VOLUME 75 • ISSUE 16 • NOVEMBER 3, 2020
CPSO UNABLE TO MEET GOAL OF DISARMING OFFICERS THIS FALL P. 8–9
NEWS Police kill Black man in Vancouver P. 5
ARTS & CULTURE Portland music professionals persevere P. 14
OPINION Hoo boy, there’s an election today P. 15
CONTENTS
COVER BY SAM PERSON
NEWS POLICE KILLING OF BLACK MAN BRINGS MOURNING AND PROTEST TO WASHINGTON COMMUNITY
P. 3
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES CRACK DOWN ON CONSPIRACY GROUP QANON
P. 11
A RACE FOR THE FUTURE OF PORTLAND
P. 4
ARTS & CULTURE PEACE OFFERING
P. 12
BREAKING DOWN THE BALLOT
P. 5
THE HAWTHORNE THEATRE BUILDING IS BEING SOLD, AGAIN
P. 13
INTERNATIONAL COLOMBIAN PROTESTS CULMINATE IN NATIONAL STRIKE
P. 6
PORTLAND MUSIC PROFESSIONALS PERSEVERE
P. 14
PROPOSED CHANGES TO STUDENT VISAS FACES OPPOSITION
P. 7
OPINION OH GOD, WHAT’S NEXT: PREDICTING THE 2020 ELECTION
P. 15
COVER CPSO WILL NOT GO FIREARM-FREE THIS FALL
P. 8–9
DESIGNER SHOWCASE SAM GARCIA
P. 16
INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD
P. 10
STAFF
EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Justin Grinnell MANAGING EDITOR Nick Townsend NEWS EDITORS Hanna Anderson Dylan Jefferies INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Karisa Yuasa SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Béla Kurzenhauser ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Morgan Troper OPINION EDITOR AJ Earl
ONLINE EDITOR Lily Hennings
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Nick Gatlin
COPY CHIEF Sophie Concannon
PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sam Person
CONTRIBUTORS Gian Bamrah Sean Bascom Juliana Bigelow Aineias Engstrom Michelle Moore Claire Plaster Alan Rodriguez Tiburcio Sierra Still Mackenzie Streissguth Zoe Vandal PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Annie Schutz
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. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.
POLICE KILLING OF BLACK MAN BRINGS MOURNING AND PROTEST TO WASHINGTON COMMUNITY
PROTESTERS AND COUNTERPROTESTERS CLASH OUTSIDE PEACEFUL VIGIL
SEAN BASCOM Kevin Peterson Jr, a 21-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Clark County Sheriff’s office Thursday evening in Hazel Dell, a small community north of Vancouver, WA. Hundreds of mourners gathered the next night for a candlelight vigil at the site of Peterson’s death—a U.S. Bank parking lot on the east side of Route 99—to light candles, lay flowers and signs and mourn the loss of Peterson. Dozens of right wing protesters arrived in the area to protest the vigil. A peaceful vigil was followed by flashes of conflict as mourners left the area to hold a march in downtown Vancouver, which ended with several arrests of mourners, journalists and one legal observer. “The information I have is that upon entering the parking lot of a bank, the man reportedly fired his weapon at the deputies,” said Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins in a public press briefing Friday. “The deputies returned fire and the subject was tragically killed.” Alisha, an activist who worked with Peterson’s family to organize the vigil, said the vigil came out of “wanting to honor and remember a life that was taken—an innocent life that was taken.” Before the vigil began, about 30 people were set up waving Trump, “thin blue line” and U.S. flags a few blocks north on Route 99, where mourners would drive past on their way to the vigil. Several large trucks with giant flags circled the area, occasionally revving their engines and speeding up and down the highway. Family members and Black Lives Matter activists spoke to the crowd about community strength and mutual support in the face of yet another Black man dead at the hands of police. “This shit is not okay. We should not be dying, and they should not be covering it up,” Mac Smiff, Editor in Chief of We Out Here Magazine, told the crowd. “We are not slaves. We do not deserve to be captured. We don’t deserve to be watched and followed. This is not the life we’ve come here for. This is not what we were freed for.”
TWO BLACK WOMEN FACE DOWN DOZENS OF VANCOUVER POLICE OFFICERS WITH HANDS RAISED. SAM BASCOM/PSU VANGUARD As the vigil continued peacefully, a growing crowd of around 20 people were gathered on the west side of Route 99 waving right-wing flags and yelling phrases including “all lives matter” and “Trump 2020.” A group of about 50 counterprotesters lined the east side of 99 calling back with “Black lives matter” and singing “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go.” At one point a handful of mourners crossed to the west side of the street and asked the other group to let the vigil continue in peace. It was agreed and the protesters moved north away from the vigil. By the time the vigil ended at around 9:00 p.m, organizers had used vehicles to block traffic along Route 99 in response to several trucks speeding through the area close to mourners. As people flowed out of the area, several mourners became embroiled in heated dialogue and occasional skirmishes with at least 50 right-wing protesters a block north of the vigil at the 99 Saloon & Grill. Some interactions were civicminded discussions, while others ended with two parties rolling on the pavement, punching each other as mace filled the air. Although several members of both groups were armed, no shots were fired. There was no police presence at the vigil or subsequent confrontations. “I heard [one of the Trump supporters] on the phone with 911 begging them to come down here, and they wouldn’t come down here,” said Hazel Dell resident Reni Hirsch. “If they want to come up here, antifa and [Black Lives Matter], and have their vigil, that’s fine. But when you cross the line and you want to destroy our businesses and where I eat and bring my family? Not going to happen on my terms,” said Scott Mays, an Army combat veteran and Hazel Dell resident. By 10:00 p.m., up to 300 people from the vigil had gathered at Esther Short Park in Downtown Vancouver, according to a press release from Vancouver Police. The crowd marched from the park to downtown Vancouver chanting and singing. Frontline Drumline, a local drumline that often plays at Black
A MOURNER CARRIES BLACK LIVES MATTER AND ANTIFASCIST FLAGS. SEAN BASCOM/PSU VANGUARD
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
Lives Matter marches in Portland, played near the front of the group. Around 11:00 p.m., the march arrived at the corner of Franklin St. and 12th, where federal officers engaged in a stand-off with protesters in front of the Vancouver Federal Building. After some tense moments, the crowd moved on through the neighborhood. Windows were smashed at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Clark County Juvenile Justice Center. By the time the crowd returned to the park, it had reduced in numbers to about 100 people. Alisha announced the planned march was over and encouraged everyone to head home, reminding them that Peterson’s family had asked for a peaceful demonstration. Several people left and others began marching north again. After winding further through the neighborhoods, the crowd circled back to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office where at least a dozen police cruisers and an armored all-terrain vehicle were staged. A small number of the marchers gravitated to a bail bond office where Scott Mays and two other men were standing guard. One of the men was armed with an AR-15 rifle. After 10 minutes and some words with protesters, the men left in an SUV. As the vehicle left the area, two shots were fired into the air. Officers declared the gathering an unlawful assembly minutes later and began slowly marching the few protesters left to the south where they returned to Esther Short Park. Shortly after, at least 30 Vancouver Police vehicles arrived and began pushing the remaining marchers east along 8th St. and north along Esther St. Mac Smiff and another journalist were arrested on Esther St, and at least one protester was arrested at the northwest corner of the park. Officers pushed the remaining dozen or so people east, then north on Columbia St. to Evergreen St, making several arrests along the way, including one legal observer with the National Lawyers Guild, before retreating for the night.
