“TIRED OF WHITE SUPREMACY? WELCOME TO THE CLUB.” P. 21
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NEWS: Ted Wheeler Still Wants This Job. P. 9 • KAYAKING: Holy Toledo! P. 22 • CANNABIS: Strains for Late Summer. P. 25
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Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
ALEX WITTWER
FINDINGS
9-Day Closure Interstate Bridge The northbound span of the Interstate Bridge will close from September 12–20, 2020. Traffic in both directions will share the current southbound bridge span. Expect delays and congestion.
PROTESTS HIT THE POLICE PRECINCTS, PAGE 12
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM READING THIS WEEK’S PAPER VOL. 46, ISSUE 46
Oregon Republicans missed the Voters’ Pamphlet deadline by 29 seconds. 4
Being John Malkovich’s son won’t stop Portland cops from arresting you. 20
There are more cases of shigellosis than COVID-19 in Portland’s homeless camps. 7
A protest group made an “infomercial” about dismantling white
All 19 Multnomah County library branches could fit inside Seattle’s central library. 8 Ted Wheeler says Jo Ann Hardesty can’t run the Police Bureau immediately after falsely accusing cops of starting fires. 9 A Taqueria Nueve server says the restaurant’s owner grabbed her by the throat. 10 Journalists should not carry shields. 12 A photographer burned by a Molotov cocktail returned to work the same night. 16
supremacy—and released it on Ted Wheeler’s birthday. 21
Want to tour the backsides of old, rusting factories? Drop your kayak in the Yaquina River. 22 The new chef at La Moule was working in Paris when COVID-19 hit, forcing him back to Portland. 23
News Editor Aaron Mesh Arts & Culture Editor Matthew Singer Assistant A&C Editor Andi Prewitt Music & Visual Arts Editor Shannon Gormley Staff Writers Nigel Jaquiss, Latisha Jensen, Rachel Monahan, Tess Riski Copy Editor Matt Buckingham
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OUR MOST TRAFFICKED STORY ONLINE THIS WEEK: Portland outdoor homeless shelters are the subject of a “ludicrous conspiracy” theory, says Multnomah County chair.
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Last week, Secretary of State Bev Clarno’s Elections Division notified the Oregon Republican Party via email that the party had missed the Aug. 25 deadline to get its party statement in the General Election Voters’ Pamphlet. The party’s filing was 29 seconds late, and as a result, the statement won’t appear in this November’s pamphlet. On Sept. 3, an attorney for the Oregon GOP and former state Sen. Kevin Mannix filed a lawsuit to overturn the decision, claiming party chairman Bill Currier began inputting the statement, which was due by 5 pm, at 4:52, but the required payment wasn’t processed until 5:00:29. WW reported the snafu at wweek.com. Here’s what our readers had to say: TheDerekDenton via wweek.com: “While I laugh, this would be a problem if it was a different party, and I think 29 seconds of grace should be granted.” @John4517 via Twitter: “As a Democrat, I’d probably cut them a little slack, but it does seem grossly incompetent to try to file within seconds of the deadline. What was that all about anyway?” @kokobyrd via Twitter: “Seems everyone else understood the deadline.”
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Jeremiah Jones via wweek.com: “They had weeks to submit it and waited until the last second. It’s their own damn fault and they now have to live with the consequences. Plus, it’s literally the law that they have to have it in by a certain time. Why should they get to break the law?” WHL via wweek.com: “Not letting them on the pamphlet after a mere 29-second delay is pretty bad optics if we care about the perception of fairness and impartiality…but so would be granting them a one-time exception while enforcing the rule for everyone else. One does not simply ‘grant an exception’ in the world of bureaucracy. (Trust me. Civil servant.) My heart and head are totally torn.” ReasonableSkeptic via wweek.com: “How dysfunctional that a major party can’t get their voter pamphlet statement in at least a half-hour before the deadline. Why wait until the last minute? Were they still arguing over what it should say? And they want us to elect them to run the government.”
Judi Palumbo via Facebook: “Spend less time trying to recall the governor and more time doing what you’re supposed to do.”
Jim Andersen via Facebook: “At the end of the day it really doesn’t make any difference. Other than Eastern Oregon, where in the state will a Republican actually win?”
Aimee Schendel McAuliffe via Facebook: “Twenty-nine seconds? I’m sorry—I’d rather give people an opportunity to be informed than worry about something that is less than a minute. And yes, of course they should read the directions.”
Kate Rebecca via Facebook: “Why did he wait until 4:52 to begin the submission? That’s just sloppy. Further, if it was the Dems who’d want special treatment, they’d fight it tooth and nail. Suck it up, buttercup, and better luck next time.”
Linda Anderson Zielinski via Facebook: “Time matters. When dropping your ballot off at any dropbox in Oregon on Election Day, they have someone
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Email: mzusman@wweek.com
Dr. Know
BY MART Y SMITH @martysmithxxx
Portland has filed several lawsuits against the feds for Trump-related high jinks. The Biden administration (if it happens) probably won’t defend Trump’s actions too vigorously, so we’ll likely win those suits. Who gets that money? Do I get a cut? —Saul Goodman
@markwoolleygallery:
posted at the dropbox to stop anyone from putting their ballot in if the time is more than 8 pm exactly. That means one or more seconds beyond 8 pm.”
Let’s hope your childlike faith in a peaceful transfer of power is borne out by circumstances, Saul. But even if it is, that’s probably all you’re getting for Christmas, because no judge is likely to turn Keller Fountain into Scrooge McDuck’s Money Bin anytime soon. When gimlet-eyed lowlifes like you and me hear the word “lawsuit,” we immediately think of those massive jury awards that put you in a position to have hot and cold ranch-dressing taps installed in every room of your trailer. However, such eye-popping numbers are usually punitive damages, a type of relief rarely sought in suits between government entities. Governments may seek compensatory damages if something got broken, but often they’re not after money at all. Instead, they seek injunctive or declaratory relief. Injunctive relief is well known: Someone is doing something you don’t like, so you go and get a court order telling them to knock it off. Declaratory relief is more abstract: Someone is
doing something you believe to be illegal, so you say, “Stop that, it’s illegal.” If they say “nuh-uh,” you can ask a court for declaratory relief, which is basically a formal writ of “yuh-huh,” backed by the full plenary authority of the legal system. So, while both our city and state may be suing the U.S. government, money isn’t the main objective in either case. No ranch for you! But wait, there’s more! Win this cheesy Dr. Know contest! How? Just guess the day between now and the election Donald Trump will choose to announce/lie that a U.S. coronavirus vaccine is ready. Never mind that manufacturing and distributing such a vaccine is exactly the sort of complex logistical challenge at which his administration has repeatedly proven hopeless. You know Trump thinks this cunning master stroke will win him the election. We all know it’s coming (challenging the very definition of “October surprise”). Tell us when and win! Send your best guess to dr.know@wweek.com. First prize is two VIP tickets to the next Dr. Know live show. Second prize is four VIP tickets to the next Dr. Know live show. Good luck! QUESTIONS? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com
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MURMURS DANIEL HERNANDEZ
PRESENTS: A LIVESTREAM EVENT
PRESENTS: A LIVESTREAM PRESENTS: PRESENTS: A LIVESTREAM EVENT A LIVESTREAM EVENT EVENT
LYONS, ORE.
PRIVATE SCHOOLS ALLOWED TO OPEN: Tuesday, Sept. 8, was the first day of school for Portland Montessori, a small private school that serves children aged 15 months to 12 years. It and at least a half-dozen other private schools received permission to open under emergency child care guidelines even as public schools opened online only. L’Etoile French Immersion School also opened. “L’Etoile…will be open for the fall under emergency care guidelines for children aged 2-12,” its website states, though other schools appear to be offering in-person care for preschool-age children only. Portland Public Schools, which surveyed parents on their child care needs in August, has not announced what child care may be open as classes remain online. Other private schools, including Portland Christian Schools, are reopening under the exception to serve special education students and students learning English. The state Department of Education does not have a comprehensive list of which schools are open even as it required them to submit reopening plans. At Portland Montessori, operating under emergency child care guidelines means reducing class sizes, setting up separate entrances for different classes, and instituting a system of morning health checks. “We do have a small handful of families who are opting for remote instruction,” says Braden Pemberton, admissions and marketing director. “A majority of our families are needing in-person care.” DISCRIMINATION SUIT FILED AGAINST OHSU: A Black woman hired as interim chief nursing officer at Oregon Health & Science University in 2018 says she was unlawfully discriminated against and then fired after raising concerns about medical practices she thought endangered patients’ safety. In the lawsuit, filed Sept. 8 in Multnomah County Circuit Court, plaintiff Rhonda Foster accused OHSU, her former manager and the headhunter agency through which she was hired of unlawful discrimination, retaliation, breach of contract and wage penalties. Foster, who was hired on a 12-week contract, says when she raised questions about medical practices—including transplanting an incorrect body part to a child’s body—her concerns were dismissed and she was perceived as an “angry Black woman.” Shortly thereafter, Foster was terminated. OHSU did not provide a reason for the dismissal, the lawsuit says. Foster alleges other instances of racial 6
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
discrimination, including being told to straighten her hair when interviewing for a permanent position. Foster is seeking over $110,000 in damages—$9,100 for wage penalties and $101,730 for breach of contract. OHSU did not respond to a request for comment before press deadline. WIND AND FIRE KNOCK OUT POWER AND CLOSE SCHOOLS: More than 60,000 Portland-area homes were without power Sept. 8 after wind and the threat of forest fires, says Portland General Electric. The power outages presented new problems for schools relying on Zoom and other virtual meetings, with the Oregon City School District canceling its first day of virtual classes. “OCSD schools are closed today due to internet and power outages,” the school district announced on its Facebook page, with the message “Try again.” (School was scheduled to resume Sept. 9.) Meanwhile, as winds exacerbated wildfires statewide, the Washington County Sheriff ’s Office issued a level 3 “go now” order Tuesday morning near Hagg Lake. The Marion County Sheriff ’s Office issued a level 2 evacuation order near Elkhorn as the Beachie Creek Fire continued to burn Tuesday. ANOTHER PRO-TRUMP RALLY TURNS VIOLENT: A pro-Trump rally that started in Oregon City turned violent on Labor Day after hundreds of protesters gathered at Clackamas Community College and traveled via caravan toward Woodburn. A group of Proud Boys—an extremist conservative men’s group based in the Pacific Northwest—continued on to Salem, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. The Proud Boys joined a conservative rally and bull rushed a small group of counterprotesters, OPB reported, chasing one man with a baseball bat and pepper-spraying him after he fell to the ground. Salem police, with the assistance from Oregon State Police, arrested two protesters for misdemeanor assault and first-degree intimidation, The Oregonian reported. Police released both men shortly thereafter. The Labor Day event comes after a similar caravan rally Aug. 29 where one far-right activist, Aaron “Jay” Danielson, was fatally shot after the rally cruised through downtown Portland. The suspected shooter in that case, Michael Forest Reinoehl, was later killed by police as they attempted to arrest him Sept. 3 near Lacey, Wash.
Q&A WITH NIGEL Q&AJAQUISS WITH
NIGEL JAQUISS
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Nigel Jaquiss answers questions in conversation with former Pulitzer reporter WWPrize-winning reporter Beth Slovic.
Nigel Jaquiss answers questions in conversation with former Thursday WW September reporter Beth Slovic. 10, 2020 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM PDT
Thursday
Q&A WITH 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM PDT visit bit.ly/3jpYx3i NIGEL JAQUISS for tickets visit bit.ly/3jpYx3i September 10, 2020 for tickets
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporte Nigel Jaquiss answers questio
PUBLIC HEALTH
HENRY CROMETT
BRIAN BURK
NEWS
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK
TRANSPORTATION
UNSPEAKABLE: City officials nixed a briefing on ODOT’s Rose Quarter project.
Hear No Evil SICK DAYS: Homeless Portlanders face a shigellosis outbreak.
Outbreak Plagues Camps There are more cases of shigellosis than COVID-19 in homeless camps. Since March, Multnomah County health officials have braced for an outbreak of disease in homeless camps. That outbreak is here, but rather than COVID-19, it’s a severe version of diarrhea called shigellosis. “We have now identified a clear increase in shigellosis,” Dr. Jennifer Vines, the tricounty health officer, tells WW. “It’s an outbreak of at least 50 cases.” In a typical year, there might be 20 cases of shigellosis reported in the county. Shigellosis is a bacterial disease that Vines says spreads most aggressively through populations of men who have sex with men and drug users (mostly meth), and makes its way into homeless camps. The strain that showed up locally is resistant to antibiotics and can cause severe diarrhea for a week. As of last week, 46 people who were homeless or had been within the past six months have been diagnosed with COVID19. The county has reported no large outbreaks at homeless camps or shelters other than the shigellosis outbreak. In Oregon and other West Coast cities with large homeless populations, public health officials feared that COVID -19 would spread rapidly through camps because people live closely together in often unsanitary conditions and are often medically vulnerable.
To keep COVID-19 at bay, the Joint Office of Homeless Services has distributed more than 100,000 masks, 68,000 sanitizing wipes, and more than 3,000 liters of hand sanitizer. It has also distributed a couple of dozen portable toilets and hand-washing stations. The shigellosis outbreak has placed heavy demands on those temporary public restrooms. “Sanitation is somewhat better but still inadequate,” Vines says. Coincidentally, county officials traced a shigellosis outbreak in August to a downtown food cart. That outbreak sickened a dozen people, but despite the fact it was the same drug-resistant strain of the shigella bacteria, Vines says officials believe it is unrelated to the outbreak in the camps. Vines adds that the risk of shigellosis traveling outside the camps is low. It’s usually the other way around, she says: Diseases spread from the housed population to the unhoused. If there’s good news for people living in homeless camps, it’s that COVID-19 has brought them an unprecedented number of volunteers and outreach workers bringing hygiene kits, clean clothes, toilet paper and other necessities. The bad news: The weather will soon change and shigella travels via water. “Shigella spreads really easily,” Vines says, “so it gets worse in the rainy season.” NIGEL JAQUISS.
