VOLUME 75 • ISSUE 13 • OCTOBER 13, 2020
WALK TOBER PG. 8
NEWS Student fees are changing again P. 4
ARTS & CULTURE Overlooked Portland music of 2020 P. 12
OPINION Neighborhood Watch was created to instill segregation P. 13
CONTENTS
COVER BY SAM PERSON
NEWS COVID-19 REPORTED IN PSU RESIDENCE HALLS
P. 3
BOT SET TO LOWER STUDENT FEES FOR FALL TERM
P. 4
PPB OFFICER STRIKES TWO BLM DEMONSTRATORS WITH MOTORCYCLE
P. 5
INTERNATIONAL GERMANY 30 YEARS AFTER REUNIFICATION OVER 500 ARRESTED AT ETHIOPIAN FESTIVAL FOLLOWING POLITICAL UNREST COVER WALKTOBER MIXES A REMOTE EVENT WITH REAL EXERCISE
STAFF
EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Justin Grinnell MANAGING EDITOR Nick Townsend NEWS EDITORS Hanna Anderson Dylan Jefferies
COPY CHIEF Sophie Concannon CONTRIBUTORS Sean Bascom Aineias Engstrom Melody Field Judy Bowen Gasenica Megan Huddleston
INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Karisa Yuasa
PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Annie Schutz
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Morgan Troper
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Nick Gatlin
OPINION EDITOR AJ Earl
PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sam Person
ONLINE EDITOR Lily Hennings
INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD
P. 10–11
ARTS & CULTURE THE SHOW MUST GO ON
P. 12
P. 6
OPINION THE VIOLENCE OF VIGILANCE
P. 13
P. 7
A SUPREME COURT SEAT IS OPEN: NOW WHAT?
P. 14–15
DESIGNER SHOWCASE SAM PERSON
P. 16
P. 8–9
DESIGNERS Farah Alkayed Sam Garcia Shannon Steed DIS T RIBU TION DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Dylan Jefferies T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow Kahela Fickle George Olson John Rojas A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher
STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com MIS SION S TAT EMEN T Vanguard ’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.
A BOU T Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print Tuesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com.
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COVID-19 REPORTED IN PSU RESIDENCE HALLS
BROADWAY RESIDENCE HALL. HANNA ANDERSON/PSU VANGUARD
HANNA ANDERSON Two cases of COVID-19 were found on Portland State’s campus on the weekend of Oct. 10, one positive and one inconclusive, bringing the total number of cases associated with PSU to four. The cases were found in Broadway and Blumel Residence Halls, respectively. An email announcement was sent to residents of those buildings by University Housing and Residence Life (UHRL) and Mark Bajorek, PSU’s director of health services. “From a public health [perspective], inconclusive should be treated as a positive, because it’s certainly not a negative.” Bajorek said. PSU keeps track of cases associated with the university on their Coronavirus Response page. The first PSU case was with a non-resident stu-
dent who tested positive in May. One resident and student worker tested positive in August. In all of the cases, according to the website, no exposure to others on campus was found. While one student tested positive for COVID-19, the test for the other student came back as inconclusive. There are a number of reasons why a test might come back inconclusive— for example, if the test didn’t pick up enough of a sample, or if the person being tested didn’t have enough of the virus to be detectable. UHRL has introduced multiple new measures for students returning to live on campus in order to curb the spread of the virus. Only residents are allowed in their respective buildings, and guests are not allowed. In hallways and shared spaces, such as laundry rooms, masks are re-
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
quired to be worn. Other shared spaces, such as lobbies, are closed entirely. The Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC) offers COVID-19 testing by appointment for the PSU community. Since May, 127 tests have been conducted at SHAC. For students, staff and faculty who are tested or exposed elsewhere, however, PSU relies on self reporting. “We’re really relying on students with voluntary reporting,” Bajorek said. “We’re required by law to keep record of the number of students that are tested, and then the numbers that are positive, we are required to report those to Multnomah County, so they can do contact tracing. Typically, we also do some contact tracing as well, especially in the residence halls, or for people that have been on campus.”
Oregon has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases over the weekend. Oregon reached a new highest number of positive cases in a single day with 484 cases on Thursday, with a new record of 364 average daily cases. 154 Oregonians with COVID-19 are currently hospitalized. Since the start of the pandemic, the most important individual measures have remained largely the same: Wear a mask, stay six feet apart and keep large group gatherings to a minimum. For PSU community members and others who have visited PSU, who have been exposed to, tested positive for or diagnosed with COVID-19, PSU strongly recommends filling out the self reporting form, which can be found on the SHAC website.
NEWS
3
BOT SET TO LOWER STUDENT FEES FOR FALL TERM
STUDENT BUILDING FEE
$39
-$19
/STUDENT
$20
/STUDENT
REC CENTER
CHILD CARE
-$25
/STUDENT
$271 /STUDENT
SAM GARCIA
4
NEWS
DYLAN JEFFERIES Student fees are changing again. Here’s what you need to know. The Board of Trustees Finance and Administration Committee voted unanimously on Sept. 30 to approve a resolution to temporarily lower mandatory student fees. The final resolution will be voted on by the full board at the upcoming Oct. 15 meeting. Here are recommended changes to student fees: •Student building fee U Current rate: $39 per student U Revised rate: $20 per student U $19 reduction •Incidental fee U Current rate: $296 per student U Revised rate: $271 per student U $25 reduction The student building fee goes towards construction and renovation projects on campus, and the incidental fee goes towards services like resource centers, childcare facilities and athletic activities. The Student Fee Committee, which is responsible for recommending the amount and allocation of both fees, recommended the reductions to the board. Other fees, such as the Student Health Center fee and the Campus Recreation Center fee, will remain unchanged. Over the course of the pandemic, various reductions have been made to student fees. However, some fees have been reapplied, such as the Rec Center fee, which was waived at the onset of the pandemic when the center was closed. The Rec Center has since reopened to all students.