MOURNERS LIGHT CANDLES AT A VIGIL IN HONOR OF PETERSON. SEAN BASCOM/PSU VANGUARD
NEWS
3
A RACE FOR THE FUTURE OF PORTLAND
WHEELER AND IANNARONE CAMPAIGN TO HOLD PORTLAND’S HIGHEST POLITICAL OFFICE
MAYOR TED WHEELER SPEAKS TO PEOPLE GATHERED IN DOWNTOWN PORTLAND. AP PHOTO/GILLIAN FLACCUS
4
NEWS
ALAN RODRIGUEZ TIBURCIO On May 19, during Portland’s mayoral primary election, no candidate was able to secure an absolute majority to win outright. As a result, on Nov. 3, Portland will be deciding the next mayor in a runoff election; On the ballot are the top two finishers, incumbent Mayor Ted Wheeler and challenger Sarah Iannarone. Should he be elected a second time, Wheeler will be the first Portland mayor to serve more than one term in nearly two decades. He fell short of this accomplishment in the primary by just over 1,000 votes. Challenging the incumbent is urban policy consultant Sarah Iannarone. Though she’s never held office, she previously ran for mayor in 2016. Wheeler, the heir to an established Oregon timber company, comes from a conventional political background. Born and raised in Portland, he went on to receive an undergraduate degree from Stanford and master’s degrees from Columbia and Harvard University. He previously served as Oregon state treasurer, where he practiced aggressive fiscal management and environmental conscientiousness. Iannarone, born in New York to workingclass parents, has a less conventional background. After moving to Portland circa 1998, Iannarone graduated with an undergraduate degree from Portland State, and later began to pursue a Ph.D in urban studies and planning. She has previously been a restaurant owner in Southeast Portland, a community organizer and an administrator at PSU. According to Open & Accountable Elections Portland, Iannarone managed to achieve more individual contributions, spread across the city—notably, more donations in residential neighborhoods. The same data illustrates that Wheeler acquired fewer individual contributors, but with more funds. Donations to Wheeler’s campaign came mostly from West Portland, and three-quarters of them reached amounts of at least 250 dollars. This discrepancy in political platforms manifests in key areas, one of which is the respective proposals for managing the Portland Police Bureau and the role of police commissioner. Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, a vocal critic of the PPB, has publicly requested that the mayor assign her the role of police commissioner. Wheeler has denied the request, choosing to retain himself as police commissioner and claiming a discussion may be had post-election. Sarah Iannarone has pledged to assign Hardesty to the role on day one. “It is traditional for the mayor to appoint herself or himself as police commissioner because it’s a very high-profile role,” said PSU Senior Instructor Jack Miller. “It is interesting and noteworthy that Sarah Iannarone is pledging to assign that to a different member of the city council. That’s an acknowledgment that, one, she’s not into being the mayor who has as much power as possible.” During the latest bureau reassignment, on Sept. 10, Mayor Wheeler did relinquish bureaus and agencies to commit himself to pandemic recovery; nonetheless, he continues to maintain a stacked, high-profile portfolio. “Like a lot of mayors, Wheeler has assigned himself a lot of bureaus, including the most important and high-profile ones,” Miller said. “Iannarone, pledging to appoint Hardesty, she’s acknowledging that someone else is better suited to that role than she is.
It’s unusual for a politician to want to give up a high-profile position of power but it’s an acknowledgment that it’s a very difficult thing to be right now.” Wheeler’s adamance towards this mayoral tradition has cost him the endorsement of a key commissioner. “This is a moment in history that requires strong and inclusive leadership, not more of the same status quo,” Hardesty stated on Oct. 29, in her endorsement of Sarah Iannarone. Hardesty originally gave a primary endorsement to Wheeler, then rescinded that endorsement in the wake of the Black Lives Matters protests and refrained from endorsing either candidate until now. Giving Hardesty the role of police commissioner may be one of the most decisive actions either candidate has proposed to empower Portland’s Black communities, especially considering the fervent BLM protests. “Iannarone—by promising to appoint Hardesty—is essentially saying, ‘Okay, I am going to make sure that somebody who is in charge of the police commission is paying attention to these non-white communities,’” Dr. Miller said. “The problem with our system of government is none of the city commissioners represent a community, they all represent the whole city. What that means is that it’s always been challenging for minority communities to go to the front-burner for any member of the city council.” Though not relinquishing the PPB, Wheeler did forth proposals to alter the way police patrol minority communities, as well as economic proposals directed towards nonwhiteowned businesses. Wheeler and Iannarone are both dedicated supporters of the need to commit to strong climate action. In June, the Portland City Council declared a climate emergency. The council passed a resolution that created goals the city would strive towards to meet the challenge of climate change, such as carbon emissions at 50% of what they were in the 1990s, net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and free public transit for individuals under 18, among others. Addressing the climate catastrophe may be one of Wheeler’s strongest appeals to progressive voters. As an economic moderate with progressive directives, Wheeler did produce consistent, albeit gradual, efforts to create a greener, more sustainable city. “If this was a calmer time—if this election were being held last fall, instead of this fall— Wheeler could run for reelection on the fact that has been trying to advance a relatively progressive agenda,” Miller said. “He would also be running on the fact that he’s been trying to advance a sort of fiscally responsible, administratively efficient agenda.” Iannarone takes a more aggressive stance regarding climate change. Her proposals include orienting the city towards net-zero emissions by 2030, establishing zero-emission zones—which would ban vehicles, like cars, from certain areas—as well as proposals geared towards wealth distribution, such as establishing a public-owned municipal bank and progressive taxation. After a year that has seen a major global pandemic, historical protests against police brutality and an influx of voters that are ready to participate in democracy, this mayoral election will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on the city’s history and future.
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
BREAKING DOWN THE BALLOT
SAUCI AND PSU PROFESSOR EXPLAIN OREGON’S 2020 BALLOT MICHELLE MOORE Ballots are due on Nov. 3, and many people have not voted yet. On Tuesday, Students Addressing Urban & Community Issues (SAUCI) hosted a “Ballot Breakdown” event to help explain the ballot, with Dr. Jack Miller, a political science professor at Portland State, leading the discussion. Miller explained that Oregon, like most states, has a multiple executive system. So while there is no election for Governor— not until 2022—there are elections for Oregon’s secretary of state, treasurer and attorney general. This is different from the federal government, which has a single executive system. With a single executive system, the voters vote for the president, who then appoints people to positions such as secretary of state. Since there are many positions up for election this year, it is up to the voters to scrutinize each candidate. “When you’re analyzing various officer holders, it’s a good idea to know what that office holder is going to do so that you can decide how you’re going to pick them,” Miller said. Positions like attorney general are policymaking positions, so
it is good to look at party affiliation and policies to see if your choice of candidate matches your views. Positions like secretary of state and state treasurer are administrators, so while their political views are less important, their administrative skills and experience are more important. In addition to statewide positions, there are also several seats for the Oregon State Legislature up for election. As members of the legislature, they will evaluate and vote for statewide laws. Information about each of the candidates can be found in the voter pamphlet, the websites of individual candidates, online debates or their experience with relevant issues. Closer to home, Portland uses a commissioner system of government, and is the only city with a population over 100,000 to do so. The city council is composed of commissioners who will set policies and run the different governmental bureaus, making the council both the legislative and the executive branch of Portland’s government—leaving voters to consider which candidates will be the best at both.
