Blog

Natasha Butler: Principal at Harriet Tubman

Principal Natasha Butler in front of the new Harriet Tubman Middle School
Principal Natasha Butler in front of the new Harriet Tubman Middle School. Photo: Danny Peterson

Principal Natasha Butler has big plans for Harriet Tubman Middle School and Eliot neighborhood. As the school reopens to students for the 2018 school year, Principal Butler looks to enlist the entire neighborhood in support of diverse populations and thriving communities for students. Principal Butler’s own roots in Eliot run deep, and she is committed to continuing to welcome people of color in our neighborhood. Growing up, Ms. Butler’s father ran a business near the intersection of Graham Street and Williams Avenue and lived on Graham. Although the neighborhood demographics have changed over the years, Principal Butler wants Harriet Tubman Middle School to be a powerhouse for students of color and students from underrepresented communities.

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Concerts in the Park 2018

Dawson Park Concert 2016 - Soul Vaccination
Dawson Park Concert 2016 – Soul Vaccination

A musical tradition over 110 years in the making, Concerts in the Park offers something for everyone. The Rose City’s best and brightest – from classical to country, rock & roll to rhythm & blues – have been entrancing audiences in parks since 1901. Today’s crowds flock to Portland parks citywide for the revelry, with over forty thousand people attending 61 concerts offered in 2016.

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Union Knott Gallery

Storefront of Union Knot Gallery
Union Knot Gallery at 2726 NE MLK. Photo by Sue Stringer.

Before there were the whitewashed walls of the small gallery space next to Bridges Café, there was clutter and a grotesque carpet. Heidi Snellman and her friends pulled out the carpet, added a wooden window bench and transformed the “box with a great window” into Union Knott Gallery.

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Eliot’s Unique Bike Hive

Image of Breadwinner Cycles
Breadwinner Cycles

While many neighborhoods in Portland have a local bike shop, few neighborhoods have what could be considered to be a “Bike Hive”. Eliot is home to a vibrant community of businesses and nonprofits passionate about supporting people who ride bikes at any level of expertise. The intersection of North Page Street and North Williams Avenue is home to several local businesses dedicated to cyclists: Metropolis Cycles, Igleheart Custom Frames and Forks, Ahearne Cycles, Breadwinner Cycles and Café, Signal Cycles, and Endurance PDX, with Bike Farm and Cycle Oregon just a few blocks away. I wanted to learn more about these businesses, how they collaborate, their views on what they offer to Eliot, and what they want the neighborhood to know about them.

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Helping Teens Navigate Mental Health

Anxiety and depression among teens are at an all-time high, largely because of social media and technology. Before smartphones, children and teenagers used to go to school and deal with bullying and social pressures for six to eight hours a day, Monday through Friday. Now, with the advent of social media and ample access to screens, there is no break. The pressure to be liked and accepted on social media is unrelenting, 24/7, because kids are constantly connected to their phones and social media.

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Historic Martin Mayo House Slated for Demolition

Historical black and white photo of Martin Mayo house in 1929
Historic Martin Mayo house in 1929

The Eliot neighborhood may soon be losing an historic resource, a cute house with a unique curved front porch connected to a man who dedicated much of his life to the community over one hundred years ago.  The house now at 206 NE Sacramento Street is a little bit tucked away behind shrubbery on a double-sized lot and proposed to be replaced by bland modern higher density housing.  The current owner, Danielle Isenhart of Emerio Design based in Beaverton, filed a demolition permit earlier this spring and was approved on May 4th.  The one condition posed by the city was a demolition delay of 120 days to provide a possible alternative to the destruction of a historic resource.

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Help Stop Demolition of Martin Mayo House

Martin Mayo House
Martin Mayo House in 2018. Photo by Sue Stringer

You can help stop the demolition of 206 NE Sacramento and its urban forest garden. The surrounding community is organizing a petition and appeal to save this historic house and edible forest garden from proposed development.

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Canvasing for Parking Permits in Southern Eliot

Map showing proposed parking permit area in southern Eliot
Proposed parking permit area in southern Eliot

Starting Thursday, July 21st the Eliot Neighborhood Association will be canvasing portions of southern Eliot for to see if there is interest in forming an area parking permit district. The area we’ll be canvassing will be from NE Hancock to NE Sacramento between N Williams and NE MLK.  If interested you can sign a petition to ask the Portland Bureau of Transportation to start the process of forming a parking district.

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Dirty Air Threatens the Eliot Neighborhood

Portlanders cherish easy access to outdoor activities, clean air, and locally roasted coffee. While our city’s air quality has generally improved over the last 30 years, Portland, and especially the Eliot neighborhood, currently has some of the worst air pollution in the nation.

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