“OMG, I HAVE A CHRISTOPHER LEE TATTOO AS WELL!” P. 27
WILLAMETTE WEEK PORTLAND’S NEWSWEEKLY
PATH
NEWS
The Secret of Room 327. P. 9 FOOD
Noodling Around. P. 22
WATCH
Canna Justice Campaigns. P. 25
FINDERS MEET THREE PORTLANDERS CHARTING NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR BLACK PEOPLE, INCLUDING JOURNEYS INTO NATURE.
WWEEK.COM
VOL 48/13 02.02.2022
BY J O S E P H B L A K E J R • PAG E 11
PRESENTS
DRACULA February 19 – 26, 2022 | Keller Auditorium ALL PERFORMANCES Feature
OBT ORCHESTRA Tickets start at
$29
obt.org
Image: Courtesy of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Company
COMING TO CAMAS - WINTER ‘22
FACE THE WORLD WITH CONFIDENCE Put your best you forward A s O re g o n ’s # 1 B o tox ® C l i n i c * , we i g n i te s e l f - l ove t h ro u g h medical aesthetics & skin rejuvenation treatments. * 2 0 1 6 - 2 0 2 0 A L L E R G A N S A L E S D ATA
LO C A L LY- O W N E D
WO M A N - OW N E D
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE CONSULTATION TODAY
S K I N B Y L O V E LY. C O M | 8 7 7 - 5 6 8 - 3 5 9 4 LAKE OSWEGO, OR 2
PORTLAND, OR
S A N TA M O N I C A , C A
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com Skin by Lovely 530-14297-7 Mea Camas Coming Soon WW-R1.indd 1
7/30/21 9:20 AM
MKT-764_PrintAd_WW_PinkMartini3.pdf
1/25/22
12:47 PM
THOMAS TEAL
FINDINGS
1
SUNSHINE NOODLES, PAGE 22
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM READING THIS WEEK’S PAPER VOL. 48, ISSUE 13 Rene Gonzalez says police officers should write two reports, before and after viewing body-cam footage. 7
Everyone in Portland is trying to rent Movie Madness’ only copy of the 1994 film Heavenly Creatures.
A middle school is threatening to leave downtown Portland if tent camping is allowed outside a homeless village. 8
If you want to watch Groundhog Day for free on Groundhog Day, there is a place. 21
Room 327 was supposed to keep
dangerous air from escaping. It didn’t. 9 Vancouverites could be tolled $3.25 to drive home from their Portland jobs. 10
20
The standout dish at Sunshine Noodles isn’t noodles. 22 Inmates’ most-requested item from the Prisoners Literature Project is a dictionary. 25
13
Christopher Lee’s Dracula is coming to Movie Madness University. 27
ON THE COVER:
OUR MOST TRAFFICKED STORY ONLINE THIS WEEK:
Camp Yoshi’s Rashad Frazier on the Mirror Lake Trail, photo by Joseph Blake Jr.
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission has passed a slew of new rules affecting the weed industry that take hold this year.
MASTHEAD Mark Zusman
EDITORIAL
News Editor Aaron Mesh Arts & Culture Editor Andi Prewitt Assistant Arts & Culture Editor Bennett Campbell Ferguson Staff Writers Nigel Jaquiss, Rachel Monahan, Sophie Peel, Tess Riski Copy Editor Matt Buckingham
ART DEPARTMENT
Creative Director Brian Breneman Designer Mick Hangland-Skill ADVERTISING
Director of Sales Anna Zusman Account Executive Michael Donhowe Marketing Coordinator Candace Tillery
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Entrepreneur in Residence Jack Phan
Give!Guide Director Toni Tringolo Give!Guide Assistant Josh Rentschler TechfestNW Director Shelley Midthun Cultivation Classic Director Steph Barnhart Oregon Beer Awards Director Rachel Coddington
OPERATIONS
Friends of Willamette Week Director Anya Rehon DISTRIBUTION
Circulation Director Jed Hoesch
WILLAMETTE WEEK IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY CITY OF ROSES MEDIA COMPANY
2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Main line phone: (503) 243-2122 fax: (503) 296-2874 Classifieds phone: (503) 243-2122 fax: (503) 296-2874
sat feb 12, 7:30 pm sun feb 13, 2 pm seats mon feb 14, 7:30 pm ♥ best available tickets: orsymphony.org | 503-228-1353
as white, according to a new play. 26
EDITOR & PUBLISHER
with the oregon symphony
The Great Gatsby is about passing
Rashad Frazier serves miso-marinated black cod in a dry lakebed. Portland police officers endorsed a magnetic wallet . 17
A Pink Martini Valentine
Mendelssohn’s Library Feb 12 & 13 Join PBO for this electrifying program led by Aisslinn Nosky including works by Mendelssohn and those who influenced him.
Accounting Director Beth Buffetta Manager of Information Services Brian Panganiban OUR MISSION
To provide Portlanders with an independent and irreverent understanding of how their worlds work so they can make a difference. Though Willamette Week is free, please take just one copy. Anyone removing papers in bulk from our distribution points will be prosecuted, as they say, to the full extent of the law.
Willamette Week welcomes freelance submissions. Send material to either News Editor or Arts Editor. Manuscripts will be returned if you include a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. To be considered for calendar listings, notice of events must be received in writing by noon Wednesday, two weeks before publication. Questions concerning circulation or subscription inquiries should be directed to Jed Hoesch at Willamette Week.
In Person and Online! Tickets at PBO.org 503-222-6000
Postmaster: Send all address changes to Willamette Week, 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Subscription rates: One year $130, six months $70. Back issues $5 for walk-ins, $8 for mailed requests when available. Willamette Week is mailed at third-class rates. Association of Alternative Newsmedia. This newspaper is published on recycled newsprint using soy-based ink.
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
3
VISIT ECLIPTIC BREWING'S NEW SOUTHEAST LOCATION!
DIALOGUE LAST WEEK, WW reported on Oregon’s dramatic rise in overdose deaths from two hard drugs—meth and fentanyl—since the pandemic began. Together, the two drugs are killing Oregonians at a rate of three per day (“Over and Out,” Jan. 26). The deaths began rising before Oregonians voted to decriminalize personal possession of many hard drugs. But one key component of that plan—law enforcement referrals to drug treatment—has barely begun, even as deaths skyrocket. Here’s what our readers had to say:
ARIZONA JOE, VIA TWITTER:
21+ TAPROOM & PATIO FEATURING CRAFT BEER, ARTISANAL SANDWICHES & COCKTAILS, PLUS AN EXTENSIVE GIN LIST.
“If living in a tent on a sidewalk isn’t rock bottom enough, why does anyone believe that being referred to treatment will be that catalyst? That’s silly naïveté. “With meth and opioids, people often need to be physically separated from that drug for a long while. Jail can do that.” BRUNO PARKS, VIA TWITTER:
“And now the Measure 110 proponents are saying that they knew the treatment piece of their plan was never going to work. Instead, they’ll push unspecified ‘services’ that will presumably make it easier to ‘live’ as an addict. That’s what ‘harm reduction’ gets you.”
ECLIPTICBREWING.COM
930 SE OAK ST.
DON REARDON, VIA FACEBOOK: “TIP TO OTHER
STATES: Have abundant and
11th annual
remarkable treatment services in place before you decriminalize meth. OR: Become America’s favorite meth tourism destination.” ANTIFUGGEDABOUTIT, VIA WWEEK.COM: “As the article
clearly states, overdoses are up everywhere. Montana, apparently, is leading the pack. A true red state. But how could this be if conservative policies were the answer? “Just judging by the absolute lunacy in the comments, it appears that what they want is a return to the failed and cruel practices of the War on Drugs and the crack epidemic of the ’90s. They want to throw millions and millions of drug addicts into prisons, expanding the prison industrial complex. “This is their solution to
homelessness as well. Simply lock up the undesirables forever. Just look at these comments. Jack the Ripper has more empathy and compassion for human life than these people.” PETS HOME ALONE IS ABUSE
Enough already with the unbridled celebration of pet-keeping [“The Pets Issue,” WW, Jan. 26]. Animals don’t exist to “comfort us during COVID” or to meet the emotional needs of any human who wants a captive “companion.” There are numerous ethical concerns (and environmental implications) with the institution of pet-keeping that rarely get discussed in our society. This issue of WW further ignores any difficult ethical questions around our obsession with owning animals. There is an entire article on preparing dogs to be left alone at home all day long, which never even questions the premise of leaving a dog at home alone all day. Just hide some treats for your lonely dog. Really??!! Animal neglect is abuse. Neil Johnson Northeast Portland 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
Bring Your Kids
To To Music Music Millennium Millennium
Saturday Day february 19th
10am - 6pm Free Gift Bags To The First 200 Under 18 To The First 200 Under 18
live performances Triple rainbow (12pm)
The duo of July Mees (9) and her dad Jared Mees explore both the silly and sensitive sides of childhood through 15 lighthearted, upbeat and layered songs.
youth music project band (2pm) Youth Music Project is a nonprofit organization that offers group and private lessons, and provides students with sophisticated, state-of-the-art performance and recording opportunities!
&MOre 4
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
Dr. Know
BY MARTY SMITH @martysmithxxx
Does the term “What in the Sam Hill?” originate with the infamous Sam Hill from Oregon’s railroad wars, as described in the book The Columbia by Stewart Holbrook? The Sam Hill of “Sam Hill’s Castle” and the Maryhill Museum of Art? —Stephen O. The term of art for phrases like “What in the Sam Hill?” is “minced oath”: Someone is too polite to use profanity, so they substitute a similar-sounding word, which is why you’ll often hear your grandma saying “dang” or “fudge” or “heck” or (perhaps less frequently) “monkey-fighting cork soaker.” The primary qualification for a minced oath is to sound like the word you’re eliding. “Sam Hill” is used because “Hill” sounds like “hell,” not because of anything some guy named Sam Hill did, which is why the identity of the original—if there even is one—doesn’t really matter. This is not to say, however, that fin de siècle railroad baron and financier Sam Hill didn’t cut a larger-than-life figure across the canvas of Pacific Northwest history. While he never claimed to be the original Sam Hill, he never denied it, either. Hill was already rich when he came west from Minnesota in the 1890s, and he didn’t get poorer
when he finagled a monopoly on Seattle’s gas market. From there, he seems to have become one of those rich guys who just builds whatever they think is cool, like a less douchey Elon Musk. Hill convinced legislators to create the Oregon Highway Commission and was the driving force behind the Columbia River Highway. He bought 80 or so sculptures from a not yet world famous Auguste Rodin, a collection around which he built his Maryhill Art Museum. Not everything landed, though, like the monument to World War I’s dead that inexplicably took the form of a life-sized replica of Stonehenge, or the Peace Arch to commemorate 100 years of no war with Canada, which seems a little like giving yourself a trophy because you managed to go a year without snorting coke with Mr. Rogers. Hill was an interesting character, but he was born in 1857, about 25 years after the first recorded “What in the Sam Hill?” So no, he couldn’t have been the phrase’s namesake—and anyone’s assertions to contrary are a big, steaming load of Bill Schonely.* *Or, to put it another way, they’re pulling your Schonz. Questions? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com.
Gig means more go. When so much of your life is online, you can’t stop for anything. With Xfinity you can have confidence knowing that your Internet connection is powerful enough to handle a whole house full of devices. Xfinity now delivers WiFi speed faster than a Gig, so you can stream, study, game and more— all at once. Can your Internet do that?
Learn more about Gig speed, or get started with this offer. Get started with Xfinity Internet for
19
$
99
a month for 12 months
with 1-year contract
when you enroll in automatic payments and paperless billing.
Includes up to 50 Mbps download speed
Ask about our breakthrough WiFi speed— faster than a Gig
Equipment, taxes and other charges extra and subject to change. See details below.