The mayor is in charge of picking which commissioners run which bureau, so even if a certain candidate is elected, it is not certain what bureau or bureaus they will end up running. The ballot does not just consist of candidates—there are also state and local measures of the back of the ballot. While voters will choose between yes and no, a bill being rejected does not mean the bill is gone for good; the bills are often revised, and voted on again. The voter pamphlet has information on the measures you can vote for. You can also look at candidates and organizations that favor or oppose the measures, or at arguments that are included in the ballot. Many measures regard issues that are hotly debated. According to Miller, “Controversial issues and spending issues tend to end up getting referred [to the ballot].” Ballots will look different from person, depending on the races being run in your area. However, there is one major thing they all have in common: all ballots are due on Nov. 3, before 8:00 p.m.
SAM GARCIA
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
NEWS
5
COLOMBIAN PROTESTS CULMINATE
IN NATIONAL STRIKE
MEMBERS OF THE INDIGENOUS GUARD MARCH DURING A NATIONAL STRIKE IN BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA. FERNANDO VERGARA/AP PHOTO
GIAN BAMRAH After three days of protests against the government in Colombia’s capital, Bogotá, thousands of Indigenous people, teachers, students and union members participated in a national strike on Oct. 23. The strikes and protests were in regards to multiple social issues, including the social and economic policies of Colombian President Iván Duque, police violence and the killings of human rights activists and Indigenous leaders. There has been increased evidence of election fraud, corruption and ties to drug traffickers, which has eroded citizens’ belief in the legitimacy of their government. This has contributed to more frequent abuses of power in the government’s attempt to keep authority. Government warnings against protests due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the country case count topping one million did not stop people from showing up for the causes. “We’re asking for no more massacres against our Indigenous leaders,” said Harold Arias, an Indigenous person who attended the Bogotá protest, according to Reuters. “We’re not scared of coronavirus. We’re scared of going back to our territories without getting a dialogue with the president.” According to the United Nations, increases
6
INTERNATIONAL
in violence have led to at least 42 massacres of Indigenous people this year. “If we don’t stand before the world and say, ‘This is happening,’ we will be exterminated,” said Indigenous leader Ermes Pete, according to The New York Times. Protesters also demanded a guaranteed income for those who lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic, increased education and health funding, farmer production and rights for women and vulnerable populations, as well as tangible steps to stop gender-based violence. For Colombians, violence against women is nothing new. Since the pandemic, the country has seen a surge in femicides and domestic violence. “It’s a loss of 10 years of work toward gender equality because women are returning to these patriarchal spaces,” said Carolina Mosquera, researcher at the Bogotá-based think-tank, Sisma Mujer, as reported by Al Jazeera. It brings us back to this old dynamic of the man as the provider and the woman who cares for the home.” People hoped as the lockdown became less strict, the rate of gender-based violence would decrease; however, in the month of September, 86 femicides were recorded, the highest monthly number counted since the
killings began to be tracked in 2017. There have been a number of protests focusing specifically on gender-based violence against women, as violence against women in the country has been largely ignored by the government. One of the events that sparked protests for women’s rights in June was soldiers admitting to the rape of a 13-year-old Indigenous child. According to The Guardian, some observers said the “horrific episode reveals systemic cruelty within the military.” “It’s something systematic, and if their security training and doctrine doesn’t change and doesn’t include a serious human rights component, we can expect to see crimes like this becoming normalised,” Mafe Carrascal, a Bogotá-based activist, said. Local and national governments have tried to respond to the violence with resources like local and national domestic violence attention lines, but critics say those are not enough to make a significant change, and also point out the lack of effective judicial resources for most women. In addition to the physical dangers women face, the economic fall during the pandemic and the lockdown’s disproportionate effect on women puts them at higher risk. Women have reported the reality of being stripped
of their “economic autonomy.” Recent protests in Columbia are the latest in a series of protests that began late last year. These include September protests against police brutality that led to 13 deaths. The national protests and strikes largely remained peaceful and Bogotá. Mayor Claudia Lopez attributed that to the presence of Indigenous people by using the term “minga,” which Indigenous groups use to refer to collective action. These peaceful protests were the first that police did not try to repress since Duque took control of the increasingly authoritarian government in 2018. The Colombian Supreme Court ordered respect for the right to protest and prevent police brutality, leaving the president no other option. In place of the police, protests were observed by unarmed Indigenous guards. Government officials attempted to accuse terrorists of infiltrating the Indigenous groups, but this was largely ignored. “This protest comes at a time of less protests around Latin America. I think Colombia is alone in the room,” said Director of Colombia Risk Analysis Sergio Guzman, according to AP News. “It’s very difficult for President Duque to carve a path forward without further dividing society.”
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
PROPOSED CHANGES TO STUDENT VISAS FACE OPPOSITION A PSU INTERNATIONAL STUDENT. COURTESY OF PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY KARISA YUASA The United States Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule change on Sept. 25 that would potentially end the duration of status for international students and scholars on F and J visas. “If this rule is implemented, international students and scholars will be admitted to the U.S. for either a two or four-year period,” said Christina Luther, Director of International Student and Scholar Services at Portland State. “Right now these people are admitted for what is known as duration of status, meaning that as long as they are maintaining their status and making what is considered normal progress towards program completion, they may remain.” In the 2018–19 academic year, there were over a million international students in the U.S. As the number of international students has almost doubled in the last decade, DHS stated the changes would help to “reduce fraud” and “enhance national security” by allowing the department to better assess whether people are maintaining their status. “Amending the relevant regulations is critical in improving program oversight mechanisms, preventing foreign adversaries from exploiting the country’s education environment and properly enforcing and strengthening U.S. immigration laws,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli. “DHS does not believe such a requirement would place an undue burden on F, J and I nonimmigrants. Rather, providing F, J and I nonimmigrants a fixed time period of authorized stay that would require them to apply to extend their stay, change their nonimmigrant status or otherwise obtain authorization to remain in the U.S. at the end of this specific admission period is consistent with requirements applicable to most other nonimmigrant classifications,” DHS stated.