STUDENT FEE COMMITTEE TOWN HALL
INCIDENTAL FEE
$296
SFC HOLDS TOWN HALL TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT RECOMMENDED REDUCTIONS TO FEES
The SFC held a virtual town hall forum on Oct. 8 to address student questions and concerns about mandatory student fees. Are there any changes to the fees for students who are 100% remote? Are there any fees or services to opt out of to save some money while we aren’t on campus? SFC: No. If you are 100% remote, you can still use all the services and programs that these fee-funded areas have offered. Service coordinators have done a lot of work to try and make sure that they can translate everything that they are providing to students to an online format. Have these fee reductions already been applied to student accounts for fall term? SFC: No. The recommendation still has to be approved by the Board of Trustees. The changes have been approved by the Financial and Administration Committee, but they haven’t reached the final vote by the full board. The final vote will take place on Thursday, Oct. 15. Why have fees gone up when less people are able to use the services? SFC: The answer is two-fold. First of all, the fees here were actually determined by last year’s SFC. By the time that the fees were determined, in Oct. 2019, we didn’t have any idea about what would happen with the pandemic. So the determination for that was done pre-COVID. Additionally, while the question suggests that there are less people to use the services, that is ac-
tually a misconception, because most, if not all, of the services offered by the fee-funded areas are now all available online. Any services and opportunities that you were able to reach on campus are now available through online services. As for those services that are not available to provide online services, we have subtracted those from the budget, and we are refunding those to students starting this term. What are some fees that were paid for services that cannot be used? SFC: All the fees that were not able to be used for online services are actually subtracted from the departmental budgets and now are being refunded to students. So those fees that we are not using are being refunded. How can I opt out of services that I don’t use, like the Student Health Center or the Recreation Center? SFC: No one has the option to opt out of mandatory fees. It is part of being a student at PSU. Whether you are using them or not, you have to pay the mandatory fees. While you may not be using the buildings, we still need to pay the debt which we have taken to build those buildings. Are there any other options for students who already have their own fitness membership outside of campus who don’t want to use the Recreation Center? SFC: No. We’ve gotten a lot of complaints about this, and we’re sorry. You might want to think about cancelling your membership and using the Recreation Center. They currently have inperson and online options. You can take virtual classes and or use the facilities in-person. They adhere to social distancing and keep everything very clean. Why are student fees separated from tuition costs? SFC: Tuition deals with academic costs like professors and classrooms. The student fees were created to pay for student extracurricular activities. The SFC was created separately from tuition so students could have a voice in what they want their fees to be spent on. How does the SFC evaluate the budget proposal from each department and decide on how to allocate funding? SFC: At the beginning of the year, the SFC creates funding philosophies, and we use those philosophies to help us decide what to fund and what not to fund. We also think about what will help the cultural development of students on campus. Where does the student incidental fee go when everything is virtual? SFC: People still have to get paid when things are virtual. People still have contracts when things are virtual. People still have programs and services while things are virtual. So the fee goes towards the same services as usual. The event ended with a comment from a student: “Another aspect of the student fee funds is student resources and campus life activities that research shows supports students at being successful in so many ways outside of the classroom.” “It’s the truth,” said SFC chair Kierra Wing, “We don’t [attend PSU] to just learn. It’s also about the bonds and the community and for the opportunities and the cool people we meet. That’s what a lot of these fee funded areas provide, and it’s so important.”
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
PPB OFFICER STRIKES TWO BLM DEMONSTRATORS WITH MOTORCYCLE
SEAN BASCOM Two Black Lives Matter demonstrators were struck by a police motorcycle on Oct. 2 outside of the Penumbra Kelley building in Northeast Portland. The incident occured after demonstrators confronted an officer who had pulled over two vehicles leaving the protest. After an argument ensued between demonstrators and the officer, the two apprehended vehicles fled. The officer mounted his motorcycle, and demonstrators blocked his path. He accelerated, striking two people. “He just came towards me faster and faster,” said Tealeanna “Teal” Lindseth, an activist with the group Black Unity PDX. “I kept thinking, ‘he’s going to stop, he’s not going to keep going.’” The officer drove directly into Lindseth, whose feet were planted on either side of the motorcycle’s front wheel as she tried not to fall. “That’s when I decided to grab onto the motorcycle and hold on for dear life...I thought, ‘just keep holding on, cause if I let go, it’s going to get worse.’” The officer turned the bike to the right and accelerated in an attempt to shake Lindseth off. She fell to the ground, hitting her head and arm on the asphalt as the officer sped away.
