NEWS ASSAULTS IN THE LIBRARY. P. 13 FOOD SETTING THE TABLE WITH THE MODERN PROPER. P. 28 WILLAMETTE WEEK
“AQUA IS THE WARMEST COLOR.” P. 35 WWEEK.COM VOL 48/23 0 4 .1 3 . 2 02 2
PORTLAND’S NEWSWEEKLY
WEED GAME NIGHT GO-TO: SUDDENLY STONED. P. 33
Or can you? We looked for ways to lower Portland’s housing costs. Page 14
WW’s Guide to 420 Deals, Events and Discounts. Page 30
Year 10
May 28 2
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
Tickets on sale now at TEDxPortland.com
FINDINGS CHRIS NESSETH
GOLD & TREASURE SHOW, PAGE 23
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM READING THIS WEEK’S PAPER VOL. 48, ISSUE 23 Portland police use thermal imagery to detect body heat. 8 Tobias Read worked as a Nike children’s shoe developer. 11 A patron stabbed another patron in the Central Library elevator. 13 Home prices in Milwaukie, Beaverton and Happy Valley are all more expensive than in Portland proper. 16 Construction on the Pop Blocks has been paralyzed for five months. 18 A second staircase adds to the costs of an apartment. 20 The legal responsibility for mold is ambiguous. 21
The Gold Prospectors Association of America will teach you how to pan for nuggets. 23 Ecola State Park is back open after a five-month closure due to a sinkhole. 26 The secret to extra-crispy grilled cheese is a mayo-butter blend, according to The Modern Proper. 28 When playing the card game Suddenly Stoned, you may learn that one of your friends had a childhood crush on Launchpad McQuack . 33 The Academy Theater could resurrect its repertory screenings in May. 35 Bayhem is back! 36
ON THE COVER:
OUR MOST TRAFFICKED STORY ONLINE THIS WEEK:
How to beat the high cost of housing, photo by Brian Burk.
Milwaukie Mayor Mark Gamba says Portland can’t deal with campsite garbage because of its government structure.
Masthead EDITOR & PUBLISHER ART DEPARTMENT
Mark Zusman
EDITORIAL
News Editor Aaron Mesh Arts & Culture Editor Andi Prewitt Assistant A&C Editor Bennett Campbell Ferguson Staff Writers Anthony Effinger, Nigel Jaquiss, Rachel Monahan, Sophie Peel, Tess Riski Copy Editor Matt Buckingham
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Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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DIALOGUE
• •••• • • • •
TA R E B A LRO S ER E T A •••• E H T APR 15
APR 16
MICHAEL NAMKUNG Good Pain: The Art of Being Hurt
MICHAEL M, VIA WWEEK. COM: “Mayor Gamba’s
with
Steven Gosvener
JUDY BLUE the EYES Celebrating music of CSNY, APR 21 APR 22
featuring CSN guitarist Jeff Pevar and members of The Nowhere Band, Decemberists and more!
APR 23
LADY SINGS THE BLUES
a tribute to Billie Holiday
feat. LaRhonda
Steele Danielle M. Barker Arietta Ward Anandi + more
APR 27
MAK ANA APR 30
Booklover's Burlesque
MAY 6
SWANSEA
PASCUALA ILABACA Y FAUNA
UPCOMING SHOWS
•••••••••••••
strings
4/28 • CHAMBER MUSIC NORTHWEST PRESENTS IMANI WINDS: WE CANNOT WALK ALONE 5/7 • TWO OF A KIND feat. LANI MISALUCHA & TIM PAVINO 5/11 • CONSIDER THIS WITH LAURA KIPNIS
•••••
albertarosetheatre.com
3000 NE Alberta • 503.764.4131 Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
YESHUAN, VIA WWEEK. COM: “I deliver for Amazon.
it’s the reason. We’re the last large city to use such a system. So places like Los Angeles and Seattle don’t have our system, yet the encampment epidemic in Los Angeles is pretty similar.” D B COOLPER, VIA TWITTER:
AULATIONS, VIA REDDIT:
“You don’t have to travel too far beyond Portland to avoid the effects of Portland’s policies. It goes to show you just how bad those policies are in contrast to everyone else’s.”
CHRISTOPOLIS, VIA WWEEK. COM: “Ted is over his head?
“Any human being would be. A DA office that can’t prosecute anything but major felonies. A legalized drug system with illegal distribution. A system that is disproportionately attuned to perpetrators’ needs and wants. You have the recipe for a massive infestation of gang activity. The homeless problem is a distraction from what is going to be lots of blood on the streets.
“Our garbage system is STUPID. We have a stupid franchise system with 15 different vendors. It makes it super hard to hold anybody accountable. It’s also a major reason we don’t have many public trash cans. We need a unified garbage system that takes care of the entire city so I don’t have to call Metro just for illegal dumping. ARGH. “Also, we could throw plows on the trucks if we ever get snow.”
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
BY MARTY SMITH @martysmithxxx
I’m thinking of doing a boneheaded challenge of trying to survive underwater in an oxygen-pressurized half dome for 50 hours. Is this possible if my dome is 500 cubic feet? Also, would I need an exhaust system to keep the air fresh? —Nick G. JUL 2
STEPHANIE SCHNEIDERMAN BAND
4
SMOKED ARMADILLO, VIA WWEEK.COM: “The structure
“The spiral down is accelerating and neither Ted nor Churchill nor a new commissioner structure could stop it.”
I can tell you that there are more than a few trailer parks all over Portland that look just like homeless encampments (abandoned old folks and the seriously challenged).…We need to create a litter corps and give the homeless, challenged and disenfranchised jobs cleaning up the city. Why isn’t Portland as pristine clean as Tokyo? The homeless spend all their time gathering recyclables. Why not reward them for cleaning the city? Maybe $5 per 30 gallon bag of litter?”
Dr. Know
60 years of Green Onions
BOOKER T. JONES +
land’s government is a nightmare. I know from nightmares, having lived in Chicago for 21 years. Where aldermen clamor for control and engender delay, Portland’s commissioners play an endless game of ‘not it.’”
doesn’t help, but I don’t think
the Sci-Fi edition
MAY 1
intelligent, honest critique of Portland’s form of government should he heard very, very clearly. Portland’s shortcomings, some due to painfully inefficient bureaucratic structure and some to simple, unfortunate incompetence, are becoming an embarrassment. And an annoyance to many of us who daily have to deal with the agonies—emotional and visual—of our houseless folks. The money is there, the structures and competence are not.”
GABBY, VIA TWITTER: “Port-
infused with the spirit of Hawai‘i
APR 29
Last week, WW began posting video from our endorsement interviews in more than 30 local races. One of those clips drew significant attention. In it, Milwaukie Mayor Mark Gamba said Portland struggles to remove trash from homeless campsites because the city’s system of government gets in the way of expertise and accountability. “Also,” Gamba added, “Ted [Wheeler] is in over his head.” Any local mayor levying sharp criticism of another is bound to draw some attention, but Gamba hit a sore spot: the proliferation of encampments and Portland’s failure to swiftly clean up after them. Here’s what our readers had to say:
You’re my kind of guy, Nick: an idiot. Still, I’ll bet you’re smart enough to tell the difference between my column and actual medical advice— and frankly, anybody who isn’t probably died two years ago from injecting bleach because they heard it cures COVID. Nevertheless, a disclaimer: I’m not a physician. You’re not Aquaman. Don’t try this at home. Anyway, a 500-cubic-foot dome is about 6 feet high and 12 feet across, and has an air capacity of about 3,740 gallons. (Or 14,200 liters, but American units seem better suited to measuring stupid ideas.) Of that air, 20%—748 gallons—is sweet, sweet oxygen. That doesn’t sound like much, but it’s enough—the human body consumes just 100 gallons of oxygen in 24 hours. You’ll finish your 50-hour ordeal with 540 gallons to spare, at an oxygen level of 14.4%. That’s not great, but it’s manageable; for comparison, the oxygen concentration at the summit of Mount Hood is
13.6%. However, before you start David Blaine-ing yourself into watery immortality, there’s another problem: While most people assume that suffocating in an enclosed space means running out of oxygen, in fact it’s often the buildup of carbon dioxide that gets you first. CO2 is toxic at relatively low concentrations—and unfortunately, you exhale 5.5 gallons of it every hour. Your air will begin with the normal concentration of CO2, about 0.05%. After 24 hours, however, that figure will reach 3.6%—more than 70 times what you’re used to, and enough to cause headache, dizziness and painful shortness of breath. By this time you will almost certainly have rung the “get me the fuck out of here” bell, but if you somehow keep going past 5% you can add heart palpitations, tremors and unconsciousness to the menu. It’s true that you can avoid these unpleasant effects with a simple CO2 scrubber. Be careful, though: Since it’s mostly CO2, rather than lack of oxygen, that triggers that “need more air” reflex, if you do miscalculate and run out of oxygen, you may nod off to the soothing hum of your scrubber and never wake up. (Though I suppose there are worse things.) Questions? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com.
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HIRING PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS LUNCH SERVICE ROVERS! Growing minds need your support. Work to help us nourish and shape Portland’s future with Nutrition Services at PPS. Find fulfilling work connecting with your community in a variety of school locations. Every day is an adventure! Feel the pride of creating delicious, healthy food from scratch. Serve it to and alongside students with a smile. Be home in time for dinner. Have your weekends, evenings, and summers free!
GROW A CAREER! No experience is required for Rovers. Rovers learn from a variety of food service professionals and different kitchen set-ups and teams. Learn about nutrition, food prep, and sanitation. Gain customer service experience. Interact with students and feel connected to your community.
HOW TO APPLY View jobs and apply online at http://careers.pps.net and search for “Rover”
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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2022
OREGON BOOK AWARDS APRIL 25
Monday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. Portland Center Stage at The Armory Host: 2020 Oregon Book Award winner Kesha Ajose-Fisher
Tickets at literary-arts.org Sponsors:
The Kinsman Foundation, Lyceum Agency, Corrine Oishi & Lindley Morton, Tonkon Torp, Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust
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Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
N O T I C E . R E F L E C T. H E A L .
MURMURS C O U R T E S Y O F T H E F LY N N C A M P A I G N
MUSIC FOR 4/20 An experiential evening of modern minimalism featuring Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich April 20th at PICA 15 NE Hancock St. 7:00-8:00pm Doors open at 6:30
CARRICK FLYNN (RIGHT) NATIONAL DEMOCRATS IN WITH FLYNN: In a break with usual practice, the Democrats’ House Majority PAC is spending $1 million to back one candidate in the competitive, open primary for Oregon’s newly created 6th District. That candidate: Carrick Flynn, a political outsider who grew up in Vernonia and attended Yale Law School (and has rarely voted in Oregon). Traditionally, the PAC supports Democrats against Republicans in the general election, so the committee is now under fire from U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and the Hispanic Caucus campaign arm, Bold PAC, as well as six of the other Democrats running for the seat, including three women of color. But it’s not the only extraordinary expenditure in the race: Earlier this week, WW reported that super PACs had spent nearly $6 million to support Flynn. Protect Our Future (funded by cryptocurrency’s richest billionaire, Sam Bankman-Fried) is the group responsible for most of that spending. The congressional Democrats’ decision for their PAC to bankroll Flynn also set off speculation that Bankman-Fried or Protect Our Future has agreed to bankroll the Democrats’ campaign nationally. CITY AUDITOR CANDIDATE DINGED FOR LATE CAMPAIGN FINANCE FILINGS: The Oregon Secretary of State’s Elections Division plans to impose a fine on Simone Rede, a candidate for Portland city auditor, following a complaint alleging Rede’s campaign finance committee was late to file disclosure of more than 30 transactions. “We reviewed the information submitted and determined that transactions were filed late,” says SOS spokesman Ben Morris. “We will be following our normal process to assess civil penalties for late filed transactions.” That determination follows a March 31 complaint filed by Portland accountant Joan Horton, alleging the Friends of Simone Rede committee was late to report at least 33 contributions totaling more than $49,400, in addition to eight expenditures totaling $940. The Elections Division could not confirm by press deadline whether it had determined the fine’s amount. Rede is vying to succeed current City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero, who is not running for reelection. She faces one opponent: Brian Setzler, a Portland CPA. “I detected the late transactions, which my volunteer treasurer reported to the city, but not to the state,” Rede tells WW. “I corrected the error, and the Oregon Elections Division is satisfied with my actions. Further, I hired
In partnership with...
a professional treasurer to ensure timely reporting to the city and the state. And like any good auditor, I’m checking that work as well.” TAX MEASURE BEEF GOES TO JUDGE: On April 13, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Katharine von Ter Stegge will hear a dispute between the Portland Business Alliance and backers of a proposed November ballot measure that would levy a 0.75% capital gains tax on Multnomah County residents. That tax would raise $12 million to $15 million a year to fund lawyers for tenants facing eviction. The PBA sought to challenge the proposed ballot title and explanatory statement for the measure in a March 28 filing with the court but made errors that left in question whether the challenge was filed in time. Attorneys for Multnomah County and the campaign Eviction Representation for All contend the court should answer that question before weighing the merits of PBA’s objections. However the judge rules, the dispute is another skirmish in a larger battle over how to fund public services, which has left high-income county residents paying among the nation’s highest marginal income tax rates. RIDWELL GETS GREEN LIGHT FROM STATE: Ridwell, the Seattle company that picks up hard-to-recycle items from doorsteps, received a license April 7 from the Department of Environmental Quality to continue operating its facility in North Portland. The approval process began last year after Portland’s franchised trash haulers flagged Ridwell’s operation for not being properly licensed. (While that process proceeded, Ridwell continued to operate the facility.) A similar license required by Metro is expected to be issued later this week. Meanwhile, Ridwell continues to spar legally with Washington County, from which Ridwell withdrew after the county sent it a cease-and-desist letter alleging the company was violating the county’s exclusive franchise agreement with trash haulers. Ridwell has long argued that because it picks up items trash haulers cannot, it’s violating no such thing. The county is currently working on a similar pickup model that, if approved by commissioners, would be exclusive to the haulers. (It’s allowing Ridwell to continue service until the model is set up.) The Metro and DEQ licenses have no bearing on any other jurisdictions’ actions against Ridwell.
event details + tickets: www.45thparallelpdx.org
SPECIAL SPRING PACKAGE 2 Incredible Shows For $55 ($90 Value)
Dance Theatre of Harlem Wednesday, May 4
Complexions Contemporary Ballet Wednesday, May 25
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall ORDER ONLINE: whitebird.org/may-pack (NO FEES) Seating in price level 3. Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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NEWS
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK
ONE QUESTION
Is Oregon Systemically Racist? And will candidates for governor allow a public schoolteacher to say so? In the days leading to the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to be appointed Supreme Court justice in U.S. history, spectators were treated to a distillation of what passes for civil discourse in this country. Republicans, most notably Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, teed up a political smear attempting to link Jackson to critical race theory, a high-level academic concept that is rarely if ever taught in elementary schools but that Republicans have been using as shorthand for anyone who acknowledges the racist systems that are part of the American story. Republican-dominated legislatures across the country are passing laws banning the teaching of CRT. With Oregon looking at the real possibility of a Republican governor, we asked candidates a more basic question about our home state, systemic racism and whether teachers can discuss that legacy with their students. R AC H E L M O N A H A N .
YES
Tina Kotek (D) I love being an Oregonian and an American. I think you can cherish the place you live while also recognizing when people have promoted (or still promote) things that hurt, demean or exclude other people. Our schools should teach the history of our country in an honest, factual way because learning from our past is how we form a more perfect union. Tobias Read (D) Our kids are capable of learning, and our teachers are capable of teaching a balanced and nuanced history of race in Oregon and the United States. Efforts to limit that history sell students short. We shouldn’t be afraid of taking on things that are true even if they make us uncomfortable.
Bridget Barton (R) Even Joe Biden says that he doesn’t think America is a country of racists, but I have always been a supporter of equality and opportunity at all levels of our society. I was a young mom when I started my career advocating for better school options for Oregon parents. As a Republican outsider, I’m not afraid to call the teachers’ unions to the carpet for completely failing our kids by cramming divisive, unnecessary concepts like CRT down our kids’ throats instead of teaching them the basics of reading, math, science, history and, God forbid…civics. There will be no room in the school day for anything but academic essentials and excellence when I’m governor. Christine Drazan (R) It is wrong and dangerous to dismantle our institutions brick by brick to advance a political agenda. We have worked hard
APRIL SHOWERS: Snow falls on a Southeast Portland community garden. 8
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
over many decades to expressly prohibit race-based discrimination, and we should continue to confront it in our society. While there are racists in America, America is not a systemically racist country. Our schools have an obligation to educate kids about the good, bad and ugly of American history, but political agendas have no place in the classroom. More to the point, students of color are being left behind by our current education system, which has failed to help them achieve at the same level as their peers. That’s the continuing injustice here. Stan Pulliam (R) We need a culture shift in focusing education on preparing students for the real world. If I were a 16-year-old aspiring carpenter who spent more time being taught that the color of my skin makes me a victimizer than how to use fractions to measure and cut a piece of crown molding, I’d be less than enthusiastic about school. Curriculum has become overwhelmed with indoctrination—at the expense of education and training—and that needs to stop. Bob Tiernan (R) Declined to elaborate.