City officials silence an old friend and current ODOT official. BY N IGEL JAQU ISS
njaquiss@wweek.com
When it comes to the Oregon Department of Transportation’s $800 million plan to widen Interstate 5 at the Rose Quarter, the city of Portland is currently in “hear no evil” mode, pretending if it ignores the controversial project, it will go away. The Portland City Council, including Portland Bureau of Transportation Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, issued a “stop-work order” on the Rose Quarter project June 30, after Albina Vision Trust, an influential Black social justice group, withdrew support for it. That means bureaucrats aren’t supposed to do any work on it, but the city imposed an unusual gag order on a former City Hall staffer and now top ODOT official at a Sept. 3 meeting of PBOT’s Freight Advisory Committee. The volunteer citizen committee invited Brendan Finn, director of ODOT’s Office of Urban Mobility, to present a briefing on three of the department’s biggest transportation projects in the city: I-205, the Interstate Bridge, and the Rose Quarter. But Finn wasn’t allowed to say a word about the Rose Quarter project—an odd stance for Portland city government to take as it seeks stakeholder input through the freight committee. Emails obtained by WW show there was internal dissension at PBOT leading up to the meeting. When Bob Hillier, PBOT’s freight planning coordinator and its liaison to the freight committee, notified Shoshana Cohen, the bureau’s intergovernmental affairs manager, that Finn had been invited to update the committee on all three freeway projects, Cohen pushed back. Cohen reminded Hillier of the stopwork order. “I don’t see providing a city advisory committee with an update on this or other state projects in the Portland region as an
issue since the Rose Quarter is in the city’s adopted [transportation spending plan] and part of [House Bill] 2017 approved by the governor and is still moving forward,” Hillier wrote to Cohen on Aug. 27. “This is just an informational item for committee members and no action will be taken.” Cohen disagreed. “I understand this is an informal conversation,” she responded, “but on a project where City Council has such a clear position right now I think even informal feedback is potentially a problem.” So Finn presented updates at the Sept. 3 meeting about the other two projects. That irked advocates of the I-5 project. Jana Jarvis, president of the Oregon Trucking Associations and freight committee chair, says truckers agreed to a hefty tax increase to reduce Rose Quarter congestion. “It was disappointing to me that PBOT staff and city officials don’t want to have a discussion about the Rose Quarter,” Jarvis says, “because the impact of that project will be positive for all of Oregon.” Finn, who worked as an aide to former Commissioner Dan Saltzman for 19 years, says he also found being silenced disappointing. “I respected their request and complied with it,” he says, “but it was a missed opportunity.” “We have a historic opportunity to build a project that meets our shared values around equity and climate, connecting communities that were divided by the construction of I-5,” Finn adds. “We hope to rekindle our dialogue.” PBOT spokesman John Brady confirms Eudaly ordered that Finn not address the Rose Quarter. “Mr. Finn was asked to not speak about the project in order to respect the decision of Portland City Council to no longer support the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project,” Brady says. “It is absolutely false to characterize this as ‘gagging a public official.’” Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
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NEWS BLACK AND WHITE IN OREGON
LEAH NASH
ROGER BONG
ELECTION 2020
DISPARATE: Blacks kids self-report being less healthy than white kids.
Who Gets Bullied at School? The public health crisis of racism starts early. HEADING EAST: The Multnomah County Library wants to expand east of 82nd Avenue.
If You Build It The Multnomah County Library wants more buildings, which means higher operating costs. BY L ATISH A J E N S E N
ljensen@wweek.com
Multnomah County librarians welcome a November bond measure that would increase library space by 50%, but they worry the county can’t afford to operate the new space. Keli Yeats, a librarian at the county library’s Rockwood branch, says she and other librarians were never asked for their input on the bond during the years of its development. “One thing that has concerned me about the bond is the message has been they don’t intend to increase staff,” Yeats says. “I don’t understand that. We already don’t have enough staff.” Currently, all 19 Multnomah County library branches could fit inside Seattle’s central downtown library with room to spare. That could change in November, however, when voters decide the fate of a bond measure that’s been in the works since 2016. The $387 million measure would build a new, 95,000-square-foot flagship library in east Multnomah County as well as expand and renovate several existing libraries. The new projects would more than triple the library square footage east of 82nd Avenue, an area currently underserved by the county. American Library Association figures show Multnomah County libraries are the fourth-busiest in the nation by total circulation, but rank 102nd in square footage. Bond documents show that although space will increase by 50%, library officials expect operational costs to increase $3.5 million annually, which is about 5% of the current budget. Multnomah County Commissioner Lori Stegmann, who represents east county, says one of the keys to the 8
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bond measure is the location of the proposed new library, which she says must be near public transit. A map of projects shows the new library would be built in Gresham. “We haven’t done a good job investing resources into east county,” Stegmann says. “If we don’t invest in our libraries today, where are we going to be five or 10 years from now? We can’t afford to wait. We have to keep planning for the future because it’s coming whether we like it or not.” Although the addition of new square footage addresses a clear need for resources in an underserved community, east county librarians have concerns about staffing. (Capital bonds can only be used for bricks and mortar, not personnel or administrative costs. The county learned that bitter lesson with Wapato Jail, which it built in 2004 but never had the money to operate.) Jeannine Gonzalez, a youth librarian at the Midland branch in East Portland, says staffing is already a problem. Librarians often find it hard to do outreach or programming, such as children’s storytimes, because they have to stick to the circulation desks. Gonzalez worries the problem could worsen if the bond measure passes. “The burnout was real. There doesn’t seem to be respect or understanding for what librarians do.” Gonzalez says. “[East county] needs additional footage and locations, but we also need staff to operate them.” In east county, patrons rely heavily on libraries for a variety of services. “There isn’t the information literacy or technology literacy as affluent folks,” Yeats says. “We spend a lot of time doing tech support. Folks in east county seem to use government sites a lot more. We’re helping people navigate systems to get aid, food stamps, rent relief, apply for citizenship.” Library spokesman Shawn Cunningham says headcount should return to normal post-COVID and 41 new staff will be hired as the new projects are completed. “A flagship library will also offer MCL the opportunity to integrate more self service, comfortable seating areas, and meeting rooms— which all do not require extra staffing,” Cunningham said. “This configuration will then allow current staff to serve patrons who need more one-on-one help; offer additional programming; and conduct library outreach.”
Throughout the past 100 days of protests, numerous public officials have referred to racism as a public health crisis. And there’s data—from a study of Oregon eighth and 11th graders—that shows how racism and its health effects may already be significant in children’s lives. In 2019, the Oregon Health Authority surveyed how adolescents in grades 8 and 11 perceived their own mental and emotional health. The Oregon Healthy Teens survey—with questions on substance use, school climate, grade, home life and physical health—revealed that Black and Latinx eighth graders reported big health disparities between themselves and their white peers. As a clear measure of racism, students were asked if they were ever bullied about their race or ethnicity. Of those surveyed, Black eighth graders were 10 times more likely to respond yes, at 23.1%, than their white counterparts, at only 2.2%, representing the highest and lowest percentages compared with everyone else. The same can be said for Black 11th graders, who are seven times more likely to be bullied for their race than white teens their age. In several other categories, Black teens were overrepresented in their responses, especially when compared with white adolescents. Black eighth graders drink more soda and less water, smoke more cigarettes and drink more alcohol. Black eighth and 11th graders used substances in combination with others more frequently than their white peers: Of those surveyed, 75% of Black 11th graders who reported drinking alcohol also used a tobacco product compared with 61% of white 11th graders. And 53.8% of Black eighth graders used marijuana and alcohol simultaneously compared with 41.4% of white eighth graders. Students were asked if they ever ate less than they felt they should because there wasn’t enough money to buy food. Black teens experienced this at the highest rate of all their peers, with 16.6% reporting yes. The lowest rate was for white students, 10.5%. This indicates Black youth could be self-medicating with a variety of substances to deal with the mental health effects of racism and other factors like poverty. “There are a number of ways people try to approach dealing with stress. For Black youth, that’s one of the approaches,” says state Sen. Lew Frederick (D-Portland). “Where they’re living, the type of food they have, the type of interactions and exposure they have to various issues as well as how they’re treated in school. There’s a whole galaxy of social issues that Black kids and people have.” LATISHA JENSEN.
NEWS WESLEY LAPOINTE
groups and let the guys on the far right leave our city to eliminate the possibility of flashpoints. I supported that tactic. I thought it was a really smart strategy. There were very few acts of violence as a result. But wouldn’t you agree there is a widespread perception that the Portland Police Bureau has been treating protesters on the left differently from protesters on the right? I agree there is that perception. There are undoubtedly people in a 900-member police force who do ally with and support the alt-right. But oftentimes what is being proffered as proof that the Police Bureau is collectively providing favoritism turns out not to pan out when you know the facts. That’s how I call it. What would happen if the police just didn’t show up at tonight’s protests or any protests in the future? You know, they’ve tried that. It’s worked on some occasions. People demonstrate peacefully. There’s been some examples where it hasn’t worked. I could be mistaken, but I believe the night that the North Precinct was attacked—somebody tried to light a fire there and ultimately people were barricaded inside—on that particular night, I believe the police were trying to have a minimal visible presence. And it just didn’t work, because people saw a non-defended objective. There are two criticisms of my leadership around demonstrations. One criticism is the police are heavy-handed and they’re too engaged. The other is that the police are not engaged enough. The reality is somewhere in between. The police are getting better at investigative work after the fact [to find] those who were engaged in the most significant criminal destruction.
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU: Mayor Ted Wheeler attended a protest in July butwas not warmly received by demonstrators.
Hotseat: Ted Wheeler An embattled mayor says he won’t surrender the Portland Police Bureau to his critics. BY WW STA F F
503-243-2212
Ted Wheeler knows you hate him. Well, not all of you do. But Portland’s mayor is hearing it from both sides: Progressives want to know why his cops are beating down protesters for racial justice while allowing right-wing demonstrators free rein. Conservatives claim Wheeler has allowed the city to descend into a fiery lawlessness. The question for Wheeler, 58, who is seeking re-election in November, is whether a silent middle still exists in this city. And, more precisely, will that middle return him to office? Wheeler is subjected to ceaseless rebuke by challenger Sarah Iannarone, as well as others who are running a write-in campaign for Teressa Raiford, a Black activist and founder of Don’t Shoot Portland. He gets repeatedly cyberbullied by the president. His reelection campaign has raised little money, and he’s struggled to articulate a good reason to keep him at the city’s helm. So we asked him why he still wants the job. “I’m energized by these challenges,” Wheeler replied. “I’m not daunted by them. I want to stick around.” We met with the mayor this week on Zoom to find out what he wishes he’d done differently over the 100-plus days of protests, to ask for his vision for the Portland Police Bureau, and to get him to describe a strategy for pulling Portland out of a war with itself. His responses have been edited for clarity and brevity. WW: Why not give the Police Bureau to Jo Ann Hardesty? Ted Wheeler: I think we do better together. But I’ve had a number of conversations with Commissioner Hardesty about what she would like and what she would not like. She has been somewhat inconsistent about whether she wants to be police commissioner or not. And she also has made some statements that I think make it very problematic for her to be the police commissioner. She’s accused the police of starting fires. She’s
accused them of other things. To her credit—and I really want to give her credit because I think she’s an outstanding person—she quickly took that back and she apologized. But the damage is already done. There’s a question of credibility. She and I work really well together around police reform. And I have told her that, come January, when we impanel a completely new City Council, all bureaus are on the table. But right now, I do not think this is the time to be shifting the Police Bureau. Why haven’t you been physically present more often at protests? I monitor all of them. I have a radio here, so I listen in on what’s happening. But I have found that if I am actually there on the street, I immediately become a flashpoint. I think we all understand that I’m a flashpoint for what I would describe as the extreme left and I’m a flashpoint for the extreme right. My presence creates more public safety problems for local law enforcement and everybody there. How do you explain to Portlanders what appears to be different treatment of the left and the right at protests? There should not be any deferential treatment. Let’s state that as a clear value: The police should not be engaged in politics at all. They should be completely agnostic to who is engaged in a demonstration. Their job is to target criminal activity. And that should be it relentlessly. I know in the past they’ve been accused of favoritism in situations where, frankly, I know they were not engaged in favoritism. Last summer, on Aug. 17, when we had combating groups and a lot of alt-right organizations in Portland, one of those groups approached one of our protest liaison officers and said, “We want to get out of here. We want to go home.” Which is exactly what we wanted them to do. They were being followed across the bridge. The decision was made by us, by Multnomah County, to raise that bridge to separate the
How do you respond to business and property owners who say protests damage Portland and its reputation? Some say it’s going to take us five years to build ourselves back. I think the more important question is protecting and expanding the brand of this city. That’s probably the mayor’s primary duty: to build on this incredible brand that we built up over decades. We’re creative, we’re inclusive, we’re thoughtful. All of that has been overshadowed by the new way we are being branded globally, which is a city in chaos, a city of intolerance, a city where people don’t seem to be able to get along very well. And I am deeply concerned about the damage to the city’s reputation. We really need to have a thriving economy here to support our families. I understand the frustration of business owners who’ve seen their businesses damaged, their customers unwilling to come in, their employees scared to show up. So the first thing we need to do is end the violence. Number two: Make sure we’re actually cleaning up the city. That’s litter collection. That’s graffiti abatement. That’s keeping our sidewalks clear. That’s providing better, more humane alternatives for people who are currently forced to camp outside on our sidewalks and our public rights of way. Is there any way to find common ground between people who support the police and people who support the protesters? I think the only commonality I’ve seen between the far left and the far right is, they both agree that they hate Ted Wheeler. But the serious answer to your question is, I’ll meet with anybody. I believe it’s going to be the center that gets people to the table. Call for all of that energy that’s been on the streets each and every night, come inside, and work on what you want to see changed. And the frustrating thing for me about those who’ve been engaged in the violence and the criminal destruction is, they don’t seem to be clear about anything that they want. The protesters are clear: They want $50 million removed from the police budget. It may not be something you want to give them, but it is a tangible demand. I think people are conflating police reform with budget cuts and eliminating police services. I am not hearing from the vast majority of my constituents that they want less public safety. What I’m hearing them say is they want better public safety. That’s more reflective of the community. That’s more responsive to the community. And if I may be so blunt, they want policing services where Black people aren’t shot or beat up. I do not support the idea of completely eviscerating our public safety system. What I support is making it work better.