1-800-xfinity
xfinity.com
Visit a store today
Offer requires enrollment in both automatic payments and paperless billing. Without enrollment, the monthly service charge automatically increases by $10. The discount will appear on your bill within 30 days of enrolling in automatic payments and paperless billing. If either automatic payments or paperless billing are subsequently cancelled, the $10 monthly discount will be removed automatically. Offer ends 3/31/22. Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. New residential customers only. Limited to Connect Internet. Early termination fee applies if all Xfinity services (other than Xfinity Mobile) are cancelled during the contract term. Equipment, installation, taxes and fees and other applicable charges extra, and subject to change during and after the term contract. After term contract, regular charges apply. After 12 months, service charge for Connect Internet increases to $34.99/mo. for months 13-24. Service limited to a single outlet. May not be combined with other offers. Gig-speed WiFi requires Gigabit Internet and compatible xFi Gateway. Actual speeds vary and not guaranteed. Many factors affect speed, including equipment performance, interference, congestion, and speeds of visited websites. WiFi speeds affected by additional factors, including distance from Gateway, home configuration, personal device capabilities, and others. For factors affecting speed visit www.xfinity.com/networkmanagement. All devices must be returned when service ends. Call for restrictions and complete details. NPA237994-0007
142249_NPA237994-0007 19.99 Gig ad 9.639x12.25 Willamette.indd 1
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com 1/21/22 1:58 PM5
• •••• ••••
A T R E A LRBO S ER E T •••• A E H T
MURMURS C AT H Y C H E N E Y
33rd Annual
FEB 5
WINTERFOLK a benefit for JOIN PDX featuring
Kate Power & Steve Einhorn FEB 10
David Archuleta OK, ALL RIGHT TOUR 2022 FEB 12+13
FEB 17 FEATURING
CURTIS COOK DESSA
Booklover’s Burlesque
FEB 18
benefit show FEB 19 23rd annual
cozy classics
FEB 22 Biamp PDX Jazz Festival
THE COOKERS
NPR radio show live taping
Portland Clowns Without Borders
FEB 23
CARSIE BLANTON +
Alisa Amador
MOTHER FEB 22 Flynn HIPS & Ashleigh the Riveters
FEB 27
+
PETER ROWAN’S
FREE MEXICAN AIRFORCE feat. Los Texmaniacs an evening with
FEB 28 MAR 1
MAR 2
LÚNASA
JUDY COLLINS UPCOMING SHOWS
•••••••••••••
3/3 • TONY STARLIGHT WILL LIFT YOUR SPIRITS 3/4 • PERT NEAR SANDSTONE + LANEY LOUR & THE BIRD DOGS 3/5 • ELTON DAN & THE ROCKET BAND - ELTON JOHN TRIBUTE
•••••
albertarosetheatre.com
3000 NE Alberta • 503.764.4131 6
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
JOHN ELWOOD “BUD” CLARK JR. BUD CLARK R.I.P. (1931-2022): Former Portland Mayor John Elwood “Bud” Clark Jr., a publican turned politician who personified this city’s iconoclastic streak, died Feb. 1 at age 90. Clark and his wife, Sigrid, opened the Goose Hollow Inn in Southwest Portland in 1967. Known for his handlebar mustache and a 1978 poster in which Clark opened his trench coat to “expose himself to art,” Clark ran a longshot campaign for mayor in 1984. He shocked the city and incumbent Frank Ivancie, the last bastion of the city’s conservative past, winning outright in the May primary. Clark, a first-time candidate, creditably served two terms, leading the development of the Oregon Convention Center and implementing community policing. When his tenure ended, he returned to Goose Hollow Inn, which his family still owns and operates. He was an enthusiastic cyclist, raconteur and, above all, a staunch supporter of Portland who enlivened conversations with his verbal signature, “Whoop, whoop!” LIBERAL PORTLAND COPS WANT MORE TRAINING THAN CONSERVATIVES: City Hall released a long-awaited report Jan. 31 compiled by the OIR Group, which signed a $150,000 contract with the city to review possible political and racial bias within the Portland Police Bureau. Among the most interesting findings in the 80-page report are those that pertain to political affiliation. Of the 276 PPB officers who responded, 33% identified as “very” or “somewhat conservative,” and 26% identified as “very” or “somewhat liberal.” (The remainder did not identify as either or declined to state their political viewpoint.) The contractor also asked officers whether they thought the bureau needed more training to “prevent racial views from unfairly influencing officers’ work.” The contractor found a gender gap. “Men were more likely than women to believe there is no need for additional racial bias training,” the report says. “Liberals leaned more toward the need for more racial bias training.” Finally, the contractor found that 15% of respondents planned to leave the bureau in the next year—an attrition rate three times the 2020-21 national average of 4.9%. CRYPTOCURRENCY INVESTOR HIT WITH ELECTIONS COMPLAINT: The first sign of friction in the crowded race for Oregon’s new 6th Congressional District has emerged: Portland lawyer Joel Corcoran filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission alleging Cody Reynolds, the cryptocurrency investor who put $2 million into his own campaign, had failed to include required disclosures in campaign ads he’s running on television and online. Reynolds, who previously ran four other times for federal office without the kind
of bankroll he now has, says he had not seen the complaint until WW sent it to him, but believes he has followed the law. “We’re checking our videos and believe we’re in compliance,” Reynolds says. Corcoran did not respond to a request for comment. ENVIROS SIGN ON TO ELLIOTT STATE FOREST DEAL: Environmental groups are backing an agreement that would keep the Elliott State Forest public, including creating a 34,000-acre reserve, protecting and expanding old-growth forest, and reimbursing the state’s common school fund $121 million. The forest was nearly sold in 2017, when Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read, a Democrat, voted with then-Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, a Republican, to sell the land, which is rich in timber and held by the state to fund schools. Read reversed himself after pressure from environmental groups—and now he, Gov. Kate Brown and Secretary of State Shemia Fagan are backing Senate Bill 1546, which would turn the Elliott into a research forest managed by Oregon State University. In three years, the environmental groups hashed out a deal with school funding advocates and logging groups. “It has achieved consensus among diverse stakeholders, including conservation, timber, recreation and education interests, Tribes, and counties, on one of Oregon’s most conflicted and contested landscapes,” Audubon Society of Portland’s Bob Salinger and 22 other environmental groups wrote in a Jan. 21 letter to lawmakers. “This work to establish the Elliott State Research Forest shows that Oregonians can come together, work around a common vision, disagree passionately about details, but still figure out a way to compromise and reach an outcome that represents a real win for Oregon,” Read says. SAN FRANCISCO BORROWS OREGON BOTTLEDROP: Recycling is the sincerest form of flattery. The city of San Francisco has launched a pilot project that emulates Portland’s bottle return system, and it’s using Oregon’s patent-pending technology to do so. Members of the program fill bar-coded bags with eligible bottles and cans, drop them off at designated sites, and are then reimbursed on a mobile app once the bags are counted. Oregon first created the bar code program in 2010. San Francisco is subcontracting with the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative to use its technology and mobile app. “The pilot project is fully funding OBRC’s role,” says cooperative spokesman Eric Chambers, who adds California’s redemption rate is around 55%, far below Oregon’s, which ranges between 80% and 90%. “We’re the operational solution, if you will.… It’s nice to know Oregon’s solutions have value.”
NEWS
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK
CHRIS BRIGGS
WHERE WE’RE AT
Safe Passage Portland bridges are older than the one that collapsed in Pittsburgh—but generally in better shape. BY N I G E L J AQ U I S S
njaquiss@wweek .com
The collapse last week of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh raises an obvious question: Could it happen here? Pittsburgh, like every old American city, including Portland, is struggling to maintain and replace aging infrastructure. But the Fern Hollow Bridge—completed in 1970—wasn’t that old and in fact was newer than many of the bridges upon which Portlanders depend. It was, however, according to the Associated Press, rated “poor” on its most recent inspection. (Less than 2% of the 2,766 bridges the Oregon Department of Transportation maintains are rated poor. In Pennsylvania, that number is nearly 14%. The U.S. average is 7%.) Responsibility for Portland’s bridges is split between the Oregon Department of Transportation and Multnomah County. First, the state bridges. Each of the four ODOT bridges in Portland earns the same rating—“fair”—on the ODOT’s 2021 bridge report. The Fremont (completed in 1973), Marquam (1966), Ross Island (1926) and St. Johns (1931) bridges are also
BUSTED BRIDGES
Here are the sufficiency ratings for Multnomah County’s bridges compared to the one that collapsed in Pittsburgh last week. BRIDGE
RATING (OUT OF 100)
Fremont
56.1
Marquam
54.1
Broadway
42.1
Burnside
33
Morrison
27.6
Hawthorne
26.4
Ross Island
23.8
St. Johns
22.4
Fern Hollow
18.7
Sources: ODOT, Multnomah County, National Bridge Inventory
rated “vulnerable” to seismic activity. (The Steel Bridge, built in 1912, is privately owned by the Union Pacific Railroad.) Even more detailed information is available about the county bridges. The good news: Two of them, Sauvie Island
(completed in 2008) and Sellwood (2016), are new and structurally sound. Bad news: The other four bridges— the Broadway (1912), Burnside (1926), Hawthorne (1910) and Morrison (1958)—are all older than Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge. County spokesman Mike Pullen says the county hires an independent inspector to survey each of those bridges every two years and does its own inspections as frequently as quarterly when there are safety concerns. “What happened in Pittsburgh is really unlikely here because of our regular inspection,” Pullen says. “If a bridge falls here, it’s likely to be because of a major seismic event.” (Prior to its replacement, the Sellwood Bridge had a sufficiency rating of 2, among the nation’s lowest, but remained in service because constant inspections assured it was safe.) The county in 2016 began working toward the replacement of the Burnside Bridge with a seismically resilient “lifeline” bridge that would keep the city connected in the event of a massive earthquake. Officials hope to start construction on the $800 million project in 2025. Pullen says four of the county’s venerable bridges meet the threshold—below 50 on a “sufficiency rating” scale of 100—that qualifies them for federal replacement funding, although there’s a long waiting list for that money.
ONE QUESTION
Should Portland Police Officers Be Allowed to Review Body Camera Footage Before Writing Reports? Next week, the Portland City Council will decide whether to seek bids to supply the Police Bureau with body-worn cameras. The vote is scheduled two weeks after a Jan. 26 council session where city commissioners heard public testimony by police critics and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, which urged the city to delay the $2.6 million purchase until it has more clearly established rules for using the cameras. Mayor Ted Wheeler tried to assuage opposition to the request for proposal process while also cautioning against inertia. “I assure you that there is nothing that will happen quickly with regard to policy, and all of it has to come back to City Council before we settle on any policy related to body-worn cameras,” the mayor said. “That is my commitment to all of you. But I do encourage us to move forward on this RFP as expeditiously as possible.” At that same meeting, the manager of the Police Bureau’s body-worn camera program presented a draft of the request for proposals. In response, City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who is seeking reelection in May, said the RFP’s language was reminiscent of
We asked City Council candidates for JoAnn Hardesty’s seat to weigh in.
“ Allowing officers to pre-review footage undermines accountability. If police can pre-review footage, particularly on use-offorce claims, it will allow them to craft a narrative that best suits them.” the deal Mayor Charlie Hales struck in 2016 with the city’s police union, the Portland Police Association. That agreement drew intense criticism, sparking protests at City Hall and outside Hales’ home, largely because city policy would have permitted officers to review body camera footage before writing their reports. The concept, known as “pre-review,” is one of the most contentious issues swirling around the cameras. Ongoing mediation between the city and the PPA to reach a labor contract adds another
layer of controversy. During the closed-door meetings between the police union and the City Attorney’s Office, it is likely the parties have tried to negotiate some elements of the bodyworn camera policy since the PPA submitted its proposal for such a policy during closed-door bargaining last April. The candidate who wins the race for Hardesty’s seat will have an influence over the city’s body-worn camera policies, including pre-review, privacy and data ownership. For this Portland city commissioner race, we sent the same question to all candidates certified to run under the city’s Small Donor Elections program. T E S S R I S K I . WW asked the candidates: “Should Portland Police Bureau officers be able to ‘pre-review’ body camera footage before writing reports—yes or no?”
NO Rene Gonzalez “Policy should mandate reports contain two sections: first section for officers’ initial report prior
to reviewing footage and a supplemental section to add comments following footage review. “Camera use has a number of benefits: deters both false misconduct claims and officer misconduct; encourages transparency; and as a training tool. It is crucial Portland implements ASAP; let’s choose the best policy from the many currently in place nationally and refine as we go.” Vadim Mozyrsky “Officers should write reports before reviewing body worn camera footage, particularly in incidents involving deadly force. PPB should’ve been equipped with body-worn cameras years ago, like every other major city. Having served on Portland’s current police oversight committee, we often lack direct evidence of what occurred, and BWC footage would certainly help. Recently, I’ve organized public discussions of BWC policies with the New Orleans Independent Police Monitor, Gresham Police, and Beaverton Police to ascertain best practices.” Jo Ann Hardesty “Allowing officers to pre-review footage undermines accountability. If police can pre-review footage, particularly on use-of-force claims, it will allow them to craft a narrative that best suits them. Additionally, it puts other witnesses at a disadvantage as they do not get to review this footage before providing a statement. I am committed to pursuing body cameras as a tool of police accountability and not as an instrument to insulate police from responsibility.” Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
7
J U S T I N YA U
NEWS SAFE REST SITE
DONOR
CONTRIBUTION OF THE WEEK HOW MUCH? $10,000
WHO GOT IT?
Former House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland), who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.
WHO GAVE IT?
Moda Partners, an affiliate of the Portland health insurer.
PENDING: This plot of land is slated to become one of the city’s safe rest villages.
Naito Parkway Lot It’s been eight months since City Commissioner Dan Ryan pledged to open six “safe rest villages” across the city as an alternative to street camping. In that time, his office has selected only three locations. As the clock ticks on Ryan’s pledge, we examine the status of one of the three sites Ryan has selected. Location: 2300 SW Naito Parkway What’s there now: A strip of gravel now surrounded by construction fencing. The property is co-owned by the Portland Bureau of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Transportation. Status: It’s further along than a similar site in Multnomah Village, which WW examined last week. That’s in part because the Naito site is absorbing the contractor and residents of an existing homeless village across the Willamette River. City officials confirmed to nearby stakeholders on Jan. 31 that the Queer Affinity village, which was founded by the city and county on the inner eastside but is being displaced by development, will be moved to the 2300 block of Naito Parkway and will still be run by its current contractor, the nonprofit All Good Northwest. That’s not a surprise: Five months ago, Ryan’s office said one of the six villages would be a relocation of the displaced Queer Affinity village. But it means the site will be limited to people who identify as LGBTQ+, and would increase citywide
A downtown homeless village is almost welcomed—on two conditions.