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
Criticism of the proposed rule change emerged during the 30day comment period following the announcement. During the period, over 30,000 comments were received, all of which are required to be read by the government. “The rule is proposed to manage national security threats posed by individuals who stay beyond the time allowed in the U.S., but this particular population is the most highly monitored population in the U.S. If a student stops studying or disappears, we are obliged to report that to the government,” Luther said. “This rule does nothing to heighten security.” Letters in opposition to the rule change were sent to DHS by state attorneys general and members of both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. ASPSU submitted a memorandum to Oregon state leaders asking for their support against the proposed change. “ASPSU will not tolerate any more acts of bigotry towards international students and encourage [sic] Oregon leaders to unite and stand with us as we challenge the Department of Homeland Security to repeal this new proposed policy,” the memorandum stated. If implemented, students seeking a typical four-year degree may still be subject to a two-year visa if they are coming from a country with high overstay rates, are attending an unaccredited school or are attending a school that does not fully participate in E-Verify. “At PSU we do not fully participate in the E-Verify system, meaning that our HR office only uses E-Verify when government contracts are involved. Because this is the case, PSU students and scholars would only be admitted to the U.S. for 2 years,” Luther said. If a student is unable to complete their program within the time allotted, they must apply for an extension through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and pay any fees asso-
ciated with the application process—with no guarantee the extension will get granted. “When I started in the U.S., I was 26,” said the director of ASPSU university affairs, who is an international student from Great Britain. “Even looking back at 26, I didn’t have any idea of what I wanted to do. What this does is say ‘you don’t have time to be young’, ‘you don’t have time to be naive’, ‘you don’t have time to make those decisions’.” “You can’t waste time because this policy change, if implemented, means that if you want a degree from the U.S., that’s all you’re going to get. You’re not going to have time because of the fear, the money and the potential fear of any mistake being a mark against you.” The rule change could also potentially shorten an F nonimmigrant’s time to prepare to leave the U.S., following their visa expiration, from 60 to 30 days. “If I’m working through and through, the hardest I’ve ever worked up until the end of this degree, I have 30 days after I take that moment, that breath, and going ‘I completed my degree’ to get rid of everything I possibly own and go home. It’s a lot,” the ASPSU director said. ”I’ve been here for 6 years. I have a life here. I have nothing back home.” Although the rule change is still preliminary, the effects they could have are already being discussed. “International students already have so many challenges while studying in the U.S.—their studies, being away from home, having families depend on their success, financial challenges, time pressure—to layer this uncertainty on top of all those other challenges, for me, would be the final straw,” Luther said. “In their shoes, I wouldn’t bother coming. I’d look to one of the many other countries in the world that are far more welcoming and provide better support and more security than the U.S. would if this rule passes.”
INTERNATIONAL
7
CPSO will not go firearm-free this fall DYLAN JEFFERIES
PORTLAND STATE’S CSPO OFFICE BOARDED UP. SOFIE BRANDT/PSU VANGUARD
Campus public safety officers will not begin patrolling campus without firearms this fall. In August, the university announced plans to disarm its campus security after years of activism from students and faculty calling on the university to do so. The initial announcement in August stated officers would begin unarmed patrols this fall. However, due to staffing and administrative challenges, that goal will not be met, which means for the time being, officers will continue to patrol campus with guns. CPSO Chief Willie Halliburton released a video message alongside an email from Portland State President Stephen Percy outlining their reasoning for delaying unarmed patrols on Oct. 27. Part of the Reimagine Campus Safety plan being developed by Percy and Halliburton—which includes unarmed patrols— requires a minimum of at least two officers be on duty during every shift. Due to the recent retirements of two sworn officers and the resignation of a third, that requirement cannot be met. The shift to unarmed patrols also requires updating hundreds of policies and procedures relating to CPSO, and until those updates have been legally reviewed and approved by the University Public Safety Oversight Committee (UPSOC), officers will remain armed. The university is also working with the City of Portland and the Portland Police Bureau on ways for those organizations to support CPSO when they begin unarmed patrols. “The delay is due to low staff numbers, but also due to delays in negotiating a new operating agreement with the Portland Police Bureau and rewriting 500 pages in policies and procedures,” said PSU Media Director Christina Williams. “We are undertaking what amounts to a cultural shift in policing.” Percy and Halliburton also emphasized the magnitude of disarming campus safety officers. “We are unaware of any other police agency in the nation that has shifted from armed to unarmed patrols by sworn officers,” Percy stated. “Agencies across the country are contacting us wanting to know how we are going about creating this new reality.”
8
COVER
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
“This is groundbreaking work,” Halliburton said. “I have been and will continue to be transparent about the process of transferring and transforming my agency into one that leaves firearms behind.” An additional reason cited for delaying unarmed patrols was the recent vandalism of the CPSO office during protests on Oct. 11. “On Oct. 11, the campus public safety office was severely damaged,” Halliburton said in the video message. “Our officers and our staff inside were traumatized. For me, I take this personal. Someone has to show what peace looks like. You cannot continue to fight aggression with aggression.” At this time, it is unclear when campus safety officers will be able to begin patrolling unarmed. “We haven’t set a new date, but have committed to be transparent about the progress,” Williams said. “Recruiting and hiring takes time. It’s a fluid process. And once they have been hired, officers new to police work must complete four months of training from Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training before they can patrol. That adds to our timeline.” A virtual town hall event is being organized for mid to late November, where Halliburton, Percy and a representative or two from UPSOC and/or the Reimagine Public Safety Committee will answer questions from attendees about public safety at PSU. The official date has not yet been announced, but is expected to be announced this week, according to Williams. Percy and Halliburton both stated that transparency in the process of disarming officers is paramount. Percy stated in the interest of transparency, PSU will continue to release progress reports, as well as online updates regarding the hiring process of new officers. An additional announcement was made by Halliburton on Oct. 29, stating that, beginning Nov. 1, CPSO would suspend 24/7 officer patrols on campus. Instead, officers will patrol between 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday–Friday. According to Halliburton, the change is due to the low amount of officers on staff. PSU dispatch officers will still be available 24/7 and will route emergency calls to the Portland Police Bureau. Additionally, Halliburton stated sworn CPSO police officers will provide 24 hour coverage on Nov. 3–4 due to anticipated protests related to the election. Non-sworn officers—who patrol unarmed—will also provide additional coverage. According to Williams, the anticipated protests on election day played no role in the decision to delay unarmed patrols. The decision to begin disarming CPSO came after years of activism from the campus community, mainly from the group Disarm PSU, which formed in 2014 after the PSU Board of Trustees passed a resolution to hire sworn officers, who carry guns. According to Disarm PSU’s website: “We are concerned for students, faculty, staff, community partners and alumni of Portland State University. Our request is simple, we are calling for the immediate action to disarm campus security on our campus.” In 2018, campus security shot and killed Navy veteran Jason Washington, a Black man, during a scuffle outside of a bar near campus. His death reignited Disarm PSU’s activism, but the university chose to keep armed officers. When Black Lives Matter protests swept the nation in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Disarm PSU experienced another resurgence of energy. After multiple protests outside of the CPSO office and letters to the BOT from nearly every corner of the university, President Percy and Chief Halliburton announced that PSU would begin the process of disarming CPSO. “Over the past few weeks we have listened to many voices across our campus,” Percy stated in August. “The calls for change that we are hearing at PSU are ringing out across our nation. We must find a new way to protect the safety of our community, one that eliminates systemic racism and promotes the dignity of all who come to our urban campus.” “This is a historic event in the world of police work,” Halliburton said in an August video message. “I understand it’s going to have its challenges, but it’s the right thing to do for Portland State. We will still protect our campus. We will still provide police services. We will have police officers available. We will have them here, but they will be unarmed.” After the announcement, Disarm PSU released this statement: “After seven years of organizing, protesting, collaborating, and coalition-building, the members of #DisarmPSU are thrilled by today’s announcement from President Percy that CPSO will patrol campus without firearms. We appreciate the active listening and the commitment to change demonstrated by President Percy, and members of the Board of Trustees, and acknowledge the labor of all involved over the past seven years.” According to Halliburton, when unarmed patrols begin, officers will instead patrol with “non-lethal tasers,” and a stock-pile of firearms will be located in the CPSO office for a small number of emergencies, such as an active shooter situation. “I’ve examined my own experience dealing with police as a civilian,” Halliburton stated at the time of the announcement, “and I must tell you, things must change. And here at [PSU], I am so proud to be a part of this historic, groundbreaking way of doing police work.” In his most recent video message, Halliburton concluded by saying: “We will take this first step at [PSU], and it is my hope that others in this country will look to us to see how we made it successful. Thank you for your patience, and most of all your support in this process.”
