Portland State Vanguard, Volume 75 Issue 5 by Portland State Vanguard

VOLUME 75 • ISSUE 5 • JULY 28, 2020

"REVOLUTION THIS IS NOT A RIOT, IT’S A P. 5

NEWS Portland State responds to protests blocks away

INTERNATIONAL Freedom of speech challenged in the Philippines

OPINION No more kids-table politics

CONTENTS COVER BY SAM PERSON / COVER PHOTO BY ANNIE SCHUTZ NEWS HILL TO HALL

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A NOVEL FINANCIAL AID PROCESS FOR A NOVEL VIRUS PSU RESPONDS TO PORTLAND PROTESTS

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DIVERSE VOICES JOIN RESURGENCE IN PORTLAND PROTESTS

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STAFF

EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Dylan Jefferies MANAGING EDITOR Justin Grinnell NEWS EDITORS Hanna Anderson Aidan Kennelley INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Isabel Rekow ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Nick Townsend OPINION EDITOR AJ Earl ONLINE EDITOR Lily Hennings

COPY CHIEF Sophie Concannon CONTRIBUTORS Jessie Boicourt Nick Gatlin Mary Joaquin Lily Lamadrid PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Annie Schutz

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INTERNATIONAL FREEDOMS UNDER FIRE IN THE PHILIPPINES

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ARTS & CULTURE QUARANTINE CUISINE

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OPINION ABOLISH THE KID’S TABLE

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DIS T RIBU TION DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Dylan Jefferies

To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com

T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow George Olson John Rojas

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 DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood

PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sam Person

STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher

DESIGNERS Farah Alkayed Shannon Steed

STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale

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.

A NOVEL FINANCIAL AID PROCESS FOR

A NOVEL VIRUS PSU FINANCIAL AID IS LAUNCHING A NEW PROCESS TO ADDRESS FINANCIAL TURMOIL IN LIGHT OF COVID-19 LILY LAMADRID

JULY 22–24 NICK GATLIN

JULY 22: GOVERNOR BROWN EXTENDS MASK MANDATE, LOWERS INDOOR VENUE SIZE

On Wednesday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced the state’s mask mandate will extend to children 5 and over, and indoor venues will be required to limit occupancy to 100 people or less, according to AP News. Brown also announced bars and restaurants in Phase 2 counties will have to close by 10 p.m., according to The Oregonian. Brown emphasized caution in the state’s approach to the coronavirus. “We ventured out on the ice together and that ice has begun to crack,” Brown said according to OPB. “Before we fall through the ice, we have to take additional steps to protect ourselves and our communities.”

Portland State’s Financial Aid Office sent an email to students on July 10 alerting them of an upcoming appeals process regarding awards for the 2020–21 school year. Designed to help those affected by COVID-19, the program will adjust aid to help students whose financial status has changed in light of the pandemic. Usually, financial aid awards are based on data from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This data is used to calculate Estimated Family Contribution, which, in turn, determines students’ eligibility for Pell grants, Stafford loans and other scholarships. It takes information from two tax years prior to the year for which aid is being applied. For the upcoming 2020–21 school year, students who applied for aid used tax information from 2018. A lot has changed for PSU students in the last two years. As COVID-19 ravages the United States, the economy is in turmoil. Today, many students are facing financial realities they could not have foreseen. In past years, appeals were

not unheard of. “Our standard policy to address this issue is we allow students to file an appeal to consider the prior year’s tax information—that’s only going one year back,” said Elijah Herr, the director of the Financial Aid Office overseeing this process. This year, things will be different. “We’re going to use a provision in the law that allows us to use a thing called projected income,” Herr said. “However, we don’t like to do this because it’s really difficult for people to estimate how much money they’re going to make in the future.” This means that students will be asked to estimate how much they will make next school year and financial aid awards will be based on this. “When we turn on the application on August 1, they’re going to have to provide documentation to fill out a form, and they’re going to write a statement of no more than 1,200 words explaining what has happened to them as a result of the COVID-19,” Herr said. The Financial Aid Office will use the gathered information and its professional judgment to

project students’ income in the upcoming academic year. Using this information, it will revise financial aid awards. This could lower Estimate Family Contributions and make many more students eligible for Pell grants, loans and scholarships they may not have been eligible for previously. “We’re building a smart application right now—it’s one of the reasons why we can’t turn this on until August 1— and the application is going to test for several different criteria before we make students submit anything,” Herr said. “For example, if a student already has a zero EFC, that means that they have already received the maximum amount of aid they can for the year.” If students haven’t received a financial aid award letter, they need to wait until they get that before the Financial Aid Office can process their appeal. Herr emphasized that no one who enters the process would be deemed eligible for less aid. As universities across the country enter a time of great uncertainty across all departments, Herr pleaded for patience. “Please, please, please be patient, we’re doing our best,” he said.