“ Between two schools, we have hundreds of influential family members who can and will flood the commissioners and do a media campaign. If conditions don’t improve, our school would be in a position to relocate.” shelter capacity only modestly. The city is currently clearing blackberries and brush and leveling the ground in preparation for permits. Ryan’s office still hasn’t requested those permits from the city. Who stands in the way: Leaders at two schools adjacent to the location created a stakeholder group for the site, including representatives from two neighborhood associations. In October, the stakeholder group presented six demands to the city and has since whittled them down to two. “Our entire team recognizes and appreciates their concerns, though many of their conditions are simply not feasible,” says Bryan Aptekar, who handles communications for the safe rest villages. “We’ve been consistent with our answers since they were first asked.”
The stakeholders’ two key demands, which have so far been denied by the city: Give priority residency to campers already living within the downtown neighborhood’s boundaries and let us have a role in referring them, and ban camping around the site’s perimeter. Beven Byrnes, the principal at Bridges Middle School, says the school’s support of the site is conditioned on those demands. If they’re not met, she warns that families from the two schools will launch a media campaign to pressure the city to meet the demands. “Between two schools, we have hundreds of influential family members who can and will flood the commissioners and do a media campaign,” Byrnes says. “If conditions don’t improve, our school would be in a position to relocate.” What Ryan says: Ryan tells WW he’s “exploring options” that could limit unsanctioned camping around the villages “to ensure the safety and stability of those in the shelter, and for those who live, work and play near them.” Bodo Heiliger, head of school at the International School of Portland, says he wants the city to enforce existing city laws that prohibit campers from pitching tents within 150 feet of schools. Heiliger says Ryan has “spoken of potential new camping zones,” but he adds, “What we hear from Ryan and what we hear from the team aren’t exactly in line.” SOPHIE PEEL .
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“ I think Jan. 6 was an appropriate reaction by the American people. When I came back from the Jan. 6 rally, I felt like I had participated in the Boston Tea Party 2.0. If anything, I have more of a right to run as governor because I stood up for the Constitution.” 8
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
—Reed Christensen, a former Intel engineer living in Hillsboro who is seeking the Republican nomination for Oregon governor while facing federal assault charges for striking a police officer during the failed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Read more of WW’s exclusive interview—and excerpts from the federal arrest affidavit—at wweek.com. A A R O N M E S H .
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Insurance companies are notoriously cautious— that’s how they profit. Although Moda paid up to put its name on the Trail Blazers’ home court, the company keeps a low profile in politics. State filings show its contribution to Kotek is the biggest it has ever made in an Oregon race. It comes at a pivotal time for Kotek, who resigned her legislative seat Jan. 21 in part to juice up her lackluster fundraising, which has so far depended heavily on organized labor. The vote of confidence from a pillar of Oregon’s business community comes as the leading fundraiser among Democrats, former journalist Nicholas Kristof, awaits a ruling from the Oregon Supreme Court on whether he meets the residency requirement to run.
WHAT DOES MODA SAY?
Moda spokesman Jonathan Nicholas says the company is looking forward to seeing Kotek in Mahonia Hall. “We have worked with Tina Kotek for many years and have great respect for the role she played as speaker of the Oregon House,” Nicholas says. “We’re confident that as governor she will be a strong and visionary leader for our state.” N I G E L J AQ U I S S .
NEWS HENRY CROMETT
FRESH START: Multnomah County’s new health department headquarters in Old Town.
Escape Room County health care workers say a design foul-up in a $94 million building put vulnerable patients at risk. BY S O P H I E P E E L
speel@wweek .com
Caregivers for Multnomah County’s most vulnerable patients say a design error in the county’s new $94 million health building needlessly imperiled highly vulnerable patients. In spring 2019, the county health department began serving patients, including those with HIV and hepatitis C, in the nine-story Gladys McCoy Building across from Union Station in Old Town. The state-of-the art structure, billed as “modern, durable, flexible and efficient,” replaced a decrepit, 1923 health building downtown. But in documents obtained exclusively by WW, workers now say a fundamental flaw in the new building may have put users— including county caregivers—in peril. The McCoy Building’s entire third floor is a clinic for HIV and hepatitis C patients, many of whom are homeless, struggling with mental illness, or suffering from substance abuse. One room on that floor was supposed to have specialized ventilation that would keep possibly dangerous air from leaving the room. Room 327 was a “negative pressure,” or isolation, room for patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illnesses, including tuberculosis and COVID-19. Special ventilation keeps the air pressure lower inside the room than outside it, so airborne germs stay inside the room to be scrubbed by filters. That safety feature was supposed to keep patients in the other 44 rooms on the third floor from breathing contaminated air. For more than a year and a half after the building opened, workers in the clinic say, they brought patients with signs of respiratory illness into the room for treatment, believing the
“ We serve the underprivileged. Many are homeless and outside for weeks on end. They could get pneumonia, tuberculosis, now COVID. But we put them in the room and we assume they’re safe.” negative pressure would protect the rest of the third floor from airborne illnesses, such as COVID-19. But after a COVID outbreak among staff on the third floor in late 2020 left 11 sick, the county confirmed employees’ suspicions: The negative pressure room was just an ordinary room with ordinary ventilation. The precautions to reduce risk of airborne illness were an illusion. “It’s unacceptable that this type of failure occurred,” says Eben Pullman of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents county employees and filed a labor grievance in April 2021. “It’s more unacceptable that this went unnoticed and unresolved well into the pandemic. Our members and our patients deserve better from the county.” The county has offered no answers as to how the misidentified room escaped notice for nearly two years. County spokeswoman Julie Sullivan-Springhetti says the county is moving forward with a $365,000 project to convert two of the clinic rooms to negative air pressure rooms and is “working to answer [questions] around the history and use of the room.”
About 55 workers staff the county’s HIV clinic, which serves 1,300 patients. Staffers say Room 327 was clearly labeled as an isolation room: A laminated sign on the door read “RESPIRATORY PRECAUTION ROOM” in all caps. A former medical assistant at the clinic, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said anywhere from seven to 10 patients were treated in the room per day. “We serve the underprivileged,” the former employee says. “Many are homeless and outside for weeks on end. They could get pneumonia, tuberculosis, now COVID. But we put them in the room and we assume they’re safe.” Dr. Dat Tran, medical director of the Healthcare-Associated Infections program at the Oregon Health Authority, says negative pressure rooms are important measures to prevent airborne diseases from spreading. “Its main intent is to protect the adjacent space,” says Tran. “We know that if you have a vulnerable population, you want to optimize infection control practices.” Internal documents shared with WW show that clinic managers repeatedly referred to Room 327 as an isolation room and instructed employees to use it as such. One current employee, who also asked to remain anonymous, said that if someone had a respiratory condition, that person was immediately brought to Room 327 to be treated. “That was just the procedure, to take them to that room,” the employee says. Staff raised concerns about the room’s efficacy to their clinic manager and to the union after the COVID-19 outbreak among employees in late 2020. Union representatives with AFSCME Local 88 requested building plan documents. Construction blueprints from 2017 show no indications that Room 327 was built as a negative pressure room. The county requested an inspection of the room in January. The inspector wrote that Room 327 wasn’t included in “the respiratory precaution design” of the building. The county acknowledged as much in a Feb. 2, 2021, email to the clinic manager at the time, obtained by WW. “I was able to verify that in building the Gladys McCoy, the only negative pressure rooms were on the fourth floor,” a county administrator told the manager. “There were never any negative pressure rooms planned for the third floor.” AFSCME Local 88 first filed a grievance with the county in April 2021, as did the Oregon Nurses Association, which represents seven employees at the clinic, in May. In response, the county promised in a May 2021 email, “Facilities is currently working on contracting to an engineering firm to add two negative respiratory precaution rooms on level 3.” The unions, however, say that nothing has happened. “That assurance was made over six months ago, and we’ve seen no evidence that this project is in fact underway,” AFSCME wrote in its updated grievance to the county in September. It’s been nine months since the unions first filed grievances with the county, and nine months since the county said it would fix the problem. It remains unclear how the mistake happened and who is responsible. “There hasn’t been any clear analysis of where the problem started,” says Kevin Mealy, a spokesman for the Oregon Nurses Association. “We are more concerned about getting this problem fixed than whose fault it was. The fact that we have neither is incredibly frustrating for nurses who relied on this room to keep patients safe.” AFSCME Local 88, in its latest attempt to get answers, sent a letter to Multnomah County Auditor Jennifer McGuirk on Dec. 16, asking for an investigation. McGuirk initially told WW that the year’s audit schedule had already been set and the issue was unlikely to make the list. Four days later, she said: “My office is concerned about the allegations, particularly the allegation that the Gladys McCoy Building doesn’t have a negative pressure room. My office will look into this.” Employees just want the room fixed. “Trust was betrayed with the people they serve,” says Local 88 president Joslyn Baker. “The inability of management to admit they were wrong and fix it is unconscionable. They have the opportunity every day to fix it.” Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
9
NEWS
Kentucky Fried Bridge Louisville built the tollway Portland dreams of. It’s empty.
ROLL ON: Highway tolls are coming to the Columbia River. HENRY CROMETT
BY R AC H E L M O N A H A N
rmonahan@wweek .com
More than five years ago—not long after Oregon and Washington’s last failed attempt to build a new bridge between the two states—a progressive city and the Clark County to its north succeeded in opening a $1.3 billion bridge expansion. It wasn’t Portland. It was Louisville, Ky. Expanded to ease commuter traffic between Louisville and Southern Indiana, the John F. Kennedy Memorial and Abraham Lincoln bridges doubled the number of lanes from six to 12—and began levying a toll on regular commuters of as little as $1 each way. Planners added more lanes over the Ohio River to accommodate more traffic. But in the two years after the bridges were expanded, car traffic across them didn’t increase. Instead, traffic demand for the bridges cratered—declining 49% from 2013 to 2018, two years after the bridges opened and well before the pandemic put a halt on commuting. As Oregon and Washington try again to replace an aging bridge and expand its lanes, critics say the Kentucky example offers a cautionary tale: It raises questions about the wisdom of expanding highways before attempting to control traffic with tolling. It also casts doubt on the financial underpinnings of the Oregon-Washington project, which could cost up to $4.81 billion, according to official estimates last year. A glance at traffic cameras in Louisville should send a warning to Oregon, says economist Joe Cortright. “This is rush hour,” says Cortright, showing WW a photo of a nearly empty bridge. “Basically, there’s no one; you couldn’t fill up either one of those bridges”—the south- or northbound crossings. The desolate lanes hint that if planners want to pay for a new Columbia River bridge with tolling, they should expect those tolls to reduce traffic—and adjust their construction budgets accordingly. The last attempt at a new bridge across the Columbia River collapsed in 2013 when Washington state Republicans, who controlled the legislature, refused to approve the deal. The project had garnered Republican opposition because the project 10
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
included light rail and spent $200 million just on planning and design. In Oregon, progressives opposed highway expansion, and critics had highlighted escalating costs and overestimates of how much traffic would cross the bridge. Clark County, Wash., critics continue to raise objections to mass transit on the bridge. But tolls will also be a flashpoint— one that transportation officials shepherding the project to completion have every reason to divert public attention from. After Indiana reported the results of its new tolled bridge project, the reception from critics was caustic: A local opponent of the Kentucky-Indiana project, conservative writer and consultant Aaron M. Renn, saw the traffic data in 2018 and called the bridges “a total waste” and “the biggest transportation boondoggle of the 21st century to date.” But Oregon’s tolling plan might contain greater risks. Oregon and Washington’s current financial plan rests on a much higher tolls than the ones in Kentucky. Before the Interstate 5 bridge project folded, the tolls expected to be charged if the bridge were completed ran as high as $3.25 each way to cover costs. That financial plan was built into projections for the new bridge project, released in December 2020, when planners revived the deal. And since that toll is a lot higher than Louisville’s, it could reduce traffic demand even further. Cortright, a longtime critic of additional lanes, says the lesson is clear: Toll, then build fewer lanes. “The Louisville traffic experiment shows us that there’s one surefire fix for traffic congestion: road pricing,” Cortright writes in a recent essay. “Even a very modest toll (one that asks road users to pay only a third or so, at most, of the costs of the roads they’re using) will cause traffic congestion to disappear. This traffic experiment shows the folly and waste of building additional capacity.” For this bridge, Cortright argues that officials should conduct a higher-quality analysis of traffic projections—an investment grade analysis used to back bonds that finance the project—early in the process before design decisions are made. “There’s no good reason for them to delay getting this information before we make this financial commitment,” says Cortright.
“Last time, the [Columbia River Crossing] investment grade analysis showed that the two DOTs overestimated the amount of traffic on the new I-5 bridge by about 100%, and underestimated the minimum tolls they would have to charge by 100%.” Greg Johnson, administrator of the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program representing both states, notes that tolling figures are just preliminary. “The $3.25 may or may not be relevant,” Johnson says. Other differences: The IBR project has floated plans to increase lanes from six to as many as 10, a smaller expansion than in Kentucky, and it’s expected to include mass transit. (IBR would not specify how wide the highway would be—a sleight of hand the Oregon Department of Transportation has played in the Rose Quarter, where the width of I-5 remains an issue and ODOT has reserved a massive margin on the highway’s shoulders.) To be sure, there are some reasons Oregon might expect more cars. In Louisville, there are other bridges across the Ohio River—and even a free bridge close to the tolled bridges that offers commuters an escape option. “There are 14 lanes of traffic that cross the Columbia River in the Portland-Vancouver area,” says Johnson. “And in Louisville into Southern Indiana, there are 32 or 34 lanes that cross in that area. It is not valid to make predictions regarding how aspects of a bridge replacement solution in our region could function based on a comparison to a project from another part of the country with different conditions.” It’s also a warning sign of what failure to coordinate tolls in the region could look like. Transportation officials haven’t decided if, when or how to place tolls on the other highway span across the Columbia: the Glenn Jackson Bridge in East Portland. Unlike the I-5 bridge, the bridge that carries Interstate 205 traffic doesn’t need tolling to pay for its construction. But it does need to deter motorists from taking a detour. “Louisville empirically shows that tolling dramatically reduces or redirects traffic,” says Renn. “How much tolling would reduce total demand in a scenario where Portland tolled all of the Columbia River crossing is an open question. But a situation with some tolled bridges and some untolled seems a recipe for the Louisville scenario.”