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
STUDENT ACTIVIST STANDS ON THE STEPS OF THE CSPO BUILDING. KARISA YUASA/PSU VANGUARD
COVER
9
THIS WEEK
around the
WORLD
Oct. 25–29
3 2
5
4
1
1
October 25
SANTIAGO, CHILE
In a nationwide plebiscite, 78% of Chileans voted to convene a constitutional assembly with the mandate to draft a new constitution for their republic. The assembly, which will feature an equal number of men and women, is scheduled to begin in April 2021 and complete its work within nine months, with the possibility of a one-time, three-month extension. If confirmed in another plebiscite expected to take place in 2022, the new constitution would replace the current document, which is a remnant from the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet that ended in 1990. “Until now, the Constitution has divided us,” said President Sebastián Piñera according to The New York Times. “As of today, we should all cooperate to make the new Constitution become one home for all of us.” Piñera approved the plebiscite in November 2019 after months of protests against inequality that left 36 people dead. The result of the vote was hailed as a victory by thousands of demonstrators on the streets of Chile’s capital, Santiago. 2
October 25
PORTIMÃO, PORTUGAL
British racing driver Lewis Hamilton celebrated
10
INTERNATIONAL
his 92nd race win in Formula One, setting a new record in the highest class of single-seater auto racing. With his victory in the Portuguese Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver overtook seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher in the all-time ranking. “It’s almost a surreal amount of wins,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff according to Formula1.com. He went on to praise Hamilton’s dedication: “It’s his absolute passion, energy, everything that he puts into the sport, and the talent, the ability – he’s just standing out.” Hamilton has won six Formula One championships and could tie Schumacher’s record of seven titles with another championship this year. 3 October 25-26
KAZAKHSTAN
The release of Sacha Baron Cohen’s second satire film featuring the fictional character Borat has sparked controversy in Kazakhstan. The Central Asian country is the home of Cohen’s Borat, a character known for his racist, anti-semitic and misogynist jokes. Critics allege the film ridicules Kazakhstan and reinforces harmful stereotypes about Kazakh people. They organized under the hashtag #CancelBorat, gathering more than 100,000 supporters for an online petition to
cancel the film. The government of Kazakhstan banned Cohen’s first movie featuring Borat in 2006, but has since embraced the satire, going so far as adopting Borat’s catchphrase “Very Nice!” as a tourism slogan for the country. “Borat has once again split the Kazakhstanis into two camps,” said Tatiana Fominova, a Kazakh marketing specialist, according to Al Jazeera. “Some people are deeply outraged and say that the film is a lie because it was shot in Romania, not Kazakhstan…the other half understands that the film is primarily about the United States and Sacha Baron Cohen has picked Kazakhstan almost randomly.” 4
October 28
VIETNAM
Typhoon Molave struck Vietnam with winds of up to 93 miles per hour, causing extensive damage and loss of life. AP News reported at least 35 people were killed by the storm and more than 50 were still missing. The casualties included fishermen who were surprised by the winds at sea and villagers whose homes were buried by landslides. According to the Vietnamese newspaper Tuoi Tre, eyewitness Ho Thi Ha said her “whole village was flattened” by a landslide that killed her father. The storm also caused a
widespread power outage in the Quang Ngai province which is home to more than 1.7 million people. Officials have called Molave the most powerful typhoon to hit Vietnam in 20 years. It also swept across the Philippines earlier in the week, killing at least 16 people. 5
October 29
SAINT-LOUIS, SENEGAL
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced at least 140 people drowned off the coast of Senegal when a boat carrying about 200 migrants caught fire and capsized in the Atlantic Ocean. The vessel was reportedly headed to the Canary Islands, the southernmost archipelago of the European Union, nearly 800 miles north of the shipwreck. IOM raised concerns about a recent increase in people undertaking the risky journey from West Africa to the Canaries. The UN agency estimates 11,000 migrants have arrived on the Spanish islands in 2020 and at least 414 people died while attempting to reach them. Bakary Doumbia, the IOM Chief of Mission in Senegal, called for “unity between governments, partners and the international community to dismantle trafficking and smuggling networks that take advantage of desperate youth.”
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
SHANNON STEED
BÉLA KURZENHAUSER Popular crowd-funding site Patreon has become the latest tech platform to crack down on conspiracy and misinformation group QAnon. The company announced in a blog post on Oct. 22 that it would no longer provide a platform for creators that support or advance QAnon misinformation. The move follows Facebook and Twitter’s similar initiatives earlier in the year to deplatform the internet conspiracy group, which was labeled by the FBI as a “potential source of domestic terrorism” in an August 2019 document. QAnon is the successor to the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, a movement that gained widespread attention in 2016 for its claims that Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was connected to a child sex ring that was being run out of Comet Ping Pong Pizza, a Washington D.C.-based pizzeria. Following Pizzagate, an anonymous 4chan user referenced only as “Q” made a post on the site’s politics forum board /pol/, claiming they were an individual of high standing rooted within the Trump administration. “Q” is a reference to the Department of Energy’s Q clearance, the highest level of security clearance for the department.