JULY 22: PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL BANS PPB FROM WORKING WITH FEDERAL OFFICERS, RESTRICTS USE OF FORCE

Portland City Council voted Wednesday to ban the Portland Police Bureau from coordinating with federal law enforcement, and barred officers from intentionally arresting or using force on reporters and legal observers, according to The Oregonian. The resolution bars PPB members from providing or receiving “operational support” from federal officers, including “embedding in a federal incident command center, sharing or receiving information with the federal officers or policing protests alongside them,” according to OPB. City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who introduced the resolution, said “our city is now enduring a violent federal paramilitary occupation,” according to Portland Mercury.

JULY 24: JUDGE REJECTS OREGON’S REQUEST FOR RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST FEDERAL OFFICERS A judge on Friday denied Oregon’s request to limit federal officers’ power during protests in Portland, according to AP News. Oregon had requested a restraining order against federal law enforcement that would require the officers to clearly identify themselves and the agency they served before performing arrests, and to ban arrests that lack probable cause, OPB reported. According to The Oregonian, the judge held that the state lacked legal standing to bring the claim, and said the state had not provided sufficient evidence that federal officers were illegally abducting protesters off of city streets.

PSU Vanguard • JULY 28, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

SHANNON STEED

NEWS

A FEDERAL OFFICER STANDS IN FRONT OF THE MARK O. HATFIELD U.S. COURTHOUSE DURING A BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTEST ON FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020, IN PORTLAND, OREGON. MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ/AP PHOTO

PROTESTS CLOSE TO HOME—AND CAMPUS PSU RESPONDS TO PROTESTS BLOCKS AWAY FROM CAMPUS

HANNA ANDERSON Blocks away from where Portland passed 50 days of nightly protests, Portland State responded to the presence of federal officers downtown, stating the unrest has yet to reach campus. PSU released a statement July 22, written by Chuck Knepfle, vice president of enrollment management, and accompanied by a video with Willie Halliburton, the chief of the Campus Public Safety Office (CPSO). They assured students no protest-related incidents have occurred on campus since the arrival of federal officers to Portland’s downtown area. The Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, the center of the clashes between federal officers and protesters, is less than 10 blocks from campus. “The national media coverage of the downtown Portland protests outside the federal justice center and Trump administration response...has raised questions and concerns whether the recent clashes have impacted Portland State’s campus,” Knepfle stated. “The short answer is: No.” The day prior, PSU President Stephen Percy released an open letter to U.S. Attorney Billy Williams, backing Oregon officials who have called for the federal troops to leave. “To be clear: We neither seek nor need federal law enforcement assistance,” Percy stated. “Portland did not seek this federal intervention and the result appears to be more violence, not less.” Federal law enforcement officers, deployed by the Trump administration, first arrived in Portland over the weekend of July 4. Protests, and clashes between protestors and police officers, began to escalate a week later, and have erupted nightly since. Out of the protests, Federal officers were found to be using unmarked vans to detain protesters, shot and severely injured a protestor by using impact munitions, and broke the hand of a veteran who attempted to talk to officers. Despite PSU’s proximity to the protest, there is very little chance that the protests might come to PSU, according to Halliburton.