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
DEMONSTRATORS GATHER AT LAURELHURST PARK. SEAN BASCOM/PSU VANGUARD A group of protesters surrounded Lindseth, including Xavier “Princess” Warner, another activist with Black Unity PDX, who helped support Lindseth’s head as they waited for mutual-aid medics. Upon arrival, medics began rendering aid. Moments later, a squad of PPB’s Rapid Response Team arrived with police medics on foot, pushing their way to Lindseth, shouting, “Who needs a medic?” “We were not having it,” Warner said. “I helped Teal up because she wanted to scream at the cops.” Officers then began pushing and striking the crowd with batons, including Lindseth, who was knocked to the ground. A friend helped her up again, and then they were both sprayed with mace by officers. Lindseth got into a friend’s car and was taken to a hospital. “[But] there were cops all over, so we left,” she said. They returned to the protest area to check in on friends, and were arrested later that night. Aliza Kaplan, a criminal defense lawyer and Director of the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School, said of the incident with the motorcycle: “[The officer] likely could have gotten out of the situation by getting off of the bike
and walking it out of there.” She continued, “It really is the police’s job to do everything in their power to de-escalate the situation. It was uncomfortable, but his life certainly wasn’t in danger. Absolutely there should be an investigation. Anytime an officer reacts violently to a community member there should be an investigation.” The experience only strengthened Lindseth’s resolve. “I already get so much hate and I already get hurt because of the color of my skin, so why would I stop now just because I got hit by a motorcycle?” she said. The demonstration that night marked the 117th night of Black Lives Matter protests in Portland. Earlier in the evening, demonstrators gathered in Laurelhurst Park in NE Portland and were preparing a five block march up NE Burnside street to the Penumbra Kelly building, located at NE 47th and Burnside, which operates as an outpost for the Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County Sheriff and other city offices. As the crowd arrived at the Penumbra Kelly building, they gathered around the southwest entrance to the driveway. Several cars positioned themselves across NE Burnside street to prevent the increasingly common occurrence of vehicles driving into the crowd. Protesters held up silver-wrapped cardboard panels to reflect flood lights shining from police cruisers in the parking lot. A small PA and microphone were set up in the middle of the crowd and people took turns speaking. Between speakers, chants rose from the crowd and protest figurehead Demetria Hester weaved throughout, singing her signature song to the police: “your momma hates you, yes she do.” Mac Smiff, editor-in-chief of We Out Here Magazine and a fixture at Portland protests, took to the mic and spoke about criminalizing poverty, asking, “Do you have any idea how hard it is to be a Black man getting traffic tickets and keep your license in this city?” After a brief interruption from the PPB Long Range Acoustic Device—unaffectionately named DJ LRAD by protest regulars— telling demonstrators to “stay off of the Penumbra Kelly building property and landscaping,” Smiff went on to discuss protesting, saying, “we win by staying together and staying consistent. And we demand what we need, we don’t ask for it. We don’t talk about peaceful protest [when] we’re fighting against violence.” Lindseth and Warner led the crowd in a special chant: “Bow! Bow! Bow for Breonna!” Lindseth explained the chant: “A few members of our group flew out to Kentucky and spent three weeks with Breonna Taylor’s family. ‘Bow for Breonna’ is one of the chants that her family has been doing out there.” Another demonstrator shouted, “we got her on FaceTime. Breonna Taylor’s aunt is on FaceTime.” People cheered and those nearest greeted the smartphone. The phone was held up to a megaphone and a crackly voice boomed, “say her name.” The crowd returned, “Breonna Taylor” as they began marching around the block to a dark street behind the north side of the Penumbra Kelly building. In the middle of NE Couch street, a demonstrator with a bullhorn called for the crowd to stop, pull out their phones, turn on their flashlights, and have a moment of silence for Breonna; her aunt watched on through the phone.
NEWS
5
GERMANY 30 YEARS AFTER REUNIFICATION A CITY WORKER DRESSES UP THE MANNEKEN PIS LANDMARK WITH THE COLORS OF THE GERMAN FLAG NEXT TO AN EU FLAG IN DOWNTOWN BRUSSELS. FRANCISCO SECO/AP IMAGES
AINEIAS ENGSTROM On Oct. 3, the German political and cultural elite gathered in Potsdam to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the country’s reunification. On Oct. 3 of 1990, 11 months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a 41-year-long partition between East and West Germany officially came to an end when five eastern provinces were admitted as new states to the Federal Republic of Germany. Back then, more than a million people gathered in front of the Reichstag to celebrate reunification with a fireworks display. In part due to COVID-19 restrictions, the anniversary celebration was more measured and only attended by 230 selected guests. The location of the festivities—a city at the former border between East Germany and West Berlin—was just as carefully chosen as the speakers, performers and even moderators, all of whom were selected to create a choreographic balance between Easterners and Westerners, according to the ZDF. Underneath this veneer of impeccable unity hides a more complicated picture— one of imbalance, of booming cities like Leipzig or Dresden, decaying old villages in Brandenburg and ongoing economic and political divisions between East and West. The German government’s annual report on the Status of German Unity, published in September revealed significant economic inequality across the former divide. The economic strength of the East remains at just 73% of the
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INTERNATIONAL
West, measured in GDP per capita, and the region has been slow in catching up over the past 25 years after an initial spike in the early 1990s. Wages and retirement benefits in the new states also continue to lag behind those in the old states. Many cities in the East, most notably Leipzig and Dresden, have benefited from massive public and private investment that flowed toward urban renewal after reunification. The cities are now gaining new residents from all over the country, especially young people who are attracted by comparatively affordable—although rapidly rising—rents and the modern infrastructure these cities have to offer. But many rural communities have faced socioeconomic hardship in the aftermath of reunification as a rapid exodus of the working population left many towns and villages underpopulated, aging and with an uncertain future. The depopulation has trapped many communities in a downward spiral, according to Financial Times. “For a long time, the problem of eastern Germany was, above all, the lack of jobs,” said Susanne Dähner from the Berlin Institute for Population and Development. “Now you almost have the opposite problem: they are running out of workers.” Saxony-Anhalt, Germany’s most rural state, has lost nearly a quarter of its population since 1990. The landscape in many rural areas is scattered with industrial ruins that are not only relics of its communist past, but