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NEWS BRIAN BURK
SHAKY GROUND: Former employees say Taqueria Nueve was a toxic place to work.
Bad Boss Former employees at Taqueria Nueve describe workplace harassment. BY L ATISH A J E N S E N
ljensen@wweek.com
News of bad behavior sweeping Portland’s restaurant industry since June now includes a Buckman neighborhood favorite whose customers are so loyal they once raised $30,000 to bring it back to life. In the past two weeks, WW has interviewed three former female employees at Taqueria Nueve. They shared similar stories about the restaurant and Brent Richford, its current owner. None of the women has filed a complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries or sued him. But all allege harassment. One former employee WW spoke to is Bee Filko, 31, who got a job as a server at Taqueria Nueve in July 2018 and was employed there until COVID-19 shut the restaurant down in March. Filko recalls an incident in which she was taking customers’ orders when Richford came up behind her and put his hand on her back. While he was talking to the customers, he unfastened her bra. She had to excuse herself to fasten it back together as she held onto her chest. She told co-workers and friends about it later that night after they saw she was clearly upset by the incident. Filko says Richford regularly made what she considered unwanted sexual advances. “When you’re standing at a computer taking an order, he would come up behind me and try to rub my shoulders as he was pulling my waist into his,” she says. Filko says Richford often drank mezcal on the job and his behavior would worsen after a few drinks. (His driving record includes a DUII in 2011 for which he completed diversion.) Kensey Anderson was 22 when she started working at Taqueria Nueve in 2014. She had moved to Portland from San Luis Obispo, Calif., to pursue a master’s degree in contemporary art. 10
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She worked at Taqueria Nueve for almost four years, but after about a year there, in the summer of 2015, Anderson claims Richford physically assaulted her at the nearby Lovecraft Bar. After a few drinks with Richford and several other employees after work, Anderson says she was dancing with then-Taqueria Nueve manager Lisa Barrett when Richford started grinding on her from behind. He put a hand around her neck, whispered in her ear and then suddenly grabbed a handful of her hair and bent her toward his chest and navel. “I was shooing him away but trying not to yell at my boss,” Anderson says. “The next few years, I felt so much shame that I never spoke up to him.” Barrett, who managed Taqueria Nueve from 2015 to 2018, tells WW she witnessed the incident. “It was horrifying to watch,” Barrett says. “She was frozen in fear.” About a week after the incident at Lovecraft, Anderson says Richford assaulted her again. “One day during service, I did something he didn’t like so he grabbed me around the throat and he shook me and laughed as he was doing it in front of customers, and I just seized up,” Anderson says. Anderson quit in March 2018 but says her treatment by Richford still haunts her when she thinks about it. “Just a bubble that starts here,” Anderson says, pointing to her lower abdomen, “and sends chills down the back. If I hear his voice or think I see him, I get pale.” Barrett, 38, says Richford never targeted her, but she felt powerless when she witnessed Richford assaulting Anderson and throughout her time working at Taqueria Nueve, even as a manager. “I worked there for a lot longer than I ever wanted to, not only because of the financial situation but because
I felt like I was the shield trying to protect people from him,” Barrett says. “There’s so many small things that he’s done that are not cool. When you add it all together, it’s revolting.” Taqueria Nueve was established in 2000 by Billy Schumaker. Richford was then an employee. The men met in 1998 working at Paley’s Place, a fine dining establishment in Northwest Portland. In 2008, Taqueria Nueve shut down abruptly, leaving loyal customers dismayed. The closure was highly publicized, leaving fans of the restaurant devastated. In 2014, the business reopened with the help of a $30,000 Kickstarter campaign. Schumaker and Richford posted the names of generous donors, whom they called “La Familia,” on the restaurant’s soaring pink walls. Schumaker sold his share of the restaurant to Richford in 2017, according to Barrett, and moved out of the country. Richford would not speak directly to WW but responded in writing to a number of specific allegations. He says there is truth in the allegations. “In the past, our industry has welcomed a culture where we work hard, party hard and play hard,” Richford wrote. “What I recognize now is that what might have been a good time for me wasn’t shared by all.” Richford says he will behave better in future and added that he is getting training in management and human resource issues. “I have lacked professional boundaries with my team. I was insensitive in ways I interacted with people in the moment.” Richford wrote. “Going out drinking and partying with our team became more important than running a professional business.”
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WAR MOVIES A cadre of helmeted guerrilla filmmakers is coming to you live from Portland’s flaming streets. By Aaron Mesh Photographs By Alex Wittwer
SHOWTIME: A gaggle of journalists awaits a confrontation between police and protesters on Southeast Stark Street on Sept. 5.
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LIFE IN HELL: Justin Yau (top left) documents chaos outside Ventura Park in outer Southeast Portland. A line of riot police (bottom right) tears down a flaming barricade to pursue protesters on Stark Street.
9:05 pm Sept. 5 Southeast Stark Street just west of 117th Avenue Justin Yau’s first rule of filming protests: Stay on the sidewalk. As a throng of black-clad demonstrators chants “All cops are bastards!” in the middle of a Portland street, Yau walks to the front and plants himself close to the line of police officers in riot helmets—but off to the side. That way, when police charge into the crowd, the cops will gallop past him and he can amble in behind them to get footage of the arrests. On this night—the 100th consecutive evening of Portland protests, a crisp and cloudless Saturday—Yau has company. At least 50 people line Stark Street with cameras: cellphones, GoPros, telephoto lenses, even a shoulder-mounted camcorder. Many wear helmets with stickers reading “PRESS” in capital letters, flanking the road like sports photographers on the sidelines of a football game. They’re watching a crowd of protesters cascade out of Ventura Park, headed to the Portland Police Bureau’s East Precinct. A police line blocks the road and a loudspeaker announces protesters will not be allowed to pass. Yau and observers wait to film whatever happens next. As he nudges his way to the front, Yau eyes with disapproval a man who has written “Press” on a shield built from half of a plastic garbage can. This guy stands with the camera corps, but he’s blurring the distinction between reporter and protester: Police assume people with shields are looking for a physical confrontation. “Press with shields?” Yau says. “That’s totally not bueno.” It’s the last thing he says before two men catch fire. It’s 9:13 and someone from the crowd of protesters has hurled a Molotov cocktail toward the spot where police meet demonstrators. It hits the pavement about 10 feet short of police lines and explodes in a fireball. The ignited gasoline leaps onto the legs of two people standing in the street; suddenly both men are high-stepping in terror, try-
ing to shake the flames from their shoes and pants. The next 90 seconds are manic, berserk. Protesters launch a fusillade of small rocks that clatter at the cops’ feet like marbles. “This has been declared a riot!” the police loudspeaker suddenly booms. Two more Molotov cocktails erupt, creating lakes of fire on the blacktop. An officer tosses a munition into the road; it detonates in a starburst 20 feet high. The police line advances east on the protesters, weapons up, and people stumble past Eastgate Bible Chapel in a panic, coughing into their face masks as tear gas canisters marinate the air. Yau pulls a gas mask over his head. He jogs alongside the police, looking unperturbed, holding his TK MODEL cellphone horizontal to capture the spectacle. The video Yau later posts to Twitter, captioned “Three petrol bombs have just been thrown,” gets shared more than a thousand times in the next 24 hours. Other footage of the Molotov cocktails travels farther: Cable news networks purchase rights to air some of the videos, while
others are shared by social media accounts with followers in the five digits. President Donald Trump shares a clip the next morning, commenting, “These are the Democrats ‘peaceful protests.’ Sick!” Even as this footage flies onto phones and laptops across the country, protesters regroup at the next intersection, build a barricade from wooden pallets, blue recycling bins and a metal dumpster, then set it ablaze. The scene raises alarming questions: How did Portland come to this? What violence will arrive next? How do we get out? Yau gazes west down Stark Street, looking at where the men were set on fire, and repeats his rule: “That’s why you stay on the sidewalk.” Portland has never seen anything like the past 100 days of protests.
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The crowds have now dwindled from the thousands who faced off with federal officers outside downtown courthouses in July, but what the confrontations lack in numbers they make up in ferocity. Both police and protesters seem prepared to make each encounter so intolerable that the other side has no choice but to abandon the fight. That is certainly a goal of some of the demonstrators. “We will go home when you go home and don’t come back,” organizer Mac Smiff told police officers at a demonstration last weekend. “We will not stop. And you will be fired.” Amid this atmosphere, two different storylines compete for Portlanders’ acceptance. The first is that police officers are battering the citizens they’re charged to protect, and elected officials have an obligation to yield to protesters’ demands and cut the bureau’s funding. The other is that the protests have lost sight of the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement and devolved into anarchy, and city leaders must either persuade rioters to go home, or arrest and jail them until their will is broken. These dueling narratives are irreconcilable. They cannot co-exist peacefully, any more than the protesters and police can. And both are driven by video footage. Decades before most of the people in Portland’s streets were born, academic Marshall McLuhan coined a phrase: “The medium is the message.” That is, the way in which people receive information is just as important as its content. The way Americans learn about clashes at Portland protests is from videos—delivered to their phones within minutes of each conflict. And no medium is so well suited to heightening outrage. A single video can unleash a tsunami of indignation and reshape a city’s politics. That can be a force for reform: The national uprising against police brutality began with footage of an officer killing George Floyd. But it can also work in the other direction. Anyone with a Wi-Fi signal can scroll through the most shocking incidents in Portland’s streets the way basketball fans watch game highlights. And like fans, people on both ends of the political spectrum can pick the feeds that favor their team. In the past month alone, one video showed a Portland police officer tackling a protester and repeatedly punching him in the face, while another portrayed a Black man who frequented downtown protests kicking a white man in the head. Both images were horrifying—and public relations disasters for the sides responsible for the violence. “Citizen journalists are a really valuable piece of a democratic society. We’re better off in the world with a lot of cameras out there,” says Dr. Jack Miller, a professor of political science at Portland State University, who studies political outrage. “But the kind of dueling political theater that we’re witnessing in viral videos can have the effect of squeezing out important voices of people who aren’t outraged. People who don’t feel like they fit into the enemy camps will probably vote, but they won’t get politically engaged in any more visible way.” Established news organizations provide some of this footage. But just as much of it is shared by people with a Twitter feed and a political agenda—which is often to show their adversaries at their worst. Politicians know the power footage has in the coming election. “I know it’s infuriating to people,” Mayor Ted Wheeler told The Oregonian this week. “People send me a video. For example, there’s one that’s gone around the world three times in the last few days of an officer punching a demonstrator repeatedly. There’s another one of an officer hitting somebody over the head with a stick. And people say, well, why aren’t you speaking out against this?” On Aug. 11, President Trump urged his supporters to watch videos of Portland protesters. “These acts of destruction are not isolated incidents,” he said, “but demonstrate the pattern of violent, left-wing extremism 14
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NIGHT MOVES: A trumpet-playing protester (top) leads a chorus singing “Fuck Ted Wheeler” near the Portland Police Bureau’s North Precinct on Sept. 6. Exceptional footage of protests has made Sergio Olmos (bottom) arguably the dean of Portland street reporters.
that you get to see if you’re watching the right news program.” The role of independent videographers reached even greater prominence Aug. 29, when anti-fascist protester Michael Reinoehl shot to death Trump supporter Aaron J. Danielson outside a Portland parking garage. One livestreamer caught the killing on camera. Days later, Reinoehl gave his confession (claiming self-defense) to a freelance journalist he recognized from protest coverage. The interview aired on cable television Sept. 3, in the same hour a federal task force killed Reinoehl.v Drawn by the prospect of unhinged political violence, people with cameras now fly across the country to attend Portland protests. In a weekend among the protest press, WW met a photographer from Buffalo, N.Y., a livestreaming collective from Seattle, and a conservative media star from
Salt Lake City. The scene is dizzying—not least to the independent reporters who have been filming protests since the uprising began. Some of them have been in the streets six nights a week for three months. Over the past two nights, this reporter joined their ranks. The videographers we met are exhausted, bruised and constantly anxious. But they’re also proud of their work, because they see it as capturing a pivotal moment in the nation’s history—and perhaps shaping it. “My focus isn’t on the violence,” Yau says. “The violence is there and I think I have an obligation to capture it. Viral videos are what get people talking about Portland. It’s what starts the conversation. I’m interested in humans.”
DEADLINE PRESSURE: Videographers like Justin Yau (top left) often find themselves in close proximity to police officers—and a scrum of other people with cameras.
