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portlandgentrificationproject · 4 years ago

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Introduction by Nikki DeLap

There are currently about 38,000 Black people living in the city of Portland; just 5.8% of the total population. In the past several years, approximately 10,000 or more of these people were forced to relocate to the far fringes of the city due to the rising costs of housing in their neighborhoods (Bodenner, 2016). These neighborhoods, which include the popular Alberta Arts area and the Albina district of North and Northeast Portland, have historically been home to the majority of Portland's Black community, though not entirely by choice. Throughout the 1900s, racially motivated real estate practices were commonplace in the state of Oregon. For example, “In 1919, the Portland Realty Board adopted a rule declaring it unethical for an agent to sell property to either ‘Black or Chinese people’ in a White neighborhood. The realtors felt that it was best to declare a section of the city for them so that the projected decrease in property values could be contained within spatial boundaries” (2020). This effectively confined communities of color to the relatively small and economically depressed Albina area of Northeast Portland, which includes today's neighborhoods of Boise, Eliot, Humboldt, Irvington, King, Overlook, and Piedmont. For most of the 20th century, these neighborhoods remained home to the majority of the Black population in Portland. In the early 2000s, the city began revitalizing these neighborhoods and offering loans to (mostly white) home and business owners who could afford them. Prices have been steadily on the rise ever since, as more and more low income residents of color are forced to search for housing much further away and historically Black owned businesses, community centers, homes, churches, and other cultural landmarks disappear. Some of the amenities made available by the gentrification process are favorable additions to neighborhoods that have long suffered from a lack of funding. For residents who can afford to stay, it isn’t all bad. But for renters the story is often quite different. And the shifts that happen in these neighborhoods aren’t purely economic. An influx of White residents enticed by low prices creates cultural displacement, eradicates diversity and alienates long time residents. In 2017, Portland was named the “fourth fastest gentrifying city in the United States” (Realtor.com). Some reports refer to the gentrification that has taken place in Northeast Portland as “late-stage” gentrification. Rapid gentrification in Portland puts the remainder of the Black community in NE Portland, as well as other communities of color all over the city at risk of being displaced.

Two organizations to follow for more information:

Taking Ownership PDX: “Together we renovate and revive Black-owned homes that have requested our help, with an emphasis on enabling Black homeowners to age in place, generate wealth and simultaneously deter predatory investors and realtors to deflect the gentrification process. While nothing can undo the decades of harm imposed upon Portland's Black community via deliberate historical redlining, gentrification and systemic racism, Taking Ownership is turning the tide with a commitment to impactful grassroots change in support of the Black homeowners of our city.” Follow along at instagram.com/takingownershippdx

Right to Root: ”Right 2 Root is a community-led approach designed for community members affected by displacement and gentrification to work with planners, architects and other progressive firms to become architects of our own lives, communities, families and futures.” Follow along at https://www.facebook.com/radix.pdx

Works Cited:

Bodenner, C. (2016, August 23). Gentrification in PORTLAND: Residents and Readers Debate. Retrieved April 29, 2021, from https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2016/08/albina/493793/

Wikimedia Foundation. (2020, September 4). Albina, Portland, Oregon. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albina,_Portland,_Oregon.

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beavertonairporter · 6 years ago

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Cove Orchard to PDX shuttle airport

$ 80 00 Royal Junction +

Zip code: ———

Reservation Now

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Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, located twelve miles north of the state’s largest city, Portland. The town was settled in 1636 and incorporated in 1849. Its population was 8,349 in the 2010 census. As of 2015’s estimation, this is about 0.6% of Maine’s total population. Five islands (most notably Cousins Island and Littlejohn Island) are part of the town.

Yarmouth is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The town’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, and its location on the banks of the Royal River, which empties into Casco Bay less than a mile away, means it is a prime location as a harbor. Ships were built in the harbor mainly between 1818 and the 1870s, at which point demand declined dramatically. Meanwhile, the Royal River’s four waterfalls within Yarmouth, whose Main Street sits about 80 feet above sea level, resulted in the foundation of almost sixty mills between 1674 and 1931.

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The annual Yarmouth Clam Festival attracts around 120,000 people (around fourteen times its population) over the course of the three-day weekend.

Today, Yarmouth is a popular dining destination, with (as of February 2019) fourteen sit-down restaurants. This equates to an average of just over one restaurant per square mile of land area.

The town is accessed via two exits (15 and 17) on each side of Interstate 295. U.S. Route 1 also passes through the town to the west of I-295.

It has been designated a Tree City USA community every year since 1979. 40 years ago.