also signifiers of the economic struggles that have shaped these areas since reunification. In his commemoration speech, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier acknowledged the upheaval brought on by reunification “struck the people in the eastern part of the country much harder than those in the west.” However, according to Steinmeier, “we are not nearly as far along as we should be, but at the same time we are much further along than we think.” At the ceremony, the western-born Steinmeier was flanked by Chancellor Angela Merkel. As a representative from the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the state with the lowest GDP per capita, she rose through the ranks of the Christian Democratic Union party to become the first easterner to occupy the German Chancellery in 2005. After nearly 15 years in office, she remains the country’s most popular politician with an approval rating of 72%. Merkel’s rise, however, remains a rare exception in German society, where 98% of leadership positions are held by westerners and all 30 companies listed on the main stock index DAX have their headquarters in the former West. Notably, only one of Merkel’s 15 cabinet members, Family Affairs Minister Franziska Giffey, also grew up in East Germany. The severe imbalance of the country’s leadership has fueled skepticism about democracy and government in the new states according to Olaf
Jacobs, an East German filmmaker and honorary professor at the University of Leipzig. “If there are fewer leadership figures who carry forward their region, it reinforces the feeling of not really belonging,” he said in a recent newspaper interview. Unhappiness with the status quo has been reflected at the ballot boxes in the east, where Merkel’s center-right CDU has lost significant ground to the far-right Alternative for Germany in recent elections. The Alternative for Germany party, known for its euroscepticism and opposition to immigration, is now the largest opposition party in the German parliament thanks to receiving nearly 22% of the eastern vote in the 2017 parliament elections. German unity continues to be challenged by economic and political divisions, even after 30 years. In spite of these divisions, a 2019 study commissioned by the German news magazine Focus found 57% of Germans believed unity had been achieved since 1990. Only 37% said the country remained divided. In the east, however, the majorities were reversed: 47% saw the country as unified, while 50% did not. These results hint at the “love-hate relationship to reunification” that Sabine Rennefanz, political editor at one of Berlin’s leading newspapers, sees among many Easterners, including herself. In a reunification edition of the German Times, she offered an East German perspective of Unity Day: “We East Germans don’t celebrate on Oct. 3. We work, we scream and shout, we beg for attention.”
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
OVER 500 ARRESTED AT ETHIOPIAN FESTIVAL FOLLOWING POLITICAL UNREST KARISA YUASA 503 people were arrested at the annual Thanksgiving festival of Irreecha on Oct. 2 under suspicion they were planning to incite violence during the festival. Ethiopia News Agency quoted the Oromiya region police commissioner, Ararsa Merdasa, in saying officers seized guns and hand grenades during the arrests, according to Reuters. The festival, in the country’s capital of Addis Ababa, is typically attended by hundreds of thousands of people. However, attendance was limited to a few thousand people due to safety and COVID-19 related concerns. According to AP News, all attendees were subjected to at least six security checks, including body searches and sniffer dogs. “I don’t know the kind of information they have, but these security checks are too much,” a festival participant told AP News. “Added with the COVID-19, it really has ruined the festive mood.” Multiple sources also told AP News people traveling to Addis Ababa from outside the capital were banned from even entering the city—however, officials did not confirm the ban. Typically, the Thanksgiving festival includes many people carrying Oromo Liberation Front and Oromo Federalist party flags, but there were none in sight at this year’s festival. Although the Oromo people make up Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, members have continuously expressed their frustrations over marginalization and lack of representation. The current Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, is the first Oromo leader in the country’s history. Despite winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for his efforts to achieve peace and international
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
THE OROMO PEOPLE CELEBRATING THE ANNUAL THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL. SAMUEL HABTAB/AP IMAGES cooperation, he continues to receive criticism for not doing enough for the Oromo people. The lack of Oromo party flags is also in part due to the fact that some of the parties’ leaders are currently incarcerated for their alleged involvement in recent violent unrest. Deadly unrest started in Ethiopia during the first week of July after a popular Oromo singer and activist, Hachalu Hundessa, was killed, according to the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation. Hundessa was a prominent voice in anti-government protests. According to AP News, within four days of Hundessa’s death, over 80 people were killed in violent unrest. Amnesty International also reported within 20 days of his death, at least 177 people had died and hundreds more were wounded. By the Thanksgiving festival, Ethiopia had arrested over 9,000 people in relation to the violence. In September, Ethiopia charged prominent opposition figures with terrorism-related offenses in relation to the violence that occured. Jawar Mohammad, a prominent opposition figure, could have faced life in prison if he was convicted of those charges— along with 23 others, according to AP News. Mohammad’s attorney told AP News he believed the charges were unethical. The Ethiopian government denies that any arrests were made for political reasons. “Some of the accused complained that they are being charged for their political activity,” said Attorney General Gideon Timothewos in a news conference, according to Reuters.
“They are not. They are being charged for their conduct that has resulted in the death of hundreds of citizens.” Still, Ethiopian citizens continue to accuse the country of repression. According to Reuters, critics accused Abiy of “using similar heavy-handed tactics—such as mass arrests or the detention of political opponents—to the regime that preceded him.” Timothewos continues to hold the position that the government did only what was necessary to stop the riots. “We have to distinguish between peaceful, lawful political mobilisation and the kind of rhetoric, the kind of ultranationalistic militant violent political activism, that results in death and injury,” Timothewos said. The added security measures at the Irreecha festival specifically were due in part to the fact that violence has erupted in past years. During celebrations in 2016, a clash between police and protestors in Bishoftu, a town south of the capital, caused a stampede that left more than 50 dead, according to Reuters. “Amid a pandemic, reasonable restrictions on public gatherings may be justified,” stated Laetitia Bader, the Horn of Africa director for Human Rights Watch, prior to the Thanksgiving festival. ”But with tensions already high, expressions of dissent and resistance to government directives may be expected,” “The government should show it has learned lessons from its recent responses to demonstrations and the events of 2016 by ensuring security forces exercise restraint and allowing gatherers to celebrate safely.”