A CAMPING TRIP deep in the Oregon desert. A dog leash made from biodegradable wool. A wallet that makes being pulled over by police a little less frightening. These aren’t the first images that leap to mind when people think of the Black experience in Portland. But soon, they could be. They are the work of three Black entrepreneurs who have quietly sought to transform the day-to-day lives of their fellow citizens. In the coming month, cities across the country will celebrate Black History Month. In Portland, that will mean confronting a past riddled with racism, exclusion and pain. It will also include celebrations of the people who have triumphed in bringing a little more freedom and fairness to the Rose City. (For a list of several noteworthy events, see page 17.) But talking about what it means to be Black in Portland also means looking toward the future.
As this city has grappled with the fallout from the to startups. That’s because capital, so often controlled George Floyd murder and the unrest that followed, what’s by white institutions, is withheld from people of color fueled protests and policy reforms is the hope that whose ideas are unfamiliar to banks and investors, says Himalaya Rao, who helped launch Black life here can change. This year, photographer Joseph Blake, Jr. Founders Matter to seek that funding. met with the editors of Willamette Week and “Venture capital comprises individpitched an idea: Instead of only looking at uals with generational wealth,” Rao says. “They’re always gravitating toward what the history of Black Portlanders, dedicate some space in these pages to the people they know, rather than innovation. I think making a different future. that’s why Black founders have been left out. To do that, he suggested, WW should show People are always looking for the same thing JOSEPH BL AKE JR. readers portraits of Black people who started within the same box. You’re leaving out deals innovative businesses in the past several years. that you can’t measure based on what exists.” To be an entrepreneur means dreaming of a better So, in the following pages, you’ll see the faces and stoworld. It means looking at what exists and imagining ries of three people who had big ideas—and are making how it can change, even in small ways. them reality. Maybe they’re a glimpse of the future. Creating change is often something we associate with —Aaron Mesh, News Editor politics and activism—rightly so. It’s not often linked C O N T I N U E D O N PAG E 12
Meet three Portlanders charting new possibilities for Black people, including journeys into nature.
PATH
P H O T O S A N D S T O R I E S BY J O S E P H B L A K E J R .
FINDERS Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
11
12
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
C O N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 12
R AS H A D F R A Z I E R CA M P YOS H I Last summer, in a dry lake bed in Southeastern Oregon called the Alvord Desert, Rashad Frazier prepared a feast. He made braised short ribs over grits, fried rice and miso-marinated black cod. Frazier served the gourmet meal on a table set next to tents in the middle of the desert. As his guests ate, they looked up to see stars far brighter than they’d ever seen in Portland. If the meal wasn’t typical camp fare, the dining party was unusual in another way: In Harney County, which is 92% white, all 16 campers were Black. It was the realization of a vision that came to Frazier, 41, a year prior, as he camped with his wife, Shequeita, and brother Ron in Whitefish, Mont. The trio talked about the pleasure they took from planning trips into the outdoors. And they realized that for many people who looked like them, the prospect of such a journey summoned only stress and worry. “Racism is still a big issue,” Frazier says. “We obviously know the issues around diversity and inclusivity in these spaces.” By that, he means that for many Black people, the wonders of Oregon—the craggy beaches, the fern-filled forests, the steaming hot springs—all look like white places. The small towns and surrounding wilderness of the American West are often populated white people, and that leaves Black visitors with the sensation, not always incorrect, that they are unwelcome. It was the summer of George Floyd’s murder, and Frazier felt especially keenly that Black people needed spaces where they could escape. But how to get them there, when the great outdoors seemed so forbidding? Frazier decided he could be a tour guide.
His New York City catering business, which served African-Asian fusion cooking under the name Yoshi Jenkins, had just folded amid COVID closures. So he decided to take the food outside. He moved to Lake Oswego and called his new company Camp Yoshi. Frazier offers a high-end camping trip where his team handles the logistics. He ticks off the list: “Where are we going? How are we going to get there? What kind of gear do we need? What provisions do we need? Calculate our fuel cost. Running the numbers to make sure we have everything is probably most of my time.” For $2,950 per person, Camp Yoshi provides fourday, three-night guided trips to places like the San Juan Mountains in Colorado or the Mojave Desert in California. A trip to Steens Mountain at Oregon’s easternmost edge starts in Bend, where three Jeep Rubicons ferry guests to a campsite where they’re greeted by tents, tarps, chairs, firewood, meals and cocktails (in Camp Yoshi-branded mugs). The only thing customers must provide themselves is a sleeping bag. There were bumps in the road. Frazier still shudders at the memory of an early Camp Yoshi trip where he forgot to pack coffee. But the company has now completed eight trips—the most recent to Puerto Rico—and has another 21 scheduled for this year. Frazier loves that he’s leading people into the unknown. “I think the fact we went into this not knowing everything,” he says, “made us more sympathetic and more open to building community with everyone and anyone. Educating our campers is the biggest goal. It makes it easier to ask questions where oftentimes we don’t know the answer either. Not knowing made us more curious— fearless.” C O N T I N U E D O N PAG E 14
“ Not knowing made us more curious—fearless.”
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
13
C O N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 13
ANGEL A MEDLIN H O US E D O G G E Angela Medlin doesn’t have a dog. That might seem strange given that, five years ago, Medlin left an executive suite job at Nike to start a brand of products for dogs and their people. But that absence is a big part of her story. For years, Medlin made leather and wool tug toys for her Olde English Bulldogge, Wubbi. At Christmas 2016, she quit her job as design director of Nike’s Jordan brand to launch a line of toys and clothes called House Dogge. A year later, Wubbi died of lymphoma. For Medlin, 53, that loss was a confirmation: She would stick to her vision of people and animals living free from the chemicals that fill plastic leashes and rawhide chews. “I declared I would do something with purpose only,” she says. “Dogs chose me, made me learn more about myself. What can I contribute to a dog’s well-being?” Born in Bennettsville, S.C., Medlin had already spent two decades challenging assumptions in apparel design. Her résumé is a who’s who of sportswear heavyweights: Adidas, Levi Strauss, the North Face, and behind the berm at Nike. Often, her work sought to blend what a hiker would need for a day in the woods with what a clubgoer would don for a night on the town. All the while, she was collecting pictures of people romping with their dogs. “I had been collecting that for at least five years, and just putting it on the wall as inspiration,” she recalls. “There are things from Japan and Europe and wherever I was traveling. It just started to accumulate. I was looking at this concept come to life on my wall.”
The idea she concocted was a wrinkle on the classic Nike playbook: fashionwear worn while exercising. Except this time, the exercise was a trip to the dog park. (As for the company name, Medlin chose it to signal luxury: “House dogs are known to be pampered,” she says.) So Medlin designed a collar lined with soft, brightly dyed wool (it retails for $40). She made a leash with the same comfortable wool in the handle ($60). And hoodies: matching sweaters for dogs and their people ($51-$85), and a line of dog hoodies with the words “LOVED” and “BLESSED” running from head to tail ($55). It was the hoodies that caught the eye of Oprah Winfrey, whose empire selected House Dogge as one of “Oprah’s Favorite Things” in 2020. Medlin sold 50,000 products in the next two months. “We were up 3,000% in sales,” she recalls. Medlin is still working out of her Southeast Portland home and, in a typical week, ships between five and 15 leashes a week. She kept her promise to Wubbi: Her products are made from natural materials. The wool is biodegradable, the cotton upcycled, the leather tanned with tree bark and fruit. The fabrics are woven to breathe—which, not coincidentally, is also the advice she gives to entrepreneurs standing where she was in 2017. “Breathe,” she says. “When you get into this, it’s not going to be easy. So breathe through those times that are challenging, when you have to pivot and problem solve. If I can accomplish this in three years, what can I accomplish later?”
“ Breathe. When you get into this, it’s not going to be easy.”
14
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
C O N T I N U E D O N PAG E 16
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
15
16
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
C O N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 15
SAY IT LOUD
Portland is filled with Black History Month events. Here are six worth your consideration. Cascade Festival of African Films The longest-running African film festival in the country opens with DiaTribe, a documentary that traces hip-hop dance moves back to African dance traditions. More movies continue into March, both in theatrical screenings and with virtual events. DiaTribe screens at the Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd. 7 pm Friday, Feb. 4. For full schedule, visit africanfilmfestival.org. Free. In My Shoes Over the next month, young Black men will lead 45-minute walking tours through their neighborhoods, including Cully, Kenton and Parkrose. Presented by the nonprofit Word is Bond, the ambulatory storytelling sessions are designed to show Portlanders—including police officers— why these neighborhoods matter to the young men who live there. Nine neighborhoods, mywordisbond.org/inmyshoes. Saturdays, Feb. 5-29. Free.
JEREMY ROBERTS DASHDOK Somewhere between Austin and Houston, Jeremy Roberts felt the fear. It was 2018. Roberts, 44, who lives in Southwest Portland, had just attended his youngest sister’s college graduation in Texas. He hit the road with his son and his nephew, and got an uneasy feeling. He knew the fear: It was driving while Black. “We’ve all seen the headlines,” Roberts says. “We know what happens when traffic stops get tense. I know firsthand and have personally been involved in some terrifying police encounters on the road.” No police officer pulled over the Roberts family car that day. But the man at the wheel let his imagination run. “My mind just started wandering in and out of different possible solutions,” he recalls. The solution he landed on was disarmingly simple: a wallet that attaches magnetically to a car dashboard, allowing drivers to reach for their license and registration with their hands in plain sight. In July 2020—two months after the murder of George Floyd—Roberts filed paperwork with the state of Oregon to found a company called Dashdok. “While police reform and response will continue to be hotly debated, one thing remains clear and true: Drivers and law enforcement both need better systems and support for smoother, less stressed traffic stops,” Roberts told WW in an email. Dashdok wallets are, well, wallets: flat, leather and stitched with five pouches. A magnetic strip at the wallet’s base lets it dock to the dashboard of the car. The wallets start at $26, for cotton, and rise in price to $212, for goatskin. A leather model sits in between, at $90.
“What we’re doing, it knows no socioeconomic bounds,” Roberts says. “We wanted to create something that was affordable to the masses, but also that appeals to people accustomed to designer luxury.” So far, he’s sold a few dozen wallets —all presale units. His goal for 2022 is to sell 10,000. “It’s ambitious,” he says, “but what’s a goal without being ambitious?” Roberts, who is trained as a tailor and works as the head of business development at Adidas, is similar to the other two subjects of our stories this week in one key way: He’s received no outside funding or venture capital. That’s not unusual for a Black-owned startup, says Himalaya Rao, co-founder of Black Founders Matter. “If you’ve never experienced what it feels like to have an uncomfortable situation with the police, what would prompt you in your mind to come up with something like the magnetic wallet?” Rao asks. “Different lived experiences and different pain points create different outcomes. Why would you come up with a solution if you didn’t know a problem existed?” What is perhaps more unusual is that Roberts’ invention comes with the endorsement of Portland police officers. Roberts chose to seek the input of police—the people he feared would pull him over—to improve his design. “If you were to ask me this when I was 15 or 16, we’d be having a different conversation,” Roberts says. “For officers, Dashdok represents one less thing for them to worry about. I was able to connect with them on a real level. It’s a very difficult mountain to move, but there are people trying to move it.”
“ What we’re doing, it knows no socioeconomic bounds.”
All Power to the People A three-day tribute honors Kent Ford, a founding member of the Portland chapter of the Black Panther Party. The event opens with a staged reading of a new solo play about Ford, Walking Through Portland With a Panther. On the second evening: a history of the Panthers guided by Ford himself. Cerimon House, 5131 NE 23rd Ave. 6 pm Friday, 2 pm Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 11-13. Free. The 6th Annual NW Black Comedy Festival For four days, two Northeast Portland venues host more than 60 Black comics, with individual showcases dedicated to local performers, women and the raunchiest jokes. Plus: live recording of two podcasts. Alberta Abbey, 126 NE Alberta St.; Curious Comedy Theater, 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; nwblackcomedyfest.wordpress.com. Thursday-Tuesday, Feb. 17-22. $20 per show. Black Lives Matter Artist Grant Exhibition In the months after George Floyd’s murder, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art awarded $2,500 grants to 20 Black artists in Oregon. Their resulting works—considerations of Black trauma and healing on a scale that covers walls—are now on display. Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University, 1855 SW Broadway. Tuesdays-Saturdays through April. Free. We Had Jazz If you’re attending the Portland Jazz Festival this year, consider making a stop at the Multnomah County Central Library, where 30 photos of Portland’s golden age of jazz are on display. The photos, taken by Carl Henniger, include Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie performing in Portland nightclubs. Multnomah County Central Library, Collins Gallery, 801 SW 10th Ave. Through Feb. 28. Free. Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
17
EVENTS!