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Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.94 square miles (59.41 km2), of which 13.35 square miles (34.58 km2) (58%) is land and 9.59 square miles (24.84 km2) (42%) is water.

Yarmouth is nearly square in form and is bisected by the Royal River (formerly Yarmouth River). The Cousins River separates it from Freeport to the northeast; Freeport and Pownal bound it to the east; North Yarmouth to the north; Cumberland to the west; and Casco Bay to the south. Also included as part of the town are Cousins Island, Lanes Island, Great and Little Moshier Islands, and Littlejohn Island.

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History

Traces of human occupation in the Yarmouth area date to about 2,000 BC. During the years prior to the arrival of the Europeans, many Native American cultures existed in the area, largely because of the natural features of the coastal land. Rivers provided several resources, including food, fertile soil, power for the mills and the navigability between the inland areas and the ocean.

In 1640, a 39-year-old Englishman, George Felt (b. 1601, d. 1693), who emigrated to Charlestown, Massachusetts, seven years earlier, purchased 300 acres of land at Broad Cove from John Phillips (b. 1607, d. c. 1667), a Welshman, and in 1643 became one of the first European settlers in Yarmouth. Felt went back to Massachusetts to sell his property there, before returning to Broad Cove around 1660. In 1670 he bought 2,000 more acres of land from Phillips.

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Felt was married to Elizabeth, with whom he had six children: Elizabeth (b. circa 1635), George (b. 1638, d. 1676), Mary (b. circa 1639), Moses (b. 1641), Aaron and another Moses (b. circa 1651). In 1684, Felt moved back to Massachusetts. He returned briefly, after 1678, when he was around 80 years old.

In 1646, Englishman William Royall (b. circa 1595, d. 1676) purchased a farm at what is now the upscale Lambert Point, next to Redding Creek, at the southern tip of Lambert Road, where he lived with his wife, Phoebe Green. The Royal River has ever-since borne his name, minus the second L, though two streets off Gilman Road — Royall Meadow Road and Royall Point Road — carry the original spelling. This stream and its vicinity were called by the Indians “Westcustogo” — a name that, until the early 1990s, was preserved by an inn of the same name on Princes Point Road at its intersection with Lafayette Street. (The building remains but it is now occupied by another business.) Royall moved to Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1675, a year before his death. John Cousins (b. circa 1596, d. 1682) had arrived a year or more earlier than Royall, occupying the neck of land between the branches of the stream which has since been called Cousins River, and owning the island now also bearing his name.

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By 1676, approximately sixty-five people lived in Westcustogo. Soon after, however, conflicts forged by King Philip’s War caused them to abandon their homes and move south.John Cousins was injured and went to York, Maine, to receive treatment. There, he lived with Mary Saywood, to whom he later deeded his real estate in Casco Bay.

Also in 1676, George Felt Jr. was killed on Peaks Island during the conflicts. Felt’s wife, Philippe, moved to Salem, Massachusetts, where she married twice before her death in 1709.

Some settlers returned to their dwellings in 1679, and within twelve months the region became incorporated as North Yarmouth, the eighth town of the province of Maine.

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In 1688, while the inhabitants on the eastern side of the river were building a garrison, they were attacked by Indians, and attempted a defense. They continued the contest until nightfall, when the Indians retired. It was not long before they appeared again, in such force that the thirty-six families of the settlement were forced to flee, abandoning their homes for a second time.

Transportation

Beaverton Airporter know Grand Trunk Railway Station(1906), most recently (until 2018) a florist, is owned by Yarmouth’s Village Improvement Society. The apsidal form of its northern end is found in no other Maine station. The waiting room for the station stood on the land now occupied by Hancock Lumber (formerly Yarmouth Market) and Bank of America, as denoted by a plaque in the flowerbed of the properties

Yarmouth Crossing, where Main Street traverses the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad, looking north from Railroad Square

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Road

U.S. Route 1 arrived in the late 1940s (at grade and also a bridge over Main Street). State Route 88 follows the course of Route 1’s predecessor, the Atlantic Highway. SR 115, established in 1925, also runs through the town.

In 1961, the Yarmouth section of Interstate 295 was built. It runs elevated through town (including, in controversial fashion, over the harborside at Lower Falls). It has two exits (15 and 17) in the town. Exit 15 became a four-ramp intersection in July 2013, when a northbound on-ramp was added.

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In 1727, five local men — Samuel Seabury, James Parker, Jacob Mitchell, Gershom Rice and Phineas Jones — were tasked with the management of the new town. Their affairs included laying out the highways. Roads (or, at least, routes) that appeared on subsequent maps are as follows (with today’s names):

In 1738, “a good road was built over the ledge from the meeting-house to the mills at the first falls which, although it was abandoned about 1800 for a less hilly course, may still be easily traced.”