INTERNATIONAL
7
WALKTOBER MIXES A REMOTE EVENT WITH REAL EXERCISE
ANNUAL EVENT GOES VIRTUAL AND KICKS OFF ONCE AGAIN
MEGAN HUDDLESTON Lace up your sneakers and put on your weatherproof layers—it’s Walktober! Run by the Portland State Campus Recreation Center, Walktober is a month-long challenge encouraging the PSU community to get active. Participants register by creating an account and then track their daily steps to compete for prizes. This year the event is virtual, but that hasn’t slowed down its pace. “We have lots of participants this year, definitely more than last year,” said Angela McComber, Walktober intern. “We weren’t sure if numbers were going to be really low because of the pandemic. I had high hopes we’d have lots of participants, but seeing the numbers increasing so quickly has been really exciting. It means people are getting out there and walking.” Walking, which doesn’t require expensive gear or specific equipment, is an easy way to get active. “The major thing is to motivate people to get moving, to not be sedentary,” McComber said. “Walking is the first step to getting yourself healthier. It’s the first thing that will get you on that path. Walking gets you outside, gets you fresh air and boosts your mood.” According to the Mayo Clinic, daily brisk walks help to improve balance and coordination and to prevent heart
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COVER
disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. In addition to promoting healthy lifestyle practices, Walktober tries to promote a sense of community at a university with a large offcampus population. “Walktober started in 2009 as a way to provide opportunities for commuter and online students to engage with Campus Rec and our programs and services, even if they never set foot in the building,” said Erin Bransford, Rec Center Fitness and Wellbeing Coordinator. With most classes this term being remote or online, building a sense of community isn’t easy. “Turning this event completely virtual has been a big challenge for us,” explained Health Promotion Graduate Student Coordinator Ashley Harrison. “It’s hard to feel like you’re a part of a community when everything is virtual, but it’s cool to see people find a way to do it that’s safe.” Weekly emails and social media are two ways Harrison and McComber are building a sense of community. They recommend engaging with the Instagram account @walktober2020 and using #walktober2020 to share your own promenade and to see places recommended by others. A favorite event of past years, according to McComber and Harrison, is the coffee walk, in which the joy of walking is
combined with the pleasure of a good cup of joe. This year, the Walktober organizers will provide a list of recommended coffee spots, mostly near campus, and walkers can participate in whatever way feels safe to them. Each week of Walktober features a theme to help inspire routes and build engagement through social media posts. There are numerous resources out there providing suggestions for walks and hikes around Portland. In Portland City Walks: Twenty Explorations in and Around Town, Laura O. Foster guides readers around various Portland neighborhoods, providing cultural and architectural history. “I avoid places other people tell me I must see, and usually am rewarded with the dead end that leads to a magical path through the woods,” Foster stated. October 11–17 is Oh the Places You Will Go week, and Foster’s Goose Hollow to King’s Hill Loop walk is a perfect way to explore two neighborhoods near campus. The walk begins on the corner of SW 18th Avenue and Jefferson Street, then climbs up into the west hills and through parts of Washington Park. Bring along Foster’s book to learn about the history of the Victorian mansions and 1920s-era apartment buildings of southwest Portland.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation website provides 10 walking tours of the city, including maps and ADA accessibility suggestions. For Gratitude Week, October 18– 24, try the Sunken Rose Garden walk. Beginning at the North Portland Library, the walk is accessible from the Yellow Line and explores Northeast Portland between the Humboldt and Piedmont neighborhoods. While traipsing through Peninsula Park, take some time to stop and smell Portland’s most celebrated flower, the tea rose. Oreg onHikers.org , a searchable database of hikes throughout the state, is a great resource for those looking for a more adventurous walk. The last week of October’s theme is spooky walks, so why not get your steps in on a hike featuring an old pioneer cemetery? The Canemah Bluff Loop hike begins with a view of Willamette Falls. Near the beginning of the hike, you’ll run into the Canemah Pioneer Cemetery, with tombstones dating back to the 1850s. The hike then takes you into a Legend-of-Spooky-Hollowesque forest of Douglas firs, maples and alders. Walktober registration for individuals is open until Oct. 16. The event is a great reminder that, even when so much of life in 2020 has had to stop, there’s always a reason to keep moving.