10:30 pm Sept. 5 Southeast Stark Street and 117th Avenue Filming protests requires some physical courage, but mostly composure. Ninety percent of the work is anticipating violence, and the rest is bedlam. The flaming barricades blocking Stark Street don’t last long. Police wheel the blue bins aside and sprint into the crowd, tossing protesters to the pavement as they make arrests. They will arrest 59 people tonight, a new record for one event. It’s striking just how quickly 400 people can vanish into outer Southeast Portland’s car lots and gravel roads. For the next hour, Justin Yau trudges up and down Stark Street, trying to track the protesters. He finds only onlookers who came outside to see the show: Russian families huddled at the entrance of their apartment complex, a shouting woman leaning out the second-story window of a cigarette shop, and a pack of surly white teens who serenade him with the chant “Fake news! Fake news!” Yau’s temperament is well-matched to these hassles. A 30-year-old Army veteran, he is contemplative, easygoing; other press and protesters gravitate toward him because he seems to know who what he’s doing. The one giveaway of his nerves: a Camel Blue habit, indulged whenever the tear gas drifts off. The munitions don’t frighten him; for a while, he wore earplugs but eventually found he no longer needed them. He can swiftly list what does scare him: “Arrests. Pipe bombs. A right-winger with a gun. A left-winger with a gun.” The work can be lucrative—TV networks sometimes pay $250 for 40 seconds of footage—but Yau says that’s not why he does it. On May 30, he started tweeting videos of protests under the handle @PDocumentarians because he felt like something historic was underway in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. “When the guy shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand, he didn’t know he started World War I,” Yau says, still wandering residential streets in search of the protest march. “So I don’t know either. But I’d like to be there when it
happens. And I want to document it to the best of my ability.” Yau withholds judgment on a lot of what he sees at protests. But he admits a twinge of disdain for the livestreamers he sees jawing at cops. “I’m just an asshole with a camera,” he says. “But I don’t talk shit to the police. I try to stay out of their way.” Not that it always helps. On July 1, Yau was in North Portland filming an impending arrest—on the sidewalk, he notes—when a Portland police officer tackled him. He was hauled off in a van and charged with felony riot and interfering with a peace officer. (The charges were later dropped.) About half a dozen reporters have been arrested at Portland protests this summer. Almost all have been freelancers taking video. That could be because police don’t
like having a camera on their actions. Or it might stem from the close proximity required to get good footage, and the fact that most independent videographers resemble protesters more than they do a CNN camera crew. Yau takes his arrest personally. Discussing it, he sounds wounded. “I don’t think I was rioting. I don’t riot,” he says. “The hardest part was calling and telling my parents.”
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PROTECT AND SERVE: Alissa Azar (top left and right) spends most nights looking for police brutality. She believes documenting it will prevent further abuse.
12:30 am Sept. 5 North Lombard Street For Alissa Azar, filming police protects protesters. She’s among a squad of reporters standing in a 7-Eleven parking lot to compare photos of bloodstains over convenience-store pizza slices. The 7-Eleven has the mixed fortune of sitting across Lombard from the headquarters of the Portland Police Association. Every week or so, that provides the store with an expanded customer base, which arrives to jeer at the union hall. But it also means riot cops sometimes deploy stun grenades and tear gas outside—and zip-tie the hands of screaming protesters lying in the parking spaces. Shortly after midnight, cops just did all three. One arrest was especially awful: A woman skidded across the concrete forehead first. Blood poured down her face as police pulled her away from the crowd. Minutes later, the same stretch of pavement—freshly washed—is a de facto press room for a journalism association called the PNW Press Corps. “Did you get a shot of the blood?” asks a tiny woman named Melissa “Claudio” Lewis. “Yeah, I got the blood,” says Jacob Hanning, a large man with a larger mustache. “And a shot of a cop trying to hide the blood.” “Oh, nice!” Nearby, a woman dressed head to toe in black speaks in a soft voice. She got the same shots, she says—but she did one better. She also filmed the injured lady being dragged away, leaving a smear of red across the parking lot. This is Azar. In May, she was a data analyst. Now she livestreams protests to nearly 18,000 social media followers each night under the handle @R3volutionDaddy. She suspects her audience is mostly protesters. “Maybe it went from protesters in Portland to protesters around the country,” she says. A Syrian American, Azar, 29, wears a black vest with “press” written in both English and Arabic. Other than that flourish, she blends seamlessly into the black bloc—a 16
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term used for the anti-fascist tactic of a crowd dressing in identical monochrome and masks. Like Yau, her favored technique is hanging to the side of an impending conflict. She likes to select one police officer who’s about to charge into a crowd, then follow behind to see if he’ll hit someone. “I try to keep my eye on the arrests, the beating of people,” Azar says. “A lot of these incidents, if you told people what they’re doing, there’s no way in hell they would believe you.” Azar describes her videos as a form of aid to protesters. Her relationship with demonstrators is “protecting them with my camera.” If she weren’t filming the police, she believes, officers would commit greater brutality. For all their gallows humor, the members of the PNW Press
Corps view themselves the same way: as guardians. Across Lombard Street, protesters squeeze rubber squeaky toys in the shape of pink pigs. Every time the police loudspeaker issues an announcement, a boombox drowns it out by blasting the Human Beinz’s 1968 single “Nobody but Me.” Two men have climbed atop the roof of Heavenly Donuts, and it’s not clear what they’re doing up there. Azar rarely films protesters’ faces, except when they’re being arrested. She doesn’t film people engaged in “direct actions”—that is, spraying graffiti or setting dumpster fires. She says such footage would eventually wind up in the possession of police or right-wing demonstrators who would use it to harass people online. That decision doesn’t square easily with the journalis-
tic ideal of presenting all the actions of people you cover, however unflattering. To further complicate matters, some of the more radical protesters have threatened to smash the equipment of those who do film faces. Some of the videographers contend that filming everything protesters do would make them little more than unpaid police informants on their own sources, and that their primary responsibility is to hold public agencies accountable. But it’s hardly a universal position: Other videographers say their duty is to broadcast all newsworthy events, even if that sends somebody to jail. And lately, conservative activists have appeared in the press ranks, making Portland part of a circuit they travel to expose the excesses of leftist demonstrators. Tonight, Portland police and Oregon state troopers let little excess occur. They use tear gas to clear the intersection and dash into the crowd to pluck people out. (They’ll charge most of the 28 people they arrest with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.) Azar sits on the curb after the last charge of the police line. She’s finding police strategy increasingly difficult to predict. “That was just so aggressive in so many ways,” she says. “I’m having such a bad time tonight, getting a feel.” “Can’t be having a bad time, bro,” says a passing protester. “It’s the revolution.”
6:05 pm Sept. 7 Southwest 3rd Avenue and Main Street Ryan Skut wants one more shot. As smoke from the Opal Creek wildfire blankets Portland, Skut stands outside the Multnomah County Justice Center with a camera, waiting to see if the Proud Boys will show up. Skut, a commercial photographer, has regularly joined Portland protests. But for the past weekend, he’s been on assignment for a European magazine that wants shots. This evening, Skut went to work with his left calf wrapped in bandages over a slathering of Neosporin. That’s because he was one of the men hit with the Molotov cocktail two nights earlier, on Sept. 5. He was taking photos in the middle of Southeast Stark Street when the petrol bomb hit. “I felt the warmth and then smelled the fuel,” Skut recalls. “I looked down and I was standing in a pool of fire.” Skut ran toward the police line. Officers held him down so he would stop kicking long enough for them to smother the flames. He was lucky: His heavy denim jeans and wool socks saved his skin from severe burns. He was back out photographing the protest within an hour. “I was given an ice pack,” he says. “I stayed out for a couple more hours.” The journalists who have committed the past three months of protests to video struggle to explain what makes them return. But they all feel compelled to keep recording. Azar says she gets anxiety attacks on her days off. Any sudden noise sounds like a police munition, and she has trouble concentrating on conversations. She feels better, somehow, back at the protest. Lewis puts it more succinctly: “You start needing it.” As for Yau, he wants the unrest to end. He hopes that Portland City Hall will accede to some of the protesters’ demands and the crowds will dwindle. He wants to return to school at the University of Portland and write for the student newspaper. But for now, this is the story he’s telling. “My story is meddling kids trying to shape the future of the city,” he says. “It’s been a hundred days. I’m attached to these people. I care about what happens next to them.” It’s 2 am. As Yau departs Southeast Stark Street, he says goodnight to each person lingering at the protest. Some are looking for more action. He leaves them with a salutation: “Stay safe.”
COCKTAIL PARTIES: Fire is a recurring feature of Portland protests, and makes for compelling video.
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
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STREET
AL FRESCO FOR NOW Photos by Mick Hangland-Skill On Instagram: @mick.jpg
A tour of Portland’s temporary dining plazas in the waning days of summer.
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Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
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T H E MOST I MP ORTANT T H I N G S T H AT H A PPE N E D I N P ORT L AND C U LT U RE T H I S WE E K , G R A PH E D .
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Actor John Malkovich’s son, Loewy, is arrested for “interfering with a peace officer and disorderly conduct in the second degree” during a protest outside Portland Police Association headquarters in North Portland on Sept. 4.
3201 SE 50TH PDX Labor Day in Portland is ruined— not by COVID or murder hornets but a historic “wind event” that fills the air with smoke from Oregon wildfires.
ELENA RINGO
SNACKBLOCPDX
O R E G O N PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N
Snack Bloc drops an anti-white supremacy “infomercial” on Ted Wheeler’s birthday. AWESOME
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Lucky Lab Brewery reopens most of its pubs two months after voluntarily closing over coronavirus concerns.
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“As chaos envelopes the world, Manson penned the perfect prescription.” Available in:
Oui—one of Portland’s best wine bars—goes on hiatus as the end of patio season approaches.
Indie Exclusive LP Indie Exclusive Florescent Pink Cassette Standard LP CD
Gado Gado’s pandemic pivot, Oma’s Takeaway, spins off into a brick-andmortar in the former Whiskey Soda Lounge space on Southeast Division. SERIOUS 20
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
AWFUL
An endangered sei whale washes up on a beach in Bandon, Ore., and later dies…
LUCKY LAB
Marilyn Manson WE ARE CHAOS Out 9/11
… and thankfully, authorities decide to bury it rather than blow it up.
M A S Y N WA D E
GET...OUTSIDE?
FIRE STARTER: Snack Bloc leader Masyn Wade.
Burn Notice For Ted Wheeler’s birthday, protest support group Snack Bloc released an “infomercial” about ending white supremacy—and called for his resignation.
WHAT TO DO—AND WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING—AS PORTLAND REOPENS.
In early June, after three years, grassroots organization Snack Bloc officially became a nonprofit. It turned out to be imperative timing. The protest support and mutual aid group needed to register for 501(c)(3) status to make it easier to be financially transparent, which turned out to be necessary for a group that’s provided resources for almost 100 straight days of protests across Portland. Along with organizing its own events, Snack Bloc has been at seemingly every protest, march and vigil around the city over the past three months, providing snacks, water and supplies to protesters at the Stripper Strike, BLM Art Therapy and rallies across Portland. And last week, Snack Bloc added yet another task to its list: It made an infomercial. The group released a short, darkly humorous video on Instagram starring the group’s core leader, Masyn Wade—a spoof for a fictional hotline called 1-800-BURN-IT-DOWN. “Are you tired of white supremacy?” Wade asks, wearing a shoulder-padded lavender dress and sitting at a desk surrounded by red curtains. “Bitch, welcome to the club.” But while the video—which was released on Ted Wheeler’s birthday—is intended as a joke, as Wade tells WW, the sentiments behind it are not. SHANNON GORMLEY. WW: Where did the infomercial idea come from? Masyn Wade: [Portland rapper] Raquel [Divar] and I were at a protest in early June, and Raquel was like, “I want to do some voice-over interviews.” I
MISCHA WEBLEY
YOUNG PANTHER: Chadwick Boseman (left) with Mischa Webley on the set of The Kill Hole in 2010.