NO
BLAKE BENARD
SAVE THE DATE
WW asked: Do you believe racism is embedded in U.S. and Oregon legal systems and policies? Do you believe teachers should be allowed to say so in the classroom?
DECLINED TO SAY YES OR NO
Betsy Johnson (unaffiliated) I’d like to give a better answer than the question. Racism is a reality of U.S. and Oregon history and still exists. Oregon’s original constitution banned Blacks from living in Oregon and limited the vote to only white males. We’ve made great progress since then, but must continue to dismantle racism. To do that, we must embrace teaching as an act of education, not as a means of political indoctrination. Schools should not shy away from teaching all of American and Oregon history—the good, the bad and the ugly. As governor, I will promote equal opportunity for all Oregonians.
DECLINED TO ANSWER Bud Pierce (R)
April 10, 1903 That’s the latest in a calendar year that Portland had ever recorded measurable snowfall—one-tenth of an inch downtown. That is, until Monday, April 11. Starting shortly after midnight, the city received between 1 and 5 inches of snow, much of it coming down in wet, clumpy flakes that Mount Hood skiers sometimes refer to as “Cascade concrete.” The freak April snowstorm toppled at least 400 trees in Portland, downing power lines and blowing transformers. The result? More than 91,000 utility customers without power, most of them in the Willamette Valley. It’s the latest example of extreme weather in this city. In the past year alone, we’ve endured wildfires, a deadly heat dome, and bitter freezes. And like previous meteorological events, it may spur changes in public policy. Late Monday morning, City Commissioner Dan Ryan lamented that the Joint Office of Homeless Services had not opened emergency weather shelters in advance of the storm. Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty joined him in calling for changes to the criteria for opening such shelters. “This snow is wet and heavy—tents are battling this weight just like downed limbs and trees—and if it is cold enough to snow, it is cold enough to activate our emergency response and bring Portlanders indoors,” Ryan wrote on Twitter. Officials with the Joint Office of Homeless Services said the forecast changed too late in the day to staff emergency shelters. Office spokesman Denis Theriault says Ryan has inquired previously about lowering the threshold for opening weather shelters—and Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury’s office relayed back that “every single one of us in this partnership will need to contribute more.” S O P H I E P E E L A N D A A R O N M E S H .
LINEUP
DONOR
Big Brother Portland police lack written policy for surveillance tools like room x-rays and robot cameras, audit finds. DY L A N VA N W E E L D E N
REPORT CARD: The City Auditor’s Office was unsatisfied with the Portland Police Bureau’s surveillance policies.
BY T E S S R I S K I
tess@wweek .com
The City Auditor’s Office released a report last week that found the Portland Police Bureau collected “personally identifiable information” about 2020 protesters without documenting any suspected criminal activity. The report also said the bureau’s Criminal Intelligence Unit violated its own procedures by retaining records detailing political activity beyond the 30-day limit for files in which the suspected criminal behavior is unsubstantiated. That was the case for six of the 33 files the city sampled for its audit. Bureau procedure says access to such reports should be relegated to staff in the Criminal Intelligence Unit, according to the audit. But instead, they were accessible through the central records management system, meaning any sworn officer employed by Portland or a partner agency—such as Lake Oswego or Scappoose police—could access those files if they searched for a name mentioned in the record. The upshot of that data collection and retention, the auditor concluded: An officer who pulls someone over for a routine traffic stop would also have access to the driver’s purported political or religious activity. “Such searches commonly are conducted during routine traffic stops,” the Auditor’s Office wrote. “Officers might perceive drivers to be a threat during traffic stops if they access reports that say drivers were involved in Black Lives Matter pro-
tests or played music perceived to be anti-police.” The reason for the mismanagement of records: Portland’s Criminal Intelligence Unit “does not have a process for protecting political or religious information that was not related to criminal activity.” The bureau also failed to codify policies for most of its surveillance tools, according to the Auditor’s Office. The audit found that PPB uses 37 types of technology that are “capable of collecting sensitive information,” including wire taps, license plate readers and cellphone extraction tools, such as Cellebrite, that can extract and download photos, videos and even deleted text messages from a suspect’s device. Of those 37 surveillance tools, the bureau lacked policies for more than half. “Policies were absent for 21 types of technology that can be used for surveillance,” the audit said. “Usage reports assessed the effectiveness of the technology but were missing other elements…. None of the reports addressed cost or whether any improvements or modifications were needed.” The City Auditor’s Office provided WW a list of 33 of the 37 surveillance tools, claiming exemptions under Oregon Public Records Law to withhold the remainder because disclosure would “endanger an individual’s life or physical safety or jeopardize a law enforcement activity.” (The auditor sought a comprehensive list of PPB surveillance tools, meaning the list was not protest-specific. Several of the tools, for example, are
used primarily by the bureau’s Special Emergency Reaction Team, similar to a SWAT unit.) Here are three examples of surveillance technology the Portland Police Bureau uses without a policy. 1. Room x-rays The Auditor’s Office did not provide more specifics about how, exactly, the bureau uses this form of technology. But in recent years, police agencies nationwide have been scrutinized for their use of so-called Doppler radars, whose brand name is Range-R—a device first used by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan that allows the user to essentially see through walls. “The radars work like finely tuned motion detectors, using radio waves to zero in on movements as slight as human breathing from a distance of more than 50 feet. They can detect whether anyone is inside of a house, where they are and whether they are moving,” USA Today wrote in 2015. 2. Robot cameras It is unclear how many robot cameras PPB owns, and the circumstances and frequency in which they are deployed. But the “semi-autonomous technology” is used by police departments across the globe, according to Wired. The New York Police Department, for example, has a 70-pound robotic dog that can apprehend suspects and see in the dark, The New York Times reported last year. The use of “Digidog” drew scrutiny from the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who tweeted that “robotic surveillance ground drones are being deployed for testing on low-income communities of color with underresourced schools.” 3. Forward-looking infrared cameras Another surveillance tool PPB uses but lacks a policy for are forward-looking infrared cameras, or FLIR for short. The mounted thermal heat cameras can achieve a result similar to room x-rays. But rather than spotting radio waves, they can detect heat. Law enforcement’s use of heat sensor cameras, or thermal imagery, in Oregon has set national precedent. In 1992, prosecutors indicted Danny Kyllo of Florence, Ore., on a federal drug charge after a Department of the Interior agent used a thermal camera to detect heat emanating from the high-intensity lights used to grow cannabis plants in Kyllo’s home. In 2001, in the case of Kyllo v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police violated Kyllo’s Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches because the use of thermal imaging constituted a “search” of Kyllo’s home although law enforcement failed to secure a warrant to employ the technology. “We have said that the Fourth Amendment draws ‘a firm line at the entrance to the house’…. That line, we think, must be not only firm but also bright—which requires clear specification of those methods of surveillance that require a warrant,” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in the opinion.
CONTRIBUTION OF THE WEEK HOW MUCH? $500,000 WHO GOT IT? Dr. Bud Pierce, the Salem oncologist seeking the GOP nomination for governor. WHO GAVE IT? Pierce. WHY DOES IT MATTER? Pierce, the GOP nominee for governor in 2016, spent more than $1.5 million of his own money that year. He got a creditable 44% of the vote, losing to Gov. Kate Brown in a special election to serve out the reminder of Gov. John Kitzhaber’s term following Kitzhaber’s 2015 resignation. Pierce entered this year’s race after the death of his wife, Dr. Selma Pierce, who was hit by a car in Salem in 2020. He began in a strong position because of his previous showing, but until this week had not committed the kind of money he’ll need to stand out in a crowded field of 19 candidates, a half-dozen of whom are mounting serious campaigns. As WW reported last week in Murmurs, some Republican insiders had begun to question how much his heart was in the race—his campaign still hadn’t begun airing television ads with just three weeks left until ballots for the primary arrive in Oregon mailboxes. This check shows that Pierce, whom GOP insiders say is at or near the top of polls, means to win. N I G E L J AQ U I S S .
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
BLACK LIVES MATTER ARTIST GRANTEES on exhibition at the
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU AnAkA Annabelle Araya Julia Bond J’reyesha Brannon Amirah Chatman
Steven Christian Baba Wagué Diakité Sadé DuBoise Austin Gardner Leila Haile
Elijah Hasan Edmund Holmes Willie Little Latoya Lovely Aiyana Monae McClinton
Jessica Mehta Christine Miller Annie Schutz Sharita Towne Kyra Watkins
Public In-Person Closing Celebration Tuesday, April 26 • 4:00-7:00pm Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU • 1855 SW Broadway, Portland, OR In the wake of social unrest and national reflection that followed the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Jordan Schnitzer, president of The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, established the Black Lives Matter Artist Grant program. The grant awarded 60 artists total with $2,500 to support new or recent artwork reflecting on social justice efforts in response to systemic racism. The PSU exhibition includes 20 artists selected by jury from Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington, and Columbia counties.
Left: Willie Little, Key to American Culture 2016/2019, multimedia oil with object floating canvas, 96 x 60 inches Center: Aiyana Monae McClinton, in this skin (installation) 2020, cotton woven on TC2 loom variable Right: Amirah Chatman, Heaven’s Probably in Phoenix (detail), 2020, pastel on chipboard, Diptych, 44 x 56 inches 10
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
NEWS BRIAN BROSE
IN THE WINGS: Tobias Read hopes voters will see Tina Kotek as an extension of Gov. Kate Brown (right).
Lean Out State Treasurer Tobias Read moves deliberately but insists he’s the change Oregon needs. BY N I G E L J AQ U I S S R AC H E L M O N A H A N
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Tobias Read hopes he can ride record-high voter dissatisfaction to the Democratic nomination for governor in the May 17 primary. Read, who is midway through his second term as state treasurer, is certainly trying to position himself as an outsider, blasting schools for not reopening fast enough and elected officials at every level for not acting with sufficient urgency on homelessness. “Oregon needs new leadership and a new direction,” Read says in his campaign materials. “We can’t afford more of the same in Salem.” That’s a tough sell from a man who has held public office since 2007. A sober plow horse of a politician, Read has seen his principal opponent, former House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland), grab the endorsements of key unions as well as environmental, reproductive choice, and other progressive groups. Although pollsters, such as John Horvick of Portland’s DHM research, say it’s Kotek’s race to lose, some leading Democrats—including former Govs. Barbara Roberts and John Kitzhaber—have endorsed Read, a business-friendly moderate less in thrall than Kotek to the public employee unions that dominate Oregon Democratic politics. Read wins plaudits on all sides as a genial fellow who has been careful to maintain good relationships. But he’s also earned a reputation as someone guided more by his ambitions for the next office than by any particular vision of how to make Oregon a better place. Bill Parish, a Portland investment adviser who monitors the state treasury, says Read’s made little effort to lead on important financial issues, such as the Public Employees Retirement System, housing finance, or the divestment of controversial pension assets. “He’s done nothing except promote himself for governor since the time he took office,” Parish says.
Read pushes back, touting such legislative accomplishments as diverting unclaimed class action lawsuit funds to pay public defenders, and his work at the treasury: improving the state’s college savings program, implementing a retirement program for workers who have none, and maintaining high returns on pension investments. “What you get with me is sort of the sweet spot,” Read says. “A person who knows how to get things done, but who is also not afraid to acknowledge that what we’re doing is not working.” Read caught a big break in February when the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that former journalist Nicholas Kristof, a political newcomer who was challenging Kotek and Read, didn’t meet Oregon’s residency requirement. Although Read has attracted some Kristof backers, including Kristof’s wife, Sheryl WuDunn, his pool of potential supporters has been thinned by the insurgent candidacy of former state Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose). Johnson, running unaffiliated, has dominated business support—she’s outraised Read 5 to 1 so far. That’s perhaps because despite his desire to don the outsider’s mantle, Read’s an entrenched Salem insider, whom his onetime mentor, state Sen. Mark Hass (D-Beaverton) says is best known for his caution. “If you play it safe in politics, you won’t make any friends, you won’t make any enemies, and you won’t get anything done,” Hass says. “That’s Tobias.” Former state Rep. Brent Barton (D-Clackamas), who served in the Legislature with Read, says in a political atmosphere dominated by extremes on the left and right, the treasurer could be a steadying, unifying leader. “There is no harder-working person in Salem than Tobias Read,” Barton says. “He takes governance seriously.” Read, 46, grew up in Idaho. He began college at Swarthmore in Pennsylvania but graduat-
ed from Willamette University. Afterward, he moved to Washington, D.C., to work for thenU.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. There, he befriended another Summers aide, Sheryl Sandberg, now chief operating officer of Facebook. Sandberg has contributed $46,000 to Read’s past campaigns but nothing so far to his race for governor. Read then earned an MBA from the University of Washington. He went to work for Nike as a children’s shoe developer from 2004 to 2012. He says the company’s drive for innovation taught him lessons he brings to politics. “If you had a credible case to make and you got the right audience,” he recalls, “you could say, ‘You’ve got the business model entirely wrong.’ And you might have a chance of getting somewhere with that argument.” He says he’ll similarly challenge the status quo if elected, even though he entered the Legislature in 2007, the same year as Kotek. For a decade, Read served alongside Kotek. At various times, he was the speaker pro tem, majority whip, and chair of the House Transportation and Higher Education committees. He left the Legislature to run for state treasurer in 2016. His Republican opponent in that race and again in 2020 was Jeff Gudman. Gudman, an investor and two-term Lake Oswego city councilor, offers a blunt assessment of Read. “He’s a nice guy,” Gudman says, “but he doesn’t have the financial background to be treasurer and is only using the office as a stepping stone to run for governor.” He scoffs at Read’s portrayal of himself as an outsider. “I thought, ‘Wait a minute, you’ve been in office for 15 years, and I’ve never heard you say a word of opposition to what’s been happening.’” Another critic, Parish, points to a high-profile issue at the treasury as an example of Read’s reluctance to rock the boat. The Oregon Investment Council, of which Read is one of five members, put money into a limited partnership that purchased NSO Group, the Israeli spyware
maker whose products some governments have allegedly used to target human rights activists and the media. Despite calls for the OIC to sell its position, Oregon is still the biggest investor in NSO’s owner. (Read says the treasury is examining its legal options, but he declined to comment further.) John Russell, a Portland investor who serves on the OIC, says he and Read disagree on NSO, but the treasurer has impressed him. “He is supremely competent,” Russell says. “He may be underrated because the treasurer’s job is largely under the radar.” As evidence of his effectiveness, Read points to a program he worked on as a lawmaker and implemented as treasurer called Oregon Saves, which helps employers start retirement plans for their workers. Oregon Saves has helped about 113,000 workers put away $153 million. Perhaps the highest-profile issue Read has been associated with is the 91,000-acre Elliott State Forest northeast of Coos Bay. In 2016, Read campaigned on saving the forest from being sold by the State Land Board. But then, after winning election and joining the land board, Read voted to sell the forest. Environmentalists revolted. Read reversed course and, as one of three members of the board (the governor and secretary of state are the other two), he led efforts to keep the forest in public ownership as part of Oregon State University. Read’s original vote to sell, however, is the legacy environmental groups remember. The Oregon League of Conservation Voters ran its most expensive campaign ever to pressure Read to change his vote. “The reason we’ve endorsed Kotek is she’s the candidate for governor who won’t need to be pushed and held accountable to get to those places,” says OLCV executive director Doug Moore. “The challenge we’ve had with Tobias is we’ve had to do those kinds of things. When he gets there, he does good work, but the problem is, I don’t think instinctively or value-wise he starts in that place.” Read rejects that criticism. He says once he was elected, he needed to act as a fiduciary of public funds. He says rather than flip-flopping, he showed boldness and creativity in ultimately helping find an alternative to the sale. “There’s a time to take risks and there’s a time to be very prudent,” Read says. Even as Gov. Brown signed a bill into law this week memorializing the saving of Elliott, members of the forest’s advisory committee are reluctant to name Read as the chief agent of the final compromise. “I think the most credit should go to the member of Elliott State Forest advisory team,” says Keith Tymchuk, a former six-term mayor of Reedsport. Others see Read’s decision to admit publicly he’d erred in his original vote to sell the forest as admirable—and perhaps a signal that he can divert Oregon from its current course. “That’s what I want out of my elected officials: people who aren’t afraid to admit that maybe they reached the wrong decision the first time,” says Coos County Commissioner Melissa Cribbins. “That’s how I see the treasurer; he’s pragmatic. He tries to find a solution.” Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
NEWS ROGER BONG
UNSAFE SPACE: Multnomah County’s Central Library in downtown Portland was the scene of a stabbing in March.