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
SHANNON STEED
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
COVER
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5
3 2
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THIS WEEK
around the
WORLD Oct. 4–10
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PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
1
1
October 4
NEW CALEDONIA
The French territory of New Caledonia voted for the second time against independence from France. According to BBC, the 1998 Nouméa Accord was created to start a path towards more autonomy for the islands and allowed for up to three referendums for independence. 53.26% of voters from the archipelago in the South Pacific voted to remain under French control. According to Al Jazeera, when the first vote for independence happened in 2018, most of the votes for independence came from Kanak, or the indigenous people of the islands, and most people that voted against independence were from people of European descent or a non-indigenous minority group. 2
October 6
DHAKA, BANGLADESH
Several people were injured in an altercation with police during a protest against increasing instances of sexual violence against women. Protests erupted after videos emerged showing
several men attacking a woman in Noakhali. Ain-o-Salish Kendra, a Bangladeshi human rights organization, reported between January and September of 2020, almost 1000 rape cases, including 208 gang rapes. According to a report by the Bangladeshi government’s One Stop Crisis Centre, only 3.56% of cases filed under the Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children Act have led to a court judgment and 0.37% of cases have resulted in convictions. “This truly disturbing footage demonstrates the shocking violence that Bangladeshi women are routinely being subjected to,”Sultan Mohammed Zakaria, a South Asia researcher at Amnesty International, said. “In the vast majority of these cases, the justice system fails to hold the perpetrators responsible.” 3
October 8
KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT
Following the death of Kuwait’s ruler and subsequent appointment of Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Sheikh Meshaal Al Ahmad
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
Al Sabah was sworn in as the new crown prince. Sheikh Meshaal was head of State Security for 13 years before being deputy head of the National Guard since 2004. The unanimous decision by parliament to endorse the new crown prince led to a smooth transition of power within the ruling family as both Sheikh Nawarf and Sheikh Meshaal are brothers of Kuwait’s late ruler. According to Reuters, Sheikh Meshaal said he planned to “raise the banner of popular participation and promote a tolerant spirit that shuns division.” 4
October 9
LAGOS, NIGERIA
During a protest over alleged police brutality, witnesses said Nigerian police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. The protests began after videos surfaced allegedly showing the death of a civilian by the Special Anti-Robbery squad (SARS), a federal branch of the police accused of unlawful arrests, torture and murder. Authorities have denied the legitimacy of the video and the person who filmed them has
since been arrested. On Friday, Al Jazeera reported 2.4 million tweets using the hashtag #EndSARS. 5
October 10
MINSK, BELARUS
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko visited a prison in Minsk to hold a meeting with detained opposition leaders, according to photos from state media reports. The unexpected visit came as protests continue following a contested presidential election on Aug. 9. Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets since the election, resulting in countless arrests. Viktor Babariko, an opposition politician who was blocked from running for president and detained in July, is seen in the photo from the meeting. A spokesperson from Babariko’s team told Reuters they believed the picture was authentic. According to Belta, the state-run news agency that first announced the meeting, Lukashenko used the meeting to speak about proposed changes to the Belarusian constitution.
INTERNATIONAL
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THE SHOW MUST GO
ON
SOME OF THE BEST AND MOST OVERLOOKED PORTLAND MUSIC OF 2020
MORGAN TROPER It’s no secret the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the live performing arts in Portland and beyond. So much print space has been dedicated to this topic that rattling on about it here seems borderline trite. Don’t let me be misunderstood—saving Portland’s venues is essential for the future of our live music ecosystem. But the media almost seems more concerned with this particular issue than any music itself—which is, of course, an unfortunate hallmark of most music journalism. If reading an alternative weekly or listening to the radio was your primary method for keeping tabs on local music, you might be under the false impression that the scene has dried up. Indeed, record release shows have been cancelled and replaced by ad hoc and occasionally awkward bedroom livestreams, and local promo is virtually nonexistent thanks to gutted arts and culture budgets at some of Portland’s most venerable publications. Still, the music scene in Portland is far from dead.
Obviously, no musician wants to live in a world where they can’t play shows, tour or properly promote their releases. But artists keep releasing new music anyway, proving that these circumstances, while terrible, aren’t insurmountable. It’s worth noting the music scene in Portland proved its resilience long before the pandemic started. Within the last decade at least, Portland artists have been forced to contend with endless venue closures, rising rents and a tech-centric zeitgeist which has, overall, made the city less hospitable to artists. In that sense, the pandemic is simply another hurdle in a series. Portland artists got a head start. Amid the daily torrent of bad news, it’s easy to forget that good things still occasionally happen, and it can even feel a little bit selfish to create or indulge in art and music. But that binary shouldn’t exist—you can focus on the important stuff and also enjoy and acknowledge beauty when you see or hear it. All things considered, 2020 has been a pretty good year for new Portland music. Here are some of the best—and most overlooked—releases of the year so far.
GROWING PAINS / “HOUSEBOAT”
Before the pandemic, Growing Pains were considered bellwethers of Portland’s DIY scene. They were house show fixtures and regularly opened for larger, national acts at dark and dingy—and I mean that as a compliment—venues like Blackwater Bar, Portland’s all-ages punk beacon par excellence. Last year, Growing Pains released Winter Broke, a terrific two-song EP brimming with promise and youthful exuberance. Growing Pains’ brand new single, “Houseboat,” finds the band sounding slightly more realized and confident—it’s a brilliantly-arranged, full-throttle blast of cathartic Weezer-core, replete with “guitarmonies” and a “Born to Run” indebted glockenspiel breakdown. “Houseboat” is further proof that rock music sounds best when it’s written and performed by young people. And it makes me miss live music. Like, a lot.
TUESDAY FAUST / “KILLED THE CAT”
There’s something uniquely special about a good debut album; the listener has no preconceived notions, and the music can’t be cheapened by comparisons to earlier work. Portland singer-songwriter Tuesday Faust’s debut LP Killed the Cat is one such album—it came out of nowhere, and it’s completely staggering. Faust’s music blends the candor of Either/Or era Elliott Smith with the twee whimsy of the Sarah Records canon. Her honeyed falsetto recalls a slightly shyer Harriett Wheeler, and her knack for grafting bitter millennial quotables and quirky instrumentation onto familiar indie pop structures makes for songs that sound both timely and timeless. INDIE ROCK BAND GROWING PAINS. COURTESY OF LUKE MISCLEVITZ
PETE KREBS / “ALL MY FRIENDS ARE GHOSTS” GHOST POP / “VOL. 4 & VOL. 5”
A few years ago, Aaron Liu sang and played guitar in Two Moons, a terrific Portland indie rock band. That group’s last, official release—the EP Strings—blended the ramshackle jangle of early Teenage Fanclub and Velvet Crush with the breezy lo-fi ambience of Ariel Pink’s earlier work. They were also one of Portland’s best live bands. Two Moons has been broken up for over two years now, but Liu continued to release terrific music under his solo moniker, Ghost Pop. He released two great collections in 2020 alone: Vol. 4, which was released back in February on the eve of the pandemic, harks back to the pining power pop Liu perfected in Two Moons, and songs like “A Clue” and “Lost in the Driveway” sound like classic Byrds singles being beamed to Earth from lightyears away. Vol. 5 finds Liu exploring an entirely different musical aesthetic, and swaps the blown-out, chiming Stratocasters for chilly reverb and sampled percussion. Taken as a whole, Vol. 4 and Vol. 5 are further proof that Liu is one of the most versatile and adventurous composers in town.
