteer. Two co-founders. Shireen moved we donate $1000 to the Black Resilience Fund.  Darren seconded.  Motion passed unanimously.

4 Newsletter updates: Sue is finishing up the layout right now.  Goal is to get it in everyone’s mailbox by July 1st.  We have 12 pages which include interviews with essential workers, info about I-5, COVID-19 testing and many other articles.  We are covering the cost for the issue though we are light on advertising. Would love to get more voices from the community for the next issue.  Jimmy gave a statement about the protests.  Sue reached out to Jimmy Wilson, Shireen Hasan, and Patricia Montgomery and Monique Gaskins to make sure the Black perspective was included in the newsletter.  Jimmy wanted to make sure Sue explained why she asked those individuals in particular.  She stated did not want to say the wrong thing or go in the wrong direction in the newsletter.  Discussed the importance of honoring this moment.  Jimmy said we are all in this together.  Sue shared Jimmy’s statement to the group and a few edits were made.

5. Statement of support: Allan sent out a statement of support for the Black Lives Matter movement before the meeting. The idea is to acknowledge that we have been a part of the problem in the past and that we want to work to make amends and promote an anti-racist society.  The group reviewed and edited the statement.  We also agreed to add a paragraph to the masthead of the newsletter.

6 Ongoing business:

  • Land Use Committee did not meet this month.  Nothing to report.
  • Stanton Street have not been able to meet with the police.  The police are not able to commit at this time because they are busy with the protests.
  • Livability committee: Adopt a Block is the focus at this point. Do $100 gift certificate drawing quarterly for individuals who are doing the Adopt A Block.  Sue will talk with Jodi about how to connect the committee more closely with the Board.  Jimmy stated he feels like he is stuck and not making progress with the Blazers. Jere gave Jimmy a list of names and an email chain but he does not know those individuals.  He does not want to contact someone he has not been introduced to.  Jimmy is trying to get support from the Board so he can do his job. Karla Gosnell has had the most recent contact with the Blazers but we don’t know if her contact is even still with the Blazers.  Who can make this connection?  Sue will reach out to Karla to make a connection with Jimmy and the Blazers
  • Jere is stepping down from the board.  She does not feel she can make the time commitment. 
  • Allan listened into the Emanuel Displaced Persons 2 Zoom call.  They are a group of descendants of the un-kept promises from that era. EDP2 is asking the Eliot Neighborhood Association to sign onto a letter that would negate the current process for the Hill Block.  Jimmy stated that Emanuel has not followed through on their promises.  He also pointed out that there are Blacks fighting against Blacks, both groups have ancestors who were affected by the displacements.  As a neighborhood association we have asked for more land to be donated. What is our goal? Jimmy suggested that we need to protect our name and not put our name on anything until we know it is right. Shireen suggested that Byrd come to another meeting to clarify. Some people in the group decided to stay out of the conflict between the two groups. Shireen did not agree with this decision.
  • April Minutes: Allan moved the minutes be approved as corrected, Sue seconded. Motion passed.
  • May Minutes: Allan moved that the minutes be approved as corrected., Jonathan seconded. Motion passed.

Meeting adjourned at 8:50

Eliot Neighborhood Association Board meeting minutes June 15, 2020

Posted on by Sue Stringer

Chairs: Jimmy Wilson & Allan Rudwick

Monday, June 15 2020

6:30-8:00 pm

Board Members Present:

Allan Rudwick

Jennifer Wilcox

Jimmy Wilson

Jonathan Konkol

Shireen Hasan

Jim Hlava

Sue Stringer

Darren Holcomb

Others Present:

William Francis (Community Cycling Center)

Cameron Whitten (Black Resilience Fund)

Meeting called to order at 6:33pm

1 Welcome & Introductions

2. William Francis of the Community Cycling Center spoke.  The Community Cycling Center’s mission is to broaden access to bicycling and its benefits.  More than just a bike shop, they do a holiday bike drive, donate bikes each year, run a repair shack in the New Columbia Village, offer a low income community discount and several other programs.  They are located on NE Alberta street. 

During the pandemic the Community Cycling Center is working towards providing mutual aid.  They are connected with a food pantry at the Rosa Parks school and another pantry in the Cully neighborhood.  They are reaching 91 families delivering food by bicycle each week.  There is a team of 6 volunteers making the deliveries.  The idea is to bring food to individuals who may not be able to go to pantries for a variety of reasons. 