Star Power Long before Black Panther, the late Chadwick Boseman made an independent film in Portland. Director Mischa Webley knew immediately that he was in the presence of a star. In their last text conversation, Chadwick Boseman gave Portland filmmaker Mischa Webley some straightforward advice: “Make more movies.” That was around the time of the release of Get On Up, the 2014 film in which the actor—who died Aug. 28 at age 43 after a private four-year battle with colon cancer—portrayed music legend James Brown. Four years earlier, Webley, a native of Northeast Portland, cast Boseman in his debut feature, The Kill Hole, about an Iraq War veteran who goes AWOL in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. It was shot in and around Portland 10 years ago last month. At the time, Boseman’s credits were mostly made
up of cameos on television dramas like Fringe and Justified. But everyone on the set knew he was bound for bigger things. “It was more than a sense,” Webley says. “It just seemed inevitable.” Webley spoke to WW about the star qualities he saw in Boseman before many others did, and how his success blew open the door for Black filmmakers everywhere. MATTHEW SINGER. WW: How did you end up casting Chadwick Boseman in The Kill Hole? Mischa Webley: We did it the old-fashioned way. We
was asking people, “What are you here for?” A lot of them had pretty generic responses. I was interviewing all these people and not liking anybody’s answers. I had a megaphone with me, and I got on it in the middle of the rally and said, “Folks, are you tired of white supremacy?” And Raquel was cracking up. She said, “We should do this.” It’s a heavy time, and there’s a lot going on, but we wanted to create something that was insightful but also a little humorous. I felt people needed to laugh a little bit. The number in the video is 1-800-BURN-IT-DOWN. Why? I don’t believe in putting property over people. Buildings can be rebuilt, lives can’t. Even to this day, we’re still having this conversation of, “But the looting!” No, lives are being lost. This is a huge problem in America, we put profit over human life. I’m not necessarily saying, “Burn down a [building].” We’re talking about burning down the system—dismantling it and rebuilding it in everybody’s likeness. The system is working the way it’s supposed to. It’s not meant for us. It’s meant for the status quo and that’s it. When you dropped the video, you asked for people to push for Ted Wheeler’s resignation. Have you heard any response from City Hall? I haven’t. I doubt it, because it’s Ted Wheeler and he tends to pussyfoot around anything and support white supremacy. But hopefully we can get a change or something tangible out of this. See the full video interview with Masyn Wade at wweek.com/distant-voices.
had a casting call in L.A., and in that casting call we probably saw 40, 45 different actors reading for these two parts, and Chadwick was one of them. After two days of auditioning all those actors, it was completely clear to us Chadwick had the part. And more than that, when I’m casting, you’re looking for something else, too, not just their ability to act. Chadwick was thoughtful. He really just cared about the project. He’d read everything he could about the role and the film itself. You could tell he thought about it deeply, and that means a lot when you’re looking for an actor. What were you thinking when you heard the news that he had passed? It was devastating. It completely caught me off guard, like most people. A friend of mine texted me, and it knocked me out. But [I’ve had] a lot of conversations with old friends from that film and other filmmaking friends who were part of it, and I’m thankful for being able to share the experiences we did with Chad and with everyone else. It’s very sad, it’s devastating, but at the same time, I think about how to respect and honor his memory, and really what it comes down to, the only thing left to do is make more movies. A lot has been made since his passing of what he meant to the Black community. It’s hard to overstate the meaning of Black Panther, especially its success. It’s a great film, for one, and having a living symbol of Black excellence and greatness and royalty in such a well-executed piece of art by itself is something. Beyond that, it broke down so many barriers. It broke down the myth of Black films and Black talent not being bankable in Hollywood, which is this malicious idea that’s been out there very prominently for decades. Well, a billion dollars later, Black Panther completely proved it wrong and then some. He’s opened up the door for so many other Black artists and filmmakers and actors. I think we’re going to be feeling the effects of that for a long time. The Kill Hole is available to rent and purchase through Amazon Prime.
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
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GET...OUTSIDE? ANDI PREWITT
ROW OF THE WEEK
Smokestacks on the Water Kayaking the Yaquina River reveals marvels both natural and man-made. THAT’S A PADDLIN’: If you love industrial architecture, kayak the Yaquina River. BY AN DI P R E W I T T
aprewitt@wweek.com
If you are an Oregonian, you will, at some point, inevitably make the drive to Newport’s Yaquina Bay to gaze at the water. Like Multnomah Falls and Crater Lake, it’s a stunning spectacle that beckons gawkers from across the state, along with touristss who’ve highlighted the spot on their travel itinerary. Though in this case, the natural beauty is augmented by some humanmade majesty: a postcard-perfect arch bridge named after the bay. The fortunate ones have been at least twice— once when the skies are clear and the water is bright, and again when the inlet is a foreboding shade of slate that bleeds into the sky. But the yawning mouth of the Yaquina River is where most people begin and end their visit. To better acquaint yourself with a longer stretch of the nearly 60-mile waterway that twists from the Central Oregon Coast Range to the Pacific Ocean, you will need to get in a kayak and navigate it yourself. The ideal spot to drop in is just 7 miles inland off Highway 20. The small town of Toledo is nearly burrowed into the timbered foothills, which means a boater is far more likely to glide along smooth canals even when the winds are whipping up whitecaps along the coast. Once the seat of Lincoln County, the lumber village appears frozen in time, with a sleepy Main Street, a midcentury-style diner, a bowling alley, and a pulp mill still puffing out smoke. But it does have a modern boat launch, just beyond the gableroofed shelter modeled after the old train depot that once sat in what’s now Waterfront Park. Once you slip in, you’ll curve slightly south, passing motorized vessels parked in the marina— most are smaller, intended for a morning of solo or family fishing, though there are a handful of commercial-sized rigs stamped with names like Pacific Storm and Alaska Trojan. Soon, a unique perspective of one of Toledo’s last operating mills comes into view: a massive 22
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
conduit extending across the river, held in place by a series of metal trusses and wooden docks. With its slight slope, it’s easy to imagine employees using the tube-and-slide design as a way to crawl and scoot from one side of the facility to the other like an industrial McDonald’s Playland. In reality, the cylinder—known among locals as the “GP Pipe,” referencing utility giant General Pacific—transports wood chips via conveyor belt before they are converted into containerboard. Sure, paddling past smokestacks, rusting factories and water towers may not read as traditionally picturesque, but there’s something to be said about taking in scenes that were never really meant for public consumption—and, sometimes, reveling in the gritty is simply delightful. But if a mill-adjacent riverbank isn’t for you, continue southeast on the Yaquina, where you’ll lose the clouds of exhaust in a few minutes and
head straight toward rolling hills covered in a dark green forest. Maple and pine line the river, along with frequent stands of weathered pylons—signs of civilization that went bust. Continue on for as far as you’d like, at least until you spot one stately egret or great blue heron. Chances are good you’ll see many more. As you return, though, be sure to veer north into the Olalla Slough. One of the best parts of kayaking is pushing into narrow slices of water that other vessels could never fit through. During this stretch, the vegetation closes in, making it feel as though you’re floating on your own private stream. Enjoy the seclusion while you can: Either the water level or the tight squeeze should eventually indicate when to turn around.
Portland
Yaquina River Average time on the water: Approximately 2 hours
Tigard
I-5
Difficulty: Easy
Woodburn
Drive time from Portland: 2 hours, 30 minutes Directions to Toledo: From Portland, head south on Interstate 5 and take exit 228 for OR 34 toward Lebanon/Corvallis. Turn right onto OR 34 West/Corvallis-Lebanon Highway 210. After about 10 miles, turn left onto OR 34. Turn left onto US 20, and continue for 42 miles. Once you reach Toledo, turn left onto North Main Street, and Waterfront Park will be on your right.
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FOOD & DRINK
FEATURE
The French Connection
Chef John Denison has worked in high-profile restaurants all over Europe, but the pandemic pushed him back to Portland, and into the kitchen at La Moule. @mczlaw
PÂTÉ EN CROÛTE
The Gelée
The Pastry
Filling the space between pâté and pastry is a savory gelatine. Denison uses marsala wine mixed into the jus from boiled-down pork trotters.
Denison begins with a hot water dough, cutting in lard to the basic combination of boiling water and flour. “It creates a strong enough dough to stay flaky on the outside, but holds the fat through the bake,” Denison says. The dough is made a day ahead of the pâté.
The Assembly
The Pâté
As with most varieties of pâté, this one is premised on pork. The dish begins with 100% pork belly that is roughly ground and combined with milk and red wine to help bring it together. Some of the belly is set aside and later added to the ground mixture. “First, we cure the pork belly overnight in salt and sugar, then confit it for 12 hours, press it and cool it,” Denison says. Next, the meat is cubed and marinated in salt, thyme, quatre epice, garlic and shallots. Internal garnishes also go into the pâté: brandied prunes flambéed in cognac and pistachios together with the pork belly chunks.
AARON
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Denison rolls out the dough and refrigerates it while he works on the pâté. “That way,” Denison says, “the dough hardens and allows us to press the farce into the molds without compromising the dough. The pressing also gets rid of any air pockets.” The pâté en croûte is then baked at 400 degrees. After it is fully cooked, it sits overnight to completely cool and set. The penultimate step is to fill the gaps between meat and crust with the gelée. After another four to six hours to set, this “simple” dish is ready to slice and serve.
EAT: La Moule, 2500 SE Clinton St., 971-339-2822, lamoulepdx.com. 4-9 pm Wednesday-Sunday.
HOT PLATES Where to eat this week.
Kimura Toast Bar 3808 N Williams Ave., 971-266 8087, kimuratoast.com. 8 am-3 pm Tuesday-Sunday. At Kimura Toast Bar, thick slices of shokupan, or Japanese milk bread, can be the stuff of a light breakfast, a savory lunch or a meticulously composed dessert. You can get your toast simply, with French Isigny St.-Mere butter, including such flavors as baconcheese or yuzu. You can get a cheese toast, with white cheddar or brie. You can even get it under a hot dog. And yes, you can get it with avocado—a straight-up concession to the Portland market. O M A’ S TA K E AWAY
remains: moule marinière flavored with white wine, garlic, Dijon mustard and chile flake ($22), along with the best-inGoing from Paris to Portland may seem an odd career move town bacon and brie burger with fries ($17). But the current for a chef. But for John Denison, it made perfect sense. menu highlights Denison’s French background. After all, this is where his career first took off. In 2014, The comté gougères ($11)—two cheesy rounds of baked Denison moved from Colorado to work as a line cook at choux pastry topped with guanciale, more cheese and a Kachka. He soon met French-inspired restaurateur Aaron chunk of chicharron then sprinkled with espelette powBarnett, and the two bonded over their mutual love for the der—are pure bliss. Though it may wander over the stoner hearty, rustic cuisine of the Lyonnaise bouchons. That led food line, a brandade and potato chip-coated variation on to Denison’s first stint working for Barnett at St. Jack. But the lowbrow scotch egg ($13) is also a small-plate pleasure. in 2015, the owners of Camont, a highly regarded restaurant And an ever-so-seasonal salad of runner beans, peach slices and cooking school on a farm south of Lyon, came to and hazelnuts in an elderflower vinaigrette ($12) Portland to teach a butchery and charcuterie emphasizes the French tradition, adopted enthuclass. Denison “begged his way” into a position siastically here, featuring local produce at its as the restaurant’s butcher, farmhand and, peak. eventually, chef-in-residence. La Moule is only offering a few large He then bounced around European plates these days in its roomy outdoor kitchens most young cooks can only setup, so check the specials. On my first dream about: working for the Adria brothvisit, the albacore collar in a brown butter ers at Tickets in Barcelona; at Michelin sauce with capers, olives and pine nuts three-star Les Prés d’Eugénie midway ($26) was delicious if petite. On the dessert between Toulouse and French Basque slate, the “peaches ’n’ cream” pavlova ($10) Country; then to Paris, where he debuted as is as artistic as it is toothsome, a photogenic JOHN DENISON head chef at newly opened Ellsworth. When assemblage of soft-centered meringue, sliced COVID-19 hit, shuttering his restaurant, Denison peaches, dustings of hibiscus powder and black pephad a choice: extend his visa and wait out the pandemic per and a scattering of golden flower petals. in his tiny Parisian apartment or come back home. He chose But if I had to recommend one dish that best showthe latter, reconnecting with Barnett and taking a spot as cases Denison’s hard-earned expertise, it would be his head chef at La Moule, which Barnett opened on Southeast ultra-rustic pâté en croûte ($14), a mixture of ground pork— Clinton Street the year Denison left for Europe. forcemeat or farce in charcutier’s vernacular—and other Originally Barnett’s ode to a Belgian moules frites brasingredients cloaked in pastry, baked, then chilled and sliced serie, La Moule has gradually moved toward a more Gallic for service. For all its seeming simplicity, it is a three- to orientation since opening in 2015, and it’s gone even more four-day production. in that direction under Denison. One mussel presentation BY M IC H A E L C . Z US M A N
TOP 5
Oma’s Takeaway 3131 SE Division St., 971-754-4923, omastakeaway.com. 5-10 pm Thursday-Sunday. It’s hard to say anyone can “win” in a pandemic, but Gado Gado found one heck of a silver lining, as its pivot to takeout is spinning off into its own restaurant. Oma’s Takeaway will now occupy the space formerly home to Whiskey Soda Lounge and feature several of the playfully inventive Southeast Asian items Thomas Pisha-Duffly initially devised just to stay afloat during Oregon’s COVID19 shutdown, including five-spice tater tots served with curry ketchup and char siu pork shoulder.
Nacheaux 8145 SE 82nd Ave., 971-319-1134, nacheauxpdx.com. Noon-7 pm Wednesday-Thursday and Saturday, noon-8 pm Friday, 9 am-3 pm Sunday. At Anthony Brown’s garishly teal-colored food truck, Mexican favorites get hitched to Southern food and Cajun-Creole flavors. You can find “Mexicajun” food in both Louisiana and Southeast Texas, but it’s a rare concept in Portland, if not entirely unheard of. The “Nacheaux nachos” start with a big pile of fresh-fried chips and also feature carnitas that could just as easily be cochon au lait, while a cheesy “crunchwrap” comes stuffed with red beans, dirty rice and fried chicken.
Havana Cafe 901 NW 14th Ave., 970-400-8887, havanacafepdx.com. 11 am-10 pm Tuesday-Saturday. Cuban restaurants are hard to find outside their native turf and nearby Miami. Havana Cafe remedies that with an unmissable rooftop experience in Northwest Portland. Start with a starch—either tostones or yucca frita—then go for a platter served with deceptively non-boring black beans and rice. Among a handful of choices, lechon con mojo may be your power move. It’s a mound of ultra-tender, deeply flavored slow-roasted pork infused with garlic.
Eem 3808 N Williams Ave., Suite 127, 971-295-1645, eempdx.com. 11 am-9 pm daily. The most talked-about Portland restaurant of 2019 had difficulty adjusting to the reality of COVID-19, but it looks to have found its footing in Phase 1 with a new grab-and-go window focused on its world-beating curries. The white curry with brisket burnt ends is a dish so rich and nuanced it’s almost without precedent. And if you manage to snag one of its still-high-in-demand outdoor tables, ’tis the season for co-owner Eric Nelson’s hypercreative cocktails. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
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FOOD & DRINK TOP 5
Smash Unit
BUZZ LIST
Where to drink outside this week.