Q later claimed that a cabal of satanicworshipping pedophiles consisting of multiple members of the Democratic party and Hollywood celebrities was planning a hostile takeover of the United States from President Donald Trump. Q additionally claimed Trump was planning to initiate an event called “The Storm,” in which all members of the cabal would simultaneously commit suicide or be arrested as part of a political judgement day. Trump has expressed veiled support for the movement, stating in a White House press conference on Aug. 19 that “I don’t know much about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate.” He later stated “[QAnon supporters] are people that love our country.” Patreon’s deplatforming of QAnon represents a significant blow to the movement, as it pulls crowd-funded financial support away from significant QAnon advocates, grifters and content creators. Facebook and Twitter’s similar decisions earlier this year to deplatform QAnon by banning thousands of pages and users is an indication of the recent push for social media platforms to
possess more accountability by banning problematic and possibly dangerous groups. Despite this, both Twitter and Facebook have expressed resistance towards tackling persistent and systemic problems with their platform. On an October 28 C-SPAN hearing with the Senate Commerce Committee, CEOs Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Jack Dorsey of Twitter and Sundar Pichai of Alphabet testified against the committee regarding their treatment of political speech on their platforms. Texas Senator Ted Cruz labeled the companies as “the single greatest threat to free speech in America,” criticizing Twitter and Facebook for supposedly censoring conservatives. Despite the GOP’s efforts to pin censorship of conservatives on social media platforms, leaked documents from inside Facebook show the company has consistently bypassed factchecking methodology for alt-right misinformation in order to appear unbiased. Similarly, Twitter CEO Dorsey stated last year the platform would not ban neo-Nazis, despite noting in a TED talk last April that addressing harassment on the site was his greatest concern. “One of the things that social media does
really well is scale. Over time, it’s as if social media has really blanketed the world in this tabloid headline,” said Harvard researcher Dr. Joan Donovan in an Oct. 28 interview with Boston Public Radio. “As the conspiracy scales online, and Facebook, Twitter and Youtube do nothing to dampen it, we end up in this situation where... most of us are at home, looking for information, and we end up finding these rabbit holes.” As social media has become an integral part of many Americans’ lives, more pressure has been put on social media companies to regulate the type of content that’s being allowed on their platform. “We all recognize the risks to the integrity of our election that Facebook’s lack of action toward misinformation could pose, but few want to discuss the reality that Facebook’s facilitation of extremism and right-wing misinformation is much more a feature than a bug,” said Angelo Carusone, CEO of nonprofit Media Matters for America, in an essay for NBC’s THINK. “It’s long past time we have an honest and adult conversation about the roles of these big technology companies in our lives,” Carusone said.
SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES CRACK DOWN ON CONSPIRACY GROUP
QANON PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
11
PEACE OFFERING ADRIANNE LENKER DOUBLES DOWN WITH A COUPLET OF INCREDIBLE ALBUMS ZOE VANDAL With each song on songs and instrumentals—the couplet of newly released albums from Big Thief frontwoman Adrianne Lenker—the songwriter beautifully and carefully crafts a transparent body of music, rich in vivid, distinctive storytelling. With the Big Thief tour ending prematurely in March 2020 due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, Lenker made her way back to the United States. She settled in a cabin in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, enlisted famed engineer Phil Weinrobe to record and mix her songs and recorded two distinct LPs: songs, a retrospective, lyrical journey through Lenker’s consciousness, and instrumentals, a compilation of her own ethereal, improvisational guitar-playing. Utilizing only an acoustic guitar, her voice, and the sounds of nature, Lenker gracefully constructs a body of music that welcomes the sounds of nature as an accompaniment to her introspection. One of songs’ more uptempo cuts, “two reverse,” typifies Lenker’s unique lyricism. Throughout the entire album, her clever wordplay and metaphorical bent are on display. “Ingydar” juxtaposes colorful elements of the natural world with cold technology to provide abstract descriptions of scenes: “His eyes are blueberries, video screens,” she sings. Lenker’s incorporation of natural elements into her songwriting produces a raw and honest timbre, something with which fans of Lenker’s work are familiar. Another distinctive feature of Lenker’s songwriting is her consistent reference to her past—the places she once lived, the re-
12
ARTS & CULTURE
SINGER-SONGWRITER ADRIANNE LENKER. COURTESY OF GENESIS BAEZ lationships she once had. Lenker’s song “mythological beauty” from Big Thief’s 2017 album, capacity, details an event from her childhood when she suffered a nasty head injury, invoking a memory of Lenker’s mother praying for her daughter’s life. Like most people, Lenker has stories from her life whose emotional and traumatic nature make them easy to recall—but Lenker’s superpower is her unparalleled ability to retell these events in vivid poetry. The conclusion to songs, “my angel,” is a graceful example of this ability. Songwriting is a way for Lenker to reckon with moments from her past that have left an impression on her; she narrows in on the details of her memory, crafting truthful stories that only she can tell. The first single released from songs, “anything,” falls in line with this theme of honesty. Lenker intimately recalls a past relationship, illustrating specific details with fluid verse. In the chorus, she examines the small moments and longs for their return: “I don’t wanna talk about anyone / I wanna sleep in your car while you’re driving / Lay in your lap when I’m crying.” In a New Yorker interview, Lenker explained her most recent breakup left her feeling empty, stating, “there’s a fullness that happens when someone is focused on you.” Her song “zombie girl” leans further into that feeling: “Oh, emptiness, tell me about your nature,” she sings. Lenker’s music doubles as a form of ruthless self-interrogation, and “zombie girl” offers a candid depiction of a human attempting to heal from a devastating loss.
Instrumentals shifts away from storytelling and focuses on Lenker’s impressive, improvisational guitar-playing. Imagine sitting on the porch of a cabin in a forest: hanging from the ledge of the porch are wind chimes, quietly resonating and blending in with the sounds of birds and the delicate rustling of leaves. Lenker’s instrumentals is the soundtrack to this landscape. Lenker has incorporated the entropic sounds of nature into her music as a second instrument. Intricate finger-picking—and occasional moments of birds chirping, chimes ringing and even a small chuckle from Lenker herself—designates instrumentals as a fly-on-the-wall, unedited window into the atmosphere in which Lenker creates her records. In an isolated space, absent of external judgement and the harsh sounds of a bustling society, Lenker had the freedom to create music “that helped [her] heal,” according to the press release accompanying both albums. Lenker has created something completely her own—her music is a personal journey through thought and time. When an opportunity to disconnect from the commotion and disorder of the world presented itself to her, Lenker seized it. The resulting art, songs and instrumentals, offer a glimpse into an undisturbed interiority. At times when it seems like the world is crumbling and pessimism rules, Lenker opens the door to her own vulnerability, inviting listeners into the process of healing. This is her offering to a world that is struggling to find peace.