1741: Atlantic Highway (now Route 88; which took a left onto Pleasant Street), Gilman Road, Princes Point Road, Highlands Farm Road (leading to Parker’s Point), Drinkwater Point Road (which led to two wharves), Morton Road and Old Town Landing Road (which led to another wharf). Large lot owners at the time included Walter Gendall, whose farm incorporated Duck Cove, beyond Town Landing Road in today’s Cumberland Foreside (Cumberland was not incorporated as its own town until 1821). Its dry stone boundary is still intact. Welshman John Powell (b. c. 1669, d. 1742) had a farm where today’s Schooner Ridge Road is. John Dabney’s 60-acre lot abutted this to the east. Dabney was a town selectman in 1737. Felt had a lot at the foot of the northern end of Pleasant Street, adjacent to Stony Brook. Royall’s farm, meanwhile, occupied the entire area bisected by Bayview Street.

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In 1756, “to accommodate the teams hauling lumber from the great pine forests inland to the seaboard, a new more convenient way was laid out by the way of Walnut Hill and the road constructed.”

In 1813, down at the First Falls, “the old road which clambered laboriously over the crest of the hill was replaced by a new street along the head of the wharves below the hill”. This is today’s Pleasant Street. Later, Smith Street became an uninterrupted offshoot into Riverside Cemetery until Lafayette Street was built, in the early 20th century, coming down the hill closer to the harbor. (It was named Lafayette Street in honor of General Lafayette.)

By 1847, Portland Street was in full swing, including the Elm Street offshoot that headed directly into the Upper Village. Main Street was, by now, well established.

For an 1894 map of Yarmouth, see here.

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A 1944 map shows the Atlantic Highway coming through town, aligning with what became Route 88 up to the point they meet at the end of Spring Street. Prior to the installation of U.S. Route 1, today’s curve of Route 88 as it passes Cumberland Farms instead continued directly north-east towards Cousins River. The section of Atlantic Highway that runs from Princes Point Road to the northern end of Pleasant Street was laid in the late 1920s.

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Roswell P. Greeley (b. 1847, d. 1903) established an express service between Portland and Yarmouth, employing a span of horses and large wagons. Azel Kingsley (b. 1860, d. 1948) ran a supplemental service minus the horses. It ran two services in each direction: southbound at 7.30 and 11.30 AM and northbound at 3.00 and 5.00 PM.

Rail

The town has two railroad junctions: Royal Junction (midway along Greely Road) and Yarmouth Junction (to the west of East Elm Street at Depot Road; its station is now gone). The two railroads passing through the town are the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (formerly Grand Trunk Railway; arrived in 1848) and Guilford Rail System‘s Kennebec & Portland (later Maine Central Railroad; 1849). http://beavertonairporter.com/ +1 (503) 760 6565 PDX shuttle airport

The Brunswick Branch of the Maine Central Railroad received a new lease of life in November 2012, when a northern extension of the Downeaster line was opened, carrying passengers five times a day (four on weekends) to and from Brunswick‘s Maine Street Station. The trains pass under two roads and over three crossings on their way through Yarmouth. They are (from south to north) West Main Street (overpass, just after Royal Junction), Sligo Road (road crossing), East Elm Street (road crossing, just after Yarmouth Junction), North Road (road crossing) and Granite Street (overpass).

On weekdays, the trains pass through northbound at 12.03 PM (#681), 4.03 PM (#683), 7.53 PM (#685), 9.18 PM (#687) and 1.23 AM (#689). On weekends, they pass through at 1.23 PM (#691), 7.43 PM (#695), 10.23 PM (#697) and 1.23 AM (#699).

Southbound weekday times: 4.50 AM (#680), 7.50 AM (#682), 11.30 AM (#684), 1.50 PM (#686) and 5.45 PM (#688). Weekend: 6.20 AM (#690), 7.50 AM (#692), 11.40 AM (#694) and 6.25 PM (#698).

Trolley cars of the Portland and Yarmouth Electric Railway Company used to run, every fifteen minutes, from Portland, through Falmouth Foreside, up and down Pleasant Street and onto Main Street between 1898 and 1933, when the advent of the automobile made rail travel a less convenient option. Underwood Spring Park in Falmouth Foreside, with its open-air theater, casino and gazebo, was a popular gathering spot serviced by the trolley cars. The theater only existed for eight years, burning down in 1907. In 1906, a bridge was built over the Royal River, connecting the Brunswick and Portland trolleys at the Grand Trunk depot in town. The tracks ran down what is today’s walkers’ path to the Rowe School. The pedestrian bridge in the Royal River Park is built on old abutments for a trolley line which ran between Yarmouth and Freeport between 1906 and 1933.