Quiet Riot Multnomah County librarians say they’re no longer willing to work as de facto security guards. BY S O P H I E P E E L
speel@wweek .com
It was just after 6 pm on Feb. 26 when a patron at the Midland branch of the Multnomah County Library attacked two employees. The man, agitated and yelling, head-butted and punched the two staffers until a co-worker pinned him against the library’s glass doors. “He walked toward me as I was quickly backing up, and bumrushed and head-butted me,” one library staffer wrote in an incident report. “I felt my feet lift off the floor, and landed near a table by the display case.” The worker suffered injuries to her collar bone, right hip and leg—and, three days later, could still not fully lift her right leg. County officials expressed dismay. “We want to acknowledge the pain that this inflicts, and the reality that these kinds of events are happening not just in the library but in spaces across the county,” wrote Kirby McCurtis, the system’s director of location services, to library employees later that day. The February attack at Midland, a library branch on Southeast 122nd Avenue at Morrison Street, is just one incident in a series of violent confrontations in recent months at the county’s public libraries, which often serve as a refuge for people living on Portland’s streets who are struggling with mental illness, substance abuse, and the trauma of living outside. Library workers want more than sympathy. Their union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 88, says the model used to staff libraries for the past two decades puts library workers squarely in the path of potential violence, serving as de facto security guards for unstable patrons. And they are demanding that security duties be revised in the next contract if the library’s current security system isn’t strengthened or changed. Bargaining is ongoing. “Library employees hold many hats—from social work to day care to security guard to resource center,” says Mecca Scott, a union representative for AFSCME Local 88, which represents
more than 450 library workers across the county’s 19 branches. “Security should not be one of them.” The county defends its current model. McCurtis tells WW: “Replacing represented staff who currently perform [these] duties would necessitate a drastic reallocation of positions in all libraries within fixed revenue constraints.” The dispute highlights the strain that overlapping crises of homelessness, inadequate mental health services in Oregon, drug use and the pandemic have placed on people who work in Portland’s public spaces. Libraries see those crises show up perhaps more potently than any other public buildings. “I have to wake up every day,” said one librarian who requested anonymity, “and figure out, is this the day that someone gets stabbed, or someone gets shot?” On March 16, Multnomah County chief operating officer and director of county management Serena Cruz emailed all county employees. “As you have experienced, witnessed, or read in the news, there has been an increase in violence in our community and across the nation,” Cruz wrote. “Additionally, addiction and mental or behavioral health crises are increasingly prevalent and visible in our community, including in many of our health clinics, shelters, and libraries.” She conceded that workplace violence at county facilities had spiked and laid out increased security measures at five buildings, including the Gladys McCoy Health Department Headquarters in Old Town and the offer of security escorts to employees when leaving certain buildings. Cruz was referring in part to increasing violent incidents at library branches. WW obtained the incident reports for three such events from the county. On March 5, at the Central Library in downtown Portland, a patron stabbed another patron in the library elevator with a knife that had a 4-to-6-inch blade.
“Library employees hold many hats—from social work to day care to security guard to resource center. Security should not be one of them.”
Then, on March 21, a distraught man brandishing two knives threatened to harm both himself and staff as librarians hid behind a door at the Woodstock branch after clearing the library of patrons in response to the man’s meltdown. The county acknowledged an increase in similar incidents in a recent budget document: “As our community struggles with issues related to houselessness, addiction and mental health, the library is encountering increased severity and frequency of security-related incidents.” In response, the county beefed up security at libraries. Currently, the library system has 14 “licensed safety liaisons,” or unarmed safety officers, across all libraries. Three of those were added since January in response to incidents. In November, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office told the county that come 2022 it would no longer offer security at the Central Library downtown because the incidents were “outside the scope of the mission” of its unarmed security officers, says Chris Liedle, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office. “This determination shifted away from a presence of uniformed security to that of a police response by the city of Portland,” Liedle says. The sheriff’s office had provided security at the Central Library for over 25 years. The county scrambled to find replacements. It settled on a contract with private security company Northwest Enforcement at the Central Library until June 1. But AFSCME Local 88 says it’s not enough, and a search since November for a new safety and security manager for the libraries has so far failed. Local 88 president Joslyn Baker says libraries are increasingly the place where more people find safe shelter, resources and a reprieve from severe weather. But she says the library system hasn’t adapted to the evolving responsibilities put on its workers: “The county has not recognized and moved the funding and staffing adequately to address” complicated issues, Baker says. Librarians want an overhaul of the model that makes them the first responders to conflict. That model, in place since 2000, requires librarians, if no manager is present, to assume some safety duties, such as issuing warnings and exclusions if someone is misbehaving in the library. Some violations are more serious, such as sexual harassment and violence. Other infractions are much more minor, including eating and sleeping. But those interactions can escalate. During the fall, the county discussed making that role, called the “person in charge,” an opt-in model; but not enough workers were interested in volunteering, the county explained in emails shared with WW. So the mandatory assignment remained. McCurtis tells WW that removing the safety portion of librarians’ duties would be expensive: “We wouldn’t be able to afford it. Every position costs money. If we don’t have staff being [persons in charge] then we have to hire people who can be in that role, and that’s staffing.” The county is also looking for a self-defense course for library workers and is seeking to increase social worker hours spent in libraries across the system from 40 to 61 total per week. Two of the leading candidates for Multnomah County chair, Commissioners Jessica Vega Pederson and Sharon Meieran, both say they would take the concerns of librarians seriously and work to negotiate a different safety model. “The bottom line is that ‘budget constraints’ are not a sufficient reason to put library staff and/or patrons in harm’s way,” Meieran tells WW. The librarian who spoke to WW says he’s not opposed to libraries being the place where people find refuge throughout the day. “I’ve gotten people housing and jobs, I’ve been like a social worker as long as I’ve worked in the library,” he tells WW. “But what I can’t do is deescalate somebody who has ‘meth mites.’ That’s outside of my capacity and training and pay.” Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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SPONSORED CONTENT
We talked to a millennial about a career in property management. Here is what she had to say. Sponsored content presented by MultiFamily NW The great resignation has led many professionals to seek new opportunities that are both rewarding and more aligned with their values. With demand for housing continuing to grow, the need for housing professionals is taking off. We sat down with Andie, who manages housing throughout Portland, to learn more about what a career in property management has to offer.
How did you get into this career? I used to manage tanning salons way back in the day, and one of my customers worked as a property manager. She had an open position, and she asked me to join. I liked sales, and I liked meeting people, so I was like, “Yeah, that sounds great. I get a housing discount. I understand this role.” It sounded like a fun environment. I started as a leasing agent and then worked my way up from there. I discovered a love for leasing apartments, meeting people and helping them find the perfect home. I enjoyed creating those connections and building relationships.
What do you like most about your career as a housing provider? You get to meet so many people and create so many relationships. You get to see their families grow and help them with new opportunities in their life, whether career changes, home changes, or family changes. You get to experience all of it, and I fell in love with that connection to people.
How did the pandemic impact your communities? These past two years have shown that even when we have to be apart, our communities can become closer. We switched to having regular virtual resident events, with interactions through social media, grab-and-go items that people could take home, and partnerships with our retail tenants in the buildings that would provide to-go menu items or outdoor workout classes. We also opened our community rooms when we were able to, so residents had a place to work from home. While the past two years have been hard for people, it has strengthened the relationships within our communities—despite the social distancing measures.
Do you think there are misperceptions about who property managers are? Absolutely, that is why when I have conversations with residents, I really like to let them know
who I am. I’m Andie. I’m a mother of a six-yearold son. I grew up in SW Washington. I’m a person. They’re a person. I care about them as people. I want to do the best and be the best housing provider that I can be for them. We’re always just trying to do our best. We also have maintenance teams who work with us, and they are also housing providers—though many people don’t see the work they do. Sometimes they come in at 3:00 in the morning when there’s a flood in an apartment. They leave their own homes to come and make sure that our residents’ homes are taken care of. They work to make sure that residents’ families are not disrupted, and that their homes are protected.
What does it mean to be a housing provider to you? The basic requirement of our job is to provide quality housing to everybody. It’s incredibly important in our work to treat everyone fairly and equally. A cornerstone of our professional training is becoming an expert in fair housing standards, both federally and locally. Something that I find very helpful is that our regional housing association, Multifamily NW, offers ongoing educational opportunities to gain experience in housing laws. Multifamily NW has partnered extensively with the Fair Housing Council of Oregon to promote and educate housing providers and renters on these laws. For me to be the very best property manager for my renters, I need to ensure everyone is treated equally and fairly no matter their background. That’s why I find these continued education opportunities so valuable for my professional development. They help me ensure that I am compliant with all regulations and knowledgeable about what I’m obligated to provide to my renters.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in starting a new career in housing or growing in their career? Join your regional housing provider association. When I was looking for opportunities to gain experience professionally, Multifamily NW was offering a lot of classes, professional development events, and networking opportunities that all helped me learn and grow professionally. Property management is a great way to create a career for yourself, and it can lead to so many other opportunities. Many of my former colleagues who started in property management are now construction project managers, corporate leaders, marketing professionals or financial analysts. It can be the first step to countless other opportunities.
For more information on Multifamily NW’s Fair Housing educational programming or how to find your career in rental housing through Multifamily NW, please visit multifamilynw.org
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Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
BRIAN BURK
Multifamily NW will be hosting this year’s virtual Fair Housing Fair on April 13, 2022.
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Or can you? We looked for ways to lower Portland’s housing costs.
ast month, new census data revealed something that hadn’t been seen in a decade: More people left Portland than moved here. For some observers, this confirmed their hunch that residents were fleeing a city turned toxic. High taxes, homeless camps, a murder wave—anybody who could get out soon would. Will the last one to leave Rip City please turn out the lights? But a second glance suggests another explanation. Plenty of people want to live in Portland. They just can’t afford a home here. A recent study of U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data shows Portland is the 12th-least affordable major city in the nation. A big factor? Housing costs. In January, real estate advisers Marcus & Millichap said Portland’s single-family home prices were “surging to over six times the median household income, above the same ratio for the nation as a whole.” The result? More people who want to buy will have to rent, and the rental vacancy rate will shrink to 2.8% by year’s end. “High housing costs are still a huge concern,” says Josh Lehner, a state economist. “If a place is too expensive, then when somebody makes the decision to move, they no longer consider Oregon or Portland and maybe go down the list to a less expensive place.” That trend only intensified in the past year, as millions of Americans (and, anecdotally, plenty of Portlanders) realized they didn’t have to pay big-city housing prices to live near executive-track jobs. Perhaps more than anything else, remote work is reshaping our cities. Hollowing them out, actually (see chart below). While Portland saw its population shrink by less than a percentage point in 2021, the nation’s two most expensive metro areas, New York City and San Francisco, saw dramatic exoduses—each lost nearly 7% of their populations in a year. This week’s cover package is devoted to helping Portland avoid that fate. While we’re at it, we’d also like to keep you from paying too much. In the following pages, WW has sought to answer your questions about finding a home you can afford. Looking for a house in the suburbs? (You can admit it: A lot of people are.) We went comparison shopping, and found the bedroom communities that are still bargains (page 16). Wondering why Portland can’t seem to build enough housing supply to keep costs down? We examined the red tape that has prevented one developer from building affordable units (page 18) and floated five ideas for erecting a cheaper apartment (page 20). Just hoping you can make next month’s rent? We’ve provided a list of people and strategies to help you stay in your apartment (page 21). If this city is to emerge from its recent struggles, it will need the new energy and ideas that drove its growth over the past 20 years. That’s only possible if people find places they can afford to live. Portland has no greater challenge.
The Price Is Wrong
Portland saw its population flatline in 2021. But the city’s contraction was modest in comparison to the flight from U.S. metro areas where homes are most expensive. Here’s how Multnomah County compares with the counties that saw significant population declines last year—and how our housing costs compare. AARON MESH.
Population Average decline: home price:
Households with severe cost burden:
New York County (New York City)
6.9%
$746,354
19%
San Francisco County
6.7%
$1.57 million
16%
Suffolk County (Boston)
3.3%
$718,756
22%
Los Angeles County
1.8%
$944,651
24%
Multnomah County
1.5%
$574,291
17%
Miami-Dade County (Miami)
1.4%
$477,471
26%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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BRIAN BURK
What You Get in the Suburbs Fleeing Portland? We have bad news about home prices in surrounding bedroom towns. @ R a c h e l L a u r e n1 2
So, you’re looking to leave the City of Roses. We get it. This is not Portland’s finest moment. Beaverton real estate broker John Tae says he’s seen a recent increase in Portland homebuyers seeking suburban refuge. “Number one is the homelessness issue,” he says. “Especially in areas of higher-price-point homes where they step out and there’s a homeless encampment.” Second reason: high taxes. A series of bonds and levies make the property tax rate in Portland higher than that of surrounding towns, compounding a marginal tax rate for high-income residents that’s among the steepest in the nation. Third: Portland’s robust tenant protections (see page 21) make it more appealing for would-be landlords to spend their money in the suburbs or out-of-state, Tae says. Homeowners who are fed up with Portland might cast an eye to the wilds of Clackamas and Washington counties, imagining quiet streets, good schools and big lawns. One thing they may need to cross off their wish lists: more affordable homes. February statistics from Redfin show Portland’s median home price was $511,150. Almost all of our suburbs blow right past that number: Median home prices in Tigard, Milwaukie, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Wilsonville, Happy Valley and Oregon City are all more expensive than in Portland proper. (And, obviously, in Lake Oswego and West Linn, at $902,000 and $765,000, respectively.) Some good news for buyers who don’t have easy access to half a mil: Gresham, Aloha, Troutdale and Vancouver, Wash., all have median home prices lower than Portland’s. Yet the data shows a trend. Portland home prices fell 1.6% compared with last year, according to Redfin. In that respect, Portland stands alone: All of our suburbs’ housing prices rose last year. Happy Valley, Hillsboro and Troutdale all grew by more than 20%. “There is a healthy supply of people reaching out to us saying, ‘Get me out of here!’” says real estate agent Steve Nassar, who specializes in Lake Oswego. “They want to stay in the area, but they’ve got to get out of Portland.” The numbers are not showing a mass exodus from the City of Roses, however. While U.S. census figures show that Multnomah County contracted by 1.5% last year, Portland State University’s Population Research Center estimates the county actually grew by 0.53% (4,362 people) from 2020 to 2021. But bordering counties, Clackamas and Washington, grew by more (0.74% and 0.69%, respectively). 16
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
Some of this churn can be attributed to how the pandemic affected the national housing market. “With offices shut down and a lack of entertainment and hospitality, there was less reason to move into central cities and more reason to move out to seek more space for remote work or privacy,” says PSU’s Charles Rynerson. “The inflow was likely smaller than usual, and the outflow greater.” Nassar says that trend suggests a sage homebuyer should wait—and Portland home prices will drop even further. “Housing will slow down,” Nassar says. “We all know that.” He points to the rising 30-year mortgage interest rate, which crossed the 5% mark last week. He believes the suburban market will hold, but he’s not as confident in the city. “When the suburbs sneeze in the next change of the housing market,” Nassar says, “I think Portland is going to get the flu,” With a hat tip to The Sunday New York Times’ “What You Get” real estate feature, we created a suburban Portland edition. We started with a price of $400,000—awfully steep, we know, but a useful inflection point. Start lower and nothing is available; at a higher price point, you can get something more spacious in any Portland-area burg. These properties were all available last week, though some are now under contract.
ZILLOW
BY R AC H E L S A S LOW
BEAVERTON
4875 SW Normandy Place What: A three-bedroom, two-bath 1969 home in Westbrook. How much: $400,000 Size: 1,237 square feet Indoors: Remodeled home includes freshly painted interiors and a kitchen with quartz countertops, new stainless steel appliances, and tile backsplashes. Outdoors: The 2,178-square-foot lot includes a front lawn and a fenced back patio. Standout feature: Westbrook has two swimming pools, a clubhouse and community garden. Taxes: $3,702.85 in 2021, plus $386 monthly HOA dues
ZILLOW
VANCOUVER, WASH.