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ARTS & CULTURE
LEGENDARY PORTLAND SONGWRITER PETE KREBS. COURTESY OF ANDREA BOHON
At age 54, Portland indie luminary Pete Krebs has already lived several lives. He cut his teeth playing in the grunge-adjacent alternative rock band Hazel, whose albums were issued by Sub Pop in the early ‘90s. In 1994, he released the classic Shytown / No Confidence Man split 7” with Elliott Smith— a record now considered a Holy Grail-caliber artifact by Discogs geeks and connoisseurs of the city’s musical history. In Portland music circles, Pete Krebs is a household name—though he’s not content merely resting on his laurels, of which there are many. In recent decades, Krebs has developed a city-wide reputation as a tireless performer; he’s a staple of the mid-tier club circuit, playing as many as 250 local shows a year. It’s a little surprising, then, that his latest LP—the freshly released All My Friends Are Ghosts—is his first full-length in almost two decades. But it was well worth the wait—Ghosts highlights Krebs’ virtuosic ability at evoking diverse musical styles, and his songwriting is impeccable no matter what idiom he’s working with.
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
THE VIOLENCE OF VIGILANCE
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCHES CAN’T SHAKE THEIR RACIST PAST MELODY FIELD Neighborhood Watch was initiated on the national scale in the United States during the early 1960s in the middle of the civil rights movement. It was a program initiated at the same time that white flight was growing popular—causing environmental racism that has continued on since. Neighborhood Watch was a program created to instill segregation as well as violence during a time when people were fighting to move forward, and it has stayed problematic since. In 2012, 17-year-old Black male Trayvon Martin was walking home from a gas station when he was shot by
George Zimmerman, a volunteer for Neighborhood Watch. Zimmerman first called the police before shooting Martin, who advised him to stay inside his car and not approach him. Zimmerman did not listen. Systemic racism is what caused this to happen. This is a well-known example of how Neighborhood Watch has cultivated racism and violence in neighborhoods throughout the U.S. To give a more recent example, the wildfires in Oregon have caused a great deal of rumors about looting and arson that created a divide between the local residents and passersby. In Corbett, there were illegal roadblocks set up by local residents, who were a part of a neighborhood watch group. According to residents and recordings obtained by The Guardian, “Civilian residents, some heavily armed, set up at least two roadblocks with cars and household chairs.” Neighborhood Watch is defined as being “a
group of people living in the same area who want to make their neighborhood safer by working together and in conjunction with local law enforcement to reduce crime and improve their quality of life.” This definition comes from the U.S. National Neighborhood Watch website. Regarding the wildfire incidents, it is clear that what the local vigilante group was doing was not only illegal, but also worsened the townspeople’s quality of life at the time. According to numerous reports, police saw the illegal traffic stops on at least two instances, and had not intervened. These traffic stops were not only enforced by road blocking, but also by questioning from the local vigilante group about passerby identity and their connection to Corbett. Amid a global pandemic, it is highly irresponsible to enforce rules such as questioning, that may have been conducted at an unsafe social distance, or without wearing masks. This again is a situation where the definition of Neighborhood Watch was completely ignored and profiling occurred. It is clear Neighborhood Watch’s existence is entirely toxic, violent and rooted from prejudice. Neighborhood Watch should be dismantled because it is doing the opposite of what it is defined to be in local communities across the country. It lacks involvement with police most of the time, especially in major news coverage when related incidents occur—not to mention the small affiliation Neighborhood Watch has with police often enables their actions, especially racist ones. If part of the definition of Neighborhood Watch is working together with local law enforcement, then it should be held accountable when extremist members act out. SAMUEL GARCIA
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
OPINION
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JUDY BOWEN GASENICA Just when you thought 2020 could not bring anymore unfortunate circumstances, a notification popped up on your phone during a global pandemic that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. Now, there’s an open seat on the Supreme Court with a White House and Senate controlled by Republicans. This is not a dystopian science fiction novel, this is reality. Ginsburg passed away on Sept. 18 from complications from pancreatic cancer. Most of the night Ginsburg died, I felt a heaviness in my chest and listened to The NPR Politics Podcast about Ginsburg. I also felt inspiration. It’s comforting and heartbreaking to know how much she touched the people she knew, but also how much she touched so many women she didn’t know, like me. She fought for women like me to have the same equality as any other man and showed that a woman’s place can be anywhere and everywhere. The same NPR podcast referenced United States President Donald Trump’s response to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death: “She led an amazing life, what else can you say? She was an amazing woman—whether you agreed or not—she was an amazing woman who led an amazing life.” Soon after this, there was an immediate push to fill Ginsburg’s seat. Trump’s response to the loss of Justice Ginsburg was to immediately find someone to replace her. Trump promised that his nominee would be a woman, Amy Coney Barrett, a judge who graduated from Notre Dame and is currently serving the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Trump going through with the nomination, however, still disrespects Ginsburg’s dying wish: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.” Ginsburg’s dying wish is being denied by the Trump administration for gains for their own political party, rather than honoring Ginsburg and waiting until the election to decide on a potential nominee. With Ginsburg’s passing, there is a looming open seat on the Supreme Court that the Trump Administration is taking steps to fill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is contradicting his previous statements from 2016 near
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OPINION