NEWS

“We don’t foresee any federal officers on our campus due to the fact that there are no federal buildings up here,” Halliburton said. “Their concentration has been on the two federal buildings on Southwest 3rd street, and there’s nothing of that nature on PSU’s campus, so we don’t anticipate any activity from the federal government or federal police on our campus.” According to Halliburton, CPSO has not received any calls regarding the protests. While PSU has seen no federal officers or intervention, in the last 50 days of protests calling for police reform, PSU has had its own microcosm of familiar protests. The demands of the DisarmPSU movement have expanded to defunding CPSO and moving those resources elsewhere, but the protests on campus have remained entirely peaceful. Protesters marched from the Urban Center and down Broadway on June 12, and on June 29, held a second march remembering Jason Washington, who was shot and killed by CPSO officers two years prior. Since the most recent Disarm PSU protests, CPSO has yet to make new changes. “Right now, we’re listening,” Halliburton said. “We’re hearing everything that people have to say and their feelings about the situation. The president’s office is taking this very seriously as well, so we’re in the stage right now where we’re gathering information, and we’re going to go on from there.” While the most tense protests and clashes with the Portland Police Bureau and federal officers lie off-campus, federal officers have shown no signs of leaving. According to The Washington Post, up to 150 more officers may arrive in Portland to surround the federal courthouse— while PSU is left untouched. “I want us to be able to regain the trust of our community,” Halliburton said. “We’re [going to do] what we can to be a part of this community, to be a part of the solution to the problems our community faces.”

PSU Vanguard • JULY 28, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

DIVERSE VOICES JOIN RESURGENCE IN PORTLAND PROTESTS ISABEL REKOW AND JUSTIN GRINNELL

While protesters continue to decry police brutality and racism, calls of “feds go home” attracted a greater number and variety of protesters than Portland’s downtown area has seen in weeks.

Nights of tear gas and flashbangs have become commonplace in the downtown area as the city approaches 60 consecutive days of protests. The Multnomah County Justice Center was previously the focus of frustrations for protesters in Portland, but with the occupation of federal law enforcement in the city, the location of the protests, as well as the tone, has shifted. What was once the focus of the Black Lives Matter movement has now grown to include an outcry against a perceived overreach of the federal government. The protests follow a daily pattern: speakers on the steps of the Justice Center tend to address a growing crowd of protesters around 6–9 p.m. while music plays and the atmosphere in Chapman and Lownsdale Squares resembles a concert or street fair. Around sunset, protesters shift their attention to the fence in front of the federal courthouse. They shake the fence and toss water bottles and fireworks over it, whether or not officers are present. Federal law enforcement disperses protesters with tear gas, flashbangs and pepper balls. A diverse range of groups now make up the ranks of protesters such as the “Wall of Moms” and the “Wall of Veterans.” On Friday, a group of restaurant workers known as “Chef Bloc” attended protests wearing chef’s coats and holding signs saying “86 feds.” Chef Bloc organizer Michael Kapski explained the impetus for creating the group came after tear gas drifted into his home when law enforcement used the gas on protesters in North Portland. “If I’m going to get tear gassed, I might as well do it willingly,” Kapski said. Kapski, currently unemployed, has donated thousands of dollars from his personal savings to different protests organizations, including Riot Ribs—a pop-up restaurant located across the street from the federal courthouse that serves free barbeque to protesters and houseless individuals. Protesters have different motives for exercising their first amendment rights. “Oregon is our home and we will protect it,” said Michelle, a protesting mother. “This is where we live and we can’t let Trump or any other federal agencies come into our towns and our cities and abuse our people.” On the other hand, organizers on Friday night emphasized racial

justice and police abolition as primary motives for protesting. “We’re not just down here because they called in federal forces,” a speaker said. “When we say Black Lives Matter, we cannot end white supremacy if we don’t have a constructive discussion about innate capitalism because the two are inextricably linked.” Another speaker addressed concerns about property damage in the downtown area. “The destruction is not the destruction of a building. The destruction is not the destruction of a window. The destruction is not the destruction of a garbage can,” he said. “The destruction is the destruction that is done to human life. We must put an end to this, and the way we do it is abolish the police.” The federal officers and recent surge in protests have also garnered attention from multiple local public officials, some of whom have attended the gatherings to address the crowd. On Wednesday night, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler spoke before protesters. While there were moments of cheers from the crowd, much of the mayor’s speech was met with frustration and chants of “tear gas Teddy.” “The reason I’m here tonight is to stand with you no matter what,” Wheeler said. “If they launch the tear gas against you, they launch the tear gas against me.” Later that night, Wheeler stood with protesters at the fence surrounding the federal courthouse as law enforcement threw tear gas into the crowd. With only a pair of safety goggles and a cloth mask for protection, Wheeler was forced to leave the fence when the gas became too much. Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty has attended multiple nights of protests. She spoke to protesters while standing in front of the Justice Center on Friday, July 24. “Because of you, 27 million dollars came out of the police budget,” Hardesty said. “I think you can help me become police commissioner. Who knows more about policing and Portland than a Black woman who’s been on the front lines for 30 years?” Hardesty has publicly asked Wheeler to relinquish control of the Portland Police Bureau over to her. At the time of this article, the mayor still controls the PPB. The protests show no signs of abating—on the contrary, the presence of federal troops swelled crowds into the thousands. On July 13, United States President Donald Trump claimed he had “very much quelled” Portland, but on Saturday night, as protesters surrounded the federal courthouse, one protester held aloft a sign: “Quelled?”