Bus

The only bus route that services the town is Greater Portland Metro’s BREEZ. It has eleven southbound services to Portland and twelve northbound services to Brunswick on weekdays and an abbreviated Saturday schedule. There is no service on Sundays.

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On weekdays, the first southbound service arrives in Yarmouth at around 6.20 AM and the last one at around 8.45 PM. The first northbound service arrives at around 6.45 AM and the last one at around 9.50 PM.

On weekends, the first of six southbound services arrives at around 9.45 AM and the last one at around 8.55 PM. The first of seven northbound services arrives at around 8.30 AM and the last one at around 10.00 PM.

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There are three bus stop locations: the park and ride lot at the southbound exit 15 ramp of I-295, on Main Street in front of Yarmouth Town Hall, and on either side of Route 1 at Hannaford.

COVE ORCHARD TO PDX SHUTTLE AIRPORT

GREATER PORTLAND METRO

PDX AIRPORT SHUTTLE

PDX AIRPORT SHUTTLE SERVICE

PDX AIRPORT SHUTTLES

PDX SHUTTLE AIRPORT

PDX TO BEAVERTON

ROYAL JUNCTION

#pdx airport transportation #PDX shuttle airport #pdx #pdx to beaverton

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zosialynchphotography · 1 year ago

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The Lloyd Center, July 2023.

#northeast pdx #lloyd center

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uoclimatereport · 5 years ago

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Through A Mirror

August of 2013, a slightly annoyed and exhausted boy looks out the balcony window of his cruise liner window towards the costal waters of Frederick Sound at 5 am just south of Alaska’s Capital city, Juneau. The cold water breeze whisking the curtains back into the room and into the sleeves of his shirt. The sun just rising over the waters creating a pallet of royalty across an otherwise bland canvas.

Alerted to the cause of sudden arousal by a cast of pointing fingers from family members, the boy looks to the east side and sets sight on the shoreline where remnants of the surrounding glaciers were slowly returning from their summer recession.

The boy and family would spend the next few days in the capital enjoying the tourism sights and lifestyles of the Alaskan city. The last of their stay would be a long day at the Mendenhall Glacier, a magnificent glacier a mere 12 miles from the city. After a a few hours of hiking around the flowery fields present at the tongue of the glacier, it was a source of curiosity to the boy as to what a glacier was and where it happened to be. With some level of frustration of the fruitless day thus far, the boy grabbed his father’s hand and pulled away from the group and towards the edge of the low level waters of Mendenhall Lake and asked why they hadn’t seen the glacier yet. The father somberly pointing to the Northeast corner of the lake, where in the corner the white of Mendenhall Glacier was peering from around the mountains. What was once a dominating sight, had been reduced to something only the curious few might’ve found on that hot summer day.

Looking back, it dawns on me that while the source of the diminished glacier seems obvious now, an adolescent teen of 15 might not have understood at the time what it meant - A seemingly localized event of warming where consequentially an ice formation had been reduced. In the following 6 years since my last visit to Alaska, I’ve been confronted with my own reality and experience on the existential threat of Climate Change. What is it? What does it have to do with me? How will this affect my future?

I’ve been blessed with this rare opportunity (what an extraordinarily overused word) to take this experience, the insights and years of study and dedication to Climate Science, to be a guest of Alaska once again. While I have a profound level of excitement at the coming weeks, it is met with an equal level of anxiety and hesitation.

I am drawn to the wilderness and forested and mountainous regions of the world, a world familiar and oh-so-very appealing. I find myself almost feeling “at home” at the mere imagery I create when thinking of Cordova. My heart races at the possibilities of new treasured moments and memories with new and old companions at the Orca Lodge. My excitement grow greater still at the imagined views of the deep blue waters and contrasted light blue ice of the Sheridan Glacier and surrounding icy areas. The whistling sounds of the wind escaping through the forested shores and the crackling of the broken ice pieces pushing off one another in the calm, cool waters all but has me bouncing up and down in my seat as I drive north to PDX.

Thoughts of Sheridan most certainly excites but also remind me of the somber views of Mendenhall in Juneau and I am suddenly filled with fear and a pit forms behind my heart. Surely we all might find sorrow in knowing that ice which as not melted in thousands of years is a stone throw away from disappearing forever into the rivers and towards the Pacific. Nothing said of the ecosystems and people affected by the the loss of the glaciers, the magnificence alone disappearing is what stops me dead in my tracks.