Migration Rooftop
Seattle’s Rough Draft pops up in the burger desert of West Portland.
817 SW 17th Ave., 9th floor, 971-291-0258, migrationbrewing.com. 1-10 pm Thursday-Sunday. In the Before Times, Migration’s sun-drenched front patio was one of Portland’s great summer evening beer drinking spots. That’s continued to be true in Phase 1, but apparently it wasn’t enough: The ascendant brewery has gone and launched a rooftop taproom at the freshly opened Canvas building. The ninth-floor views are new, but the brews remain reliably the same, ranging from sweet and tart to rich and hazy.
Zoiglhaus
TREVOR GAGNIER
5716 SE 92nd Ave., 971-339-2374, zoiglhaus.com. 4-9 pm daily. If the E-Z Ups are out, that’s a sure sign a good time is being had. At Zoiglhaus, they’re one of the defining features of the brewery’s new pop-up beer garden. The setup is bare-bones, but it’s enough to transform the oil-stained patch of concrete off 92nd Avenue into a breezy block party. Sadly, the outdoor cooking portion of the shindig has come to an end, but the jägerschnitzel is still on the menu. And then, of course, there’s the beer: Cans of Hop on Top—the brewery’s sassy, seasonal dry-hopped Pilsner—sit in a galvanized tub, adding to the feeling that you’re at a neighbor’s summer hang.
Gin Alley NO REVISIONS: The smash double cheeseburger at Rough Draft. BY JASO N CO H E N
@cohenesque
For Portland’s westsiders, a high-end fast food burger has been hard to come by recently. Both SuperDeluxe in the Pearl and the original Bless Your Heart at Pine Street Market remain closed. Burger Stevens is about to move its out-of-action truck from Pioneer Square to the Prost Marketplace pod on North Mississippi. And nary a shovel has yet been seen at that rumored Shake Shack on West Burnside. Enter Rough Draft Burger Shop. Spun off from a Seattle burger pop-up of the same name— itself a spinoff from a fancy ticketed dinner and event series—it’s owned by Nick Jarvis and Aaron Wilcenski, both of whom have lengthy résumés at bars and restaurants up Interstate 5. In both the Emerald and Rose cities, burgers carts have obviously lent themselves to the era of COVID. “They ended up feeling like our best way to get takeout food safely in people’s hands,” says Jarvis. “Low-key fast casual comfort food seems like the wave of the future.” Rough Draft’s idea of the perfect burger is fatty, simple and crispy-smashed—just meat, cheese and condiments. There are no tomatoes or lettuce, only raw onion, pickle slices and “RD Sauce,” which is mayo-based like many typical housemade sauces but has radish kimchi as the semi-secret ingredient.
At 2.5 ounces—bigger than In-N-Out, smaller than Five Guys—the 75-25 burger patties are just the right size for a hefty but not cumbersome double cheeseburger ($8). You can also get a single ($6), a “junior” with no pickles or onions ($5), or a “bag-o-burgers” ($25 for five). Fries are of the waffle variety ($5), doctored with barbecue seasonings, brown sugar and fresh herbs—think curly fries, but not as soggy. “We like how well they hold up for takeout,” Jarvis says. “Lots of good crispy surface area. We’re hopefully in the midst of a waffle fry renaissance.” The dark horse menu item, though? Vegetables. There’s one plate that’s sort of good for you—a daily selection of crudites with ranch ($4)—and another that does not feel virtuous at all but at least delivers cruciferous vitamins and fiber: fried broccoli with hot cheese, pickled peppers, scallion and crispy jalapeños ($8). “Sol id burg e rs a nd nice vegetables are our long-term goal for the shop,” says Jarvis. “We love fries, but everyone needs a break.” EAT: Rough Draft Burger Shop, 6620 SW Scholls Ferry Road, rdburgershop.com. 4-9 pm Wednesday-Thursday, noon-9 pm FridaySaturday.
TREVOR GAGNIER
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3348 SE Belmont St. 4-10 Wednesday-Saturday. Opening behind still-shuttered pseudo-speakeasy Circa 33 off Southeast Belmont Street, Gin Alley is, well, an outdoor gin bar located in an alley. The brainchild of veteran bar manager John Paul Longenecker, the drinks include a martini with locally sourced herbs, a strawberry and pepper gin fizz and, perhaps most tantalizing, a hazelnut mai tai.
Lady of the Mountain 100 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 971-345-2992, kexhotels.com/eat-drink/ rooftop. 5-10 pm Wednesday-Sunday; last reservations taken at 8:30 pm. Brunch 10 am-1 pm Saturday-Sunday. Icelandic boutique hotel Kex is one of those rare gems in the city with a rooftop oasis. At four stories up, Lady of the Mountain feels a bit like being nestled in a fjord made of glass and concrete. The list of wine, beer and cocktails is long, but to make things easy, just order the Pimm’s Cup: It’s like an adult snow cone, made with cucumber-infused gin, and it’s the most refreshing thing you could possibly order on a Portland rooftop in late summer.
Piggins 1239 SW Broadway, 503-222-9070, higginsportland.com. 11:30 am-8 pm daily. Piggins is the parkside pop-up patio reimagining of Higgins, a Portland dining landmark since 1994. The menu is effectively a greatest-hits package of some of the restaurant’s most beloved dishes— served from a food cart kitchen on the grounds of the Oregon Historical Society—with no big chances taken, no vast departures accorded. That’s a good thing, because it means you can get the Higgins Salad and the city’s best charcuterie plate. Even better, you can peruse Higgins’ famed bottled-beer list or select a wine from its well-curated cellar. A nice riesling lunch? Hey, you’ve earned it!
POTLANDER
Before Sunset Summer is almost over, but you still have the chance to escape. Here’s what to do— and what to consume while doing it. BY BRI A N N A W H E E L ER
Getting stoned in the wild outdoors in 2020 is a critical form of self-care. Feeling a complete woodland fantasy while deep in the folds of a transcendental kush is the best way to squash the burdens of modern life, and Oregonians should consider themselves remarkably blessed to have so many options for escape—even the scattered midcity nature parks offer an evergreen buffer of tranquility from the metro area itself. This season’s been rougher than an ungroomed quarantine beard and more claustrophobic than an overcrowded Big Pink elevator. But don’t unravel yet. There are only a handful of weeks left to squeeze what little bit of summer satisfaction we can from this otherwise ugly year. Maximize these last sweaty weekends by getting high on a mountain with these partly introspective, partly mirth-making cannabis strains. Pack up your dolphin shorts and your dorkiest open-toe sandals, we’ll go get high with some trees, then come back restored and ready to deal with our national mess.
The Escape Plan:
The Escape Plan:
Hiking Powell Butte, Tryon Creek or Forest Park
Holding the line at various peaceful protests
The Strain: Do Si Dos (One Family Farms) Visiting one of Mount Hood’s many alpine lakes is a summer rite, and since isolated floating makes social distancing pretty effortless, a day on the water is arguably the ideal escape from 2020. Whether you’ve arrived ready to float, fish or let crawdads pinch your booty cheeks, this indica-forward hybrid is a lovely cold water-hot day companion. Do Si Dos is foremost a relaxing strain with a therapeutic, stress-reducing, limonene-dominant terpene profile. When the summer adventure du jour requires a little more physical activity than the occasional hand paddling or reeling in a fishing line, this is the low-stakes indica to clear your mind without lulling you into sunburn-nap territory. Get it from: Budding Culture, 6802 NE Broadway, 503-719-6192, buddingculturepdx.com.
The Strain: J1 (UKU) If inner-city nature is more your wheelhouse, a hike aided by the manic effervescence of J1 will burn off any excess reality-based anxieties. Born from Jack Herer and Skunk 1—both notoriously uplifting and energizing strains—it’s no big surprise this strain hits most users like a Monster Energy drink: A recently smoked bowl had me jog-sprinting down MLK in 90-degree heat like I was the second coming of FloJo. Some J1, a catchy playlist and a power walk up Powell Butte will set fire to all manner of lingering nervousness, chronic overthinking, and even the muddier edges of restless unease. Get it from: Curaleaf, 5103 NE Fremont St., 503-477-7254, shop-portlandor.curaleaf.com.
The Strain: Sugar Cookie (Dab Factory Shatter) Before getting lost in the indulgent side of self-care, consider the amount of privilege it requires. Keeping a balanced perspective will not only make these planned getaways that much more effective, but it can also motivate a person to ensure this level of blithe, liberated frolicking is accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford the day off. Getting out, holding space, making noise and listening with intent are all encouraged by the reflective, indica-leaning hybrid high of Sugar Cookie, the child strain of classic indica Crystal Gayle, and buzzy hybrid Blue Hawaiian. Sugar Cookie’s lineage results in a hyperresponsive high that can take on sunnier or sleepier effects depending on the user’s resting state. Whether you puff a dab before a sit-in at the Rose Garden or at the end of a long day of speaking truth to power, Sugar Cookie finds and finesses your specific endocannabinoid sweet spot, getting you right where you need to be right when you need to be there. Get it from: Virtue Supply Company, 510 NW 11th Ave., 971-940- 6624, virtuesupplycompany.com.
A day trip to Trillium, Timothy or Frog Lake
The Escape Plan:
A float down the Sandy, Washougal or Tualatin River The Strain: White Cookies (Smoke Rite Pre-roll) If you’re lucky enough to have a clutch of family, housemates or neighbors in your personal “pod” and you’ve yet to get swept downriver together— what are you waiting for? Well, maybe the idea of being spirited down a rushing waterway inspires more anxiety than enthusiasm, in which case a thick pre-roll of White Cookies can help calm your nerves. A river float can be proportionally exciting, serene and recuperative, and bringing along a strain known for its balance of relaxation and euphoria will mitigate any jitters and stimulate the type of daylong lethargy required for maximum gratification. Get it from: Nectar, 4125 N Mississippi Ave., 503-206-4818, nectar.store.
The Escape Plan:
Camping in Gifford Pinchot, Mount Hood or Tillamook Forest The Strain: Sundae Driver (BeLeaf Farms) A recent drive around Hood revealed that several established campgrounds are shut down, but primitive campsites were relatively plentiful. If a poop shovel is already part of your camping kit, then this is not a revelation, and you probably have a few favorite spots to frequent before the season peters out into fall. For those far-out campsites, where your nearest neighbors are a quarter-mile down the road and toilets are where you make them, Sundae Driver is an excellent companion. The profile is bright and citrusy, rounded out by earthy florals, a calculated balance of deep placation and gauzy exhilaration that begs to be smoked deep in the woods, where stoners can rhapsodize about their own relative insignificance while the Milky Way splays out across the moonlit sky. Get it from: Kaleafa, 5232 SE Woodstock Blvd., 971-407-3208, kaleafa.com.
The Escape Plan:
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PERFORMANCE
BOOKS
Editor: Andi Prewitt | Contact: aprewitt@wweek.com COHO PRODUCTIONS
Written by: Scout Brobst Contact: sbrobst@wweek.com
FIVE BOOKS YOU SHOULD READ ABOUT FAMILY Lot, Brian Washington In Bryan Washington’s debut short story collection, there is no singular experience of family, home or community. Each story takes place in Houston, a city as diverse as the some 2 million people who live there—a young gay man struggles to navigate his identity in the face of prejudice; a sex worker grieves the death of her child; a pair of drug dealers take on the roles of “equal opportunity pharmacists.” Washington’s characters are earnest and convincing, with just enough cohesion to fold the reader into the world he knows best.
SIGHT FOR SORE EYES: Live theater returns to CoHo that you can stream this weekend.
