Dirty Pretty
Pink Rabbit owner Collin Nicholas debuted this “whimsical but moody” cocktail bar in the former Bar Dune space on Tuesday. Drawing inspiration from the '70s, the space features details like wooden beaded curtains, earth tones, and custom patterned wallpaper. Executive chef Alex Wong provides Hawaiian-influenced bar snacks like fried saimin (noodle soup) and rabbit confit spring rolls, while beverage director Ben Purvis has created a cocktail menu with spins on screwdrivers and mezcal margaritas.
Buckman
Pickup, dine-in

Enter the Dragon in 35mm
Robert Clouse's '73 hit features Bruce Lee, an island fortress, a drug trafficking ring, and a martial arts tournament. Need we say more? This screening of a 35mm uncut print will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the kung fu classic, which was deemed a "savagely murderous and numbing hand-hacker" (the New York Times) and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2004.
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, $8-$10)

I am so glad you dumped me after 15 years so I don't have to listen to your has- been actor wanna be zero talent mediocre stories. What national magazines were you in? Uh you none, me 2. I have over 50k fans now. I don't have to listen to your pity party. I supported your writing. I offered to help clean your place. I supported your cooking. I was looking for a doctor and had put up a go fund me page to pay for your surgery. But it was taken down. Your rambling email? I never read it. You idiot, I just acted like I did and you fell for it. Who is the better actor? Me. But the fact is nobody liked you at work, the managers carried you for years. You know it. I defended and stood by you. We had a party after you left. I threw out every gift you gave me when you were getting Covid pay and didn't pay rent or other bills. They went into the trash in the same bag I used for dog poop. It felt so good that you're aborted from me. I am so glad to be rid of you, you putrid, sewage, gutter, toxic self-entitled narcissistic turd. My therapist and I both say, "Good riddance."

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

Good Morning, Portland! If it snows in Portland today I will eat a bug (no larger than an inch and non-poisonous). If Trump is actually arrested in the next week I will eat a bug (could be poisonous, but no more than a tummy ache plz). Not let's bet on the news!

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Last night, the family and friends of Walter Cole announced the man who created Darcelle XV and owned Darcelle XV Showplace had died of natural causes at age 92. As Darcelle, Cole reigned as the world’s oldest drag queen and laid groundwork for Portland’s drag art scene. For the Mercury, culture writer Andrew Jankowski describes Cole's icon status and some of the many ways Cole helped make the city a more accepting place.

Details of a public memorial will be announced as soon as they are confirmed. All shows at Darcelle XV Showplace will go on as scheduled per Darcelle’s wishes. Please join us and celebrate her legacy and memory, thank you in advance for your continued support. pt. 2 pic.twitter.com/STBCVLRBAX

— Kevin Cook (@PoisonWaters) March 24, 2023

• Oregon legislators have a bill in the works that would protect people seeking reproductive and gender-affirming medical care, as well as doctors providing the services. Read Isabella Garcia's breakdown of House Bill 2002.

• Farm music fest Pickathon announced it's lineup for 2023, sustaining its undiminished reputation for curating a bill that even the vinyl-hardened audiences of Portland can appreciate and be surprised by.

• People really loved this dick-shaped Tualatin shrub story in the Oregonian this week. I just want to point out that Southeast Portland has cat shrubs. You may make the jokes on your own time.

• On a recent episode of “Office Ladies,” podcast, comedian-actor Will Ferrell praised Portland's neighborhoods, calling the city "a little hidden gem. Well, maybe not so hidden now, but Portland’s great.” We'll take it.

• Today in the hardened hearts of your anonymous sources, three unnamed "neighbors" near Normandale Park told FOX 12 they view the memorial for June Knightly—a woman shot and killed in a February 2022 mass shooting—as "the source for a lot of crime that has increased over the last year."

• This is a longread, but an absolute "Portland man" ride.

I wrote about a tech millionaire who, after discovering that his Tinder date was the honey-pot in a brazen car-theft scam, teamed up with a fake police informant to con the thieves and get back his Jaguar.#TinderHeist, my latest #longreads, for @verge.https://t.co/7hLksPcwIh

— Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch) March 21, 2023

• OH, IT IS FRIDAY, BY THE WAY, and you know that means new tickets are dropping for upcoming shows.

IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• The New York Times reports that sixteen young Montanans joined up with an environmental legal organization to sue their state over climate change—relying on language in the state constitution that guarantees “the right to a clean and healthful environment” for residents and which charges the state's residents with the responsibility of maintaining the environment for future generations.

• Also in blame:

While President Biden certainly could have stopped the Willow oil drilling project, let's remember to also blame the banks that are actually funding it instead of renewable energy. https://t.co/A0H1a8BnwR

— Sierra Magazine (@Sierra_Magazine) March 24, 2023

• This morning, the New York Times reported that former President Trump predicted “potential death and destruction” if he is charged for his connections to the hush-money payments made to a porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, during his presidential campaign. And that's not even the classified documents thing. This morning House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned that Trump's rhetoric could “get someone killed.”

