Board Members Present:

• Allan Rudwick, Co-Chair
• Jimmy Wilson, Co-Chair
• Jennifer Wilcox, Recorder
• Sue Stringer, Newsletter Editor
• Shireen Hasan, Community Outreach
• Pat Montgomery

Others Present:

• Thursday Bram
• Nate Hildebrand
• Jeanine Morales (Jeanine@prochoiceoregon.org)  NARAL Pro Choice Oregon
• Greg Bourget, Portland Clean Air

Meeting opened at 6:34 pm.

Welcome & Introductions

Presenters:

Greg Bourget, Clean Air Oregon

• Working on addressing smoke stack and diesel emissions. 
• Doing a citizens’ effort to rein in pollution.  
• The biggest problem in the Eliot Neighborhood is diesel emissions.  We are one of the worst counties in the country. 
• Have been working with a committee from the ENA.  Did monitoring with bike mounted monitors and are setting up some stationary monitors. Have a new map of truck traffic.
• XPO Logistics has a large fleet of trucks with no filters. The suggestion from Portland Clean Air and the ENA committee is to focus on XPO Logistics as a next step.  
• NARAL may be able to join us for support.  Greg will connect with them. 
• Our next step is to decide if we want to send the letter to XPO Logistics.  Allan and Sue will call all the members on the committee to try to encourage participation in the committee. Next steps are for the board to read the letter to XPO Logistics, make any changes and then finalize and vote on the letter and send to XPO Logistics.  Allan will send the letter to the full board for review. 

Jeanine Morales, Deputy Director, NARAL Pro Choice Oregon 

• Focus on reproductive rights and equitable access to reproductive care through three separate arms:
  • NARAL Pro Choice
  • NARAL Pro Choice foundation
  • NARAL Pro Choice PAC
• Trying to let everyone know who they are
• New leadership is working to redefine NARAL in terms of reproductive justice, focusing on BIPOC community

Angela Kremer/ Racial Diversity Training (Was not at the meeting, update given by board members)

• Angela met with Pat and Sue
• She has surveyed some of the members of the board but not all of them
• The plan was for her create a proposal and present it to the board but she needs to complete her surveys before she is ready to present

Dawson Park Update

• Continue to have crime with no response from police
• Ivy Street is having the same problems
• Was a discussion of having a group of people work on addressing this but no progress has been made on this front. 
• Knott Street Boxing was doing their training in the park which was helping some
• Need to find a way to address the problem without the law, perhaps more pro social activities Care not Cops has a lot of resources that may be helpful

Board of Directors Update

• Could we use money to pay for a Zoom account? $150 per year.  Look into NECN see if they have an account they would share with the Neighborhood Associations. Allan moved Sue seconded to set up a Zoom Account for Jennifer to host the ENA meetings.  It could also be used for committee meetings. Sue will look into how to share an account.  
• Treasurer position: Jim would like to step down.  He is willing to stay on in a minimal capacity as bookkeeper and check writer for a short period of time but not to attend meetings.
  • Is there any one that would be willing to step into this role?
  • The bylaws require a Treasurer position
• Next month is our general election meeting in the fall 
  • How will we do the election? What we have done generally in the past is to open the floor to nominations and just keep nominating and seconding until there is nobody else who is interested in being on the board.  
  • Advertising: Put on the front page of the website, put on NextDoor, pass out flyers (Shireen, Jimmy, Pat, Allan, Sue) 
  • We need to recruit active members for the board and subcommittees.  Our subcommittees are dwindling.  Many of the issues we are trying to address are not getting traction or making progress. 
  • Put a general article on our webpage about the board and our goals
  • Set a goal of each board member invite one person to the next meeting

Committee Updates

• No updates

Minutes

• Sue moved Allan seconded the August minutes be approved. One abstention, one opposed, three in favor, motion passed. 

Meeting adjourned 8:29pm

Board Members Present:

• Allan Rudwick
• Jimmy Wilson
• Jonathan Konkol
• Shireen Hasan
• Sue Stringer
• Pat Montgomery
• Jennifer Wilcox

Others Present:

• Elliot Parr and Vlasta
• Ruth Eddy
• Ali Hardy of Immaculate Heart Catholic Church
• Emma Holland and Jess Morgan
• Katheryn LePore
• Hillary Mackenzie
• Rachel
• Jessica Needham
• Angela Kremer
• Harrison Osbourn
• John Engleheart
• Alice and Andrew
• Cornelius Swart

Welcome & Introductions (6:32pm)

• Allan encouraged those in attendance to join committees including Land Use, Livability, or the Board.

Gladys McCoy Memorial – Hilary Mackenzie

• Hillary Mackenzie spoke briefly about the Gladys McCoy Memorial on MLK.
• If people are interested in helping with the upkeep of the memorial contact Hilary Mackenzie.  hilary@sundeleafmackenzie.com    

Dawson Park update

• Neighbors reported on updates to the situation in the park including shots being fired last night and bullets being found in two cars.
• Jimmy Wilson, Co-Chair of ENA attended a city council meeting with members of the neighborhood to express concern and ask for help with the Dawson Park situation and help for the neighbors who live on Stanton Street
• Cornelius Swart spoke about how this same problem was addressed many years ago.
• Suggestions of next steps included:
  • Building a coalition of partners including
    • Emanuel Hospital
    • Home Forward
    • Immaculate Heart Church
    • The corner grocery store
    • Cascadia
    • City of Portland Parks and Recreation department
  • Some neighbors are putting up fencing to keep people from sitting on their steps
  • Adding speed bumps to the street or a speed camera and sign
  • Putting in concrete planters to make it a dead end street
  • Immaculate Heart church is working on having the trees and parking removed
  • Creating a phone tree including all partners
  • Put up cameras in the park
  • Talk to the people in the park and find the root of the problem, understand their story
  • Contact the media
  • Ask for help from the office of neighborhood involvement
  • Be a squeaky wheel: every time something happens, contact city hall
  • Welcome people and connect them to services
  • Connect with each other one on one to build stronger community
  • Create a shared google doc to track what is happening
• Action steps:
• Have weekly meeting to talk about this issue. Allan will send an email to arrange the meeting.
• Work on letter to Emanuel and other partners to join the committee
• Cornelius will reach out to the media
• Elliot will write a letter to the City council about the shooting last night

Dialogue about racism – Angela Kremer

• Angela spoke about the need to learn to work together and address privilege and racism. 
• Angela, Sue, and Pat will talk offline to help make a plan. Angela will put together a proposal.

Old Business/Updates: 

– Livability – down to 1 member

• Sue willing to be the Board rep to that committee and get some of the adopt a block people on the committee. 
• Angela and Jimmy will meet about the Blazers money. 

Amended minutes from June meeting were approved.

Meeting ended 9:04

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 3^rd 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.

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 27^th.

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