ZILLOW
HILLSBORO
ZILLOW
PORTLAND
WEST LINN
575 Springtree Lane What: A two-bedroom, two-bath condo in a gated community How much: $379,000 Size: 1,283 square feet Indoors: Sunny southeast corner unit built in 2000 includes granite counters and new flooring throughout. Outdoors: Two balconies, one covered. Summerlinn Estates’ amenities include clubhouse, pool, hot tub, gym, play area and sport court. Standout feature: Crown molding Taxes: $3,503.38 in 2021, plus $349 monthly HOA dues
ZILLOW
ZILLOW
STAY HOME: Median prices of homes in Portland, like this one in the Woodstock neighborhood, are lower than those in surrounding towns.
GRESHAM
34 SW Wallula Ave. What: A 1978 ranch home on a 6,098-square-foot lot with three bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths in the Hollybrook neighborhood. How much: $400,000 Size: 1,008 square feet Indoors: New HVAC system. Front door opens into a sunny living room with a wood-burning fireplace and hardwood floors. Outdoors: Less than a mile to downtown Gresham’s shops and restaurants—and one lawn away from Powell Boulevard. Standout feature: Charming peekaboo window between the living room and kitchen. Taxes: $2,773.10 in 2020
604 Columbia Ridge Drive What: A two-bedroom, one-bath brick home in Vancouver Heights, built in 1950. How much: $395,000 Size: 840 square feet Indoors: The living room’s fireplace has been converted into a pellet stove. Hardwood floors throughout. Outdoors: The 7,840-square-foot lot on a quiet street includes fenced backyard, covered patio and tool shed. Driveway has space for RV or boat parking. Standout feature: Basement with tons of storage. Taxes: $2,612.51 in 2021
2440 NE Sunrise Lane What: A three-bedroom, two-bath home built in 1971. How much: $400,000 Size: 1,104 square feet Indoors: Living room has built-in cabinets, a brick fireplace and new vinyl flooring. Outdoors: Fenced backyard on a 7,840-square-foot lot with brick path and flower beds. Less than a mile from the Hillsboro Airport. Standout feature: Intel campus is half a mile away. Taxes: $2,615.98 in 2021
5353 SE 52nd Ave. What: A one-bedroom, one-bath bungalow in Woodstock. How much: $389,000 Size: 924 square feet Indoors: Remodeled 1921 home with bright office space and original hardwood floors. Brand-new bathroom and kitchen. Outdoors: The 4,791 square-foot lot has large backyard with a new cedar deck and a covered patio. Standout feature: Raised garden beds. Taxes: $3,339.40 in 2021 Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
aef finger@wweek .com
On paper, the Pop Blocks project on Northeast Sandy Boulevard is an urban development dream. It would turn what was once a collection of aging Pepsi warehouses into a 4.7-acre, mixed-use, mixed-income complex with shops and a tree-lined plaza. It would even have a “woonerf.” That’s Dutch for a street shared by pedestrians, bicycles, slow-moving cars, and kids at play. Best of all, Pop Blocks would have 44 subsidized apartments for renters earning 60% or less of area median income. The developer planned to put all of those in the first phase, called Splash. In a city that’s desperate for housing, it may be a drop in the bucket, but it’s a welcome one. But Splash is on hold. The giant excavator hasn’t moved in more than five months, and the rock crusher is idled. The graceful arches on the beloved old bottling plant stand like a skeleton. The project is stalled because Oregon officials ruled in February that the developer could not use a tax-exempt bond program and low-income housing tax credits to finance construction of the affordable apartments. The rejection came as a total surprise, says Michael Nanney, senior director of development at Security Properties, the Seattle-based developer. Teams from his firm and the state met every Thursday for months, he says, hammering out the project’s finances. Investors, construction lenders, and various lawyers joined the calls, and everything appeared to be on track. Until it wasn’t. “All of a sudden, the tablecloth got yanked out from underneath us,” Nanney says. “No one involved in this transaction has ever seen anything like this.” Oregon Housing and Community Services, the state agency that helps finance affordable housing, seemed gung ho about the project, Nanney says. After some debate about how Security Properties would meet new requirements for diversity and inclusion, OHCS’s Housing Stability Council voted unanimously to approve Splash’s state funding, according to a video of the meeting held Oct. 1, 2021. Then, on Oct. 21, out of nowhere, the Oregon Department of Justice arrived on the Thursday call with new objections. The dispute means that a city desperate for affordable housing will get much less from Splash. The monthslong fight could also spook developers who thought many of the issues Security Properties encountered had precedents that offered solutions. A project that once seemed charmed has detoured into a bureaucratic morass worthy of Kafka. The Justice Department’s advice appears extraordinary. An OHCS spokesperson says the agency is unaware of any other project seeking the kind of bonds Security Properties wanted ever being rejected for failing to meet legal requirements. Observers say it’s outrageous. “We continue to make it ridiculously hard to build affordable housing,” says Margaret Van Vliet, founder of Trillium Advisors LLC and a former director of both OHCS and the Portland Housing Bureau. “This project seems like a case study for what’s not working.” The site in question has been part of Portland’s industrial history since 1940, when Pepsi built a state-of-the-art bottling plant on Northeast 27th Avenue, just off Sandy Boulevard.
J O R D A N H U N D E LT
BUBBLE BURST: Michael Cecil, a project manager at R&H Construction, has waited five months to resume work on the Pop Blocks.
Americans guzzled sugary drinks in the postwar era, and in 1961, Pepsi hired high-end architects Scott & Payne to build a $100,000 addition to the plant using bow trusses that gave the new building its sloping, midcentury-modern look. Eventually, Pepsi took over 4.7 acres of land at the Sandy location, blocking off a section of Northeast Pacific Street. Security Properties got involved in 2017. It bought the site for $27 million and leased the property back to Pepsi until May 2020. “We got a great price,” says Security’s chief development officer, John Marasco. To finance the affordable units, Security Properties planned to sell $12.9 million in tax-exempt bonds and entice investors by offering them valuable federal tax credits. Developers have been using this mechanism to build affordable housing since 1986, when the federal government created it. The low-income housing tax credits, as they are known, are gold for corporations and wealthy investors. Unlike a deduction, which just lowers the amount of income to be taxed, the credits cut tax bills directly. The big concern for state officials who administer the program is that the bonds and tax credits be used only for affordable housing, not market-rate units, because the bonds and tax credits are a subsidy. The Splash project is more complicated than some because the affordable units are to be interspersed with the market-rate units. Such mixing is preferred by housing experts, Security Properties says. “If you go to an affordable housing conference somewhere in America, all you hear is, ‘How do we integrate housing?’” Nanney says. “How do we integrate neighborhoods?” Security Properties thought it had the answer, and to keep the accounting separate, it created two legal entities—one to own the affordable units and one to own the market-rate units. Altogether, phase one would cost about $112 million, but the $12.9 million from the tax-exempt bonds, and all the tax credits, would be used only for the affordable units.
Nanney says OHCS steered Security Properties toward the two-entity structure, as it had other developers. For months, everything went according to plan. Security Properties won approvals required by state agencies, including the Oregon Housing Stability Council. The governor’s office signed off on plans to issue the bonds and offer the tax credits, Security Properties says. “We had picked up our building permit and had begun demolishing buildings,” says Splash project manager Gus Baum, who played trumpet for the Decemberists before taking a circuitous trip into real estate development. “We had shoring steel delivered and were getting ready to dig a big hole.” Then, in October, one day before Security Properties was going to post details of the bond sale for the public, the Oregon Attorney General’s Office said it had a legal issue with Splash. (Disclosure: Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is married to Richard Meeker, the co-owner of WW’s parent company.) The DOJ and OHCS followed the warning with a stream of emails questioning Splash’s finances. Department lawyers asked about a range of issues that Security Properties thought had been settled. Among them, Security Properties says, was the firm’s “developer fee,” the amount a developer gets paid for its work and for the risk of taking on the project. The state objected to Security Properties taking an 18% fee for its work on the affordable units, Security Properties says, even though OHCS’s own rules allow such a fee and a 2015 paper on the subject by Meyer Memorial Trust said the higher developer costs were justified. The DOJ also raised questions about the percentage of the building’s common areas were being paid for with tax-advantaged money. Security Properties had allocated the cost of corridors and other common areas to the two entities based on the rentable square footage of the affordable units as a percentage of the total.
DOJ didn’t buy it, Security Properties says. “The most effective way to kill a mixed-income development is to make a developer eat the affordable share of all the common elements,” Nanney says. “No market-rate development in the world can build everything it needs for itself, plus the corridors, elevators and stairs for the 25% of the project that has virtually no income.” On Feb. 2, deputy attorney general Lisa Udland wrote a three-paragraph email to Security Properties, sticking a knife in Splash. “I can assure you that OHCS and the Attorney General strongly support more affordable housing opportunities in our cities,” Udland wrote. “Unfortunately, after consultation, OHCS has determined that the proposed Pepsi/Splash project…fails to meet the necessary statutory criteria to qualify for the requested funding.” DOJ referred WW’s questions about Splash to OHCS. The agency’s spokeswoman, Delia Hernández, declined to make officials available for interviews. In an email, she said Splash didn’t have a large enough percentage of affordable units to qualify for OHCS funding under Oregon law. (Security Properties says OHCS’s stance ignores the two-owner structure that the agency had blessed earlier in the process.) “To OHCS’s credit, they are trying to find ways to make projects go,” says Van Vliet, the agency’s former director. “DOJ lawyers have long had a reputation in the industry for being overly conservative.” That said, the system needs an overhaul, Van Vliet says. “The way we finance housing is crazy and complicated and really needs to change if we are to overcome this housing crisis.” The Security Properties team is trying to push the project forward without the tax-exempt bonds and credits. In the meantime, the developer is spending $220,000 a month to keep the project alive. If Splash does go forward without public financing, phase one will have just eight affordable units, not 44. Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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BRIAN BURK
Extra Value Portland’s new homes are too expensive. Here are five ways to make them cheaper. BY M I C H A E L A N D E R S E N
@andersem
After 15 years studying housing policy—10 years as a journalist, the last few for a sustainability think tank—I’ve come to what might seem like an obvious conclusion: The main factor driving the rising cost of all housing in Portland is the cost of building new housing. If we want Portland homes to cost less, either to buy or rent, we need it to be less expensive to create a new home or apartment. Right now, you can’t find a new, three-bedroom house in Portland for much less than $600,000, because that’s how much it costs to finance, build and sell a three-bedroom house. As long as that’s true, the price of a quaint, drafty midcentury bungalow won’t be much lower. But many of those costs are mandatory—because public policy requires everyone buying a home to purchase nice but unnecessary things that add to the price. For example, yards are nice. Many places require everyone who wants a home to also purchase a yard. (This was called “single-family zoning,” and fortunately Oregon was the first state to end it.) Windows are also very nice; in most of the U.S. they’re effectively mandatory, too. (Including labor, each window adds maybe $1,000 to the cost of a wall.) If the costs weren’t mandatory, nonprofit builders wouldn’t need $200,000 or more in public subsidies to build a “regulated affordable” home. With that in mind, I’ll suggest five ways to meaningfully cut our housing costs, none of which require living without windows.
FOUR FLOORS AND CORNER STORES.
Right now, Portland limits the new construction of apartment buildings to the lots immediately adjacent to a few big streets, plus the areas (like downtown and the neighborhoods right across the river from it) that were developed before apartments were illegal. That ban is a bad idea. The policy reduces the number of what Seattle housing activist Laura Loe Bernstein calls “four floors and corner stores.” The phrase captures one of the least expensive housing types in human history: the walk-up wood-framed apartment building, often with a little shop underneath. Such buildings are far less expensive per unit than steel towers or single detached homes. They’re a perfect way to share walls and utilities and divvy up the land costs (the single biggest factor behind Portland’s rising rents) among more households. That’s why Portland and other cities built so many of them until the 1920s, when we started to restrict them to smaller and smaller areas. In 1926’s Euclid v. Ambler, the U.S. Supreme Court summed up the argument for apartment bans: Multistory housing is a “mere parasite” mooching off the yards of the more expensive homes nearby. Takes one to know one, dudes: The reason detached homes in Portland are expensive is that they’re close to the urban offices, shops and amenities that apartment buildings make possible. We should re-legalize these, especially near parks, jobs and transit.
BETTER TRANSIT AND BIKING.
In 2020, Portland effectively removed residential parking mandates. This helps lower new construction costs, because every parking space requires land and/or a garage, adding 20
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
TRUE STORIES: Lowering the cost of new construction will reduce the price of all housing.
approximately $330 a month to the break-even rent of a new apartment. The only answer is making it easier to get around town without a car. Two years ago, the Portland City Council unanimously backed a grand plan for dedicated bus lanes and signal jumps all over town. The city is plodding away, but finishing that “Rose Lane Project” fast is a housing issue.
SINGLE STAIRWELLS.
If a new apartment or condo building in Oregon has more than three floors or more than four separate units per floor, current building code requires a second staircase and, effectively, a central hallway—hundreds of square feet per floor that everyone in the building pays to construct. This rule ripples through the cost of everything else, from land (it makes small-lot infill difficult) to air conditioning (central hallway means no cross breeze on our cool summer nights). The rationale is to have an extra exit in case of fire, but we have cheaper ways to save the same lives. Seattle sets this rule at six stories for buildings that take a few extra fire precautions. (So do Japan, Germany and other rich countries with cheaper housing and many fewer fire deaths per capita.) Oregon should follow suit.
TAX LAND MORE THAN BUILDINGS.
Tax efficiency rule No. 1 is to tax things that don’t vanish when you try to tax them. Here’s one: planet Earth. Lots of tenants don’t realize how much of their rent goes to pay the landlord’s property taxes, which the government calculates as a percentage of the combined taxable value of (a) each piece of land and (b) the buildings on top of it. If competition puts a ceiling on rents, property taxes
on buildings put a floor on rents. Taxing the existence of a building gives people a reason not to make new buildings. It’s a classic case of tax inefficiency. But if we wanted, we could tax the value of land at a higher percentage rate than we do the buildings on it. The Oregon Historical Society says land tax was “arguably the most contentious issue in Oregon politics” 100 years ago; last year, the Legislature brushed aside a bill to reopen the debate. A 2019 Portland State University study found that land tax would also soak the people whose property value comes mostly from location rather than structure—the owners of Irvington homes and downtown parking lots. The study found it’d help just about everyone else. Inflation is about to torpedo Oregon’s terrible property tax system; a shift toward land taxes could help build it back better.
NORMALIZE ROLLING HOMES.
Last year, Portland legalized living in a small home on wheels (including RVs) in someone’s backyard. There are no required structural standards. In other words: Hook up the utilities, put a wheel on it, and you’re living legally in a structure with no building code. Not many people have noticed this yet and nobody knows how it’ll play out. But it opens the door to newly manufactured homes that could break even at about $400 to $500 a month. I wouldn’t want to live in one myself. But these days, it wouldn’t take long for me to find a few people who’d love to, and I don’t think I could explain to them why they shouldn’t be allowed to. Could you? Michael Andersen is a senior researcher for Sightline Institute, a regional sustainability think tank.
BRIAN BURK
WHAT IF I HAVE MOLD IN MY APARTMENT OR MY HEAT DOESN’T WORK?
Pay and Stay
GOOD NEIGHBORS: Portland landlords must evaluate applications on a first-come, first-served basis.
As a Portland renter in a squeezed market, how do I stay where I’m living? BY S O P H I E P E E L
speel@wweek .com
Nearly half of Portlanders are renters. For almost two years, some of them didn’t pay rent. A state and local freeze on evictions for tenants unable to pay during the first year of COVID-19 expired in March. That means not only are tenants obligated to pay this month’s rent, they are obligated to pony up any back rent from the first year of the pandemic. (Freezes on nonpayment evictions still apply if tenants have a pending application for rental assistance.) Those renewed obligations arrive amid a housing market that grew even tighter while Portland was in lockdown. Vacancy rates are dropping, rents are rising, and fewer apartment buildings are expected to be built this year than at any time since around 2012. That means few easy answers for tenants who still can’t afford their apartments. We asked housing experts, lawyers and investors for a glimpse into Oregon’s rental market—and to offer advice.