Street Theater From These Streets I Rise highlights stories of homelessness in Portland. BY BE N N E T T C A M P B E L L FE RGUS O N
Social distancing month after month can be traumatic. Social worker and theater artist Mikki Jordan is here to remind you that it’s worse when you don’t even have a home to quarantine in. “I’m really trying to communicate that we’re not so different from folks on the street,” Jordan says. “It’s really easy for us to stay in our bubble and think, ‘Oh, that’ll never happen to me’ or ‘I’m not like that person’ or ‘That person’s not living with societal norms and I am, so I’m better.’” Jordan is the star and creator of From These Streets I Rise, a show based on the lives of the vendors who sell Street Roots, the weekly alternative newspaper sold by people experiencing homelessness and poverty. The production also channels Jordan’s experiences with homeless individuals in the emergency departments at Providence Portland and Providence St. Vincent hospitals, where she has worked for almost six years. “She has her own journey, but she’s really compelled,” says Chris Harder, who directed From These Streets I Rise, which streams live from CoHo Theatre this weekend. “She cares so much for these stories to be heard that something inside of her is invoking them.” Jordan first became aware of the existence of poverty while growing up in Guatemala, where her father was a preacher at an English-speaking nondenominational church. “I didn’t have the words for it, but I was struck by the level of poverty,” she says. “We came back to the U.S. when I was, like, 6 or 7 and lived a pretty average suburban life where I just kind of had my head in the sand.” Jordan’s head didn’t stay buried. During the roughly 15 years that she spent working as an actor in New York City, she struggled to funnel her passion for social justice into art. “When I was younger, I didn’t know quite what that looked like yet,” she says. “I didn’t feel like I had the voice. I just knew I was drawn to it, that I was attracted to that work.” An early version of From These Streets I Rise debuted at the Fertile Ground Festival in 2019. It was based on interviews that Jordan conducted with Street Roots vendors like Dennis Chavez, who became homeless after serving as an Army helicopter mechanic. “The editing is definitely its own challenge, because 26
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
I would talk to people for one to two hours,” Jordan says. “That would come out to anywhere between 10 and 15 pages of single-spaced transcript, and I’m trying to whittle those down to one-to-three-minute monologues.” To give her portrayals of the people that she interviewed a spark of authenticity, Jordan adopted some of their physical mannerisms. “Maybe somebody shakes their foot a lot when they’re talking or rocks back and forth really rapidly,” she says. “I just try to grab one or two things that kind of move me, and then I try to translate that into my own body and hope that I do justice to that person.” From These Streets I Rise was expanded when Jordan brought it to CoHo. The production now features original music by Samie Jo Pfiefer, who plays banjo and guitar and sings, and Jordan allowed her experiences in the ER to influence the show. “Mikki herself has a story to tell—and that story comes from the point of view of the social worker in the mental health system, and that’s really compelling,” Harder says. Jordan reinterviewed some of her subjects after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic “One of my takeaways was that folks on the streets are already social distancing,” she says. “They’re already pretty distant socially.” She says that she’s been moved by the efforts of Raven Drake and Tina Drake, vendors who co-chair Street Roots’ Coronavirus Action Team. “Both of them were just like, ‘The street community has really come together during the pandemic,’” Jordan says. “And I think their hope is that Portland sees that and meets the unhoused community halfway, seeing how much work people on the street have done for each other—to make sure that people have access to the resources that they need, that they have hand wipes, things to help them mask.” While 75% of all ticket sales will be donated to Street Roots, Jordan is devoid of self-congratulatory bravado. “We hear enough from professionals and politicians and people in positions of power about their thoughts on the homeless issue,” she says, “but we don’t always get to hear from the folks who are actually on the streets living it, so that’s what this piece is about.” SEE IT: From These Streets I Rise streams live from CoHo Theatre at 7:30 pm Friday and Saturday, 2 pm Sunday, Sept. 11-13. Purchase tickets at cohoproductions.org to receive an email with instructions on how to access the show. Free-$75.
A Girl Is a Body of Water, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi A product of Portland publisher Tin House, A Girl Is a Body of Water begins with the absence of family. Kirabo, a Ugandan child, lives without her mother. Instead, she comes of age among a flock of mothers—aunts, friends, grandmothers, the women of the small village of Nattetta. Still, she is desperate to bring order to her origin story, enlisting a local witch to learn about the woman who birthed her and what it all means for her future. Makumbi’s novel sifts through ideas of girlhood and legacy with confident narration, crafting an epic that is equal parts tender and forceful.
Convenience Store Woman, Sayaka Murata Japanese writer Sayaka Murata’s much-praised debut is not about family in the traditional sense. The protagonist, Keiko, could not be less concerned with the social movements around her, or the societal expectations she is asked to at least acknowledge. Belonging and identity is in the “Smile Mart,” a convenience store where Keiko finds solace in routine, monotony and observation. The book deconstructs the ideals of conformity by rejecting them from the outset. It is a disorienting, highly original read from an essential author.
A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth Ozeki It is easy to read the description of A Tale for the Time Being and impose on it a quaintness. A novelist discovers a diary washed ashore outside her home in British Columbia, a relic of a 16-year-old in Tokyo who vows to immortalize her great-grandmother in biography as a parting task. But Ozeki’s cosmic novel is as dark as it is hopeful. The reader and writer exist together across space and time, unfolding in unspoken dialogue with one another, walking through the world as “time beings”: “you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or will ever be.”
Transcendent Kingdom, Yaa Gyasi The much-anticipated follow-up to Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Transcendent Kingdom is a novel principally uninterested in the clichés we project onto those unlike us. Gifty is a Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience, but she rejects the mantle of “women in science.” Her family remains in Huntsville, Ala., having immigrated from Ghana, but the simplistic dynamics typically assigned to these stories are anatomized into obsolescence by Gifty’s observational candor. The book is a polished gem, laying out the primacy of family ties in honest, structured prose.
MOVIES
Editor: Andi Prewitt / Contact: aprewitt@wweek.com REELGOOD
SCREENER
VA R I E T Y
NO HOME MOVIE
DECASIA MUBI
S I X PAC K F I L M
INVISIBLE ADVERSARIES
OUR DAILY BREAD
Dip Into a New Stream OVID.tv offers a library of rare features and documentaries for those who’ve grown weary of mainstream media providers. BY R OB E RT H A M
@roberthamwriter
For fans of arthouse, foreign and experimental cinema, the pickings on the usual streaming suspects (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime) are pretty slim. Even the deep catalogs at the Criterion Channel and Mubi tend to hew to the middle of the road. So if you’re in the mood for some challenging and enriching films from across the globe, your best bet these days is OVID.tv. Launched in March 2019, this streaming service is a joint venture of eight independent film distributors, including Women Make Movies and First Run Features, that offers a slew of features and documentaries rarely seen outside the festival circuit and that are even harder to find on DVD. Now, OVID.tv is only getting stronger. Programmers just announced an ambitious slate of releases for September that includes seven silent film adaptations of Shakespeare plays from the early 20th century and a collection of work from pioneering Black gay director Marlon Riggs. While we encourage you to dive in and see what piques your interest, here are six recommendations to get you started.
Invisible Adversaries (1977)
The first film by Austrian artist Valie Export has a slightly similar plot to John Carpenter’s sci-fi flick They Live—a solitary soul realizes aliens have secretly colonized the planet— but her take on this idea is far less cartoony and much more surreal. As fashion photographer Anna wrestles with this quiet invasion as well as her relationship with her lover Peter and her unstable mental state, the visual landscape of the movie becomes distorted and unsettling.
Our Daily Bread (2005)
Industrialized food production is put under the microscope in this documentary by Nikolaus Geyrhalter. Eschewing voiceover and intertitles, the director instead relies on long takes of machines and people at work picking lettuce, dusting crops and preparing various animals for processing. Hypnotizing and damning in equal measure.
Decasia (2002)
Editing together segments from various early 20th century silent films that have begun to crack with age, director Bill Morrison makes a strong, artful case for finding the beauty in life’s impermanence. There’s a rough narrative to be found in Decasia, but feel free to ignore that and get lost in the haunting images, like a prizefighter sparring with a blob of decay or a seascape that flutters with overexposure.
GET YO UR REPS I N
While local rep theaters are out of commission, we’ll be putting together weekly watchlists of films readily available to stream. This week, in celebration of Netflix’s release of I’m Thinking of Ending Things, we highlight enigmatic psychological thrillers steeped in eerie atmospheres and swirling with mystery.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) A woman (Jessie Buckley) contemplates breaking up with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) as the pair travel to meet his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) in the country. These feelings are only exacerbated when they arrive and she discovers something ominous about him and his family. Dangerously ominous. The great Charlie Kaufman adapted Iain Reid’s taut page-turner of a novel into this twisted thriller, already garnering rave reviews. Netflix.
Exotica (1994) At the center of Atom Egoyan’s hypnotic drama is Exotica, a unique strip club whose main dancer (Mia Kirshner) attracts a depressed tax auditor (Bruce Greenwood) recovering from a mysterious tragedy. As the film progresses, information is slowly and meticulously meted out, and we begin to understand each complicated character—patrons and employees alike— on a bone-deep level. Criterion Channel.
Enemy (2013) Jake Gyllenhaal stars as two identical strangers in Denis Villeneuve’s mind-bending thriller. When one of them, a college professor named Adam, notices the other in the background of a movie he rents, he becomes obsessed with tracking down his double. Identities and relationships blur in this unforgettable surrealist allegory. Amazon Prime, Google Play, Hulu, Kanopy, Showtime, Sling TV, Vudu, YouTube.
Black Is...Black Ain’t (1994)
The final film that Marlon Riggs made in his tragically short life explores the beauty and diversity of the Black experience in America as expressed through both modern dance and the words of scholars like bell hooks, Cornel West and Maulana Karenga. The work is also a powerful reflection on the director’s mortality, as he is seen throughout the film racing to finish the movie—at times working from a hospital bed—while his health declines due to AIDS-related complications.
Ava (2017)
Sadaf Foroughi based her first feature film on her own experiences growing up and pushing against the continued oppression of women in Iran. The titular teenager faces even more challenges at home, where she continues to butt heads with her controlling mother. The grinding humiliations and constant verbal battles can be difficult to endure, but the film is grounded by a knowing performance from newcomer Mahour Jabbari.
No Home Movie (2015)
The intimacy of Chantal Akerman’s documentary is sometimes unsettling as the director lets us into conversations she had with her mother Natalia, in person and over Skype, in the months leading up to the elder woman’s death. It moves with the same patient stillness as Akerman’s 1975 masterwork Jeanne Dielman but is haunted by Natalia’s experiences surviving Auschwitz and her slowly failing health.
You Were Never Really Here (2017) In Lynne Ramsay’s biting character study, we follow a traumatized and suicidal mercenary (Joaquin Phoenix) named Joe who makes a living rescuing girls from human trafficking. When a senator hires him to track down his daughter, Joe becomes involved in a much larger conspiracy—all set to Jonny Greenwood’s phenomenal industrial score. Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) After a cardiac surgeon (Colin Farrell) takes pity on the teenage son (Barry Keoghan) of one of his deceased patients, he and his family (including Nicole Kidman) soon become victims of an inexplicable curse, and he finds himself having to make an impossible choice. King of the “Greek Weird Wave,” Yorgos Lanthimos writes and directs this loose adaptation of an ancient Euripides tragedy. Amazon Prime, Google Play, Kanopy, Netflix, Vudu, YouTube. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
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MOVIES NYTIMES.COM
TOP PICK OF THE WEEK
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets While most Oregonians haven’t set foot in their local for months, we’ve all passed that one obscure watering hole and thought, “Has this place been open the whole time?” Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets is an ode to just that kind of dive. Experimental filmmakers Bill and Turner Ross train their lenses on Las Vegas’ Roaring ’20s on its final day in business, and we meet the affable barkeeps, trauma-soaked vets, wayward youngsters and shaggy loners toasting farewell to their only sense of community, no matter that it feeds on their marginalization and addiction. The weeping, the slurred professions of love, the gallows humor, the last dances—it’s as profoundly affecting as it is authentically scuzzy, but there’s a trick afoot. The amateur performers are clearly operating from some vague script, even if they are completely plastered. The sad-bastard country soundtrack is a little too on pitch and, in fact, the interior of the bar is not even in Vegas. Winner of the True/False Film Festival’s True Vision Award, Bloody Nose waltzes at the forefront of creative cinematic nonfiction. And this premise blurs the line between fact and fiction perfectly. After all, there is no stark reality for the spiraling barfly. The tears look damn real, and they flow like swill. NR. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. On Demand.
OUR KEY
: T H I S M O V I E I S E XC E L L E N T, O N E O F T H E B E S T O F T H E Y E A R.
BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS
: T H I S M O V I E I S G O O D. W E R E C O M M E N D YO U WATC H I T. : T H I S M O V I E I S E N T E R TA I N I N G B U T F L AW E D. : T H I S M O V I E I S A P I E C E O F S H I T.
ALSO PLAYING Boys State Politics makes strange bedfellows, and as the new VOD release Boys State showcases, large-scale political simulations bring about some weird-ass dormmates. The documentary by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, the married couple behind 2014’s Sundancewinning The Overnighters, follows an engaging quartet—Reaganobsessed double-amputee Ben, loquacious Chicago expat Rene, hunky silver-spooner Robert, and progressive Mexican American Steven—among the 1,100 teens invited to participate in Texas’ 78th annual Boys State. Remarkably, apart from some sneering glimpses of a young Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh and other members of the literal old boys’ club, the camera rarely stops to relish the scenes of future policy wonks at the peak of teenage awkwardness. Considering that the documentary opens with a George Washington quote warning us about the tyranny of political parties and features spliced footage of a raccoon sifting through garbage, the filmmakers appear helplessly drawn to the nihilist joys of rooting on participants as they fashion fake platforms to sell fake campaigns for a fake governorship in a manner that is troublingly real. And while Robert’s exceedingly electable brand of swagger is surely intended as a cautionary tale, there’s no reason why natural charisma should be any worse a qualification for leadership than instinctive talents for demagoguery or manipulation. Even if this game isn’t rigged, the best players feel inherently suspect, nevertheless. PG-13. JAY HORTON. AppleTV+.
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A Girl Missing With the revenge preoccupations of Park Chan-wook but the no-frills living-room style of Ken Loach, Japanese writer-director Koji Fukada makes movies about the echoes of guilt. The successor to his 2016 high-water mark Harmonium, A Girl Missing witnesses the unraveling and transformation of a devoted nurse named Ichiko (played by Fukada favorite Mariko Tsutsui) into a lonely woman about town. Her character shift is brought on by Ichiko’s nephew dispassionately abducting the granddaughter of a patient, but this kidnapping mystery is only the initial thread in one of 2020’s knottiest films. As with Harmonium, Fukada entrenches audiences in the darkest possible subject matter but omits violence or action that could rack up points for shock, style or catharsis. His tastes are unflappably drab. Meanwhile, Mariko is outstanding as a trusting woman realizing too late that accusations about the kidnapping are rippling her way. For the most part, A Girl Missing is a writing achievement. At only 40, Fukada seems a whisker away from resounding international acclaim, but he keeps stiff-arming audiences back from any version of narrative or experiential gratification. Still, if you dig a fathoms-deep script about guilt coming home to roost, consider this a loud but conflicted endorsement. NR. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Virtual Cinema.