FEBRUARY 17-26, 2022 PORTLAND, OR Robert Glasper a black radio production • Gary Bartz • Diane Schuur • Brad Mehldau • Flor de Toloache • Makaya McCraven Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah feat. Weedie Braimah • The Soul Rebels • Nate Smith + KINFOLK • Marquis Hill Brandee Younger & Dezron Douglas • The Cookers • Angel Bat Dawid • Eric Krasno • Son Little • Darrell Grant feat. Rebecca Kilgore Mndsgn • Marc Ribot • Sasha Berliner • Carlos Niño & Friends • James Brandon Lewis & Chad Taylor • Laufey • Immanuel Wilkins Domo Branch Trio feat. Gerald Clayton & Ben Feldman • John Carroll Kirby • Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group feat. Christopher Brown Julana Torres’ La Colorá feat. Bobby Torres • Max Ribner & 1st Language • Ashley Kahn ‘Jazz Conversations’ • Tahirah Memory Brown Calculus • Omari Jazz • Mariachi Tradición • Nate Mercereau & Friends • Outer Orbit feat. Sarah Clarke • Blue Cranes • greaterkind
Tickets and full schedule at pdxjazz.org
18
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
STREET
“WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT 2022 SO FAR?”
Photos by Brian Burk On Instagram: @bpburk
Simone and Fritz: “Being in love.” Jorge: “The World Cup is coming!”
Ethan: “Progressing, not smoking as much, and focusing on myself instead of others.”
Claire (center): “Getting further from 2021.”
John: “Getting out for my morning constitutionals.”
Eduardo and Efren: “The sunny weather.”"
(Left to right) Joe: “Friendships.” Lamar: “Faith.” Courtney: “New beginnings.” Emilio and Jesus: “Lots of work. Can't complain, you know?”
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
19
STARTERS
T H E MOST I MP ORTANT P O RTLA N D C U LTU R E STORI E S OF T H E W E E K—G RA P H E D .
R E A D M O R E A B O U T TH E S E STO R I E S AT WW E E K .CO M .
RIDICULOUS
P O R T L A N D PA R K S
IMDB
COMFORT SHOES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
A local tweet about the popularity of the 1994 film Heavenly Creatures at Movie Madness draws a response from one of its stars.
Mon-Sat 10-6pm Sunday 11-5pm
1433 NE Broadway St Portland • 503 493-0070
The world’s smallest park returns to downtown Portland.
HOOD RIVER SHERIFF
PETER DERVIN
Emergency crews are summoned to Mount Hood to rescue climbers in distress three times in a fiveday span.
Portland Center Stage’s opening night of The Great Leap shuts down minutes before curtain time due to breakthrough COVID cases among the production group.
A N D R E W WA L L N E R
N AVA LTA M E D I A
Oregon Shakespeare Festival director Nataki Garrett is picked as a United States Artist fellow.
Pianist María García is named All Classical Portland’s 2022 artist in residence.
MT. HOOD NAT’L FOREST
KERI FRIEDMAN
ON STAGE THROUGH MAR. 6, 2022 503.445.3700 | PCS.ORG SEASON SUPERSTARS
20
Delphon “DJ” Curtis Jr. in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Photo by Shawnte Sims.
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
AW F U L
Former Ducks and NFL football player LaMichael James plans to open his second Killer Burger in Lake Oswego.
PORTLAND CENTER STAGE
C A R LY D I A Z
The show that took Portland by storm is BACK!
AW E S O M E
The Waterfront Blues Festival returns to Waterfront Park on Fourth of July weekend.
The Oregon Department of Transportation comes one step closer to opening Highway 224, the only major route still closed because of the 2020 Labor Day fires.
After a successful monthly launch in 2021, Rocky Butte Farmers Market will be open weekly from June to September. SERIOUS
SAM GEHRKE
GET BUSY
STUFF TO DO IN PORTLAND THIS WEEK, INDOORS AND OUT.
GO: Portland Winter Light Festival Last year, this annual event was literally a beacon of hope during a very dark time. We were still slogging through a COVID winter, when vaccines were still largely unavailable, and it had been a long time since we’d seen any large-scale celebrations go forward. The Portland Winter Light Festival will repeat the successful model of 2021, which saw a pivot toward touch-free illuminated installations, and attendees should adhere to pandemic safety guidelines. If you want to add a little more brilliance to the event, you can decorate your bike and join organizers for an easy 5-mile ride through the central city this Friday. Portland Winter Light Festival, pdxwlf.com. FridaySaturday, Feb. 4-12. Free. GO: Vulgaris The Latin word for “common” is the title of this first-ever art exhibition at the Queen’s Head, but the pieces are anything but that. Asa Metrik’s 40 compositions explore the sexuality and divinity of the self, and are made from portraits submitted by a nonbinary model. There will be an artist talk, introduction of the Center—a queer charity benefiting from the sales of certain pieces—a Q&A and discounted cocktails during happy hour. The Queen’s Head, 19 SW 2nd Ave., 503-206-6293, linktr.ee/ AsaMetrikArt. 5-7 pm Thursday, Feb. 3. Free. SEE: Clinton Street Theater Groundhog Day
Community Event In the midst of the pandemic, Groundhog Day has taken on new meaning. The classic ’90s comedy starring Bill Murray as a misanthropic weatherman trapped in his own personal time warp is no longer just a film—it’s an unintended metaphor for the claustrophobia and monotony of quarantine with a gloriously happy ending. That’s why now is the perfect time to appreciate the genius of Murray and director Harold Ramis— and to see the film for free. Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., 503-897-0744, cstpdx.com. 7 pm Wednesday, Feb. 2. Free.
IS HIRING!
SEE: The Town of Many Names
Whether Hand2Mouth is chronicling the transcendence and the trauma of life in an Oregon commune or taking audiences on a quirky scavenger hunt, the company’s bold, experimental plays always invigorate and challenge Portland’s theater community. The company’s tradition of invention continues with The Town of Many Names, a livestreaming Western created by six students of the Hand2Mouth Youth Devising Residency last summer. Purchase streaming access at hand2mouththeatre.org/ the-town-of-many-names. 7:30 pm Friday, Feb. 4. $5-$15, sliding scale.
GO: Soul and Funk Vinyl Party What do T.I., 50 Cent and Public Enemy have in common? They have all collaborated with drummer Madame Golong. This week, she and Thunder Snatch will be at Cruzroom’s First Sunday Soul event, which requests that attendees don dancing shoes and “groovy” attire. Cruzroom, 2314 NE Alberta St., 503-724-1581, cruzroom.com. 5-10 pm Sunday, Feb. 6. $5 online, $7 at the door. 21+ after 7 pm.
W WE E K .CO M/CA R E E R S Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
21
FOOD & DRINK
Top 5
Hot Plates
WHERE TO EAT THIS WEEK. THOMAS TEAL
COME AND SPAGHET IT: Fish sauce spaghetti and meatballs (foreground) brings the heat.
Ray of Sunshine
Sunshine Noodles is barely 2 months old but already delighting with creative dishes like catfish spring rolls and fish sauce spaghetti and meatballs. BY A N D R E A DA M E WO O D
In an era when every facet of consumption feels like it’s been engineered in a lab for maximum marketability, Sunshine Noodles comes off as the exact opposite—and effortlessly cool. But that makes sense: The pop-upturned-restaurant is a reflection of head chef and proprietor Diane Lam. Best known as the chef de cuisine at Revelry, the buzzy late-night go-to for Korean drinking snacks, Lam had to pivot when that business closed during the pandemic. She’s helmed two temporary kitchens since then: first, Sunshine Noodles and then Cambodian-style fried chicken project Prey + Tell—both out of Psychic Bar on North Mississippi Avenue. Now, Lam has taken over the former XLB location in Slabtown to relaunch the noodle bar as a brick-and-mortar, making it all her own. 22
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
Stepping into the space, you’re greeted with neon lights and pink tiles inside the industrial concrete and metal building— creating an aesthetic that is, as Lam puts it, “Hello Kitty meets Blade Runner.” There are, of course, plenty of tables, but the best seats in the house are at the countertop if you’re rolling solo or a party of two. That’s where you can watch Lam and her team working the wok station, tossing delicate water spinach into the pan for a quick wilt before it’s then served with garlic and oyster sauce. You’ll eat the appetizer using brightly colored, mismatched chopsticks—one pink, perhaps, the other maybe yellow. It’s loud and it’s fun. And beyond that, the focused menu has some real hits. The standout is not actually a noodle dish, but the catfish spring rolls ($12). The fish is blackened, then rolled into rice paper with herbs, vermicelli noodles, a thin slice
of watermelon radish, and then topped with a citrusy nuoc cham sauce that’s a mixture of bitter, sweet, salt and funk. Lam, who grew up in a Cambodian American family in Monterey Park, Calif., says the rolls are a riff on a holiday meal, where the fish was served whole and then rolled by each individual at the table with the ingredients of their choosing. Get at least one order to split between two people, and repeat every single visit. A bowl of phnom penh noodles ($15), served “dry,” or not as a soup, is billed as the house special. The lacquered egg noodles are sourced from El Monte, Calif. (“the next city over” from her hometown), and served with a few pork wontons, shrimp, ground pork and crispy wonton skins. It’s also recommended to add a dash of the housemade chile oil, which is more smoky than hot. There’s plenty of spice to be had on the menu, from a tomato-based beef brisket noodle stew ($16) that demands sips of cool water between bites or, more interestingly, in Lam’s fish sauce spaghetti and meatballs ($16). Al dente pasta is bathed in a chunky tomato sauce and fish sauce, which imparts depth, not fishiness, and has a serious kick of pepper and chile. Three beef-and-pork meatballs rest on top with shreds of basil. “Hands down my best dish,” Lam says. Vegetarians don’t have a lot of options on this tight menu, but those that are listed are well executed. Besides the charred winter greens ($10) and a handful of salads ($10-$11), the strongest dish is the lort cha ($14)—rice pin noodles, locally made Ota-brand tofu, mushrooms and a slightly sweet egg omelet. It has the best texture of any Sunshine Noodles entree thanks to the chewy noodles. A few items need some small adjustments—the lime pepper wings ($14) are texturally perfect, coated in a gluten-free batter that leaves them crisp on the outside and succulent with each bite. But the balance of flavors was off during our visit, veering overly salty. The jungle brisket curry ($16) that appeared briefly on the menu was tasty, but the thin noodles in the dish failed to stand up to the sauce. Bar manager Josh Whinnery has pulled together an inventive set of drinks, including a take on the (once again) popular espresso martini ($12), with Viet coffee and brown butter rye, as well as a lemongrass fruit punch with vodka ($12). Don’t skip the lemon go-bang sundae ($7) for dessert, a twist on a lemon meringue pie, with the fluffy topping toasted to order with a blow torch behind the bar. Sunshine Noodles is still just shy of two months in business, and Lam continues to tweak the menu frequently. As of last week, she announced the launch of a three-daya-week lunch service, which will include a Cambodian-style meatball sub with papaya pickles. Overall, it’s a promising start. EAT: Sunshine Noodles, 2175 NW Raleigh St., Suite 105, sunshinenoodlespdx.com. 5-9 pm Monday-Thursday, 11 am-3 pm and 5-9 pm Friday-Sunday.
1. PASTIFICIO D’ORO
8737 N Lombard St., doropdx.com. 5-8 pm Monday-Tuesday. Pastificio d’Oro is a restaurant inside another restaurant in St. Johns. But its heart—and thus, your stomach—is in Bologna, the Northern Italian city known for its handmade pasta, meat ragù (aka “Bolognese”) and mortadella (which America turned into, yes, “bologna”). Chef Chase Dopson had never cooked this style of cuisine until he caught “the pasta bug” at the start of the pandemic. With just a single induction burner to boil water and Gracie’s Apizza’s wood-fired oven, Dopson generally builds his menu around just two pastas, most frequently a tagliatelle ragù and a filled pasta in the tortellini family. It’s very heavy food, but incredibly soul-soothing.
2. SEBASTIANO’S
411 SE 81st Ave., 503-841-5905, sebastianospdx.com. 11 am-3 pm Wednesday-Saturday. As we continue to ride the Omicron crest, Montavilla’s Sicilian deli, Sebastiano’s, has launched a take-andbake dinner program to keep you cozy through winter. Specials rotate, but the extra-large, Catanese-style arancini are a must-have. Each order includes two goose egg-sized fried balls of rice mixed with Olympia Provisions mortadella, Tails & Trotters ham and mozzarella. Add a radicchio salad, a bottle of wine, and a slice of olive oil cake, and you’ve got yourself a nice little weeknight meal.
3. XINH XINH VIETNAMESE BISTRO
970 SE Morrison St., 971-229-1492, xinhxinhbistro.com. 11:30 am-8 pm Monday-Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday; 11 am-9 pm Friday-Saturday. Tucked inside a small strip of businesses on Southeast Morrison, Xinh Xinh is best known for its banh mi and soups. It makes some of the best vegetarian pho in town. Bowls overflow with fresh broccoli, carrots, bok choy, mushrooms and green onions. When packed to go, it’s like Christmas morning—so many presents to open!
4. UNICORN CREATIONZ
4765 NE Fremont St., 971-319-1134, nacheauxpdx.com. 4-8 pm Wednesday-Thursday, noon-8:30 pm Friday, 10 am-4 pm Saturday-Sunday. Despite its name, Unicorn Creationz is more of a tricera-corn. The bar/ restaurant is split into three concepts inside the former Alameda Brewhouse space: food cart favorite Nacheaux—whipping up breakfast, lunch and, if you make it there in time, weekend brunch—as well as a bakery/dessert shop called Karnival Kreations, and Bourbon St. Bar. The cart is the heart of this food hall, so get there early on a Saturday to ensure owner-chef Anthony Brown has a spicy chorizo burrito left for you.