I have many “expectations” this trip, not just for events or moments but emotions, thoughts and connections. I am anticipating with earnest the overwhelming feelings that will cascade day after day. This trip for me is almost redemptive in nature, a second chance to acknowledge what is present now and appreciate it for what it is to all peoples; A mirror if you will, to both look back at what was and see the present for what is.

- Nik Cramblit

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sistahscifi · 1 year ago

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Want to encourage a lifelong passion for reading in your child? 📚 What better way than to join us for Portland's first BIPOC Book Fair, an event dedicated to fostering a love for reading and literature in all kids and teens!

Every child 3 years old up to age 17 can take home one free book of their choosing. They may pick any book at the fair as their free one. 😍

Saturday

12.23.23

12 - 4pm PST

Norse Hall

111 Northeast 11th Avenue

Portland, OR 97232

Meet Local Authors!🔥

There will be readings and activities throughout the day. Times will be announced in December.

💜K. Tempest Bradford, author of Ruby Finley vs. the Interstellar Invasion

🖤Nisi Shawl, author of Speculation

💜David F. Walker, author of Naomi: Season One and Season Two

🖤Anita Crawford Clark, author of Old to Joy

💜Diana Ma, author of Heiress Apparently

Tickets cost $5 for each adult and child 3 years or older. If you'd like to attend the Fair but can't afford this price, fill out this form and we'll send you free tickets for your family.

All attendees must wear a mask over their nose and mouth at all times.

Grab your tickets below👇🏾

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bipoc-book-fair-tickets-720319213157?aff=oddtdtcreator

@nisi_shawl

@leeandlow

@ktempestbradford

@mofoman68

@anitasfavpics

#DianaMa

@fsgyoungreaders

@awesomeportland

#SFWA

#SistahScifi

#BipocBookFair #BookFair #MeetLocalAuthors

#BlackScifi #BlackAuthors #FreeBook #nisishawl #leeandlow #DavidFWalker #ktempestbradford #AnitaCrawfordClark #IndigenousAuthors #NativeAuthors #AsianAuthors #LatinAuthors #MiddleEasternAuthors #ChildrensBookFair #FreeBooks #Portland #PDX

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locksmithmonkey · 6 years ago

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2013 Kia Sedona key fob by @locksmithmonkey Call (503) 465-4595 #ilovemycustomers #Locksmith #PortlandOregon #AutoLocksmith #LocksmithPortland #PDX https://www.locksmithmonkey.com (at Northeast, Portland) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwFqEtaDg3R/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1480l6mlrxhnk

#ilovemycustomers #locksmith #portlandoregon #autolocksmith #locksmithportland #pdx

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socialchangeblogassignments · 3 years ago

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Blog Assignment #2

Environment and Context

Given the gentrification issue, many organizations in Portland have risen up to try and come up with situations in which everyone is given equal opportunities when it comes to housing. A Portland area coalition organization that is led by marginalized individuals is working to build shared power to advance strategic campaigns for racial and economic justice. The mission of the coalition is to end displacement and lessen the effects of gentrification by expanding affordable housing focusing mainly on Black, Queer, Indigenous, Trans, Immigrants, Refugees and undocumented people throughout Portland. This Coalition first began in 2015 as the Anti-Displacement PDX campaign which was in response to the city of Portland creating the 2035 Comprehensive plan. This plan was put in place to help create more opportunities for more jobs and affordable housing. The Coalition contributed more than 30 policies to this plan.

Another coalition that is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people of color and low income people is Living Cully. This coalition unites four non-profit organizations to develop long term solutions for a better life for low income communities in Northeast Portland’s Cully neighborhood. The four organizations it unites are Habitat for Humanity, Hacienda Community Development Corporation, The Native American Youth and Family center, and Verde. When it comes to Anti-Displacement work Living cully’s program prevents displacement of the minority groups mentioned and helps preserve and expand neighborhood stock of affordable housing. A lot of the work taking place is policy advocacy and community organizing . One policy that was helped developed by Living Cully is a policy that required landlords to pay relocation assistance fees to renters who lose their homes after a no-cause eviction or large rent increase. They did this by convincing Portland City Council to adopt this policy. One issue that was solved by Living Cully was back in December 2016. A real estate speculator Ira Virden bought the Normandy apartments and doubled the rent for the families living there unexpectedly. Living Cully worked with Normandy residents to pressure Virden to retract the rent increase so the families could stay in their home. That’s just one example of the work Living Cully has done.