The Personal History of David Copperfield Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! In a single scene from The Personal History of David Copperfield, David (Dev Patel) bangs his noggin
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 wweek.com
four times, channeling the deliciously manic energy that director Armando Iannucci (The Death of Stalin) brings to this adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel. Tales of orphans looking for love and profit are ripe for slick sentiment, but Iannucci amplifies the story’s comedic absurdities without sacrificing its emotional force. At 119 minutes, the film is too trim—an extra half-hour would have allowed Iannucci to more credibly chronicle David’s transformation from a child laborer in a bottling factory into a gangly yet graceful gentleman. Yet there’s no resisting the cast (especially Peter Capaldi as the merry charlatan Mr. Micawber and Ben Whishaw as the pious swindler Uriah Heep), and while Iannucci revels in the story’s goofier episodes—including the theft of a concertina from a pawnshop— he captures David’s growth with moving sincerity. “Don’t worry,” David tells his younger self in a fantasy scene. “You’ll make it through.” At a moment when too many of us are wondering if we’ll make it, that message of resilience is at once inspiring and comforting. PG. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Virtual Cinema.
She Dies Tomorrow Amy (Kate Lyn Sheil) knows for a fact she’s going to die tomorrow. She’s seen things. Heard things. She knows. Obviously, her best friend Jane (Jane Adams) doesn’t believe her at first. But then Jane begins having the same ominous visions. Now, Jane knows for a fact that she’s going to die tomorrow. As does Jane’s brother (Chris Messina) and his wife and her friends, etc., etc. In most mainstream thrillers, we’d probably see the characters team up to fight death, but writer-director Amy Seimetz is detached from narrative convention, and her kaleidoscopic
sophomore feature is, honestly, a lot less thrilling than it sounds. This is by no means a negative— it’s contemplative and challenging, harnessing dread from the fatal contagion of existentialist-fueled anxiety. In Seimetz’s neon-soaked world, death is a natural process, something to resign to instead of futilely resist. Though some viewers may find the aimless ambiguity baffling, this is a film to fully feel with all senses—to marinate in—rather than agonize over the intentional lack of logic and answers. Anxiety itself is often irrational, so this is Seimetz’s impressionistic response to that all too ubiquitous frustration. Embrace it. R. MIA VICINO. Google Play.
Martin Margiela: In His Own Words No matter how often haute couture may borrow from Hollywood imagery, the silver screen rarely flatters our more fashion-forward designers. Films about the people behind the big-name clothing labels tend to accentuate their most cartoonish eccentricities—showing so-called visionaries leaning into the silliest flourishes of their own branding with a grim determination that borders on self-parody. The same cannot be said about the new documentary Martin Margiela: In His Own Words, which examines the career of the famously private avant-garde Belgian style icon, who abruptly left his own studio after his final 2008 show. The film does present an engaging opportunity to evade Zoolandrian caricature when fleshing out a designer known for his deconstructive strategies steeped in found-object whimsy—he has turned everything from a leather butcher’s apron to a broken dish into high fashion. And Margiela’s participation as narrator allows for
thoughtful reflection and, since only his hands are shown, keeps the fashion world’s answer to Banksy wrapped in an air of mystery. However, director Reiner Holzemer never bothers to speculate how his subject’s guiding passions interrelate, resulting in a portrait that’s never quite as lively or unconventional as Margiela’s creations. For all but the most hardcore fashionista superfans, less really isn’t more this time. NR. JAY HORTON. Virtual Cinema.
Measure for Measure If you ever wanted to see a Shakespeare movie with a mass shooting, now is your chance. The Bard may have written Measure for Measure as a comedy, but director Paul Ireland has reimagined it as a grim crime flick. The film updates the story (and the dialogue) for modern-day Melbourne, where two young lovers, Jaiwara and Claudio (Megan Hajjar and Harrison Gilbertson), are wrenched apart by a false accusation. Their last hope is Duke (Hugo Weaving), a slovenly gangster whose imperious beard is matched only by his power in the Australian underworld. Weaving (who also played the sinister Agent Smith in The Matrix) is as lordly as ever, and Hajjar and Gilbertson are sweet as two kids whose towering passions belie their tender ages. Yet their performances can’t conceal the film’s failure to answer the questions about love, loyalty and religion that it raises. Jaiwara is a Muslim immigrant, but Measure for Measure callously dismisses faith as an annoying obstacle to her love life. It’s enough to make you wonder if the film believes in anything at all, or if its pretensions are as flimsy as Duke’s signature burgundy bathrobe. NR. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. On Demand.
FLASHBACK
THIS WEEK IN '94
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COMICS! FEATURED ARTIST: Brooke Glaser Brooke Glaser makes cute art for clients and teaches other artists to do the same. Learn how this wayfaring woman has been a Portland based freelance illustrator for the past three years by taking one of her online classes or enjoy a vicarious sojourn through her art at brookeglaser.com.
Be a Willamette Week featured artist! Contact us at art@wweek.com. JACK KENT’S
Jack draws exactly what he sees n’ hears from the streets.
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IG @sketchypeoplepdx | kentcomics.com
JONESIN’
Week of September 17
©2020 Rob Brezsny
by Matt Jones
"Report Card"--How did we do? [#373, Aug. 2008]
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
In one of your past lives, maybe you were a Neanderthal midwife in what’s now southern France. In another incarnation, you may have been a 17thcentury Guarani shaman who shared your knowledge about local plants with an Italian Jesuit missionary in what's now Uruguay. All the powers and aptitudes you perfected in those and other previous ages could prove helpful as you cultivate your genius in the coming weeks. JUST KIDDING! Cancel my previous speculations,. For you Aries folks, past achievements are often of secondary importance as you create your future. In fact, your mandate is usually to transcend the old days and old ways. It may be better not to imitate or rely on old stories, no matter how dazzling. This will be especially true in the coming weeks.
Libran playwright Wendy Wasserstein wrote, "Every year I resolve to be a little less the me I know and leave a little room for the me I could be. Every year I make a note not to feel left behind by my friends and family who have managed to change far more than I." I recommend Wasserstein's practice to you, dear Libra. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to launch this ritual as an annual tradition. For best results, write it out as a vow. I mean take a pen and paper and compose a solemn pledge, then sign it on the bottom to seal your determination.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) "There are no ordinary feelings," says poet Dean Young. "Just as there are no ordinary spring days or kicked over cans of paint." That's always true, but it will be especially true for you in the coming weeks. I suspect you will be host to a wealth of interesting, unique, and profound feelings. They might be a bit overwhelming at times, but I think they will mostly provide rich opportunities for your soul to grow deeper and stronger and more resilient.
GEMINI (May 21-June20) "There should be a science of discontent," said novelist Frank Herbert. "People need hard times and oppression to develop psychic muscles." I partially agree with that observation, but I also think it's a gratuitous cliché that's not at all absolute. In fact, our culture is under the spell of a mass delusion that tempts us to believe "no pain, no gain" is the supreme learning principle. I'd like to see the development of a robust science of contentment: how fascination and freedom and generosity can build psychic muscles. You'll be a good candidate to study that subject in the coming weeks. ACROSS
42 Fashion line?
27 Sum up
1 It may be fatal
43 Cartoonist who created Tintin
28 It comes straight from the horse's mouth
5 Disease contracted by Seal at an early age
44 Insignia on Cardinals caps
31 Fred's wife, on "I Love Lucy"
10 Brand that pops up frequently in crosswords?
47 Won back
45 Hathor or Hera, e.g.
14 Sitar master Shankar
51 John's 2008 adversary
15 _ _ _ ear and out the other
56 Gave high honors
16 Get ready for surgery
58 "Out of Africa" author Isak
17 Couturier Cassini
59 Element taken in supplements
32 _ _ _ Maria (liqueur) 40 Get all emotional and teary-eyed 41 Part of GLAAD 45 Fade out, like a light
60 Flea market event
46 "We _ _ _ song of sorrow ..." (lyric from Saves the Day's "What Went Wrong")
61 Sets up tents
47 Beat too fast, like a heart
62 Brand with the discontinued flavor Grape Watermelon
48 McGregor of "Angels & Demons"
21 Less polluted
DOWN
50 Killer whale
22 Rowboat need
1 "You'll hear _ _ _ my lawyer!"
23 _ _ _-country (Drive-By Truckers' genre)
2 "Ooh _ _ _!"
52 Bodily system that includes the lungs (abbr.)
25 "Damn, it's cold out!"
3 Singer Cocker who gets a C?
53 Acronym that sometimes means "right now"
26 "Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge" network
4 Leeway
54 Word after blood or fuel
5 Cindy Brady's impediment
55 Place to play horsey
6 Like private phone numbers
57 Dungeons & Dragons game runners, for short 58 Withdrawal symptoms
30 Resource
7 Billionaire Branson who gets an F?
33 Last name in riding lawnmowers
8 Price at a dime a dozen, perhaps?
34 "_ _ _ bin ein Berliner" (famous JFK quote)
9 Fortune teller
18 British pottery manufacturer known for bone china 19 City that represents a county 20 Helgenberger of "Erin Brockovich"
27 The Hulk's catalyst 29 Food vendor's requirement (abbr.)
35 Desert landscape features 36 Spicy spread 37 _ _ _ Na Na (group that preceded Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock) 38 It's said coming and going 39 Kiddie lit web spinner who gets a B?
10 They're added to foot baths 11 "Dilbert" cartoonist Adams who gets an A? 12 Equipment 13 Makes a decision 24 Hot concept 26 Chocolate necessity
©2020, 2008 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle #JNZ990.
49 Mineral that's the softest on the Mohs scale
last week’s answers
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) "I may not lead the most dramatic life," confesses singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, "but in my brain it's War and Peace every day." He was referencing Leo Tolstoy's sprawling, exuberant 1,200-page novel *War and Peace*, which features stories about five families who lived through Napoléon's invasion of Russia in the 19th century. I'm guessing that these days your fantasy life may also be filled with epic fairy tales and heroic sagas and tear-jerking myths. Is there a problem with that? Not necessarily. It could be quite entertaining and educational. I do recommend that you keep your actual life a little calmer and saner, however.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) "I rejoice to live in such a splendidly disturbing time!" said author Helen Keller (1880–1968). She was a smart activist who worked hard in behalf of women's equality, labor rights, antimilitarism, and socialism. Was she being sarcastic in saying she loved being alive during a time of upheaval? Not at all. She derived excitement and vigor from critiquing injustice. Her lust for life soared as she lent her considerable energy to making life on earth more enjoyable for more people. I invite you to consider adopting her attitude in the coming weeks. It's a good time to experiment with generating the personal power that becomes available by taking practical action in behalf of your high ideals.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Cancerian songwriter Mathangi Arulpragasam is better known by her stage name M.I.A. She has accomplished a lot in her 45 years on the planet, having been nominated for three Grammy Awards and an Academy Award. *Esquire* magazine named her the 75th most influential person of the 21st century. One key to her success is the fact that she formulated a clear master plan many years ago, and has used it to guide her decisions. In her song "Matangi," she refers to it: "If you’re gonna be me, you need a manifesto / If you ain’t got one, you better get one presto." I bring this to your attention, Cancerian, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to formulate (or re-formulate) your life manifesto and master plan.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) "If you're not invited to the party, throw your own," declares singer and actress Diahann Carroll. In the coming weeks, I urge you Leos to use that advice as a metaphor in every way you can imagine. For example, if you're not getting the love you want from a certain someone, give it to yourself. If no one hands you the opportunity you need, hand it to yourself. If you wish people would tell you what you want to hear, but they're not saying it, tell yourself what you want to hear. It's a time when you need to go beyond mere self-sufficiency. Be self-gratifying, self-rewarding, selfacknowledging.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) "At the necessary moment, going naked will be your most convincing disguise," writes poet Dobby Gibson. As I apply his witty statement to your life, I'll interpret it metaphorically. My sense is that you could really use the kind of "disguise" he's talking about. What I mean is that you would benefit by appearing to be different from what people expect of you. You can gain key advantages by shifting the image you present to the world—by expressing a part of your identity that is not usually obvious. And I think the best way to do that is to "go naked"—i.e. be candid and transparent and vulnerable about your core truths.
You know what perfectionists are: people who obsessively strive to finesse every last detail, polishing and honing so compulsively that they risk sucking all the soul out of the finished product. In contrast to them, I propose that we identify a different class of humans known as *imperfectionists*. They understand that a ferocious drive for utter purity can make things sterile and ugly. They resolve to cultivate excellence while at the same time they understand that irregularities and eccentricities may infuse their work with beauty. I hope you'll act like an imperfectionist in the coming weeks, Capricorn.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) "Everything good I’ve ever gotten in life, I only got because I gave something else up," writes author Elizabeth Gilbert. To that melodramatic declaration, I say, "Really? Everything? I don't believe you." And yet I do think she has a point. On some occasions, the most effective strategy for bringing good new influences into our lives is to sacrifice an influence or habit or pattern we're attached to. And often the thing that needs to be sacrificed is comfortable or consoling or mildly pleasurable. I suspect that the coming weeks will offer you one of these opportunities, Aquarius.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) "I and me are always too deeply in conversation," confessed philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. I wonder why he said "too deeply" and not just "deeply." Did he mean his dialogs with himself distracted him from important matters in the world outside of his imagination? Was he implying that he got so consumed while conducting his self-interviews that he lost his bearings and forgot what his goals were? With these cautions in mind, Pisces, I invite you to dive into an intense but spacious communion with yourself. Make this a delightful and illuminating conference, not a raging debate or a debilitating argument.
HOMEWORK: What's your favorite rule to break? FreeWillAstrology.com Check out Rob Brezsny’s Expanded Weekly Audio Horoscopes & Daily Text Message Horoscopes
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