5. SARI RAMYUN
2713 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-841-5149, sari.smartonlineorder.com. 11 am-8 pm Sunday-Thursday, 11 am-9 pm Friday-Saturday, 11 am-8:30 pm Monday. Typically, “ramyun” refers to instant noodles in Korea, the peninsular answer to Top Ramen. But chef Tommy Shin’s stall in the Zipper food court specializes in a chicken noodle soup—well, technically chicken and beef broth, with melt-in-your-mouth brisket slices floating on top. This is a heretical opinion, given the proximity of Basilisk, but Sari makes the best chicken in the Zipper.
Top 5
Buzz List WHERE TO DRINK THIS WEEK.
1. ECLIPTIC BREWING MOON ROOM
930 SE Oak St., 971-383-1613, eclipticbrewing.com. Noon-9 pm Wednesday-Thursday, noon-10 pm Friday-Saturday, noon-8 pm Sunday. Legendary brewmaster John Harris’ spinoff of his North Portland brewery is darker and moodier than the flagship—an aesthetic meant to evoke conditions on Earth’s natural satellite. The design also continues the brand’s space theme, reflecting the founder’s passion for astronomy. Inside the former Base Camp Brewing building, you won’t find a full kitchen, but there is an extensive tap list and a gin-focused cocktail program. And through Feb. 5, the on-site food cart is serving up pork-and-squid-ink dumplings with a pickled salad of green papaya, radish and seaweed in honor of the Chinese New Year.
2. HOLY GHOST THOMAS TEAL
FIND WORK YOU CARE ABOUT
$2,000 sign-on bonus. Apply to be a Caregiver today!
SKIP 4101 SE 28th Ave., holyghostbar.com. 3 pm-late daily. This may be the fifth entry in Ezra Caraeff ’s bar portfolio, which includes long-standing favorites like Hi-Top Tavern and Paydirt, but Holy Ghost has its own personality, which can be found in everything from the goddesslike blue and gold color scheme to the impressively deep selection of agave spirits. Make it a point to always order at least one gin fizz while you’re here. A machine behind the bar named “Shake Gyllenhaal” agitates the New Orleans classic for at least five minutes—a manual task that keeps the drink off many other menus.
THE FIRE
3. PINK RABBIT
232 NW 12th Ave., 971-255-0386, pinkrabbitpdx.com. 4 pm-midnight Monday-Thursday, 4 pm-2 am Friday-Saturday, 6 pm-midnight Sunday. Even before Pink Rabbit transformed its curbside patio into an outdoor discotheque, the Pearl District bar’s collection of picnic tables were consistently full. But now, there’s a weather-fortified patio full of mirror balls, string lights, additional speakers, and living plant installations. The flamboyant vibe is balanced by a lineup of warm cocktails, including the top-shelf toddy, which drinks like counterprogramming—it is restrained, mellow and deeply comforting.
4. BRASA HAYA
412 NE Beech St., 503-288-3499, brasahayapdx.com. 5:30-9 pm Tuesday-Thursday, 5:30-10 pm Friday-Saturday. Though only open since June, Brasa Haya serves a traditional Spanish coffee that’s already one of the best in town. Rich chocolate vies for dominance with locally roasted Junior’s brew and a cool cloud of amaro whipped cream. Start your meal with a glass and have a second at the end—you’ll be justified because the decadent drink appears on the dessert menu, too.
5. WEDGEHEAD
3728 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-477-7637, wedgeheadpdx.com. 4-11 pm Monday-Saturday, 3-10 pm Sunday. It isn’t on any of the delivery apps, but Wedgehead is still working a solid takeout cocktail game. Thanks to canned cocktail brand Little Hands Stiff Drinks, the Hollywood neighborhood bar has some of the best mobile sippers around. Case in point, the Hot Teddy: a deft mixture of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, housemade ginger-turmeric syrup, cinnamon honey and fresh lemon. It will cure what ails, every time.
YOUR LUNGS COVID-19 CAN ATTACK THE LUNGS. WOOD SMOKE MAKES IT HARD TO BREATHE. multco.us/WoodSmokeStatus Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
23
PORTLAND’S MOST IMPORTANT STORIES SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX
SUBSCRIBE NOW WWEEK.COM/NEWSLETTERS
+
24
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
POTLANDER
Joints for Justice
Going beyond legalization and using cannabis as a means to focus on fairness, equity and reparations is a growing movement. Here’s how you can help. BY B R I A N N A W H E E L E R
As more states legalize the recreational use of weed, attention has turned toward restorative justice—a philosophy that focuses on repairing the harms caused by cannabis laws that were rooted in racism. While that movement may sound impossibly large for one person to tackle, you actually can make a difference, in some instances, by simply paying attention to what you consume. For example, we can patronize companies that give a portion of their profits to justice- and equity-based organizations. We can purchase products like Kites Pre-Rolls that donate 50 cents a pack to NuLeaf Project, which invests in cannabis businesses owned by people of color. We can even get high and look into the organizations listed below and hopefully find one (or a few) that resonate with our personal ethos. Wherever you end up on the cannabis advocacy spectrum, offering support to those directly affected by America’s racist War on Drugs is one way to make your weed taste better (probably), your dabs last longer (possibly), and your stoner heart feel fuller (assuredly).
after reading materials like dictionaries, which is the group’s No. 1 requested item. prisonlit.org
Nolef Turns
Cannabis is not a gateway drug, but for many it has been a gateway to the criminal justice system, which can feel impossible to navigate with any success. Nolef Turns aims to build a network of resources for people who have been convicted of a felony and then typically struggle with housing, employment, fines and family support after they’re released. The nonprofit also assists the children of incarcerated parents. nolefturns.org
NuProject
Portland’s own NuProject is perhaps best known for helping launch a number of small, BIPOC-owned cannabusinesses after its launch in 2018. But the group’s advocacy doesn’t end with grants and zero-interest loans. It also arranges industry mentorships, provides networking services, and runs NuSchool, a combination of traditional accelerator and startup studio all with the goal of bringing more people of color into the cannabis industry. nuproject.org
Oregon Handlers Fund
Founded by local activist, consultant and organizer Raina Casey, the chief mission of the Oregon Handlers Fund is to remove one of the primary barriers to employment in the cannabis industry: the $100 fee to obtain a Marijuana Worker Permit. The motive is to bring more BIPOC representation to an otherwise overwhelmingly white industry, reversing the stigma around Black cannabis use with straight-up representation. The nonprofit accepts donations in any amount. oregonhandlers.org
Voix Noire
Voix Noire is an online platform that assists Black women, children and all Femme-identifying individuals via reparations from non-Black donors. Founded by writer and organizer Creighton Leigh, the organization accepts funds via Venmo and Square, and you can also purchase branded tees, tanks and hoodies from its online boutique. voixnoire.com
Color of Change
Color of Change is the largest online racial justice organization in the nation. The program builds campaigns around efforts to decriminalize poverty, end cash bail, stop prison expansion, and hold prosecutors accountable for implementing reforms. colorofchange.org
The Sentencing Project
For over 35 years, the Sentencing Project has been working to change the way we think about imprisonment and criminalization in America by promoting racial, ethnic, economic and gender justice. The research and advocacy center’s policies focus on voter eligibility, extreme sentencing, youth sentencing and positive community development. Its expansive site has resources for not just ways to make donations, but also explains ways to participate in letter-writing campaigns and encourages people to connect with their state and local leaders to enact change. sentencingproject.org
Prisoners Literature Project
This grassroots nonprofit’s sole goal is to encourage literacy among incarcerated people. Prisoners Literature Project delivers free books to anyone behind bars—from educational textbooks to fiction novels—in order to promote learning and critical thinking, and ultimately prepare individuals for successful lives upon their release. The organization is run entirely by volunteers, and all donations pay for postage, mailing supplies and highly sought Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
25
PERFORMANCE
MUSIC
Editor: Bennett Campbell Ferguson | Contact: bennett@wweek.com
A L I S A S T E WA R T
Now Hear This Listening recommendations from the past, present, Portland and the periphery.
BY DANIEL BROMFIELD // @BROMF3
SOMETHING OLD Most casual rock nerds know that before Randy Newman was Pixar’s benevolent grand-uncle, he set his old-time faux-Southern strut to some truly nasty lyrics. But what was he doing before that? His 1968 debut, Randy Newman, is one answer, and though it approaches peak Newman (on the deeply disturbing “Davy the Fat Boy” in particular), his voice is consumed by a wall of strings by master arranger Van Dyke Parks. It has almost nothing to do with rock, which is why he once quipped that if the Rolling Stones were homo sapiens, he’d be homo erectus. INFINITE HOPE: Justin Heath as Gatsby and Voni Kengla as Daisy.
Hot Seat: Alisa Stewart The writer of Great Gatsby’s Daisy explains why Gatsby was always a Black man passing as white. BY B E N N E T T CAM PB E LL FE RG USO N
In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald writes that Jay Gatsby has “tanned skin” and “cropped hair.” For some readers, those aren’t just physical descriptors—they’re two of countless clues that Fitzgerald intended Gatsby to be a Black man passing as white. “I feel when you apply this kind of theory, it really makes it a more important story to tell,” says Alisa Stewart, artistic director of the Experience Theatre Project. “It’s not just a frivolous jazz age story of love and loss and the mystery of Gatsby.” In ETP’s Great Gatsby’s Daisy, Stewart tells the story the way she believes Fitzgerald wanted. Inspired by Janet Savage’s book Jay Gatsby: A Black Man in Whiteface, she chronicles the anguishes and advantages of passing—and reimagines the novel from the perspective of Daisy (Voni Kengla), who remains the focus of Gatsby’s affection and obsession. Great Gatsby’s Daisy has been a turbulent production. Finding Gatsby was difficult—Justin Heath, a Los Angeles actor, was eventually cast—and Stewart, who is white, says a stage manager who quit wanted her to be replaced by a Black director. Despite being cloaked in controversy, Great Gatsby’s Daisy opened last weekend. Stewart spoke to WW about decoding Fitzgerald’s intentions, creating an immersive production that allows the audience to move with the actors, and updating the novel’s antagonist, Tom Buchanan. WW: When you first read The Great Gatsby, was there a part of you that suspected maybe there’s more going on here than meets the eye? Alisa Stewart: I read a little bit about the original titles that the author wanted, which were Trimalchio or Trimalchio at West Egg. The original Trimalchio [in the Roman comedy The Satyricon] was a freed slave who is able to earn riches in illicit ways, and it just kind of dawned on me. And then when I saw [Jay Gatsby: A Black Man in Whiteface], my jaw kind of dropped and I said, “Oh my gosh, somebody a lot smarter than me has looked into this.” 26
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
I’m a fan of plays that allow the audience to move with the actors. I liken it to watching a movie in 3D, or virtual reality without the goggles. Can you talk about how that serves the story and what the audience can expect to experience physically as the play unfolds? When people ask, “What is immersive theater?” I always say, “Well, it’s kind of a cross between a haunted house that doesn’t scare you and a Disney experience.” When you walk into a space, you’re invited to be part of this world. So you go from [a speakeasy club called the Miramar] into a graveyard setting, from that setting into the Buchanan
mansion, and from the Buchanan mansion you go into Nick Carraway’s house. You’re essentially witnessing the story in very much, as you said, a 3D fashion, but it’s real. It’s all around you. And it’s a real thrill to have that happen when you’re watching a scene just a foot away from you as opposed to 50 feet away on the stage. James Dixon came onto the production as an equity adviser. Were there any story elements that changed based on thoughts he had? He didn’t want to build up Tom Buchanan as this hated figure. I had said, “What if we made Tom kind of the bad guy?” and James said, “No, you shouldn’t do that. He should be like the everyman, the man who seems like a nice guy until he starts talking about race.” Was James suggesting that if he seems more of an everyman, then that’s almost more horrifying? It’s like your racist grandpa or something. This man is loving, goes to church, very charitable to the community, but when he starts talking about this group of people, his racism shows. So that’s more like what Tom is in our show. He’s protective of Daisy, but then he comes out of nowhere with some of the racist stuff that he starts to spew. It’s like at the dinner table when you choke on your water and say, “Oh my God, Grandpa! Don’t say those things!” Are there other classic works of literature that you would like to break down and find new meaning in? The book that’s sitting on my shelf right now is 1984. We’re in kind of a thought-process stage: “Is this even doable?” SEE IT: Great Gatsby’s Daisy plays at Beaverton Masonic Lodge, 4960 SW Watson Ave., Beaverton, 503-568-1765, experiencetheatreproject.org. 7:30 pm Friday, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturday, 2 pm Sunday, through Feb. 20. $52.