Both of these coalitions work closely with the city and landlords to develop policies that benefit people with low income and people of color. It will take time to see the efforts of these groups but it does help with the issue of gentrification even if they can’t prevent the displacement from happening they can put policies in place that will benefit the people who suffer from displacement. One example mentioned before was that if landlords unexpectedly evict someone or increase the rent by a significant amount they must pay a fee to the renters. These types of policies were put into place thanks to the work of these coalitions. Furthermore, anyone can contribute to these coalitions either by donation or by joining. Both organizations have websites and anyone can contact them or fill out a form to find a way to help. It isn't just limited to the people who are in charge of the organization. Through these coalitions the effects of displacement and gentrification have been somewhat contained.

Citations:

Anti-displacement coalition. IMAGINE BLACK. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.imagineblack.org/antidisplacement.

Anti-displacement work. Living Cully. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2021, from http://www.livingcully.org/programs/normandy/.

TWO LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS:

https://twitter.com/WeHouseOregon/status/1462942084021641216

https://twitter.com/JerryJonesNAEH/status/1414757627670708225

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pdxtea · 6 years ago

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2018-08-11: 普洱課 :-: Pǔ'ěr Class

2018-08-11: 普洱課 :-: Pǔ’ěr Class

2018-08-11 Saturday 12:30 p.m. — 3:30 p.m. PDX TEA: 5328 Northeast Cleveland Avenue (map)

🏮 Look for the red lanterns! 🏮

Tickets Required.

Beyond The Basics Class: Pǔ’ěr (普洱)

Pǔ’ěr is a vast, and a truly wonderful category of tea. These teas can be at once profoundly magical, and profoundly down-to-earth. It also remains one of the categories which is most poorly understood by Western tea…

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unst242group2 · 4 years ago

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Interview Transcript

Laura: [00:00:00]

[00:00:00] [00:00:00] So the first question we have is what made you start Taking Ownership PDX?

[00:00:08] Randal: [00:00:08] Um, well, um, I had a lot of people asking me how they could be stronger allies or accomplices for the, for marginalized communities and particularly the Black community. Because I, um, I have built quite a platform through hip hop.

[00:00:24] I'm a hip hop artist, uh, playing a six piece funk hip hop band called Speaker Minds. And I've, um, I do solo music with a DJ and I've been doing that for my entire adult life. So, and my music often talks about social justice and injustices, citizen, community outreach, and uplifting, things like that. So, and I've done a lot of philanthropy work in my, in my day, a lot of culturally specific, um, jobs where I've been like a mentor for Black and Brown youth on probation.

[00:00:53] Uh, I worked as a student advocate, um, for low income [00:01:00] young adults work heavy, you know, just a little, a lot of those communities. So, um, people, you know, got to know me as that. And so they reached out and, um, I also go to PSU right now. So I'm finishing my bachelor's in Black Studies and Social Science. And, um, so I've learned a lot about, you know, a lot of the oppressive, exclusionary ways of, of Oregon and the, you know, the nation.

[00:01:26] Um, and so I thought it would be a good idea. You know, when people ask me how they can help, I said, look, you gotta share your resources. Especially if you come from privilege, um, and you have benefited from exclusionary practices, uh, you know, so share your, share your wealth and let's, um, and then the idea that to repair homes came from the fact that, you know, I grew up in Portland, I'm a native, I grew up in Northeast Portland, so I watched the neighborhoods change.

[00:01:53] Um, and now that I have an idea of why that's happened, I realized, you know, a way that we could really help is [00:02:00] by, um, getting some of these repairs done. For the homeowners that still have survived gentrification, um, and, uh, that will keep the city off their back. Um, and, um, because a lot of the ways displacement happens is, uh, white people move into these neighborhoods and then they start complaining about Black people's houses, not looking, uh, adequate enough for their standards.

[00:02:25] And then, uh, the city comes out and puts liens on their homes and stuff. So this is a good way to combat gentrification in that way.

[00:02:34] Laura: [00:02:34] Amazing. Um, uh, we noticed that Taking Ownership PDX has a lot of support from other organizations and you also have a lot of volunteers and donors. Um, was that surprising to you?

[00:02:49] Like how did that happen so quickly?

[00:02:52] Randal: [00:02:52] Uh, so surprising. Yeah, I had no idea it was going to take off like it did. Um, I, I, you know, I, I thought it was gonna. [00:03:00] Just be like maybe a couple of homes, you know? Well, when I started there, I was very naive. Cause I don't, I'm not from the housing world. I, you know, I was a renter at the time.

[00:03:08] Um, You know, I don't, I didn't know the capacity. I thought we would just get a bunch of volunteers together and find some materials and start swinging hammers at homes and trying to, um, try to make them look better. But, uh, there's a lot more to it than that. And a lot of people were like, "well, you know, I don't really want to like come out and help, especially with the pandemic. Um, but here's some money to put towards it," and it just took off, you know, uh, after the first house. We were able to do quite a bit of repairs and then another house came in and then just, you know, words got out and then the news started getting a hold of it. So I did a bunch of news interviews and then that was when it really took off.