IF I GET AN EVICTION NOTICE FROM MY LANDLORD, WHERE DO I LOOK FOR HELP?
Becky Straus, a lawyer with the Oregon Law Center, says it’s crucial to find free legal representation to walk you through the eviction process and possibly help you avoid eviction. Last August, City Hall launched a partnership with the OLC and Portland Community College’s CLEAR Clinic to fund free legal aid for Portlanders facing eviction and support the work of about 10 lawyers. The city’s eviction defense program was launched because of COVID-19, but the program is expected to become permanent.
Straus says getting an attorney is the most essential way to stay in an apartment. Attorneys can advise tenants on their legal rights and connect them to rental assistance. “If a tenant cannot get the rent paid and cannot access assistance, an attorney can help evaluate their rights: Do they have a defense to the eviction, or is there any other possibility to maintain housing stability?” Straus says. Negotiating with the landlord’s attorney is a crucial part of a lawyer’s role, she adds. Call the Eviction Defense Project at 1-888-585-9638 for assistance.
WHAT OTHER TENANT PROTECTIONS ARE AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW?
Portland has some of the nation’s strongest renter protections and is far ahead of the rest of the state. In Portland, landlords can only raise rents by 7% plus inflation, and even that amount is capped at 10% unless the landlord is willing to pay a relocation fee if a tenant chooses to leave. One of the biggest wins for Portland renters in recent years was the 2019 passage of the FAIR ordinance, which more tightly regulates screening processes and puts limits on security deposits. “Asking for two or three months’ security deposit is an issue for low-income tenants,” says tenant advocate Margot Black. Also, under the act, landlords must evaluate rent applications on a first-come, first-served basis, and tenants with disabilities get priority for accessible units. In perhaps the most landmark change, applicants facing barriers to housing, such as a criminal record, a low credit score or a previous eviction, can submit documents explaining the circumstances. (The criminal record portion of this protection took effect statewide Jan. 1.)
If your apartment is in crummy condition, you may not need to pay. “It’s true that if you go through the right steps, you can withhold rent or get a rent abatement for habitability issues,” Black says. First, notify your landlord of the problem in writing (when dealing with a rental dispute, it’s a good idea as a general practice to write everything down). Offer the landlord a reasonable amount of time to fix the problem, whether it’s a broken shower, mold or a leaky roof. If the landlord does not take action to fix the problem within a reasonable period, find a lawyer. (There is no hard definition of “reasonable”; this subjectivity, Black says, offers landlords liberal wiggle room for argument.) Do not withhold rent prior to finding legal representation, because the landlord can use your nonpayment as a reason to evict you. Mold is a slightly trickier issue: There’s no clear law that outlines the renter’s responsibility versus the landlord’s, says Black. “It’s just really hard for renters to get recourse on mold unless the walls are falling apart and you can see mold.” Withholding rent is not the only recourse renters have to pressure landlords to address repairs. For more tactics, visit oregonrentersrights.org.
CAN I FIND SOMETHING CHEAPER DOWNTOWN?
Downtown Portland has been gutted of its workforce for most of the past two years, with little commerce or foot traffic and a highly visible collection of tents. That makes the area less desirable. Is now the time to move downtown? Two Stanford scholars coined a term last year, “the doughnut effect,” to describe how major cities have seen their cores hollowed out by remote work, leading to higher vacancy rates and lower rents. Yet Portland’s downtown apartments haven’t seen a spike in vacancies. As of last fall, the vacancy rates downtown and in Northwest Portland were only slightly higher than in other parts of the city, at 4.6% and 6.1%, respectively. In downtown, that’s a 50% drop in vacancy since spring of 2021. While conditions downtown have received plenty of press, less obvious pressures make it unlikely that rents in the city center will suddenly drop. A fall report by CoStar shows that building development in the Portland market has slowed due to more expensive materials and a labor shortage, meaning demand for units will likely continue to outpace supply until at least 2024. Another report by investor advisory agency Marcus & Millichap found that more Portlanders will likely become renters as prices of single-family homes rise, meaning an even tighter squeeze on the rental market. Greg Frick of HFO Investment Real Estate says Portland’s inclusionary housing policies and Oregon’s rent control laws have also driven some out-of-state investors away from the Portland market. “Now with inclusionary zoning and the perception of what’s going on in Portland,” Frick says, “if as an investor you have the ability to go to other places, those are check marks that aren’t real favorable for the city of Portland.” Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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BEER
VERSE LAND IA!
The Annual Oregon Beer Awards Returned in Person on April 6. Here Are the Results. The ceremony was filled with surprises, a whole lot of rowdy drinking, and purple fringe. BY A N D I P R E W I T T The Oregon Beer Awards returned to a sold-out Revolution Hall on April 6, and based on the crowd’s rowdy enthusiasm, the state’s craft brewing industry was more than ready for an in-person gathering.
YOUTH POETRY SLAM CHAMPIONSHIP APRIL 28, 2022 7:00 P.M. ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
Lines formed at the doors leading into the venue’s auditorium an hour before the Willamette Week-sponsored ceremony began—brewers and drinkers alike were looking to snag prime seats, while others milled about the many bars, doling out handshakes and hugs to friends.
Sponsors:
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Once the awards began, the audience briefly fell quiet for a video introducing this year’s MCs: Gigantic Brewing’s Ben Love and Natalie Baldwin of Breakside Brewery, who took the role of co-host for the first time. Both rocked purple fringe outfits created by Baldwin. This was the second-largest OBAs ever, with more than 1,000 entries by 123 breweries. Winners were selected by 72 judges—some of whom traveled across the country to participate—during the state’s only double-blind tasting competition. In addition to that, more than 200 industry professionals picked the area’s top brewpubs, bottle shops, beer bars and more in a balloting system. The big winner of the night was Breakside, which took home 11 medals along with the title of Large Brewery of the Year. 10 Barrel Brewing also performed well, nabbing seven medals, while pFriem Family Brewers in Hood River and Portland’s Wayfinder now each have five more medals to add to their collections. Perhaps the big surprise of the night was the winner of Small Brewery of the Year.
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Nebuleus Beer, which focuses on mixed-culture and barrel-aged concoctions, using fruit sourced from local farms, isn’t yet widely known. Owners Timothy Crook and Rachel Olen are active on the Nebuleus’ Instagram account, which is where you’ll hear about new releases and pickup locations. Though you’ll need to act fast if you intend to buy any bottles: The batches are small and now certain to be more in demand than ever thanks to the brewery’s big win. The night wasn’t without a little controversy. One of the beers submitted in the competition—Deschutes Non-Alcoholic Black Butte Porter—earned a silver medal in the Gluten Free and Non-Alcoholic Beers category. The judging committee had no idea, but that beer is actually produced and packaged in Colorado, making it ineligible for the OBAs—an oversight on the part of the submitting brewery. That fact only came to the attention of the ceremony’s organizers, however, after the award was announced. The medal has since been rescinded, and the other two medals for that category remain in place. For the full list of winners, see wweek.com.
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Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
STREET
ALL THAT GLITTERS Photos by Chris Nesseth On Instagram: @chrisnesseth
Even casual fans of the Discovery Channel’s long-running show Gold Rush know that Oregon attracts panners hoping to strike it rich or, perhaps, just to add nuggets to their home collection. That’s one reason the Gold Prospectors Association of America made a stop in Portland on April 9 and 10. The Expo Center hosted the organization’s Gold & Treasure Show, which included booths with metal-detecting supplies, outdoor gear and precious metals as well as seminars on geology and mining rights. Beginners had the chance to take home real gold in the Panning Zone, overseen by skilled instructors.
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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Summer Camp Guide Language Immersion
SUMMER CAMP
Spanish, Japanese, or Chinese Beginner to Advanced
•
A WO R OF FU LD N
PreK - 5th Grade
!
• Learn language and world cultures through hands-on projects, games, outdoor fun, and more • Activities are designed to be engaging and fun while also developing & enhancing language skills.
intlschool.org/summer • summer@intlschool.org
summer camps at the theater & in your community nwcts.org • 503-222-2190 24
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
YOUTH SUMMER CAMPS JUNE 13–AUG 26 AGES 8–14 pamcut.org
Summer Camp Guide
ART
CAMP NOW ENROLLING!
Discover local summer camps and activities for your kids. Now is the time to start making your summer plans!
JUNE 13TH- AUG 26TH Monday - Friday 2:00PM - 6:00PM
$185 / WEEK HEY FAMILIES! The Hangout PDX’s weekly summer camps are designed to inspire creativity, confidence, and friendship while introducing our campers to exciting new ideas and experiences in the arts!
503.957.4915
WWW.THEHANGOUTPDX.COM
FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY THIS SUMMER Saturday Academy Summer STEAM Camps & Classes Visit our website to learn more!
www.saturdayacademy.org Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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We Need Your Help Building a Sustainable World.
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 .
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Buildings are getting smarter and more energy efficient, but the US doesn’t have enough people who know how to operate them. We are training the energy efficiency and building controls experts of the future. The industry offers satisfying work, great pay, and job flexibility.
Salem chef and coowner of the Hoss Soss hot sauce brand Matt Kuerbis competes on a new TBS reality show, Rat in the Kitchen.
Are you a problem solver? Apply to the Building Energy & Controls Apprenticeship and get paid as you learn.
Learn More at BECAJOBS.ORG
B.E.C.A. is funded by the US Department of Energy
All job locations are in Portland. GROW A CAREER! No experience is required for custodians, but customer service and/or cleaning experience always helps.
AW F U L
Portland Public Schools envisions every student, every teacher, every school succeeding. It takes a community to keep our schools comfortable and safe so that our students can thrive.
Tickets to the smashhit musical Hamilton are sold out online, but you can still score seats through a lottery system.
AW E S O M E
Ecola State Park reopens after a five-month closure due to a sinkhole.
Portland Opera’s former general manager launches a new opera company, OrpheusPDX.
Five Portland choirs will perform at a Ukraine benefit concert in May.
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU: Punctuality and reliability. Ability to pass a short multiple choice skills test about equipment, safety, and best practices in the field. Basic computer skills to clock in/out. Ability to perform essential duties/ physical tasks (see job posting). Ability to pass a background check after job offer. SUPPORT IN SUCCESS: This job is represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and offers access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Paid training and continued career support from our leaders. $16.70 - $20.92 / hour OTHER GREAT PERKS: Paid Holidays. Medical, Dental, Vision, and PERS retirement benefits for full-time. Opportunities for overtime work. Paid sick leave and other paid time off (PTO). Swing shifts Mon.-Fri. (afternoons into evenings)
The Rogue Valley Shakespeare Company is bringing Shakespeare in the Park to Grants Pass this June.
View jobs and apply online at http://careers.pps.net and search for “custodian” SERIOUS 26
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
GET BUSY
music millennium
STUFF TO DO IN PORTLAND THIS WEEK, INDOORS AND OUT.
COURTESY O F B E L M O N T S TAT I O N
DRINK: Belmont Station Silver Anniversary
Frequently named Best Bottle Shop at the Oregon Beer Awards, Belmont Station is a fixture in the local craft beer scene and is also sought out by tourists. This year, the establishment is turning 25, and you can celebrate that milestone by drinking five special tapped beers that the store’s staffers helped make. The collaborations involved some of the state’s most popular breweries, including Fort George, Von Ebert and Wayfinder, and reps from those brands will be on hand for a limited time to answer questions. The party doubles as a fundraiser for Mercy Corps’ Humanitarian Response Fund and its current work in and around Ukraine. Belmont Station, 4500 SE Stark St., 503-232-8538, belmont-station.com. 11 am-11 pm FridaySunday, April 15-17.
SEE: The Children
When it comes to Portland’s big-league theater companies, Artists Rep is arguably the class of the field—the company is pretty consistent in pairing slick production values with substantive ideas. The Children, written by Lucy Kirkwood, looks like a continuation of that trend, with a provocative narrative about two retired nuclear physicists living in the aftermath of a meltdown. Portland Center Stage’s Ellen Bye Studio, 128 NW 11th Ave., 503-241-1278, artistsrep.org. 7:30 pm Wednesday-Saturday, 2 and 7:30 pm Sunday, 2 pm select Saturdays, April 9-15. $5-$45.
LISTEN: Music for 4/20
Who says cannabis and classical music don’t go together? Billed as “An Evening of Experiential Modern Minimalist,” Music for 4/20 features two pieces by the iconic minimalist composer Steve Reich, Music for 18 Musicians and Vermont Counterpoint. If that doesn’t get your attention, maybe the concert’s accompanying lighting installations and partnership with two dispensaries, Electric Lettuce and Serra, will. Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, 15 NE Hancock St., 503-446-4227, 45thparallelpdx.org. 7 pm Wednesday, April 20. $35.
WATCH: Predator
Yes, the gonzo appeal of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s possibly terrible, possibly brilliant acting never gets old. But the person behind the scenes of this 1987 action classic was the real hero: director John McTiernan, the action master who also engineered the mesmerizing violence and suspense of Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October. So go see Predator at the Hollywood Theatre and watch McTiernan show this generation’s snot-nosed action directors how it’s done. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-493-1128, hollywoodtheatre.org. 7:30 pm Sunday, April 17. $7-$10.
SEE: Hamilton
This rap-influenced retelling of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton’s life originally came to Portland in 2018, triggering a mad dash for seats while delightfully living up to the hype. Hamilton was originally scheduled to swing through town again last spring, but COVID concerns pushed back the opening to 2022. Finally, fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda who didn’t get to see the original run here have nearly three weeks to catch a show. Tickets have sold out online, but hopeful attendees can enter a lottery for one of 40 $10 seats every night. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 503- 248-4335, portland.broadway.com. 7:30 pm Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 pm Saturday, 1 and 7 pm Sunday. Sold out. $10 lottery tickets.
in-store events
jon koonce - friday, april 15th 6pm
book reading & signing ‘guilty as homemade sin’
the second book by North Carolina author Jon Koonce, Jon was born and raised in the southeast United States until his teens when he made an extended move to Portland, Oregon, where he established himself as a consummate singer-songwriter-performer with fourteen albums to his credit.
ryan pinkard - Saturday, april 16th book reading & signing
‘boxer’ from the 33 1/3 series
5pm
Released in 2007, The National’s fourth full-length album, Boxer, is the one that saved them. For fans, Boxer is a profound personal meditation on the unmagnificent lives of adults, an elegant culmination of their sophisticated songwriting, and the first National album many fell in love with.
pond - sunday, april 17th
3pm
live in-store performance
‘rock collection’ 25th anniversary
In 1997, Pond released the magnificent ‘Rock Collection’ on Sony/Work. A record that sonically was filled with angular guitar riffs, sharp and dynamic drums, and wonderfully harmonic vocals. An album that clearly that stands the test of time and sadly, never got the attention it was due... until now.
record store day saturday april 23rd 8am - 10pm - free coffee + granola bars at 7am - over 350 limited edition vinyl releases
- free gift bag to first 200 customers - free special music millennium rsd POSTER to first 250 customers
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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Top 5
Hot Plates WHERE TO EAT THIS WEEK.
Editor: Andi Prewitt Contact: aprewitt@wweek.com
THOMAS TEAL
1. CAFE OLLI
FOOD & DRINK
3925 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 503-206-8604, cafeolli.com. 9 am-2 pm Tuesday, 9 am-9 pm Wednesday-Sunday. Cafe Olli is a lot of restaurants. By day, it’s a casual counter-service spot, with your pick of pastries, sandwiches and square Roman-style “pizza alla pala” by the slice. At night, the room darkens. There’s wait staff on the floor, and the cooks get busy with the wood-fired oven, which remains from the space’s previous occupant, Ned Ludd. No matter when you visit, the menus have a choose-yourown-adventure feel, suitable for anyone in need of a quick meal, or a customer looking to sample every dish. Pro tip: Get there early for dinner to guarantee yourself a slice of classic chocolate fudge cake.
2. RIPE COOPERATIVE
5425 NE 30th Ave., 503-841-6968, ripecooperative.com. Noon-8 pm Thursday-Saturday, noon-5 pm Sunday. The lasagna at Naomi Pomeroy’s cafe-market is richness upon richness, with what is currently a duck Bolognese, ricotta and, per the website description, “lots of mozzarella and Parmesan.” That’s no lie: This is more or less a white lasagna, and something of a dairy bomb, with a big layer of ricotta, béchamel and a three-cheese blend, plus mozzarella. You won’t need bread for sopping at the end, but you could probably fry a few potatoes in the slick of duck fat that’s left over.