SOMETHING NEW After a decade defined by some of his most cryptic, sample-based work, Geir Jenssen’s Biosphere project returns to ambient-techno form. Shortwave Memories is all eerie synth pads and sharp drums, but even with such a mechanical palette, it still sounds like an organism cloning itself in a petri dish. Low-end squiggles pulse and contract, little chords fizzle and pop at the surface, and it all adds up to one of the Norwegian’s most satisfying full-length works in years. SOMETHING LOCAL Synth wizard Daryl Groetsch’s work as Pulse Emitter spans everything from subterranean drones to fairy-tale new age, but his two new albums created under his birth name—released on the same day, and very much twins— feature some of the lushest and most comforting ambient music he’s ever made. Home Again feels like dissolving into a cloud, while Beige World is a little more ominous and contemplative—though a far cry from bizarre early work like Pleistocene, which sounds like someone stuck a mic between two continental plates. SOMETHING ASKEW Shroom-loving Brooklynite Ben Bondy refines his tactile, slightly nauseous version of ambient music on his new album Camo. If you’ve ever tripped and understood how it felt to want to squirm out of your own body, you’ll relate to this music, and while last year’s Glans Intercum undergirded his squishy sounds with sharp, club-ready beats, Camo allows his music to expand and contract on its own terms. It might be the best of his dozen-plus albums so far.
MOVIES
Editor: Bennett Campbell Ferguson / Contact: bennett@wweek.com
IMDB
SCREENER
BLOODY GOOD: Christopher Lee bares his fangs in Dracula A.D. 1972.
Monsters Unleashed Kia Anne Geraths brings cult horror— and more—to Movie Madness University. BY CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER
@chance_s_p
No film—when loved—just is what it is. Movie Madness University instructor Kia Anne Geraths likens cinephilia to a “spider web” of questions, answers and millions of movies. Why is the camerawork in Dracula A.D. 1972 so compelling? Because it’s by cinematographer Dick Bush, who shot Tommy and Sorcerer. Why does that lake vista or creative kill in Friday the 13th feel familiar? Because it owes to Italian horror master Mario Bava.
That’s the kind of searching fascination that sent a probably too-young Geraths flying onto the internet to research the Trainspotting shot where Ewan McGregor collapses backward onto the floor. She believes there’s a reason, a reference, a craftsperson, a genealogy behind every enlivening movie experience. That’s why she hopes her spider web metaphor spans not only the more than 80,000 titles at Movie Madness, but also human connections, like when her students exchange phone numbers following her classes at the Belmont video store’s Miniplex.
“A lot of my students thought they were the only ones that knew this film or loved this director,” says Geraths, who’s been haunting the Movie Madness aisles and researching film history since childhood. “Then they’re in a classroom and realize they’re not alone. Especially with the Cult Horror class, they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have a Christopher Lee tattoo as well!’” February will see Geraths reboot her in-person class “International Cult Horror of the 1970s” as part of Movie Madness University’s return to regular on-site courses (knock on wood). Geraths, a cinematographer and documentarian herself (see: the Gabby Smashes web series and a forthcoming doc on spiritualism), was hired in March 2020 to bolster the Hollywood Theatre’s then-new education initiative at Movie Madness. After two years of mostly online work, the four-week classes are back as intended, capped at the Miniplex’s 18-person capacity. Geraths structures each installment—including “Women in Documentary Filmmaking” and “Revenge of the Flop: Sci-Fi B Movies”—around a 15-minute introduction, a film screening and a 45-minute discussion in large and small groups. “It’s really important that in the future [students] are able to do their own film reviews or talk about film in a more educational way, as opposed to a passive viewing experience,” she says. For Geraths, “International Cult Horror of the 1970s” is a particularly “meaty” course because it examines the history behind beloved titles and tropes. The decade saw evolutions in distribution, camera technology, counterculture and uncensored imagery converge and inspire American cinema touchstones like Halloween, Carrie and The Exorcist. While MMU’s array of course titles can’t be promoted for licensing reasons, those interested can email education@ moviemadness.org for the syllabus. February’s offerings run the gamut of horror subgenres: haunted houses, proto-slashers,
psychological terror and the influential kitsch of Dracula A.D. 1972, which Geraths says is a class favorite. The 1972 movie monster riff marked Christopher Lee’s sixth turn as Dracula for legendary English genre studio Hammer, but with a twist. Lee’s towering elegance is unleashed on ’70s London, as Drac preys on a hippie crew that unwisely dabbles in satanic resurrection rites. It’s a goofy premise for a movie otherwise played precisely straight by Lee, Peter Cushing, and a particularly memorable Christopher Neame as Johnny, who smirkingly combines the Renfield archetype with the vibe of a Mansonian cult leader. Dracula A.D. 1972 was a critical and commercial failure, but Geraths argues that it had a lasting impact. There’s no Twilight or True Blood, after all, without filmmakers first inviting vampires out of their 19th century castles. “There are shots of the Johnny character that look identical to the villain in Blade,” she says. “There just weren’t many examples of [vampires] partying.” On Feb. 2, MMU will also commence its Crash Course offering “Kids on Bikes Can Do Anything.” Covering the post-E.T. evolution of neighborhood misfits burning rubber, it’s a looser exercise in small-group moviegoing with no official lecture or discussion. When February is up, Geraths will roll right into her ’80s and ’90s cult horror courses in March and April, with other offerings on musicals and Queer Wave films forthcoming from MMU instructors. “If a class sells out, there’s always the Movie Madness collection to lay back on while you’re waiting for it to open again,” Geraths says. In other words, the spider web awaits. SEE IT: Tickets to Movie Madness University’s February courses are available at hollywoodtheatre.org/programs/ movie-madness-university-online. $30 per class.
Get Your Reps In MUBI
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
“They call me Mr. Tibbs!” Screening as a tribute to the late Sidney Poitier, this Oscar-winning mystery drama by Norman Jewison follows a Black detective (Poitier) wrongly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town. After he is cleared, the town’s white police chief (Rod Steiger) reluctantly asks for his help. Hollywood, Feb. 5.
The Double Life of Véronique (1991) McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971) In this “anti-Western” period piece from Robert Altman, a gambler (Warren Beatty) and a brothel madam (Julie Christie) become unlikely business partners in a small Washington mining town. A winner essential for many reasons, the main one being Beatty’s giant, iconic fur coat. Cinemagic, Feb. 2.
Polish auteur Krzysztof Kieslowski directs this humanistic drama about two identical women (a Polish choir soprano and a French music teacher) who are unrelated and unaware of each other’s existence yet share a strange and beautiful
bond that eclipses everything that separates them. Clinton, Feb. 6.
Black Panthers (1968) and Mur Murs (1981) An Agnès Varda double feature! These two documentaries from the Mother of the French New Wave were both shot in California: The first follows a 1968 Black Panthers protest against the arrest of Huey P. Newton, while the second chronicles the vibrant murals of Los Angeles and the diverse local artists who create them. Clinton, Feb. 7.
News From Home (1976)
Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman, best known for her drama Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975), moved all
the way to New York City at age 21. Years later, she returned to make this avant-garde documentary, which consists of long takes of NYC locations as she reads letters that her mother sent her when she lived in the city. Clinton, Feb. 8.
ALSO PLAYING: 5th Avenue: My Brother’s Wedding (1997), Feb. 4-6. Academy: Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Feb. 2-3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Feb. 2-3. Clinton: Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945), Feb. 4. The Lure (2015), Feb. 4. The Battle of Algiers (1966), Feb. 5. Hollywood: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Feb. 2. The Thin Man (1934), Feb. 3. Bandits (2001), Feb. 7. Bastard Swordsman (1983), Feb. 8.
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
27
MOVIES
NYLON
NOW PLAYING TOP PICK OF THE WEEK
A Hero
Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi seems poised to become a household name among film buffs around the world following the release of this latest project. He’s already snagged two Academy Awards and most recently won the Best Director Award at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival in November 2021, and A Hero is now a leading Oscar contender in the Best International Feature Film category. It begins simply with the main character, Rahim, played with a quiet grace by acclaimed Iranian theater and film actor Amir Jadidi, walking out of prison and into the Iranian urban landscape. Over the course of two days, we learn Rahim was incarcerated because he couldn’t repay a debt and, upon his release, he attempts to start fresh and even performs a good deed. Of course, as the saying goes, such righteous actions never go unpunished. Farhadi never insults his audience with obvious exposition. The viewer is left to discover who Rahim is, the various characters’ motivations, and who the stories’ villains and heroes are. All of the film’s atmosphere and emotional drive is delivered with naturalistic faithfulness by the actors, and ambient street noise replaces a contrived score to emphasize that tone. The story unfolds exactly how it’s introduced by the main character. With a quiet grace. PG-13. RAY GILL JR. Amazon Prime, Living Room.
OUR KEY : THIS MOVIE IS EXCELLENT, ONE OF THE BEST OF THE YEAR. : THIS MOVIE IS GOOD. WE RECOMMEND YOU WATCH IT. : THIS MOVIE IS ENTERTAINING BUT FLAWED. : THIS MOVIE IS A STEAMING PILE.
ALSO PLAYING The Tragedy of Macbeth At once dignified and deranged, Denzel Washington’s Macbeth is just one of countless pleasures to be found in The Tragedy of Macbeth, director Joel Coen’s gorgeously austere adaptation of Shakespeare’s spooky saga about power and madness. The hurly-burly is the same—once more, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand) plot to murder the rightful king of Scotland—but with the help of cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (Amélie) and production designer Stefan Dechant (The Call of the Wild), Coen brings a fresh sheen of grim beauty to the Bard’s text, using stark shades of black and white and eerily barren sets to deliver a master class in menacing minimalism. Even better are the performances, with Washington playing Macbeth as a creepily affable chap—“if
28
there’s power to be had, why shouldn’t I have it?” he seems to wonder—and McDormand singeing the screen with steely terror. She understands that Lady Macbeth’s defining characteristic is her impatience with her husband’s pesky conscience, which makes it all the more haunting when she discovers a conscience of her own. She, Washington and Coen comprehend the play through and through, which is why The Tragedy of Macbeth is more than a movie. It’s a proper Macbeth. R. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Academy, Living Room, stream on Apple TV+.
The Matrix Resurrections
When the fourth installment of The Matrix franchise begins, we join white rabbit-inked hacker Bugs (Jessica Henwick) as she scrutinizes the epochal 1999 blockbuster’s still-breathtaking opening footage from wholly new angles just before inadvertently reanimating Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus within a faux FBI drone/sentient malware (Yahya Abudul-Mateen II). In the first feature directed without her sibling and lifelong collaborator, Lana Wachowski has a surprisingly droll touch and truly shines during trademark bursts of balletic shoot-’em-ups
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
seemingly plucked from some near-future, zero-gravity fashion week. Now that the franchise has granted our heroes unlimited lives (and the world has proven itself to be all too eager to repurpose anti-authoritarian sloganeering for crypto-fascist ends), it’s hard not to notice the film drifting away from super-chic ultra-violence absent any semblance of consequence. In the weirdest way, though, the de facto immortality of Neo and Trinity renders their autumn romance all the more meaningful. However daft the narrative, which demands that Keanu Reeves, reborn as a celebrity game designer, spend each morning gazing wistfully at Carrie-Anne Moss’ latte order as a Bay Area supermom, his unconditional yearning echoes her eroticized devotion that defined the original. That should push the buttons of every aging cynic holding out hope that their first love might yet prove savior. There is spooning. Take the little blue pill. R. JAY HORTON. Dine-In Progress Ridge Fox Tower, Studio One, Tigard, Vancouver Plaza.
Salt in My Soul
If you plan to see Salt in My Soul in theaters, bring Kleenex. The heartwrenching documentary follows the life of Mallory Smith, a young woman who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a child. As a teen-
ager, she contracted B. cepacia, a bacteria in her lungs that is often deadly for CF patients. The movie weaves together home footage, diary excerpts, and interviews with her friends, loved ones, and doctors to bring to life Smith’s remarkable story. The film is decidedly lo-fi, with long underwater shots of the sun filtering through ocean waves. It’s often gutting, from the revelation that an experimental phage therapy that attacks bacteria might have saved her life, if only she’d received it earlier, to home videos of Smith as a 4-yearold undergoing the exhausting and painful daily exercises necessary for her to breathe. Despite suffering from chronic pain, she was a star athlete in high school and went on to produce a book of poetry while studying at Stanford. She kept a 2,500-page diary from the age of 15 until her death at 25. The writing highlights in lyric and often wrenching prose the pain of her medical journey and the wisdom and zeal for life that she developed as a result of her experience with CF. I challenge anyone to finish Salt in My Soul with dry eyes. NR. GRACE CULHANE. On Demand.
Swan Song
When one performer plays identical characters in a movie, it’s often a contorted acting showcase: from Dead Ringer (1964) all the way to Dead Ringers (1988). But rarely, if ever, has it been done with the nuance and composure of Mahershala Ali in Swan Song. In this Apple TV+ sci-fi drama, the two-time Oscar winner double-embodies Cameron Turner, a terminally ill husband and father debating whether to clone himself (consciousness included) for his family’s benefit. In the frosty, minimal calm of Benjamin Cleary’s directorial debut, Ali’s performance sets the entire tone with each conflicted breath, working out the exact variation between the two Camerons. The original aches to control a process beyond his control (nod to Glenn Close as the preeminent should-we-trust-her cloning scientist), while the genetically unsick version pines to build on the memories of Cameron’s wife (Naomie Harris) and son (Dax Rey) they now both share. At a distance, Cleary has trouble balancing whether we’re watching an almost hokey tech-overreach thriller or almost maudlin memory piece (some discomforting mix of Alex Garland’s Ex Machina and Never Let Me Go), and it’s sometimes unclear from shot to shot with whom we should identify. But the genre particulars hardly matter. It’s a Mahershala Ali movie— twice over. R. CHANCE SOLEMPFEIFER. Apple TV+.