They are looking for a food pantry to partner with in our neighborhood. There is one at the Boise Eliot School.  Immaculate Heart church has a food pantry.  Saint Philip the Deacon gives out food on Saturdays. They would also need to gather names of individuals or families in need.  They make their deliveries by bike so families need to be within a 1-2-mile radius.  Discussed putting an article up on the web about the program and then updating it for the fall newsletter.  Sue will put a brief ad in the summer issue of the newsletter to ask for individuals who are in need of support.  Shireen agreed to be the point person to help coordinate the neighborhood needs. Allan will also connect William to the Boise Eliot School as a way to gather names of families in need.

3. Cameron Whitten of the Black Resilience Fund spoke.  The fund was founded two weeks ago to create resources to provide immediate support to Black Portlanders. They have received over 3000 applications for support.  Their goal is to raise $1 million, and they are more than halfway there.  They want to support a path toward healing and reconciliation to communities; create joy and build community.  Their model is culturally specific.  People who apply are being interviewed by Black Portlanders and funds are delivered by Black Portlanders.  It is creating a way for individuals to be more connected. The website: BlackResiliencefund.com has lots of great stories.  The fund is solving immediate needs for neighbors who are currently suffering.  Becoming a program of the nonprofit Brown Hope. Jimmy stated it was very encouraging to see this work.  He suggested that Cameron speak to the mayor.  Black 211 workers are able to volunteer their time to help with Black Resilience Fund.  It is a very empowering experience for many people.  Sue suggested putting something on the website and also an article in the newsletter in the fall.  Over 600 people applied to volunteer. Two co-founders. Shireen moved we donate $1000 to the Black Resilience Fund.  Darren seconded.  Motion passed unanimously.

4 Newsletter updates: Sue is finishing up the layout right now.  Goal is to get it in everyone’s mailbox by July 1st.  We have 12 pages which include interviews with essential workers, info about I-5, COVID-19 testing and many other articles.  We are covering the cost for the issue though we are light on advertising. Would love to get more voices from the community for the next issue.  Jimmy gave a statement about the protests.  Sue reached out to Jimmy Wilson, Shireen Hasan, and Patricia Montgomery and Monique Gaskins to make sure the Black perspective was included in the newsletter.  Jimmy wanted to make sure Sue explained why she asked those individuals in particular.  She stated did not want to say the wrong thing or go in the wrong direction in the newsletter.  Discussed the importance of honoring this moment.  Jimmy said we are all in this together.  Sue shared Jimmy’s statement to the group and a few edits were made.

5. Statement of support: Allan sent out a statement of support for the Black Lives Matter movement before the meeting. The idea is to acknowledge that we have been a part of the problem in the past and that we want to work to make amends and promote an anti-racist society.  The group reviewed and edited the statement.  We also agreed to add a paragraph to the masthead of the newsletter.

6 Ongoing business:

  • Land Use Committee did not meet this month.  Nothing to report.
  • Stanton Street have not been able to meet with the police.  The police are not able to commit at this time because they are busy with the protests.
  • Livability committee: Adopt a Block is the focus at this point. Do $100 gift certificate drawing quarterly for individuals who are doing the Adopt A Block.  Sue will talk with Jodi about how to connect the committee more closely with the Board.  Jimmy stated he feels like he is stuck and not making progress with the Blazers. Jere gave Jimmy a list of names and an email chain but he does not know those individuals.  He does not want to contact someone he has not been introduced to.  Jimmy is trying to get support from the Board so he can do his job. Karla Gosnell has had the most recent contact with the Blazers but we don’t know if her contact is even still with the Blazers.  Who can make this connection?  Sue will reach out to Karla to make a connection with Jimmy and the Blazers
  • Jere is stepping down from the board.  She does not feel she can make the time commitment. 
  • Allan listened into the Emanuel Displaced Persons 2 Zoom call.  They are a group of descendants of the un-kept promises from that era. EDP2 is asking the Eliot Neighborhood Association to sign onto a letter that would negate the current process for the Hill Block.  Jimmy stated that Emanuel has not followed through on their promises.  He also pointed out that there are Blacks fighting against Blacks, both groups have ancestors who were affected by the displacements.  As a neighborhood association we have asked for more land to be donated. What is our goal? Jimmy suggested that we need to protect our name and not put our name on anything until we know it is right. Shireen suggested that Byrd come to another meeting to clarify. Some people in the group decided to stay out of the conflict between the two groups. Shireen did not agree with this decision.
  • April Minutes: Allan moved the minutes be approved as corrected, Sue seconded. Motion passed.
  • May Minutes: Allan moved that the minutes be approved as corrected., Jonathan seconded. Motion passed.

Meeting adjourned at 8:50