3. THE SPORTS BRA
2512 NE Broadway, 503-327-8401, thesportsbrapdx.com. 11 am-11 pm Wednesday-Sunday. Billed as the first and only bar whose screens feature only women’s athletics, the Sports Bra is a unique concept that has generated excitement on a national scale. But the pub also promises to distinguish itself by serving food all made from scratch that will please carnivores, vegans, gluten-free patrons and everyone in between. We’re most excited to try owner-chef Jenny Nguyen’s family recipes for dishes like Mom’s Baby Back Ribs—Vietnamese-style pork caramelized with coconut milk—and Aunt Tina’s Vietna-Wings, fried-and-glazed chicken on a bed of cabbage slaw.
4. REPÚBLICA
721 NW 9th Ave., 541-900-5836, republicapdx.square.site. À la carte menu served 9 am-3 pm, chef’s tasting menu served 5-9 pm daily. República has introduced Portland to another thread of Mexico’s complex gastronomic tapestry: the modernist-leaning tasting menu, which the Pearl District restaurant began serving in 2021. Packaging indigenous Mexican ingredients with sophisticated technique in a town known for its disdain of pretension was bold as hell. But it has been pulling it off with aplomb. And the idea of simultaneously serving each twosome one vegetarian-leaning tasting menu and one with a meatier bent is brilliant, especially for good eaters who share.
5. GABBIANO’S
5411 NE 30th Ave., 503-719-4373, gabbianospdx.com. 4-10 pm Wednesday-Sunday. Certain restaurants are just like certain people: You know you’re gonna like them from the first moment you lay eyes on them. We clicked with Gabbiano’s right away thanks to its warm, bustling interior with hand-painted Italian fresco walls and a “When you’re here, you’re family” vibe that Olive Garden can only fake. The classics (chicken Parm, chitarra, calamari, the Caesar) are all dialed in. But you must order the mozzarella cups—breaded and fried cheese served as a molded shot glass and then filled with marinara.
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Made in Vancouver The Modern Proper is a recipe website, a wildly popular Instagram account, and now a cookbook. It was also locally conceived. BY JA S O N C O H E N
@cohenesque
The Modern Proper co-founders Holly Erickson (a Portland native currently living in Austin, Texas) and Natalie Mortimer (a Vancouver, Wash., native still living in Vancouver) first hatched the idea for a recipe website while picking berries with their kids along the Salmon Creek Trail. Almost 10 years and one Saveur Blog Award nomination later, the duo’s passion for elevated weeknight meals has earned them more than 300,000 Instagram followers and a cookbook deal: The Modern Proper: Simple Dinners for Every Day (Simon Element, 304 pages, $32), which came out April 5. The book’s 100 recipes are divided into eight categories: All Day Eggs, Meatless, Chicken, Pork and Beef, Seafood, Meatballs, Soup, and Things for Dipping, Spreading and Dressing. Intriguing dishes include everything-bagel sausage fried rice, creamy tortellini soup with sausage and kale, and saucy grilled cheese with asparagus. Some recipes are favorites from the website, many more are new, and all answer the question, “What can I make that is not pretentious or overwhelming, but inspiring?” says Mortimer. WW spoke to the duo ahead of their appearance this week at Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing in Beaverton. WW: What was different about doing recipes for a book versus creating them for the website or Instagram? Holly Erickson: For one, the pandemic made it really interesting, and also the fact that we lived in two different places. We came up with all these recipe ideas, and then we split them up and fleshed them out, which is pretty much the same thing we do for the blog, but just in a much more concentrated manner. We started testing them individually, and then I flew to Portland and we tested…how many did we test that week, 65? Natalie Mortimer: Sixty-five recipes in five days. Sometimes you’re testing things two or three times, and we didn’t want any of the food to go to waste. We would wrap everything in foil, put it on the front
porch, and text all of our friends: “Dinner’s on the porch, take whatever sounds good to you!” And the food was gone at the end of every day. Like a lot of cookbooks, you divide things up by protein. But you also have a chapter that’s dedicated to meatballs. How did that become a specialty? Mortimer: I don’t even know what our first unusual meatball recipe was. But those recipes have historically done really well for us, and people love them. When we knew we were doing a book that was all dinners, we decided we wanted one kind of “wow!” chapter. So how about we categorize a method over a protein or ingredient? And meatballs are just fun. You can make any dish into a meatball, and they pack a punch in little two-tablespoon bites. The saucy grilled cheese with asparagus, perfect for spring, seems to have two secrets. I’m already a fan of the mayo trick—spreading it on the outside of the bread. But tell me about mixing mayonnaise with butter. Erickson: Honestly, it’s just flavor. There’s nothing better than a buttery outside of a sandwich, but the mayo makes it so crispy. We mix a couple tablespoons of each, so you still get that buttery flavor. Mortimer: And I think it slows down the cook time a little bit. Like, if you mix butter with oil when you’re sautéing onion, that keeps the butter from browning. So the oil in the mayo slows down that browning butter, and you get a good, golden crust. Low and slow, you also emphasize. Mortimer: Yes, slow. Let time be your friend. Growing up, my mom was a speed cook, and still is today. I love her, but I ate a lot of burnt grilled cheese sandwiches growing up. Erickson: That weren’t quite melted in the middle. Mortimer: The other trick that I would say: grating your cheese. Avoid buying pre-grated, because the additives that keep it from clumping can get in the way of a good, melty cheese. Grate from a block.
Top 5
Buzz List WHERE TO DRINK THIS WEEK.
THE MODERN PROPER
1. URDANETA
3033 NE Alberta St., 503-288-1990, urdanetapdx.com. 5-10 pm Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 5-11 pm Friday-Saturday. If you live by the slogan “Rosé all day,” then you’ll want a standing reservation at Urdaneta this spring. The tapas restaurant just announced its wine of the season is Punctum Petulante Pét Nat—essentially a wilder version of Champagne with a vibrant pink hue, bright berry aroma and red summer fruit notes. Urdaneta’s wine director chose this particular rosé because it pairs perfectly with chef Javier Canteras’ Spanish-inspired dishes, such as burrata drizzled with harissa honey, tortilla de bacalao (confit salt cod), and croquetas de jamon filled with béchamel.
NOW AT FOOTWISE!
MON-SAT 10-6 PM SUNDAY 11-5 PM
1433 NE Broadway, Portland
541-493-0070
2. STEEPLEJACK BREWING COMPANY
2400 NE Broadway, 503-206-8880, steeplejackbeer.com. 9 am-10 pm daily. Like so many beloved Portland buildings lost to redevelopment, the 1909 Metropolitan Community Church appeared to be destined for the backhoe. But a pair of old college buddies looking to open their own brewery stumbled across the real estate listing and decided it would be the perfect place for Steeplejack. The breathtaking architecture and stained glass are reason enough to visit, but for a limited time you can also find a rare beer on tap: a Dortmund-style lager made with oysters and seaweed. Collaborator Flying Fish is also pouring the brew while it lasts.
3. VON EBERT BREWING
GRILLED CHEESE TIME: The Modern Proper’s recipe for this classic includes a mayo-butter blend that results in extra-crispy bread.
What’s one ingredient that you can’t live without in your kitchens? Mortimer: That’s hard! I think my favorite ingredient would be eggs. Like, I could live off eggs. You can add things to eggs, they’re the most versatile. Erickson: I don’t know if I can’t live without it, but I was just making a comment the other day that I think every time I go to the store because of recipe testing, I buy mayo. My husband was like, “Why so much mayo?” Because I keep running out of it! I remember years ago people would be like, “Ewww mayo.” I do not like ketchup. I like mustard, but I don’t want a ton of it on my sandwiches. I just love good-quality mayo.
GO: Holly Erickson and Natalie Mortimer appear in conversation with Karlee Flores at Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, 800-878-7323, powells. com. 7 pm Thursday, April 14. Free. $32 for a signed, pre-ordered edition.
4. 503 DISTILLING LOUNGE
4784 SE 17th Ave., Suite 150, 503-975-5669, 503distilling.com. 3-9 pm Thursday-Saturday, 1-7 pm Sunday. Portland has a new outlet where you can sample draft cocktails right next door to the source. 503 Distilling recently opened a lounge adjacent to its distillery inside the Iron Fireman Collective building. That’s where you’ll find six rotating cocktails on tap, plus made-to-order mixed drinks, beer and wine. The draft options offer visitors first tastes of some of the newest concoctions coming out of the distillery, acting as something of a laboratory. And once you’ve had your fill of spirits, Ruse Brewing is a short stumble away.
Conceived By
ANTHONY VENEZIALE Created By
THOMAS KAIL LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA ANTHONY VENEZIALE
ON STAGE THROUGH MAY 1, 2022 503.445.3700 | PCS.ORG
5. SUCKERPUNCH
L-R: Anthony Veneziale, Aneesa Folds, and Kurt Crowley (on keyboard) in Freestyle Love Supreme. Photo by Joan Marcus.
SEASON SUPERSTARS
SUCKERPUNCH
You obviously know how to take really good food photos for the blog and Instagram, but what do your kitchens and dinner tables really look like on an average night? Mortimer: What our dinners end up looking like is, I make something, and then we film an Instagram Live at 4:30, which would be really early for my kids to eat. So I end up eating on camera, and then my kids aren’t hungry for another hour and a half. They might just serve themselves what was sitting on the stove, and it gets grazed on. That’s probably three nights a week. But if we’re not cooking something off the blog, especially because we have young kids, we have our go-tos. I make chicken fajitas a lot. Or ground beef tacos. Or, honestly, buttered noodles topped with roasted asparagus or roasted broccoli. We do try so hard to sit down and do one night a week around the table. That usually ends up happening when we have company over.
133 NW 13th Ave., 503-820-7721; 14021 NE Glisan St., 503-878-8708; vonebertbrewing. com. Pearl: 11:30 am-10 pm Monday-Saturday, 11:30 am-9 pm Sunday. Glendoveer: 11:30 am-9 pm Tuesday-Sunday. Two Portland obsessions—basketball and beer—have come together for Parkinson’s Awareness Month this April. Former Blazer Brian Grant, who was diagnosed with the condition in 2008, raises money through a beer-centric campaign every spring for his foundation, which helps others who have Parkinson’s. This year, he went behind the scenes at Von Ebert and brewed Rasta Monsta, a 4.9% ABV tropical Pilsner named after Grant’s on-court persona. You can get it for a limited time at both brewery pubs.
1030 SE Belmont St., 503-208-4022, suckerpunch.bar. 6-11 pm Thursday-Sunday. Suckerpunch, the local business that started as a no-booze cocktail kit vendor in 2020, has launched an experimental pop-up in the Goat Blocks—further proof the alcohol-free trend is gaining steam after a well-documented spike in pandemic drinking. Here, you’ll find a regular rotation of zero-proof, seasonally inspired cocktails along with events like tasting flights and dessert pairings.
Get Busy Tonight OUR EVENT PICKS, E M A I L E D W E E K LY.
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420 GUIDE sponsored content
The Best Discounts Deals & Events in Portland
Rejoice! 420 is here: our annual excuse to stock up on our favorite goods and try out new products. Dispensaries all around Portland will be serving serious discounts and deals all month. Our recommendation? Try something new. There’s a big, wide world of cannabis out there - and you can’t knock it till you try it. Here’s a list of local companies celebrating the high holiday that we’ll be visiting this month.
Great Notion Welcome to the world of Great Notion! Discounts + Deals:
Tune in. Turn on. Drops all week. Stay tuned to @greatnotion Instagram for a week of 420 inspired beer releases, giveaways, and event info! Make sure to download the Great Notion App so you don’t miss any drops! Available in the Apple and Google Play stores.
greatnotion.com
Danodan Hempworks
Contact:
2444 NW 28th Ave
More than just CBD Deal:
Smooth the day’s rough edges while staying sharp. Just drip, stir, and sip. Fast. Effective. Organic. All the vibes without the high. Also available at New Seasons Market and Market of Choice.
danodan.com/shop
Green Oasis Cannabis Discover your local Oasis! Discounts + Deals:
Gnome Grown
Discover your local Oasis! Specials starting on 4/17: 35% off Wyld, 30% off Grön, 30% off Fire Department, 30% off Major, Elysium, Private Stash, 20% off Hapy Kitchen, and MORE! 4/20: 25% off the entire store! (Plus ongoing sales continuing) Spend $25, get a custom bag + FREE taco coupon!
Clean, High-Quality Cannabis & Thoughtfully Curated Shops
greenoasiscannabis.org
Discount:
503-937-2060 | 1035 SE Tacoma St.
Enjoy 30% OFF the entire store and 40% OFF select vendors at all three locations. Food, music, raffle and BLAST OFF BAGS that are out of this world! Gnome Grown has dispensaries in Oregon City, St. Helens and on Alberta St. in Portland. Free food from Right Bayou Cajun with purchase while supplies last.
Contact:
gnomegrownorganics.com Contact:
503-266-7214 | 5012 NE 28th Ave
Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug | For use only by adults twenty-one years of age and older | Keep out reach of children 30
Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
sponsored content
420 Fest Northwest Investing in the possibilities of cannabis Discounts + Deals:
Set Yourself Free this 4/20 with Groundworks Industries! Celebrate the best of Oregon cannabis with the return of their exclusive totes, discounts up to 50% off, daily prize drawings and more at Electric Lettuce, Five Zero Trees, Serra, Farma, CannaDaddy’s & Cola Cove for five fun-filled days.
oregonqualitycannabis.com Contact:
220 SW 1st Ave
Northwest Cannabis Company Oregon’s Largest Selection of Cannabis Event:
Northwest Cannabis Company presents its first annual Northwest Cannafest 420 Celebration. All day, Northwest Cannabis Company is offering 30% off cannabis and will give away VooDoo Donuts, 1927 S’mores, Mary Jane’s glass and Swag. Plus live glass blowing, magic provided by Ben Zabin from Smokus Pocus and a dope DJ. At 4:20, there will be a concert and party At the Garages, just across the street from Northwest Cannabis Company and an exciting cannabis vendor showcase featuring Noblecraft, Mary Jane’s and others.
northwestcannabis.com Contact:
971-634-4400 | 17937 SW McEwan Rd., Tigard, OR 97224
Laurie + MaryJane Elevating the Edible Discount:
Get ready for the best-tasting gummies to hit the market! In addition to being mind-blowingly delicious, Bleublees are the only gummies made with a full-spectrum coconut oil infusion.. Visit your local Electric Lettuce store and enjoy 30% off any Laurie + MaryJane product when you mention the secret passphrase “I Love Bleublees”
laurieandmaryjane.com Contact:
503-765-8061 | 7958 Southeast Foster Road
Stumptown Cannabis Deals:
40% off all Fire Department - prerolls, edible treats & more Orekron preroll 5 packs for $10 • Dabs starting at $10/gram from Orekron & more • Buddies 1 gram cartridges $16 and up • $69 premium flower ounces •plus many more specials in store
Got Munchies? Stumptown Cannabis got you covered: Voo Doo Donuts in store for breakfast at 10:00 am Jimmy John’s Sandwiches at 4:20 for that mid afternoon snack
Happy Hour:
Additional 10% off flower wall purchases from 4:20 to close
stumptown-cannabis.com Contact:
503-908-8642 | 10587 SE 82nd Ave
Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug | For use only by adults twenty-one years of age and older | Keep out reach of children Willamette Week APRIL 13, 2022 wweek.com
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POTLANDER COURTEY OF BREAKING GAMES
Shuffling the Deck A game-night hater finally finds bliss playing cards with a group of friends thanks to Suddenly Stoned. BY B R I A N N A W H E E L E R
Suddenly Stoned has officially challenged my long-held, salty stance on game night. I’ve never been much of a game enthusiast. Complex world-building games exhaust me, multiplayer board games annoy me, and comedy Q&A games made for cannabis users always come across as though they were written by someone who has never, ever smoked weed. Suddenly Stoned was my attitude adjustment. The straightforward card-drawing game produced by Breaking Games is super simple, even by varsity stoner standards, requiring no established understanding of points, patterns or structure. Each card has either questions, challenges or throwaway jokes (If you could watch your favorite movie right now, why is it Space Jam?). I brought Suddenly Stoned to my squad’s weekly RuPaul’s Drag Race watch party, and what started as a request for a few hot takes became a rousing hour of exuberant play that appealed to both the languid and high-strung smokers in our crew, as well as our token teetotaler. Here are the results of our game night along with a description of the rules.