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster Of all Boris Karloff’s beloved acting roles—from Frankenstein (1931) to Targets (1968)—this documentary fixates rather strangely on an
episode of This Is Your Life. Remember that ’50s reality show where unsuspecting guests became the subjects of biographical walk-throughs? Well, Karloff seemed to despise his appearance on the show. Though Thomas Hamilton’s doc can’t pinpoint why, it returns knowingly but fruitlessly to that TV episode as an implied key to Karloff’s private humanity, which his doleful eyes and transcendent stillness often communicated on film. Maybe his reticence owed to childhood trauma; the horror icon suffered a cruel mother and ostracization for his Anglo-Indian heritage, but the film fails to show how those wounds shaped him. What’s left is an extremely conventional tribute to a Hollywood legend, a career survey that easily could’ve aired on Turner Classic Movies 30 years ago without a single change (save Guillermo del Toro’s many compliments). There’s nothing terribly wrong with that—the film is loving, comprehensive and a totally adequate chronicle of Karloff’s 50-year career across silent films, Universal monsters, Val Lewton horror, Broadway and TV. He was relentless in his creativity; perhaps his biographies don’t have to be. NR. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Streams on Shudder.
Parallel Mothers
There’s little Pedro Almodóvar adores more than intoxicating accent colors, single mothers and Penélope Cruz. All three factor prominently in the Spanish auteur’s 22nd feature film, hinging on a soap opera plot treated with soulful seriousness. Cruz’s seventh collaboration with Almodóvar sees her play Janis, a 40-something magazine photographer who unexpectedly welcomes a baby after hooking up with the archaeologist helping locate her grandfather’s Spanish Civil War gravesite. Janis shares a delivery room with Ana (Milena Smit), a teen mother far less certain about her present and future. To keep it vague, their parental destinies intertwine in ways traumatic, erotic and emotionally confounding. Employing deep-focus close-ups, primary color splashes, and a score of weeping strings, Almodóvar begins experimenting with how humanely a filmmaker can treat a preposterously knotty story. Yet down the stretch, he becomes too enamored of themes like hereditary and historical trauma, painting over Janis and Ana in brushstrokes too sweeping, too neat and dragging audiences away from the characters they’d invested in. Respect to Cruz: She’s as stunning and self-possessed as ever. But in Almodóvar’s illustrious canon, Parallel Mothers is minor. Its heart shatters for mothers stranded by fate, men and nations, but surely it could do something more attentive with the pieces. R. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Cinema 21, Laurelhurst.
JONESIN’
FREE WILL
B Y M AT T J O N E S
"Fenders"--failing to see the significance here.
ASTROLOGY ARIES
(March 21-April 19): "Real love is a pilgrimage," declared author Anita Brookner. "It happens when there is no strategy, but it is very rare because most people are strategists." That's the bad news, Aries. The good news is that you have more potential than ever before to free your love of strategic maneuvering and manipulation. For the foreseeable future, I invite you to drop all romantic agendas and simply make yourself extra receptive to love's teachings. Are you ready to learn what you don't even realize you need to know?
TAURUS
(April 20-May 20): In the near future, I'll be pleased if you dole out lavish praise to allies who enchant you. I will celebrate if you deliver loving inspirations and lush invitations to those who help you fulfill your reasons for being here on the planet. To get you in the mood, here are some suggested provocations. 1. "Your body makes mine into a shrine; holy, divine, godtouched." —Ramona Meisel. 2. "Your luster opens glories on my glowing face." —Federico García Lorca. 3. "All night long if you want. We'll tell our secrets to the dark." —Gayle Forman. 4. "I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours." —Bob Dylan. 5. "We are each other's harvest. We are each other's business. We are each other's magnitude and bond." —Gwendolyn Brooks.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In Gemini author Orhan
ACROSS
Sagittarius
29. Miscalculated
1. Air marshal's org.
56. Promotional bit
4. Hilarity, on the Interwebs
58. Skewered dish
30. Earner of 21 merit badges
8. West _ _ _ (Long Island locale)
62. Knock for _ _ _
13. "Believe" singer 14. Opera showstopper 15. See 22-Across 16. Flag position in remembrance
64. 1986 Fabulous Thunderbirds song (or the album it was on) 67. Neutral brownish color 68. Singer Fitzgerald 69. Low quartet?
18. Go inside
70. Adjust to fit
19. Holiday visitor, maybe
71. Archetype for one of "The Odd Couple"
20. "Along with all the rest" abbr.
72. Miss Piggy, for one
22. With 15-Across, "A Change Is Gonna Come" singer
DOWN
23. Robbie who was Cousin Oliver on "The Brady Bunch"
2. Put on the marketplace
26. "Famous Potatoes" state
4. Back muscle, in the gym
28. Meat and mushroom dish originally made with a mustard and sour cream sauce 33. Notable time division 34. Appear 35. Column style simpler than ionic 37. Bits of work 39. Prepares, as kiwifruit 42. Prefix before "plasmosis" 43. Ancient artifact 45. First-timer, slangily 47. Yes, in France 48. German-born NBA player who appeared multiple times on "Parks & Recreation" 52. "You _ _ _ not pass!" 53. Gang leader? 54. Mo. for most of
1. "Easier said _ _ _ done" 3. Pound sound 5. "Kia _ _ _" (Maori greeting) 6. Subject of many toasts
31. "Good _ _ _" (Gaiman/ Pratchett novel) 32. Repair 36. Salon do 38. "Revenge of the _ _ _" ("Star Wars" subtitle) 40. Key's partner 41. "Last Night in _ _ _" (2021 film) 44. Sound-activated infomercial gadget 46. Out of money 49. Joint with a 90-degree bend 50. Grade school orchestra section 51. Justice Kagan and forward Delle Donne, for two 54. Numbers to be crunched
7. Rubenesque
55. Airline with Hebrew letters in the logo
8. Country with fjords
57. Beach bird
9. "Sanford and _ _ _"
59. Osso _ _ _ (Italian dish)
10. What uncramped areas have
60. Not too many
11. Furniture store with meatballs
63. Unlock, in poetry
12. Salon do 13. Sox home, on scoreboards 17. Reuben ingredient 21. Org. recommending regular checkups 24. Instruction part 25. Word after family or phone 27. Owl sound 28. Pub pour
©2022 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.
61. Some partners, for short 65. "Low" rapper _ _ _ Rida 66. Beatles adjective
last week’s answers
Pamuk's novel Snow, the main character Ka asks a woman named Ipek, "What is the thing you want most from me? What can I do to make you love me?" Ipek's answer: "Be yourself." In the coming days, Gemini, I would love you to engage in similar exchanges with those you care for. According to my understanding of the astrological omens, now is a favorable time for you and your best allies to shed all fakery and pretense so that you may be soulfully authentic with each other— and encourage each other to express what's most raw and genuine.
CANCER
(June 21-July 22): Are you in the mood to make extravagant gestures in behalf of love? Are you feeling an urge to move beyond your habitual approaches to intimate togetherness as you dare to engage in fun experiments? Now is a good time for such behavior with allies you trust. To spur your imagination, immerse yourself in the spirit of this poem by Nizar Qabbani: "I abandon my dictionaries to the flames, / And ordain you my language. / I fling my passport beneath the waves, / And christen you my country." Your homework: Dream up and carry out a playful and audacious venture that will energize one of your close relationships.
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 10
© 2022 ROB BREZSNY
your meditation during this Valentine season, Libra. In accordance with astrological omens, you will be wise to purge all your preconceptions about love. Use your ingenuity to revive your innocence about the subject. Cultivate a sense of wonder as you let your imagination run wild and free in its fantasies about love and sex and intimacy.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I'll love it if sometime
soon you create a situation in which you tell an ally words similar to what author Jamaica Kincaid spoke to her lover: "To behold the startling truths of your naked body frees me to remember the song I was born from." Do you think you can make that happen, Scorpio? The astrological indicators at play in your life suggest that it would be right and sacred for you to do so. And if there is no such ally, then I hope you will deliver the same message to your naked self. And by the way, what is the song you were born from? (PS: There has never been a better time than now to learn treasured truths about yourself through your connections with others.)
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I'm afraid I must
be downright practical and mundane in my oracle for you. Don't hate me! I'm only reporting what the planetary omens are telling me. They say that now is a favorable time for you to practice, practice, and practice some more the fine arts hinted at by author Ivan Goncharov: "A close, daily intimacy between two people has to be paid for: It requires a great deal of experience of life, logic, and warmth of heart on both sides to enjoy each other’s good qualities without being irritated by each other's shortcomings and blaming each other for them." Be diligently positive, Sagittarius, as you work through the demanding daily trials of togetherness.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I'll offer you a radi-
cal idea about love from author Hélène Cixous. Although it's not always true for everyone, it will have special meaning for you in the coming months. She wrote, "It is easy to love and sing one's love. That is something I am extremely good at doing. But to be loved, that is true greatness. Being loved, letting oneself be loved, entering the magic and dreadful circle of generosity, receiving gifts, finding the right thank-you's, that is love's real work." How about it, Capricorn? Are you up for the challenge? Are you willing to expand your capacity to welcome the care and benevolence and inspiration coming your way from others?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Actor Leelee Sobieski
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I've created a list of splashy
titles for stories or poems or songs or artworks or dances that you could compose for beloved allies or people you want to be beloved allies. I hope my list inspires you to get gushy and lyrical. I hope you'll be creative and marvelous as you express your passionate appreciation. Here are the titles: 1. Glistening Passion. 2. Incandescent Rapture. 3. Succulent Dazzle. 4. Molten Luminosity. 5. Splashy Fire Bliss. 6. Shimmering Joy Beams. 7. Opulent Delirium. 8. Wild Soul Synergy. 9. Sublime Friction. 10. Fluidic Gleam Blessings. 11. Throbbing Reverence. 12. Sacred Heart Salvation.
was mourning her romantic adventures—or rather the lack of romantic adventures. She said, "If only I could find a guy who wasn't in his 70s to talk to me about white cranes, I'd be madly in love." The good news is that Sobieski knows precisely what she wants, and it's not all that complicated. The bad news is that there are few men near her own age (38) who enjoy discussing the fine points of the endangered bird species known as the white crane. I bring her predicament to your attention, Aquarius, in the hope that you'll be inspired to be as exact and lucid as she is in identifying what you want—even as you cheat just a bit in the direction of wanting what is actually available.
VIRGO
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I've never offered you
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Author Eve Ensler tells us, "You have to give to the world the thing that you want the most, in order to fix the broken parts inside you." This is perfect counsel for you to carry out in the coming weeks, Virgo. Life will conspire to help you heal yourself, in dramatic and even semi-miraculous ways, as you offer the people and animals you care for the same blessings that you crave to receive. I foresee an influx of restorative karma flowing in your direction. I predict the fixing of at least some of your broken parts.
LIBRA
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In Michael Chabon's novel The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, the character named Arthur says to the character named Cleveland, "Love is like falconry. Don't you think that's true?" Cleveland replies, "Never say love is like anything. It isn't." I propose we make that
the wisdom of actor Natalie Portman, but her idealistic attitude about relationships is exactly what I think you should aspire to in the coming months. She said, "I always ask myself, would I want someone to do something that wasn't comfortable for them to do just to please me? And the answer is no." What do you think, Pisces? Do you suspect it might be interesting to apply that principle to your closest alliances? I hope so. If you do, the planetary energies will conspire to deepen your intimate bonds.
Homework: What love goal would you like to accomplish between now and February 2023? Write it down, stating it as an intention and vow. Share? Frewillstrology.com
CHECK OUT ROB BREZSNY’S EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES & DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES
freewillastrology.com
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at
1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
29
COMiCS!
30
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
SPOTLIGHT ARTIST GREG BIGONI
gregbigoniart@gmail.com @dollartaconite Greg Bigoni is a local mixed media illustrator who specializes in drawing pop culture, pinups, and commissions for cards and gifts. You may have seen his work tattered on telephone poles, hung from grimy bar walls, and in Venderia machines.
ARE YOU AN ARTIST?
Be a Willamette Week featured artist! Any art style is welcome!
Contact us at art@wweek.com
Willamette Week FEBRUARY 2, 2022 wweek.com
31
CLASSIFIEDS
TO PLACE AN AD, CONTACT:
MICHAEL DONHOWE
Sunlan Lighting
503-243-2122 mdonhowe@wweek.com
For all your lightbulb fixtures & parts
CASH for INSTRUMENTS
Essential Business Hours 9:00 to 5:30 Monday - Friday | 11:00 to 4:00 Saturday
Tradeupmusic.com SE 503-236-8800 NE 503-335-8800
YOUR BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE WWEEK NEWSROOM
3901 N Mississippi Ave. | 503.281.0453
Steve Greenberg Tree Service
Pruning and removals, stump grinding, 24-hour emergency service. Licensed/Insured. CCB#67024. Free estimates: 503-284-2077
AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE
TRADEUPMUSIC.COM
Buying, selling, instruments of every shape and size. Open 11am-7pm every day. 4701 SE Division & 1834 NE Alberta.
MARK STEN
Author, History of Portland Punk Rock. Jesus says, “Put back Lincoln’s statue! I need Honest Abe in my new Civil War against Satan and his Dinosaur Army!” For more, see reptilicus.substack.com. Or Revelations.
SUPPORT
LOCAL
INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM BECOME A FRIEND OF WILLAMETTE WEEK WWEEK.COM/SUPPORT Sunlan cartoons by Kay Newell “The Lightbulb Lady” Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Google
sunlanlighting.com
Are you an artist? Got art to share? E-mail art@wweek.com to be a spotlight artist!
YOUR BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE WWEEK