[00:03:48] Um, but yeah, because I, you know, I, I was not expecting this kind of response at all. Uh, I think people liked that I started at guerrilla style because I wasn't like waiting to get through all the red [00:04:00] tape, you know, I've been on enough committees and been in enough groups that I know. That red tape can take years to get through.

[00:04:06] So I was like, you know, send me your money and I'll, I'll put it towards the house and, you know, I'll deal with Uncle Sam later. Um, but yeah, I, would've never imagined, um, how big this got and how fast and it's still going strong.

[00:04:22] La'don: [00:04:22] Well, um, I have a question about that. So if someone wanted to be a part of that and volunteer, how would they go about that?

[00:04:29] Randal: [00:04:29] So right now, we're not really encouraging volunteers unless you're licensed, bonded and insured. We got over 400 volunteers signed up and we don't have enough work for that, especially in the winter. Um, You know, we, we, if you want it to, you could go to our website and there's a volunteer section, uh, taking ownership, pdx.org.

[00:04:48] Uh, but we're not encouraging that unless you are skilled in a trade and licensed, bonded, and insured. Um, so we can actually like do, um, [00:05:00] quality and insured work on these homes.

[00:05:02] La'don: [00:05:02] Thanks.

[00:05:04] Laura: [00:05:04] Okay. So the next set of questions is more specific to your thoughts on gentrification. So, um, who has a stake in preventing gentrification? Who can do that?

[00:05:19] Randal: [00:05:19] Um, the state, the city, the nation, the, the feds, uh, anybody that can make policies, you know, um, to, to stop this thing. Make policies that provide reparations. And I mean, I strongly believe reparations are needed for, uh, particularly the black community, but other communities as well, you know, natives need better reparations too.

[00:05:40] Um, but you know, the way, if you have any idea of how horrible this country has been. To, to, uh, nonwhite people, uh, particularly black people and the natives. Um, you would understand that the, that there is some sort of equity in the form of [00:06:00] monetary, um, gifts or whatever, that needed to be given. I mean, think about Oregon.

[00:06:06] They were, when they found Oregon, they were just buying up. Like they're just giving 300 to 600 acres of land to, to white men, just, you know, and black people couldn't even live here. So, um, with that understanding, I mean, they think that they have to like give you the, it has to, it has to be through equitable practices.

[00:06:25] They have to like, um, put in policies for developers that they have to give the developers the same rules that residential people have. So developers can come into neighborhoods and buy up houses and tear them down and build up some, you know, some, uh, garbage 30 unit building without asking the community what they want.

[00:06:48] Um, well, let's say if you're, if you're a homeowner, a residential homeowner and you want to just build a garage or something, you gotta ask all your neighbors what they think, what color, you know? So it's [00:07:00] not fair that these developers just because they have multi-millions and they, you know, can house more people, um, can come in here with their own set of rules and it actually impacts the whole, the rest of the neighborhood because utilities go up, property taxes go up.

[00:07:16] Um, and you know, you bring a whole different demographic into these neighborhoods. Uh, that's another thing is, you know, um, where I live, I just bought a house in Albina. It's mostly white people around here. This is a historically black neighborhood. Um, they'd lost all that culture. I think there has to be some policy in place that, that keeps the culture, uh, in the neighborhoods to, um, give the neighborhood of the voice.

[00:07:42] Yeah. But they definitely have to, um, do something reparation-like, and maybe that's providing property or, you know, monetary gifts or something.

[00:07:55] Annie: [00:07:55] So I do have a question about that. Um, do you think that legislative change is going to [00:08:00] be the most effective here in dealing with gentrification, or is it going to be more on like an individual level that we're going to see the most change?

[00:08:07] Randal: [00:08:07] I mean, I think most change starts from the bottom and like it does, you know, I don't know anything, any kind of change like that um, on a legislative level, I feel like always has to start with some individuals getting together and, you know, making some noise and then they're like, "Oh, okay, fine. It just looks like they're not going to shut up about it."

[00:08:31] So now we're going to start, you know, when you even think about like marijuana passing, you know, uh, you know, any, anything we've really got to make some noise unless it's benefiting the corporations. If it started, if it benefits everyday people on an individual level, we have to make noise and then they'll consider passing some stuff.

[00:08:55] Laura: [00:08:55] Um, the next question is, do you think enough [00:09:00] people know or even care about the gentrification that has been happening?