How to Play Players take turns drawing cards with questions to answer or tasks to complete that range from easy (pretend to dodge bullets like you’re in The Matrix, correctly guess the time, catch food in your mouth) to legitimately challenging (create a house of cards with seven used cards, draw the person on your left, share your earliest childhood memory). Participants can choose to play in a circle and keep their resolved cards as points, or, in larger groups, you can play as a team. Or you can do what we did: get powerfully high, pass around some cards
CARD TRICK: Suddenly Stoned’s cards feature a mixture of questions and challenges with the occasional ridiculous joke thrown in.
and see what happens. Cards are marked with symbols in the upper left-hand corner that designate whether the task is indica- or sativa-friendly. Aside from that, there is a tenuous connection between the game and cannabis, making it just as fun during a cocktail hour as it was for our watch party. One game-play suggestion recommends playing it concurrently with another game, like Monopoly, with players pulling a Suddenly Stoned card before each turn and either resolving the card or smoking a bowl. During our session, I slid the cards from the box, handed one to each squad member, and set the remaining stack between us. We then took turns reading our cards out loud, giving everyone in the circle a chance to try the challenge (we all shared childhood memories and attempted to catch food in our mouths).
Round Two
Round One
We wound down from our chaotic sprint throughout the house with cards like “Have a staring contest with the person in front of you,” and “Tell everyone about a weird dream you had.” These cards made the game feel even more free range, as we belly laughed through several failed staring contests and traded dream stories that wandered from frothy fantasies to recurring nightmares. The last card I drew before we called it a night asked me to name the most attractive cartoon character from my childhood. I struggled for a moment as I tried to describe the himbo pilot from DuckTales. The entire room chirped “Launchpad McQuack!” and all of a sudden our clique had a brand-new (horny) touchstone, all because of Suddenly Stoned. I still won’t be joining any D&D campaigns, but at least I finally understand the appeal of game night.
The first card read aloud was “What’s 6 x 8?” Half the room barked the answer, while the rest of us sank a bit in our seats, bummed at the prospect that there might be a bunch of math questions. Thankfully, we only ran into one, and it was, in retrospect, pretty easy. The next card asked the reader to describe something they did that was allegedly illegal. The next asked us to tell funny sex stories. Finally, someone was asked to describe the plot of a movie they’d never seen before, and we all got to witness a grown, homosexual man admit to never having seen Steel Magnolias. He then characterized the film as a Sex in the City-Golden Girls mashup the world deserved. I was so impressed by my homey’s storytelling—a hidden talent I likely wouldn’t have discovered unless we played Suddenly Stoned. I made a mental note: Friends play games together to learn more about each other. It was the first step toward reconsidering my unwelcome stance on game night.
The hosts of our weekly watch party reside in a large villa with all manner of secret closets, passages and rooms. So when a card reading “Play one round of hide-and-go-seek” was pulled, we were collectively psyched. Everyone took off in different directions, shrieking “Not it!” in chorus, with one voice trailing behind, thus relegating that player to seeking. Even if we hadn’t been several joints deep, this would have been a really fun way to spend 10 minutes. Once we were all found and reassembled, a bit sweaty and breathless, we agreed that this was maybe a game for more than just stoners. This was a game for anyone who just wanted to have some wholesome, irreverent fun.
Round Three
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PERFORMANCE
Editor: Bennett Campbell Ferguson | Contact: bennett@wweek.com
NOLAN WRIGHT
MUSIC Now Hear This Listening recommendations from the past, present, Portland and the periphery.
BY DANIEL BROMFIELD // @BROMF3
SOMETHING OLD Steve McQueen, the 1985 crown jewel of the Prefab Sprout catalog, is an ’80s pop album—and it sounds like it thanks to the synth work of “She Blinded Me With Science” eccentric Thomas Dolby. But what makes it timeless is the impassioned songwriting of Paddy McAloon, who belts his mistyeyed poetry as if every word could shift the fabric of the universe; he’s nearly a peer of Prince and Kate Bush as far as writing songs that stick in the head before revealing their cerebral pleasures over time. LOOKING UP: Joy Oladokun promises a “fun and visceral” show.
Joy Oladokun Will Save Us All The Nigerian American singer, songwriter and producer is bringing her soul-baring songs to the Wonder Ballroom. BY L I B BY M O LY N E AU X
Joy Oladokun makes no promises that you’ll bang your head when she plays the Wonder Ballroom, but the singer, songwriter and producer known for her soul-baring, emotional songs drops one hint: “I think people will be really shocked at the energy of the show.” Speaking from her home studio in Nashville two weeks before hitting the road, she adds, “I grew up in church, but I also grew up playing in and listening to a lot of rock bands. We’re playing everything live, and it’s really fun and visceral.” This is what the music biz calls a key moment. Not only is Oladokun heading out on her first headline tour, but she’ll be opening for Maren Morris and My Morning Jacket on several dates and promoting her intensely poignant album, in defense of my own happiness. Many of the songs have a cathartic, warm-blanket quality, including “if you got a problem,” which is suitable for whatever you feel like crying about. Others, such as “i see america” are tender yet chilling takes on racism, a recurring theme, along with sexual orientation and faith. Oladokun’s voice has a clear-eyed, soulful achiness, and even a childlike quality (“I love ‘childlike’ to describe what I go after. I’m staring at my Cookie Monster piggy bank right now,” she laughs). And when it cracks just a bit, like on her devastating version of “Blackbird,” the Beatles’ contribution to the civil rights movement, you feel an invisible glacier of pain behind her face. “If I put everybody that I’ve made music with in a room and asked them to describe my singing voice, they all would have pretty different answers,” she says. “I’ve gotten Aretha Franklin, I’ve gotten Justin Bieber, I won’t get a common answer because I’m pretty uncommon. I am definitely an amalgamation of all my influences. Obviously, Tracy Chapman is in there. I hear Paul Simon in my work.” While Oladokun is the daughter of Nigerian immigrants and grew up in Casa Grande, Ariz., she’s now firmly rooted in Nashville. When 34
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asked if Nashville lives up to its reputation of having musicians showing up at the front door to jam after dinner, she responds: “You know what’s hilarious? Those are exactly my after-dinner plans.” As a shy child coping with social anxiety, Oladokun was one of the only Black kids in town. “My shyness gave me this gift to sit back and watch and be OK with it,” she says. “Unfortunately, I was so scared to be myself for a lot of reasons. I was one of the only Black kids in my class and not interested in all the things that everybody tells you Black kids are interested in, so I got ostracized from all different groups.” Even today, Oladokun tends to be an observer: “In parties or in groups, I’m usually relatively quiet until I actually have something to say, which for me is how it should be.” So what would 8-year-old Joy say to her adult self? “‘I’m proud of you,’” she says. “I genuinely think she would be excited and encourage me to keep telling the truth and trying to make people feel included in a way that she didn’t. We’ve ignored marginalized voices for so long, and I happen to be the center of the Venn diagram of them. I am a Black queer woman.” Although Oladokun says that her “favorite thing in the world is to get stoned and play music,” she believes that her creations are about more than her own experiences. Fans of every stripe can relate to her songs—and with that reality comes responsibility. “How do I write someone into my experience?” she muses. “Or how do I take sort of the easiest thing from my experience and make it human because everybody feels embarrassed or ashamed or scared, you know? I happen to feel those things for a very specific reason, but those feelings are not foreign to someone who’s different from me. I think my work as an artist is to bridge that gap.” SEE IT: Joy Oladokun plays at the Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 503-284-8686, wonderballroom.com. 8:30 pm Friday, April 15. $18.
SOMETHING NEW Singeli is a Tanzanian genre of electronic dance music that makes most stateside rave music look tame. Nineteen-year-old DJ Travella is one of its most creative young guns, and his debut album, Mr Mixondo, plays like a Mario game on ecstasy, feeding sugar-sweet melodies and little yips of Auto-Tuned vocals into an industrial grinder, its tempos rocketing past 200 BPM. It’s out on Nyege Nyege Tapes, a label whose back catalog is a portal into some of Africa’s strangest, most exciting music. SOMETHING LOCAL Vylet Pony has been releasing queer fantasias on furry themes for nearly a decade, starting with dubstep and blossoming somewhat inevitably into hyperpop. Even at an hour of pop-punk guitars, Auto-Tune, and elaborate mythology, her new album, can opener’s notebook: fish whisperer, is modest compared to some earlier releases (the 40-track Super Pony World: Fairytails, for instance), but it’s a great entry point for anyone looking to throw themselves headfirst into the vortex of her catalog. SOMETHING ASKEW If you’re going to jam out on one chord for 40 minutes, you could choose a worse one than the gorgeous minor piano chord that forms the backbone of Australian avant-gardist Lisa Lerkenfeldt’s 2020 tape-loop composition, A Liquor of Daisies. That chord surfaces every few seconds as lapping water and lonesome train whistles perfume the background, a meeting of solid, liquid and gas. It’s definitely the kind of thing you have to be in the mood to listen to. But if you are, it hits like nothing else.
G ET YO U R R E P S I N
Editor: Bennett Campbell Ferguson Contact: bennett@wweek.com
Allied Artists-ABC Pictures
AC A D E M Y T H E AT E R
SCREENER
MOVIES
Cabaret (1972)
The legendary Liza Minelli headlines Bob Fosse’s acclaimed movie-musical as Sally Bowles, an American performer at Berlin’s Kit Kat Klub in 1931, whose romance with two men is underscored by the growing Nazi presence in the city. Screens in celebration of the film’s 50th anniversary. Hollywood, April 13. AQUA IS THE WARMEST COLOR: The Academy’s iconic lobby.
Head of the Class Academy Theater co-owner Heyward Stewart explains how switching to first-run films saved the beloved Montavilla movie theater. BY C H A N C E S O L E M - P F E I F E R
@chance_ s _ p
Until a month ago, the Academy Theater hadn’t hosted a movie’s opening night in 50 years. As a second-run institution since 2006, the theater had thrived on Portlanders moseying in based on a movie’s word of mouth, not clamoring for newness. But when the Academy pivoted to showing first-run titles March 4, co-owner Heyward Stewart says he felt “giddy” seeing the ticket line down the block for The Batman. It was the audience influx sorely missed since the Academy reopened from pandemic closure last July. “I’m excited about the immediacy,” Stewart says of first-run titles. “People love the opening day of a movie, and we’ve never ever been able to do that.” After Stewart and his wife, Julie, and Ty Dupuis bought the theater and restored its original 1940s opulence, the Academy stood for 16 years as a Montavilla neighborhood fixture and one of a dwindling number of second-run theaters in Portland. Streaming wasn’t yet dominant, and 90-day windows between theatrical premieres and home video releases allowed second-run movie houses like the Academy ample breathing room for audience interest to percolate. Stewart says this exhibition strategy was still “financially feasible” until the pandemic. According to his records, January and February 2020 were the most profitable consecutive months of his tenure, thanks to the awards-driven second winds of 2019 Oscar contenders like Jojo Rabbit, Little Women and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. But after reopening, the Academy’s business sank to 30% to 40% of its pre-pandemic averages, with no real recovery in sight. When the theater played 2021 Oscar contenders like Don’t Look Up and The Power of the Dog, they tanked. In Stewart’s view, most everyone who wanted to see those Netflix productions had already seen them. “By the time we get so many things, they’re just played out—absolutely saturated,” he says. Also cementing the Academy’s programming shift was most major movie studios’ commitment to 45-day theatrical exclusivity windows after last year’s dabblings with simultaneous streaming and cinema releases. It’s a move that secures first-run theaters’ industry position for now, and Stewart says he needed only to look a few miles east
at the Laurelhurst Theater, which made the same programming switch in 2018, for a successful example. (For those counting, the Kennedy School and Avalon Theatre now stand alone as Portland’s only remaining second-run movie houses.) At $9 for general admission, the Academy’s ticket prices are up slightly, but so is business—20% thus far over February’s second-half numbers, Stewart says. He also senses that showing new movies is drawing Portland crowds from beyond Montavilla. “Every time you have to tell someone where the condiments are, you know they haven’t been here before,” he laughs. (The condiments hide in plain sight, centered in the Academy’s aqua-colored lobby.) Of course, considering the Academy’s core neighborhood audience is crucial. Stewart says he anticipated some minor disappointment with the switch to first-run films, but the response has been largely supportive. One regular told him they’d see anything the Academy screened; the theater is basically their “retirement.” The most common query has been when the Academy will resurrect its repertory fare. Historically, the theater drew strong crowds for classics like Purple Rain, My Neighbor Totoro, Labyrinth and The Shining. While studio rules about not interrupting first-run exhibitions make single screenings harder to book, Stewart is looking at the May calendar for possibilities. “We’re still getting used to this, but the long-term plan is to still have a variety,” he says. So although the Southeast Stark Street marquee below the theater’s distinct cylindrical, half-dome now touts blockbuster titles like Morbius and The Lost City, most everything else around the Academy remains the same. Stewart estimates the greatest service the theater could provide its Montavilla faithful was finding a way to survive. “We have an important place in the neighborhood and have employees we need and want to keep,” he says. “There’s a lot more at stake here than just a business model.”
Old Joy (2006)
Written and directed by slow-cinema champion Kelly Reichardt, this Oregon-made road drama follows two friends (Will Oldham and Daniel London) who reunite for a camping trip in the Cascades, culminating in a dramatic final stop at Bagby Hot Springs. Features an original soundtrack by indie rockers Yo La Tengo! Clinton, April 14.
Inland Empire (2006)
The highly anticipated 4K remaster of David Lynch’s experimental horror film stars the incandescent Laura Dern as an actress who can’t seem to separate herself from the character she’s playing in her latest project: a remake of an unfinished Polish film with a cursed and deadly production. Controversially shot by Lynch himself on a handheld digital camcorder. Cinema 21, April 15.
Rabid (1977)
Experimental emergency surgery on a young woman (Marilyn Chambers) has a couple of unseemly side effects, the most egregious one being a mutated stinger growing from her armpit that harbors an insatiable (and contagious) appetite for human blood. One of David Cronenberg’s early features. Clinton, April 15.
Critters 2: The Main Course (1988)
The critters take over the small town of Grover’s Bend when their eggs are mistaken for Easter eggs in this follow-up to 1986’s campy creature feature. Co-writer and director Mick Garris will attend, and an adult egg hunt (with prizes!) begins in the main theater at 7:30 before the 8 pm screening. Hollywood, April 16. ALSO PLAYING: 5th Avenue: Archangel (1990), April 15-17. Cinema 21: The Room (2003), April 15. Clinton: Watership Down (1978), April 15. Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972), April 16. Woman at War (2018), April 19. Hollywood: Repo Man (1984), April 14. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), April 15. Predator (1987), April 17. In the Mood for Love (2000), April 18. Mark of the Spur (1932), April 19.
GO: The Academy Theater, 7818 SE Stark St., 503252-0500, academytheaterpdx.com. $6.50-$9.
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MOVIES U N I V E R S A L P I C T U R E S / B AY F I L M S
TOP PICK OF THE WEEK
Michael Bay’s Ambulance is stupid beyond belief, but it’s also thrilling, terrifying and impressively brutal. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Danny, a career criminal who enlists his adopted brother Will (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to help steal $32 million from a Los Angeles bank in broad daylight. It’s an insultingly improbable setup—even if Will needs money for his wife’s “experimental surgery,” why would he agree to Danny’s delusional scheme in minutes? But once they steal an ambulance to escape the army of police officers on their trail, the movie gets into a volatile groove. By trapping a bleeding cop (Jackson White) and a hardened EMT named Cam (Eiza González) in the ambulance with the brothers, Bay creates countless possibilities for triumphant tension. When Cam has to use a hair clip to perform surgery, your heart skips a beat—and when snipers prepare to fire shots that could kill everyone in the ambulance, it nearly stops. Hyperactive editing and swooping camera movements make too much of the action a frantic blur, but there’s no denying Bay’s control over the exhilarating currents of fear that course through your mind and body as you watch. Based on a 2005 Danish film, Ambulance strikes its share of false notes, but unlike most modern action movies, it understands the difference between bombast and suspense. R. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Evergreen Parkway, Fox Tower, Lloyd Center, Mill Plain, Pioneer Place, Progress Ridge, Studio One, Tigard, Vancouver Plaza.