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
THE HAWTHORNE THEATRE BUILDING IS BEING SOLD, AGAIN THE FORMER MASONIC TEMPLE IS BEING SOLD FOR THE SECOND TIME IN FIVE YEARS MORGAN TROPER On October 24, Willamette Week reported the iconic Hawthorne Masonic Building, located at SE Hawthorne and Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard—best known for housing the Hawthorne Theatre—was up for auction, with a starting bid at $1.1 million. The auction listing went live last Monday, and included a countdown ticker that lapsed at the end of the week, but the current status of the sale remains nebulous. As of November 1, the $1.1 million figure no longer appears anywhere on the ad, yet there’s no indication that the building has sold. Macadam Forbes, the commercial real estate firm responsible for handling the sale, could not be reached for comment. This is the second time in a mere five years that the former Masonic temple has changed hands. In 2016, the building was purchased for $3 million by Cyrus Etemad, an investor whose previous projects included buying multiple buildings in a low-income Los Angeles neighborhood and nearly doubling his tenants’ rent, according to Willamette Week. “It’s the most difficult part about what I’m doing,” Etemad told York & Fig in 2014. Somewhat shockingly, the Hawthorne Theatre survived that sale intact. The venue’s CEO Gordon Cross emphasized to Willamette Week that this sale will likely be no different, and that the lease term won’t be directly affected. 2020 has already been fraught for the venue, and not only because of the pandemic—its former owner and head promoter Mike Thrasher passed away at the beginning of the year at the age of 48. Thrasher’s promotions company—Mike Thrasher Presents—had been a Portland music staple for nearly three decades; it was almost impossible to pass any telephone pole in the inner eastside without spotting a Thrasher Presents flyer. Thrasher took ownership of the Hawthorne Theatre in 2005 and made it a touring destination for national metal and hip-hop acts, two genres of music that remain underrepresented at other mid-tier Portland venues. As it stands, the Hawthorne Theatre remains one of Portland’s only dedicated allages venues, although, like virtually every other legitimate venue in Portland, it closed its doors at the start of the pandemic. The last decade saw a dramatic transformation of Portland’s live music ecosystem, which can be interpreted as an extension of the city’s transformation in general. At the start of the ‘10s, Satyricon—the legendary westside all-ages punk club where Kurt Cobain supposedly met Courtney Love—was demolished, a poetic harbinger of things to come. Backspace—
an all-ages venue-cum-internet cafe, which was as anachronistic 10 years ago as it sounds now—shuttered in 2013, with DIY venues Laughing Horse Books and Slabtown following suit in 2014. Portland has a nationally reputed live music scene—and so far, many of its most famous mid-tier venues have been able to weather the economic effects wrought by the pandemic, thanks in large part to the $10 million in federal relief specifically allocated to Oregon venues back in the summer. But that still won’t solve a problem that plagued the Portland music scene even during peacetime—there is a laughable paucity of places for minors to experience live music here. While Hawthorne Theatre is among the last, it’s never exactly been a local favorite. Countless Yelp reviews and Reddit posts from concert-goers reveal long-standing criticisms over the venue’s poor sound quality, strict no re-entry policies and unduly aggressive security staff. There have been complaints from artists, as well: In 2018, trap artist Ghostemane accused venue security of acting abusively towards his own tour staff and minors in the audience. “You have an incompetent crew of security who repeatedly choked out minors and my crew during the show and after,” read Ghosemane’s Instagram post. “Clean out your staff.” Additionally, the Hawthorne Theatre hasn’t done a lot to champion local artists in recent years, aside from offering the occasional opening slot. Much of its events calendar consists of national tour packages—which, more than anything, speaks to the difficulty of maintaining solvency as an all-ages venue with a Portland focus. This was partly remedied by the venue when they opened the Hawthorne Theatre Lounge, an 21+ annex that hosts smaller shows. However, what the Hawthorne Theatre lacks in local representation it makes up for in genre diversity. It’s still one of the only larger venues in town where minors can see famous hardcore, hip-hop and metal acts—and in that sense, the venue has stayed true to Mike Thrasher’s original vision. In 2016, working class heroes the Insane Clown Posse infamously drenched the entire venue in Faygo on their Riddlebox 20th Anniversary Tour— and it’s pretty hard to imagine that happening at a comparatively stiff-necked venue like Mississippi Studios or the Doug Fir. Like all venues in Portland, the Hawthorne Theatre’s future is uncertain—but losing it would ultimately be a net negative for the community. As the saying goes, you don’t miss your Faygo until your well runs dry.
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
HAWTHORNE THEATRE. ANNIE SCHUTZ/PSU VANGUARD
ARTS & CULTURE
13
PORTLAND MUSIC PROFESSIONALS PERSEVERE LOCAL MUSIC INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO GRAPPLE WITH THE IMPACT OF COVID-19
FARAH ALKAYED JULIANA BIGELOW On the afternoon of March 9, 2020, Jason Powers, a local audio professional, sat down with me at the Albina Press on SE Hawthorne. We briefly chatted about how we thought coronavirus might affect live events, unaware that a few days later, life in the United States would change drastically. That was a mere two days before the Word Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic; The New York Times was reporting only 201 new cases of the virus in the U.S., and both Powers and I were planning on attending a live music event in the coming weeks. Today, Powers can be found mixing and mastering albums from his home, something he wasn’t planning on doing at all in 2020. Powers is one of the thousands of music professionals affected by the collapse of the live events industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Music Portland is a local non-profit supporting Portland’s independent music. Their executive director, Meara McLaughlin, currently estimates that 30,000 people in the greater Portland area make some or all of their income through professional music. For Powers, the onset of COVID-19 in the U.S. led to weeks of canceled tours. “I lost about five weeks of touring in March and April, and another few weeks that were supposed to happen in November,” Powers said. That’s to say nothing of shows and tours that hadn’t even been scheduled yet. Most notably, the festival Powers manages audio for, Pickathon, was physically canceled. Other people working in the local music industry have had similar experiences, including some PSU students. Before March, Brittani Wert was working 20 hours a week as a Sony Music marketing representative and offering her services as a freelance concert photographer and journalist. Her work required she attend two to three music events around Portland every week. However, from June–August, her hours at Sony were cut in half and all of her freelance work was canceled or went remote.
14
ARTS & CULTURE
Student employees Jae Lacio and Duggan BeckhousePrentiss from the university’s Campus Audio and Visual Event team (CAVET), also had a weeks-long period where their hours were significantly reduced. Not everyone has been as lucky. McLaughlin mentioned she has seen “[full time performers] delivering groceries and working online jobs to survive.” Music professionals have also faced hardships when trying to claim unemployment benefits. Many make their money through a variety of mediums. Some are employed by studios, venues, labels or other music businesses. Others also receive income from freelance and gig work. Those who make a significant amount of money both ways fall into a mixed-income category, which can disqualify them from getting full unemployment benefits. “Musicians who make $40,000 per year from their music might have worked for two months as a barista while not touring,” McLaughlin explained. “Current benefit rules will pay them only a minimum for those two months of W-2 work and ignore the 1099 earnings [they received as musicians.]” Even for those who haven’t faced this obstacle, there have been delays in unemployment benefits and financial support for music industry professionals. McLaughlin said she has seen it take over six months for some workers to receive money and Lacio has stated that she feels the original stimulus package “was nowhere near enough to offer any sort of functional, longterm stability for anyone aggressively impacted by COVID-19.” Furthermore, the Oregon Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PAU) benefits supporting local freelance workers are scheduled to stop at the end of this year on Dec. 26, 2020. Unfortunately, live music is not likely to return at full capacity anytime soon. As it stands now, COVID-19 cases are rising in over 40 states. While some local restaurants have tried to reintroduce music into their spaces, Music Portland’s “surveys confirm that musicians are anxious for their own safety and patrons are concerned about transmission by a performer as they sit eating, unmasked,” according to McLaughlin.