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER LOOKS OUT OF A MAKE-SHIFT WINDOW IN THE JUSTICE CENTER. PROTESTERS COMMONLY REFER TO THESE WINDOWS AS “MURDER HOLES.” COURTESY OF ASHLEY ISENBERG

PORTLAND MAYOR TED WHEELER TALKS WITH PROTESTERS NEAR THE JUSTICE CENTER. JUSTIN GRINNELL/PSU VANGUARD

PSU Vanguard • JULY 28, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

NEWS

FREEDOMS UNDER FIRE IN THE PHILIPPINES

ANTI-TERROR LAW PASSES AFTER SHUTDOWN OF COUNTRY’S LARGEST NEWS NETWORK PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE. JEON HAN/COURTESY OF FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS MARY JOAQUIN Within a month of shutting down the country’s largest news network, Philippine legislators passed an anti-terror law that human rights groups said challenges freedom of speech. President Rodrigo Duterte signed The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 on July 3. The law went into effect on July 18. It replaced the existing Human Security Act of 2007 in an effort to “plug its loopholes” and grant police and military forces more leeway in detaining terrorism suspects, according to Al Jazeera. Despite local and international calls for its repeal, the bill enables a vague definition of terrorism that permits warrantless arrests and prolongs detainment without charge, according to The New York Times. “Under Duterte’s presidency, even the mildest government critics can be labelled terrorists,” said Nicholas Bequelin, the Asia-Pacific regional director for Amnesty International. “In the prevailing climate of impunity, a law so vague on the definition of ‘terrorism’ can only worsen attacks against human rights defenders.” Articles from the law extend its reach beyond combating Islamic militancy. According to legal experts, the law allows discriminatory enforcement, privacy infringements and suppression of peaceful dissent, including on social media, as reported by Al Jazeera. A petition against the bill circulated on social media prior to the bill’s passing. 11 petitions against the law have been filed to the Supreme Court, most recently by former Supreme Court justices Antonio Carpio and Conchita Carpio-Morales. “Government agents have erroneously invoked the AntiTerrorism Act (ATA) to support attempts to suppress dissent and disapproval, or claimed more powers than the ATA actually grants,” said Jay Batongbacal, a petitioner against ATA and Director for the University of the Philippines’ Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea.

INTERNATIONAL

Human Rights Watch said the new law gives security forces the power to arrest activists, journalists and social media users by simply saying they are suspected of terrorist activities, according to The New York Times. The law’s suppression of the media comes after Duterte’s allies voted 70-11 against a 25-year extension of the license of Philippine’s largest TV network, ABS-CBN. They claimed it was “undeserving of the grant of legislative franchise.” The July 10 vote cited several issues, among them tax delinquencies and the citizenship of Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III, the network’s chairperson emeritus. Investigations showed ABS-CBN had no tax delinquencies and Lopez told lawmakers he had not sworn allegiance to the United States, nor renounced his Philippine citizenship. “The shutdown has deprived more than 69 million Filipinos of the kind of information, analysis and commentary and public service provided by ABS-CBN News,” said Ging Reyes, ABSCBN News and current affairs chief. Former president Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of martial law previously took the network off air in 1972. It resumed operations in 1986. Duterte’s government shut down the network on May 4 when its congressional franchise expired, directly followed by a cease-and-desist order the next day from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). “This is ABS-CBN Corporation Channel 2. In the service of the Filipino. Now signing off,” read its sign-off message. Duterte repeatedly voiced his desire to close the network, in part because of its refusal to run his campaign advertisements. “I will see to it that you are out,” Duterte said during a swearing-in ceremony in November 2019. Jose Calida, the government’s solicitor general, also actively sought to revoke ABS-CBN’s license, threatening to charge