A hyperkinetic sci-fi/ martial arts (kung fusion?) fever dream grounded in Asian American family dynamics, Everything Everywhere All at Once will be absolutely adored by some moviegoers from its very first moments. It’s a film made to be loved—and, given the sheer eye-popping technical wizardry at play throughout, nearly impossible to hate. Michelle Yeoh is typically dazzling as Evelyn Wong, a misanthropic laundromat owner called upon to save the multiverse from her daughter’s worst self (Stephanie Hsu, in a role intended for Awkwafina). Evelyn is an underwritten character, but Yeoh brings a welcome authenticity to the film, even if a performance of such finely shaded nuance isn’t the best fit for the DayGlo sensationalism of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the filmmaking duo known as Daniels (Swiss Army Man). As with Terry Gilliam, Edgar Wright or any other avant-garde sentimentalist pressing restless rhythms and visual inventiveness into the service of a wholly undeserving story, the directors effortlessly pep up the slow parts and paper over the plot holes, but when the pace calms and the fireworks die down for an emotional climax, the film moves glacially. Inevitable? Perhaps, but it’s still disappointing that Everything Everywhere All at Once is less than the sum of its dazzling parts. R. JAY HORTON. Bridgeport, Cinema 21, Clacka36
mas, Eastport, Evergreen Parkway, Hollywood, Laurelhurst, Lloyd Center.
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE
When it was announced that J.K. Rowling was unleashing five films based on a faux-academic textbook that she had assembled for charity, Harry Potter fans instantly knew two things about the coming Fantastic Beasts pentalogy: An epic saga wrung from a whimsical taxonomy was a terrible idea, and that mattered not at all. Despite the irrelevance of the concept, the IP-that-lived held enough power to birth a third adventure for cryptozoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), despite the recasting of big bad Johnny Depp, the transphobic rants from Rowling, and the tonal sea change from earlier entries’ Dr. Dolittle-esque period travelogue toward a secret agent yarn about a failed affair between arch-mages. While replacement Grindelwald Mads Mikkelsen lacks Depp’s cartoonish self-regard—which provided a romantic counterweight to the incandescence of Jude Law’s Dumbledore—his Hannibal/ Bond villain brand of drolly effete cruelty brings a necessary gravitas to a story that moves through a Disney-fied Weimar Berlin with bounce and verve. It also helps that the screenplay (by Rowling and Steve Kloves) expertly seeds the voluminous exposition with fan-servicing nods, but scarcely requires
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: 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.
Young’s performance grows more compelling by the minute. This Mother’s Day season, watch an orphaned, underestimated young woman stroll observantly through all the traditions of family, class, war and patriarchy that would seek to station her outside her own story. R. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Bridgeport, Fox Tower, Movies on TV, Progress Ridge.
GREAT FREEDOM
AMBULANCE
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
OUR KEY
prior knowledge of the titular future headmaster. Yes, this is still the Potterverse, but to the film’s eternal blessing, it needn’t always be. PG-13. JAY HORTON. Academy, Bagdad, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Evergreen Parkway, Eastport, Fox Tower, Pioneer Place, Lloyd Center, St. Johns, St. Johns Twin, Studio One, Tigard.
MOTHERING SUNDAY
Given its subversive, character-driven nudity, you can’t accuse Mothering Sunday of coattailing Downton Abbey. Consciously shedding its stately wardrobe, Eva Husson’s film ruminates on a formative moment for Jane (Odessa Young), a housekeeper who eventually becomes a fiction writer. Trapped inside the dead-end framing device of Jane penning her opus, most of Mothering Sunday’s runtime unfolds on Mother’s Day in 1924. Jane spends the holiday cultivating a life-changing affair with a wealthy young man (Josh O’Connor) at a neighboring estate, while her employers (Colin Firth and Olivia Colman) attend a dour, luxurious luncheon. While not much for drama, Jane’s sense memory of that fateful day is often engrossing—there’s a disembodied windshield reflection, a naked belch, and discussions of bodily fluids you’d never expect in a movie in which Firth murmurs about the fine weather they’re having. Several metaphors and backstories from Graham Swift’s novel slip through the screenplay’s limited grasp, but
The Austrian drama Great Freedom is a saga of mind-boggling historical misfortune. Directed by Sebastian Meise, the film follows Hans Hoffmann (Franz Rogowski), a gay man liberated from a Nazi concentration camp only to be repeatedly locked away in a postwar German prison because of his sexuality. Like many thoughtful incarceration dramas, the film is about institutionalization creeping into the human bloodstream. During decades behind bars, Hans engages with the world primarily through self-sacrifice, aching repetition, and a few crucial relationships, most importantly with his longtime cellmate, Viktor (Georg Friedrich). For better and worse, Great Freedom relies completely on Rogowski, the burgeoning international arthouse star best known for Christian Petzold’s Transit and Undine. His entrancing, unknowable quality affords depth to almost any character, while his heavy eyelids (and perfect mustache) invite the viewer to search for what emotion hides within. But Great Freedom coasts on our presumed fascination with watching Rogowski smoke cigarettes or sit still. Its three timelines all approach Hans at a distance, and its portrayal of his relationships as primarily transactional or illicit sits lopsidedly atop a protagonist whose soul seems to contain more than we’re seeing. NR. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Cinema 21.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2
For the past decade, film studios have chased the culture-shattering impact of The Avengers with mixed results. Yet Sonic the Hedgehog 2 understands what made Marvel’s 2012 superhero mashup a success: not apologizing for making a children’s movie starring a cast of shiny action figures that repeatedly get smacked together. Sonic’s latest adventure is unlikely to change the lives of anyone above the age of 12, but if Sega Sammy silliness is your jam, you’re in for a wild ride. Directed by Jeff Fowler, the sequel is dominated by a sense of exploration, earnestness and, above all, fun. The action is fastpaced and creative, some of the gags are genuinely funny, and
the cast is game—in particular, Idris Elba has a ball voicing the ever-stoic Knuckles the Echidna, making the character both an unflappable warrior and an overgrown child trying to convince everyone of his seriousness. Outside of Jim Carrey’s gleefully maniacal Dr. Robotnik, however, the film struggles to find a purpose for its human supporting cast, to the point you begin to wonder why they even bother. Ultimately, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is at best a mostly harmless romp that keeps you entertained, or at least distracted. PG. MORGAN SHAUNETTE. Academy, Cedar Hills, City Center, Eastport, Evergreen Parkway, Joy Cinema, Lloyd Center, Pioneer Place, Roseway, St. Johns Twin, Studio One, Tigard, Wunderland, Wunderland Milwaukie.
MORBIUS
Jared Leto has been exquisitely vulnerable (Requiem for a Dream), exquisitely sinister (Blade Runner 2049) and exquisitely ridiculous (House of Gucci). Yet in Morbius, he’s something he’s never been before: disastrously dull. It may sound improbable that the man who bragged about sending used condoms to his Suicide Squad castmates could be boring, but as scientist-turned-vampire Dr. Michael Morbius, he’s more zombie than bloodsucker. Originally a second-tier Spider-Man adversary, Morbius has been drafted for Sony’s second attempt at a supervillain franchise, following Tom Hardy’s Venom series. Those movies are trash, but at least Hardy attacks them with gonzo fervor—he dived into a tank of lobsters to earn his paycheck. Leto, on the other hand, just gazes glumly from under the shadow of a dark hoodie, meekly surrendering the spotlight to Matt Smith (Doctor Who), who co-stars as a nastily charismatic fellow vampire named Milo. Smith understands that vampirism should be suave and sensual—in one scene, he dances seductively while donning a suit, doing an apparent homage to Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 3 (that’s a compliment, by the way!). In a Jared Leto movie, Smith is the only one giving a Jared Leto-style performance. He’s goofy and hammy and weird, but at least he’s memorable. That’s more than you can say about the other actors in Morbius, including its newly languorous leading man. PG-13. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Academy, Bagdad, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Eastport, Evergreen Parkway, Fox Tower, Lloyd Center, Pioneer Place, St. Johns, St. Johns Twin, Studio One, Tigard, Wunderland Milwaukie.
JONESIN’
FREE WILL
B Y M AT T J O N E S
"Intro To Puzzles"--the three digits you'd see in college courses.
ASTROLOGY ARIES
(March 21-April 19): Aries author Marge Piercy writes, "I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again." According to my analysis of the astrological factors, you'll be wise to be like a person Piercy describes. You're entering a phase of your cycle when diligent work and impeccable self-discipline are most necessary and most likely to yield stellar rewards.
TAURUS
(April 20-May 20): In 1879, Taurus-born Williamina Fleming was working as a maid for astronomer Edward Charles Pickering, director of the Harvard Observatory. Impressed with her intelligence, Pickering hired Fleming to do scientific work. By 1893, she had become a prominent, award-winning astronomer. Ultimately, she discovered the Horsehead Nebula, helped develop a system for identifying stars, and cataloged thousands of astronomical phenomena. I propose that we make her your role model for the duration of 2022. If there has ever been a year when you might achieve progress like Fleming's, it's this one.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): For 2500 years, Egypt
ACROSS 1. Equilateral figure 8. Crow's call 11. "Milk" director Van Sant 14. Amalfi Coast's gulf 15. "Without any further _ _ _" 16. CN Tower prov. 17. Label for some TV jacks 18. Litigator's field 19. Barracks VIP 20. Bulbed vegetable 21. Omelet bar option 22. A neighbor of Minn. 23. Carbon-14 or strontium-90, as used in dating 27. Paris 2024 org. 30. Some bridge seats 31. Record-setting Ripken 32. Carson of "The Voice" 34. Word often seen after "shalt" 35. Billiard ball feature, maybe 38. 2004 Hawthorne Heights single considered an "emo anthem" 41. Luck, in LeÛn 42. "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar _ _ _"
53. Coldplay's "Death and All _ _ _ Friends"
25. "Time _ _ _ the essence!"
54. Wishes it weren't so
27. Promising exchanges
57. Actress Nicole _ _ _ Parker 58. "_ _ _ in the Kitchen" (2022 TBS cooking show featuring sabotage) 59. Artificial tissue materials for 3-D printing 62. Pump output 63. Notable time period 64. Secret group in "The Da Vinci Code" 65. Suffix after fast or slow 66. "As _ _ _ my last email ..." 67. "You busy?"
28. "Hawaii Five-O" setting 29. Salesperson's leads, generally 33. "Alas, poor _ _ _!" (line from "Hamlet") 35. Sports replay speed 36. Religious hit for MC Hammer 37. Abbr. before a founding year 39. Bite result, perhaps 40. Actor Malek 45. Fender offering 46. Freshen, as linens
DOWN
48. Suffix meaning "eater"
1. Pretoria's home (abbr.)
49. Charismatic glows
2. Lug along
50. Midwest airline hub
3. Ye _ _ _ Shoppe
51. Opera star Tetrazzini (she of the chicken dish)
4. Video game designer behind the "Civilization" series 5. NBC Nightly News anchor for over 20 years 6. Prefix with cycle or verse 7. Sean, to Yoko 8. City near one end of the Chunnel 9. Washington's successor
43. The "E" in QED
10. "Amazing!"
44. Cage of "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent", familiarly
11. Venetian boatmen
45. Actress Arterton
13. Add fuel to
47. Late Pink Floyd member Barrett
26. Bi x bi x bi
12. Open, as a toothpaste tube 21. Post-shave amenities
48. Hippie-inspired perfume ingredient
22. What they say to do to a fever, versus a cold (or is it the other way around?)
52. Smashing fellow?
24. Like coffee cake, often
©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.
55. Comes to a halt 56. _ _ _-ball (arcade rolling game) 58. Salesperson, briefly 59. Peaty place 60. 2008 event for Visa 61. Clarifying word in brackets
last week’s answers
WEEK OF APRIL 21
© 2022 ROB BREZSNY
LIBRA
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): British Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758–1805) was born under the sign of Libra. He was a brilliant and unconventional strategist whose leadership brought many naval victories for his country. Yet he was blind in one eye, was missing most of his right arm from a battle wound, and was in constant discomfort from chronic seasickness. I propose we make him one of your patron saints for the coming weeks. May he inspire you to do your best and surpass your previous accomplishments even if you're not feeling perfect. (But also keep in mind: The problems you have to deal with will be far milder than Nelson's.)
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Anti-apartheid activist
Bantu Stephen Biko (1946–1977) was profoundly committed to authenticity. The repressive South African government hated that about him. Biko said, "I'm going to be me as I am, and you can beat me or jail me or even kill me, but I'm not going to be what you want me to be." Fortunately for you, Scorpio, you're in far less danger as you become more and more of your genuine self. That's not to say the task of learning how to be true to your deep soul is entirely risk-free. There are people out there, even allies, who may be afraid of or resistant to your efforts. Don't let their pressure influence you to dilute your holy quest.
was a conquered territory ruled by non-Egyptians. Persians took control in 525 BCE. Greeks replaced them. In succeeding centuries, Egypt had to submit to the authority of the Roman Empire, the Persians again, the Byzantine Empire, the Arab Islamic Caliphate, the Mamluk Sultanate, the Ottomans, and the British. When British troops withdrew from their occupation in 1956, Egypt was finally an independent nation selfruled by Egyptians. If there are any elements of your own life story that even partially resemble Egypt's history, I have good news: 2022 is the year you can achieve a more complete version of sovereignty than you have ever enjoyed. And the next phase of your freedom work begins now.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "The artist must
CANCER
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The language
(June 21-July 22): During the next four weeks, some of the best lessons you can study and learn will come to you while you're socializing and communicating. Even more than is usually the case, your friends and allies will offer you crucial information that has the power to catalyze dynamic decisions. Lucky encounters with Very Interesting People may open up possibilities worth investigating. And here's a fun X-factor: The sometimes surprising words that fly out of your mouth during lively conversations will provide clues about what your deep self has been half-consciously dreaming of.
LEO
(July 23-Aug. 22): "Hold on tight, I would tell myself, but there was nothing for me to hold on to." A character in one of Haruki Murakami's novels says that. In contrast to that poor soul, Leo, I'm happy to tell you that there will indeed be a reliable and sturdy source for you to hold onto in the coming weeks—maybe more than one. I'm glad! In my astrological opinion, now is a time when you'll be smart to get thoroughly anchored. It's not that I think you will be in jeopardy. Rather, you're in a phase when it's more important than usual to identify what makes you feel stable and secure. It's time to bolster your foundations and strengthen your roots.
VIRGO
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the latter half of the 19th century, the US government collaborated with professional hunters to kill millions of bison living in America's Great Plains. Why? It was an effort to subjugate the indigenous people who lived there by eliminating the animals that were their source of food, clothing, shelter, bedding, ropes, shields, and ornaments. The beloved and useful creatures might have gone extinct altogether if it had not been for the intervention of a Virgo rancher named Mary Ann "Molly" Goodnight. She single-handedly rebuilt the bison herds from a few remaining survivors. I propose that we make Goodnight your inspirational role model for the rest of 2022. What dwindling resources or at-risk assets could you restore to health?
train not only his eye but also his soul," said Sagittarian painter Wassily Kandinsky. Inspired by his observation, I'm telling you, "The practical dreamer should train not only her reasoning abilities but also her primal intuition, creative imagination, non-rational perceptivity, animal instincts, and rowdy wisdom." I especially urge you to embody my advice in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. Now is a favorable time to make abundant use of the other modes of intelligence that help you understand life as it really is—and not merely as the logical, analytical mind conceives it to be. spoken by the indigenous Cherokee people is at least 3,000 years old. But it never had a written component until the 1820s. Then a Cherokee polymath named Sequoyah formulated a syllabary, making it possible for the first time to read and write the language. It was a herculean accomplishment with few precedents in history. I propose we name him your inspirational role model for the rest of 2022. In my astrological understanding, you are poised to make dramatic breakthroughs in self-expression and communication that will serve you and others for a long time.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A study by psychologists concludes there is a good way to enhance your willpower: For a given time, say one week, use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth, wield your computer mouse, open your front door with your key, or perform other habitual activities. Doing so boosts your ability to overcome regular patterns that tend to keep you mired in inertia. You're more likely to summon the resolution and drive necessary to initiate new approaches in all areas of your life—and stick with them. The coming weeks will be an especially favorable time to try this experiment. (For more info, read this: https://tinyurl.com/ BoostWillpower)
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In his book Thus Spoke
Zarathustra, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, "You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist." According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will be justified to say something like that in the near future. Now is a favorable time to honestly acknowledge differences between you and others—and accept those differences just as they are. The important point is to do what you need to do without decreeing that other people are wrong or misguided.
Homework: What's your favorite ethical trick? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
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Jack draws exactly what he sees from the streets of Portland. @sketchypeoplepdx kentcomics.com
SPOTLIGHT ARTIST REN THOMPSON
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ren_thomp23 Ren Thompson lives in SE Portland with her husband, parakeets, and feral cats. She started painting in 2020, and found it to be the perfect way to escape from reality, stretch her creative muscles, and play with colors. She loves the opacity and flatness that gouache paints achieve.
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