the end of Obama’s presidential term when a seat on the court was also vacant—McConnell pleaded that the Obama administration should not fill the seat until the American people decided on who the next president would be. Now, McConnell is going back on his previous statement with a Republican administration, stating the Trump administration wants to fill the seat. This is a hypocritical move being made to lock in a conservative majority on the court. The Republican party has moved the nomination to being its main priority, instead of something of greater importance for the greater good for the people of the U.S., such as a coronavirus stimulus bill. The proceedings for the confirmation for a Supreme Court nominee can wait. Americans struggling and dying from coronavirus cannot. Trump formally announced on Sept. 26 he would pick Barrett. According to The Guardian, she claimed her religion wouldn’t affect her judgement within the law, but also said careers in law should be meant “as a means to the end of serving God.” The point of law is to create laws to protect and serve the people, ensure equality and justice for others, to protect civil liberties and to keep people safe, not to serve God. There does not appear to be a separation between church and state for Barrett, which means there could be a religious bias for wanting to overturn Roe v. Wade. There may also be a bias that everything is up to God’s plan or seeking what the bible says for guidance to form and/or enforce law. America is not solely a country full of Catholics or believers in a Judeo-Christian God. This country h a s
people from a variety of belief systems and different cultures, from Muslim to Buddhism and from Mexico to Albania. Decisions made at such a high level of government cannot afford to be made from personal opinions solely based on religious belief systems. What is at stake by putting another conservative on the court? What does it all mean for future generations? This would lock in a conservative majority at 6-3 on the court. Abortion rights will be threatened with the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned, and the Affordable Care Act could b e
repealed, which would take away coverage for people with preexisting conditions. Abortion rights would become extremely vulnerable if Roe v. Wade is overturned. This might be the worst time possible to have health coverage taken away.
A SUPREM
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
Barrett could be making decisions on the court for decades to come. This is about the future as well as the present. Democrats will be trying to do everything they can to slow Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation process. One way, while
not completely in the Democrats’ power, is for four GOP senators to speak out and vote against the confirmation of Barrett. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have spoken out against replacing Ginsburg’s seat. Collins, who is up for reelection, announced she would vote no on the confirmation due to the approaching election and Republicans flipping their tune on confirming a new judge when they refused to do so for Obama’s nominee. Other GOP senators that could holdout the nomination,
ME COURT
such as Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Cory Gardner (R-Colorado). Grassley blocked confirmation hearings in 2016 for Obama’s candidate, Merrick Garland, where he cited the “Biden Rule” as causation to hold confirmation during an election year and thought the decision should be made by whoever is elected as president. The Biden Rule isn’t even an actual rule, but rather is an excuse to use one Democrat’s words against the entire Democratic party from a statement from 1992. Mitch McConnell claimed he has the 51 votes needed to confirm Barrett. There is hope if Biden wins the election, Democrats could take back the Senate and there could be an expansion of the Supreme Court. In the constitution, there is no mandate on how many seats there can be on the Supreme Court. During the rollercoaster of the first 2020 presidential debate, both Biden and Trump spoke about the Supreme Court vacancy. Trump stated since the Republican party won the election, has control of the Senate and has control of the White House, it makes it okay to fill the seat, even during an election year. However, Trump has not been reelected yet. A decision to confirm a Supreme Court nominee just roughly a month away from an election is an abuse of power. He stated during the presidential debate if the Democrats were hypothetically in his shoes, they would do the same thing. However, when Obama tried to confirm Merrick Garland during an election year, McConnell
blocked it due to it being an election year. The irony of this did not push through to Trump in the debate that McConnell and the Republican party are contradicting themselves in favor of their party. Trump and McConnell do not care if they are hypocrites. It is more about self-interest and what is good for the Republican party. Another top item at stake with Barrett potentially being confirmed to the Supreme Court is the Affordable Care Act, which Trump referred to as socialist during the debate. Biden urged Americans to vote, as he recognized the push from Democrats to end filibustering and expand the Supreme Court if he is elected. However, Biden didn’t answer if he is in fact going to do so. In the 1940s, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wanted to expand the Supreme Court because he believed there were too many conservatives, too many people that wouldn’t retire and the amount of conservatives were making it hard to pass the New Deal during the Great Depression. He received public backlash for wanting to expand it due to the Supreme Court being perceived as becoming partisan. If the Supreme Court nominee is confirmed and Biden is elected as president, Biden can expand the Supreme Court in order to offset a conservative majority. However, Roosevelt was able to convince some of those that were conservative on the Supreme Court through negotiations to confirm his New Deal. Perhaps Biden can do that too in order to protect Roe v. Wade and the Affordable Care Act. If elected, he has options that can be used to his advantage and for the advantage of the American people. So, what can “we the people” do to ensure that there is a positive future ahead of us? Looking at all of the abuses of power and neglect of hypocrisy happening in the Trump administration, I wonder…what would Ruth Bader Ginsburg do? THE SUPREME COURT BUILDING IN JUNE, 2020. COURTESY OF FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
OPINION
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VANGUARD
DESIGNER SHOWCASE
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DESIGNER SHOWCASE
SAM PERSON
MULTNOMAH CO. LIBRARY BRAND
Hi! I'm Sam, the Creative Director of the Vanguard. This is an older project that I had a lot of fun with, for which I came up with a new brand for the Multnomah County Library. The brand incorporates the downtown library building's recognizable arched windows and combines them with classical typography that recalls vintage broadsides and book layouts. The brand was applied as a bookmark, library card and a series of event posters.
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 13, 2020 • psuvanguard.com