[00:09:07]Randal: [00:09:07] , I don't think enough people really understand the capacity of what gentrification is. You know what it's done, how severe it's been. Um, I think people, yeah, I think people just think like, cause you, when you grew up in capitalism, you just think that's just the way it is. Like, they want to take your house, they'll take your house.

[00:09:29] You know, they want to do that. You just got to work harder. You just got to pull yourself up by your bootstrap to keep your house. They don't understand the policies and just like the nuanced ways in which they operate to, to, you know, take their homes. And, um, if you're one of the people benefiting from gentrification, You're usually one of the people that has the most resources and the most power to enact the change.

[00:09:56] That's why we always tell white people, y'all got to talk to each other. Y'all got to be [00:10:00] the ones out here, um, really, you know, making that change, um, because this is your, this is a system that was built by y'all, so y'all gotta dismantle it, you know, it can't just be us. So. I think it's hard for white people who benefit from it because they're content and they think, all right, I just bought this house, but you know, I'll put a Black Lives Matter sign in my yard and they think that's enough, you know?

[00:10:26] So they don't, you know, I, so just for instance, some serious, uh, accomplice ally work that just happened is I bought this house from a white lady. She sold it to me for what was, what was left on the mortgage, because she didn't want to make any money off it. And she wanted to put a black family back in the Albina neighborhood.

[00:10:49] So like, that's that radical philanthropy work that I think needs to happen that I don't think a lot of people are going to do. This woman's like on some other shit. [00:11:00] So, which I'm thankful for. Um, and, but yeah, I don't think that there's not going to be a lot of people that are going to do that. And she didn't put herself out cause she's wealthy and she's a, she's a successful business owner and owns multiple properties.

[00:11:14] I don't know if I can say enough people care to make the actual radical, um, decisions and actions that it will take to, to reverse gentrification. And gentrification is already done. Like there's no, there's no like black community in Portland anymore. It's gone, you know, I mean, I guess you could say it's in the numbers, but that's not really, you know, that's not really it, so it has to be reversed at this point.

[00:11:53] Laura: [00:11:53] How important do you think aging in places, you know, like being able to, um, [00:12:00] to stay in someone's home regardless of their age or their income? How much of an importance do you see in that?

[00:12:09] Randal: [00:12:09] I think, you know, it's like, uh, I think it's like one of the most important things as far as what humans need is, you know, shelter and, uh, as somebody who, um, is a brand new homeowner - I just bought this house two months ago - um, I was a renter all before that. With two, I became a father at night, 10 years old of two, and I've lived in maybe 12 places since they were born. We're renting apartments, living in garages, whatever I could find and, you know, um, and it's miserable and it's, uh, not knowing, you know, having to move.

[00:12:46] First of all, moving sucks. You know, we all know that. Um, but yeah, you know, bouncing my kids around from place to place and, um, you know, just to be able to stay and [00:13:00] to be able to pay into your property and then actually get towards paying off your property is huge. You know, like an actual mortgage is amazing.

[00:13:09] Uh, when you're renting, you're just giving your money away all the time. Um, But yeah. I mean, especially when you get older and, uh, it looked the cost of living going up, you know, it's harder to find other places to live. Um, so yeah, it's important. And then familiarity in communities is I think so important to, to, uh, people. And so, yeah, I think it's just in so many, so many aspects of it is important.

[00:13:38] Laura: [00:13:38] And I have one last question. Uh, do you have any advice on how to spread awareness on, uh, the ramifications of gentrification for people who don't have much of a platform or just, you know, every day trying to spread awareness?

[00:13:57] Randal: [00:13:57] Um, I also want to say the importance of [00:14:00] aging in place is also to be able to pass down your property to the next generation. So I think that's actually really huge. Ways to raise awareness. I mean, do your research, one, you know, uh, I think that's important.

[00:14:14] There's a great class - I'm actually in my capstone class right now. Um, it's racial equity in Oregon. I'm learning a lot about gentrification and just the origin of all that in that class. I, so I recommend y'all take it. I don't know, take that class if you want, but it's a good one. Well, yeah. Do your, do your, uh, research on, on, um, Portland or even, you know, other cities too, but I mean, Portland has its own unique or Oregon has its own unique story.

[00:14:40] And I mean, my way of raising awareness is social media. That's how this whole thing started. If I didn't have a platform on social media, there's no way I would've got the word out so fast, um, And provide resources. Um, yeah, I think that's, that's the way to go these days [00:15:00] is social media. Yeah. And action. Don't just talk about it. Do about it.

[00:15:11]Laura: [00:15:11] Well, thank you so much, Randall.

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