NTC with graft atop of accusing the network to be in violation of the constitutional prohibition against foreign investors gaining ownership of Philippine media. ABS-CBN denied the allegations by Duterte and Calida. The Duterte administration is no stranger to utilizing the law against its critics. Rappler, a Philippine news site, gained traction for being openly critical of Duterte’s government. It ran multiple reports on Duterte’s war on drugs, leading his supporters to regard the site as a hub of “fake news.” Rappler also amassed a number of cases filed against it and even saw its reporters banned from covering the president’s events. According to The New York Times, Rappler CEO Maria Ressa is at the forefront of defending press freedoms. Ressa, one of TIME’s “guardians of truth,” was convicted of cyber libel and found guilty on June 15. After posting bail pending appeal, she could be facing a sentence of six years in prison. Her conviction stems from Rappler’s 2012 story alleging ties between Philippine businessman Wilfredo D. Keng and a high court judge. Previously arrested for cyber libel early last year, Ressa was released on bail after a night in detention, according to CNN Along with former Rappler reporter Reynaldo Santos Jr, the two are the first to be convicted of the charge. “We will keep fighting,” Ressa said. “We are going to stand up against any kind of attacks against press freedom.” Several international media groups launched the #HoldTheLine campaign to support Ressa and independent media in the country. Its namesake comes from Ressa’s prior call to “hold the line” in defense of the charges against her. Filipinos continue to protest nationwide against the antiterror law and press suppression, according to Rappler.

PSU Vanguard • JULY 28, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

Quarantine Cuisine

THE INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF BREAKFAST

THE MOST BASIC FORM OF JAPANESE-STYLE BREAKFAST. NICK GATLIN/PSU VANGUARD

NICK GATLIN Due to quarantine, most of us no longer have lengthy morning commutes or early morning classes, and have the luxury—curse?—of sleeping in long after we normally would. One unexpected benefit I’ve found in this new sleeping schedule is that I now have all the time I want to make breakfast. No more are the days of cereal and instant breakfast bars. No, this is a time for extravagance. Inspired by two videos by YouTuber and Vox videographer Johnny Harris, I began to dip my toes into food other than the typical American breakfast. You know what I mean: diner-style bacon, eggs and pancakes, or sugary cereal with cartoon characters on the box. Due to his job as a global journalist, Harris was exposed to many breakfast traditions from all over the world, none of which were as sweet and dessert-y as the United States’ breakfasts. Here’s what I’ve been experimenting with during my time in quarantine.

Japanese-style breakfast INGREDIENTS

Rice Protein (typically fish) Toppings Various side dishes Japanese breakfast is by far my favorite, and it’s one of the most satisfying things you can eat in the morning. There’s just something about eating rice at 10 a.m. that’s ridiculously fulfilling. The base of a Japanese breakfast is rice, miso soup and some form of protein. The rice and the miso soup are incredibly easy to make in bulk, leaving little effort in the mornings. The miso soup is nothing more than cubed tofu,

PSU Vanguard • JULY 28, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

wakame seaweed, dashi broth and miso, simmered until they come together. For your protein, the traditional dish is some kind of salted fish, such as salmon. You can also use grilled tofu, tempeh, an egg, even bacon if you feel like it. I love to do what I call an “American-style-Japanese-style” breakfast, which is basically a fried egg over rice with little bits of sausage mixed in. You can also add any variety of vegetables or fruit to the meal—try green beans in a sesame sauce, cubed strawberries, salted edamame, whatever you like.

Mediterranean Shakshuka INGREDIENTS

Olive oil Onion Bell Pepper Garlic Cumin Paprika Cayenne Canned Tomatoes Eggs Popular in North Africa and the rest of the Mediterranean, Shakshuka is a spicy, garlicky tomato-saucy egg dish. It’s pretty simple to make: you just saute the onion and pepper, add your spices, stir in your tomatoes then plop in your eggs and move it all into the oven until it’s cooked. It’s about as easy a frittata (foreshadowing?), with the same eggy taste everyone expects in the morning. All you have to do for this dish is cook the tomato sauce until it comes together, then heat your oven to 375°F. Make sure to use an oven-safe dish for this. Once it’s preheated,

nestle your eggs into the sauce, and move the whole pan into the oven, cook for 7–10 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked through with runny yolks, then serve. You can serve this with pita or challah, serve it over rice or couscous, or just eat it by itself. Again—super easy, but with an air of extravagance.