Despite this bleak outlook, the Portland music community has come together to try and support opportunities for its workers. Although Pickathon was canceled, the festival got funding to support the production of four months’ worth of live performance videos. Extra funding meant Powers and a few other audio professionals on the team had steady mixing work for a few months. Wert’s work has shifted to digital campaigns and has helped her recognize the importance of digital marketing for artists. Lacio said the pandemic has made it clear that she wants to pursue a career in live audio. The CAVET team has been able to pivot to “offering assistance with events taking place on Zoom meetings and webinars” and “AV support for professors new to Zoom and those using PSU’s new Zoom classrooms.” Beckhouse-Prentiss even mentioned since March, they have gotten “really into streaming DJ sets and connecting with the electronic music community on Twitch and Discord,” which they wouldn’t have discovered if not for the quarantine. Live-streaming has also exploded, presenting unique opportunities for music professionals and audience members. “Just last week DVSN held a drive-in concert in Toronto where folks got assigned parking spots at an outside venue,” Lacio said. “Full production, lights, sound, everything, and on top of that, I was able to join via Twitch from my home in Portland while doing homework, [which I thought] was very innovative.” Majorlabel artists such as Billie Eilish, Niall Horan and Sam Smith have also begun announcing ticketed livestream shows. For now, live music remains on pause for Portland and beyond, and many music professionals are continuing to feel the effects. However, McLaughlin pointed out a few ways the public can help support their favorite artists. “Take some time during [COVID-19] to find and connect with incredible Portland talent,” she said. “Become evangelists for your favorite local bands and promote their livestreams and music. Also, remember your favorite local music venues [and support them] so they are still there when music comes back.”
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
SHANNON STEED
OH GOD,
WHAT’S NEXT: PREDICTING THE 2020 ELECTION
AJ EARL If you’re reading this on Election Day, welcome! Here at Portland State Vanguard, we generally deal with what happened more than we deal with what’s going to happen when it comes to current events, and I think that is a missed opportunity. With advances in predictive technologies and a wider variety of tarot cards, prognostication is an untapped growth market that I foresee building year over year at a dramatic pace. Therefore, this year, we will predict what will happen in this year’s presidential election! First, who will win? Sorry, we won’t spoil that surprise. If you’re reading this after Election Day, though, the winner was obvious, right? It was so cool when we found out who was gonna win, so yeah, looks like our prediction was correct, I promise. On the other hand, what does the future hold for both candidates? How will they govern and how will they change the country?
Republican Candidate, President Donald Trump
Shaking the dice and reading our official Vanguard augury, we can confidently predict that if Trump is leading on election night, he will rebuke any further vote counts, all litigation aimed at questioning his mandate and even mere certification by the Electoral College—who needs ‘em, folks? MAGA! Grabbing hold of his victory, Trump will immediately call for the shuttering of multiple government agencies and sub-agencies that are not compatible with his goals (or spoils system staffing). The Food and Drug Administration? Gone, replaced by Yelp reviews. Department of Education? Consider that slate erased as Betsy DeVos moves on to a job in the private sector as a puppy mill owner. The presidency? That swamp will be drained and Trump will simply move his office over to the Department of Defense. With a new solid majority on the Supreme Court, Trump will do the opposite of what Democrats have called for, shrinking the Court by four seats and launching Chief Justice John Roberts into the sun for his repeated line-crossing. The 5-0 right-wing majority will then find that Trump is ordained by the Constitution of the United States to be declared ‘dictator-for-life.’ As COVID-19 rages, Trump will forbid any vaccine use, becoming fully convinced that vaccines cause the terrible affliction of voting for Democrats. Instead, a national deployment of prayer teams will oversee petitions to God for healing. They can also preside over funerals—many, many funerals. A bigly number of funerals, in fact. Herd immunity will arrive eventually in the form of literal herds of various ungulates repopulating increasingly desolate cities.
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
Freedom of the press will vanish, so get a good, long look at this article because it’ll be going away, replaced by advertorials for delicious Washington apples and Texas beef (it’s what’s for dinner). Journalists that have written critical or satirical articles about the Trump regime will be reeducated, their skills as writers put to the best possible use in Trump’s America: rewriting schoolbooks to remove any reference to the failings of white America and the Founding Fathers. After this year’s protests, Trump will implement a curfew that runs from sundown in cities that saw Black Lives Matteraligned protests. No group is being targeted, this isn’t racist; why do you always accuse Trump of that, Marxist? Finally, after COVID-19 streamlines the population of the United States, a new, downsized America will find itself leaders in a variety of well-being metrics: mansions owned, Elon Musk partnerships realized, Bill Gates political donations given. The beauty of a newly cleansed nation will make Trumpmericans realize that America was made great again, a gleaming, white city on the hill (with no poors).
such as, I dunno, a mall. Hard to say, that’s a lot of people. Ultimately, Biden will finish out his second term attempting to referee a contentious primary between his Vice President Kamala Harris and New York Senator Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the latter of whom will narrowly win the nomination and go on to defeat Republican candidate, a glass of curdled milk full of nails.
What’s really going to happen?
Although Biden is slightly favored to win, the real winner on Election Day will be disdain for our current electoral process. Fearing a Bush v. Gore every few years, Americans will finally destroy the Electoral College. Misunderstanding the process slightly, a mob will burn down several buildings in Washington, D.C. suspected of being the actual physical college. With the specter of an election evaporated, the federal government will act on COVID-19 and provide everyone with vaccines or small American flags, depending on their trust in science. The morning after Election Day, the next one will begin and the hellscape will be ignited anew.
Democratic Candidate, Joe Biden
The votes are tallied and then re-tallied and then court-tallied, and against all odds and suppression efforts, former Vice President Joe Biden has emerged victorious. Former President Trump will transition himself to a friendly jurisdiction, chased from the White House by his own supporters who believe that Biden moves in the day the election is certified. The blue wave realized, Biden voters will party in the streets. President Biden’s first action in office will be to fire every Trump-appointed official and employee. Out of a cannon. Sailing toward the sun, Betsy DeVos will leave a trail of dollars in her wake, the bills fluttering down into the hands of various poor communities. Rick Perry will face the worst punishment of all: being sent back to Texas. Mnuchins will be banned, their names blotted out in a modern form of damnatio memoriae. In response to COVID-19, Biden will mandate masks for everyone, but it will be a completely unspecified directive. Sales of novelty Trump masks will skyrocket, every other person in line at Chipotle will be wearing a plastic Superman mask and matching plastic smock. Vaccination rates will be extremely high after the government offers coupons to Supercuts with each shot, responding to the epidemic of unshorn Americans that have been working from home for too long. Long feared by the Republicans, taxes will be raised, but only on the richest 1%, leading to a reduction in Trump’s tax rate alongside the rest of the 99%. Biden will immediately blow all the money on trains, healthcare and tuning up his IROC. Like Gerard Depardieu, wealthy Americans will attempt to flee the country to escape the tax increase, but will find their offshore money repatriated and confiscated. Like Gerard Depardieu, they will not be missed. Hunter Biden will be named the ambassador to the Ukraine and Eric Holder ambassador to wherever-the-hell-Trump-is-hiding. Facing an unfriendly Supreme Court, Biden will immediately adopt the Athenian system, nominating 500 justices through the use of drawing lots. A 300 million-slot kleroterion will be constructed to help the selection process. With 500 justices, the Supreme Court’s docket will slow to a grinding halt as clerks will be required to process, edit and print 500 different majority opinions and dissents. Cases will be heard in large public spaces
OPINION
15
VANGUARD
DESIGNER SHOWCASE
16
DESIGNER SHOWCASE
SAM GARCIA
PIONEERING THE SQUARE
Hello! My name is Sam and I’m a senior in the graphic design program. I designed a book about the history of Pioneer Courthouse Square. I wanted to create a layout that reflected the space itself, so I developed a system of stripes that were inspired by the shape the stairs make from the sky.
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