Italian Frittata INGREDIENTS

6 eggs ¼ cup heavy cream 1 cup cheese 2 cups vegetables/meat Frittatas are super easy to make in the morning, and they’re the perfect “clean out the fridge” meal. The basic formula for a frittata is: for every 6 eggs, use ¼ cup of heavy cream or milk, 1 cup of cheese, and 2 cups of various fillings. The cheese can be classic parmesan, or something like cheddar or pepper jack. Your fillings can be anything from leftover bell peppers to bacon to cooked potatoes. A frittata is basically just an omelette pie—you can put anything in it. Make sure to use an oven-safe pan for this. Start by sautéing any of your fillings that need to be cooked. This includes vegetables like onions, carrots, peppers or anything that needs time to soften. Also cook any meats you put in, excluding cured meat like salami. Once those are cooked through, mix in your 6 scrambled raw eggs and cook them in the pan for 1–2 minutes. Then, move the whole pan to the oven and bake at 400°F for 8–10 minutes, or until set. That’s it! I would argue a frittata is even easier than an omelette, because you don’t have to worry about flipping it and all of your fillings spilling out. It also gives you the feeling of eating a quiche without actually having to make pie dough.

ARTS & CULTURE

ABOLISH THE KIDS’ TABLE

INCLUDING KIDS IN THE POLITICAL DISCUSSION JESSIE BOICOURT As the dumpster fire that is the year 2020 blazes on, and the pandemic, politics and protests assert themselves as reigning topics of conversation, it’s becoming more apparent that things may never return to normal. This divided nation will require new ideas and minds to create the propulsion needed to move forward and leave this year behind, and for that we must look to those who hold our future in their small, grubby hands: kids. This is not to say adults should be abdicating their responsibility as citizens of this country and dumping everything on subsequent generations—that would be irresponsible, ahem, boome r s. But what if discussing politics

wasn’t considered taboo or impolite? Removing the stigma that accompanies political discourse is critical if we want to get anywhere in this country—which is why we should abolish the kids’ table. What if kids don’t need us to water things down for them? What if they have normal-sized brains and an impressive hunger to learn and understand things on a deeper level? Only, adults keep denying them because they’re stuck at the kids table. We shoo them away when they linger too long around the grown-ups, or gently shush them when they ask too many questions, but they are always listening. Hearing what we say, watching how we react to what other people say, learning. Last week I found myself needing to go downtown for an errand. As my daughters and I made our way through Chinatown on the Trimet Green

Line, it wasn’t the boarded-up businesses or graffiti that caught their attention; it was the tents. One of my daughters peered out the window and shook her head. “Why doesn’t the mayor help these people? Isn’t that his job?” It was completely unprompted, but we’ve had this conversation before. My partner and I have had many talks about the houseless situation in Portland, and yes, Mayor Ted Wheeler’s responses to it, conversations that our daughters have overheard and even interjected themselves into. Years ago, I made the decision that sheltering my daughters from the world was not going to do them any favors, but it wasn’t until recently that I began to have more focused conversations with them. I invited my kids to join me at the grown-up table. It’s no secret that children are curious, and while the unrelenting barrage of “why” questions are tedious in the earlier years, over time, they’ll begin to ask bigger questions. When my girls started making more complex inquiries, I’d fan the flames a bit. We don’t have to go to great lengths to give them a heavily regimented lesson on everything, because life provides ample opportunities to have discussions. Something as simple as going for a walk through the neighborhood, riding the bus or train, making a visit downtown or going to a farmers

market can spark a discussion. Indulge in the questioning, take their lead on what’s piquing their interests and start a conversation about it. Why are there tents everywhere? Easy segue into a conversation about houselessness. One question will lead to two more, and so on. They want to learn, we only need to be willing to learn with them. I certainly don’t know how to answer all of the questions my daughters ask me. This is just as much a call for us adults to revive our curiosity as it is a call for us to engage our children and destroy the taboo tethered to political discourse. Right now, it’s easy enough. If you know any 6-year olds, then you know that they still look to us adults for the answers. One day they’ll forge their own opinions on things, and I don’t doubt there will come a day when my daughters will push back against me and my own aging ideals. As the world continues to grow and change, we must all rise to meet those changes with a willingness to learn and adapt. We’ll need new ideas, like Gen Z K-pop fans buying up Trump rally tickets with no intentions of going. Brilliant. The kids are alright—they don’t need us to save or protect them. All they need is for the grownups to shut up and listen, something that has been denied them for far too long, simply because they are young.

SHANNON STEED

OPINION

PSU Vanguard • JULY 28, 2020 • psuvanguard.com