• Actor Pedro Pascal appeared on Hot Ones last week and—while the show can be kind of meh when there are meh guests, Pascal is worth watching all the way through. "Did you ever see The Fly? Am I talking really loud?" Pascal yells during one spicy moment.

Walter Cole, the man behind iconic Portland drag queen Darcelle XV and owner of the landmark namesake drag club Darcelle XV Showplace, has died at the age of 92 from natural causes.

Kevin Cook, Cole’s longtime friend and colleague best known as Poison Waters, announced Cole's passing via his and the club's social media accounts. “We ask for privacy and patience as everyone processes and grieves in their own way and at their own pace,” Cook wrote.

Cole was born in Portland in 1930, and graduated from Lincoln High School. He opened Darcelle XV Showplace in 1967 with his partner, Roxy Leroy Neuhardt—who he credited with helping develop Darcelle’s persona, inspired partly by actress Denise Darcel.

Sister Paula Nielsen, a preacher and drag artist who worked at Darcelle’s for decades and who died in 2022, wrote in her autobiography that Cole was also inspired, as a young boy, by seeing Vivienne Leigh’s immortal cry to the sky from Gone With The Wind. 

Younger Portlanders may struggle to recognize the era in which Cole and Neuhardt opened their club. Oral sex was illegal throughout Oregon, at the time, and the state had stopped permitting forced sterilization of "sexual perverts and moral degenerates" only two years prior. Then mayor Terry Schrunk actively worked to shut down centers of queer nightlife and culture throughout his tenure. 

Cole’s towering wigs, unapologetically raunchy humor, and caked-on makeup—painted for audience members with the worst seats and eyesight—cemented Darcelle as an icon. But, his heart is what made Cole into an internationally known legend. 

Cole’s work as Darcelle helped turn Portland’s historically conservative tide towards the accepting reputation the city still enjoys today. Darcelle closely aligned with the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court—in 1973, she was crowned its fifteenth empress, hence the "XV"—the state’s longest-running LGBTQ+ charitable organization. While she held office, Mayor Vera Katz was a celebrity guest judge for La Femme Magnifique, an ongoing drag pageant Cole co-founded. Darcelle also performed at Mayor Bud Clark’s inauguration. 

Darcelle was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Oldest Drag Queen in 2016, and the club was added to the Oregon Register of Historic Places in 2020.

Portland-raised queens like Jinkx Monsoon and Monét X. Change, among others, have cited Darcelle as an inspiration for stage and spotlight longevity. On RuPaul Drag Race’s tenth season, in 2018, Monét X. Change boasted: "I see myself doing drag forever, girl. I'm gonna be Miss Darcelle one day. Just me, but I ain't wearing no heels. I'll be in some good Toms."

Though whispers about Cole’s declining health could be heard at the end of 2022, the news still lands as a gut punch among Portland’s drag fans and LGBTQ+ community:

“I will honor her every time I perform,” drag artist Bolivia Carmichaels wrote Thursday on Facebook, where she announced her turn hosting at Darcelle XV Showplace only hours earlier.

Heartbroken to hear about the passing of Darcelle XV. 💔
The LGBTQ friendly space she built was one of the first queer spaces I felt comfortable in and felt like I belonged. She will be missed greatly. 🌹💖 #Portland pic.twitter.com/3PsXNaB16T

— ͏Josh Cozart (@JoshCozartWx) March 24, 2023

With the announcement and request for privacy, Kevin Cook also wrote that Darcelle’s public memorial service is being planned. Details will follow, as they are confirmed. Shows at Darcelle XV Showplace will still go on. "Please join us and celebrate her legacy and memory," Cook wrote.

Until then, we recommend this 2022 BBC piece on Walter Cole / Darcelle XV, made by Portland journalist Claudia Meza. The podcast Meza currently hosts, City Cast Portland, recently replayed the episode and it's a really lovely piece of work about his life—with plenty of quotes and explosions of laughter from Cole.

Send us your Darcelle XV stories and photos: suzette@portlandmercury.com

Irish singer-songwriter Hozier's unreal voice will take you to church on his Unreal Unearth tour this fall. Edgefield has added indie folk favorites My Morning Jacket and Gregory Alan Isakov to its summer concert schedule. Plus, the long-awaited Pickathon lineup has been announced, with headliners including Lee Fields, Dehd, and Madison Cunningham. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use.

MUSIC

Bully
Aladdin Theater (Sun Aug 20)

Evil Woman: The American ELO Presents “The Electic Light Orchestra Experience”
Revolution Hall (Sun May 14)

Gregory Alan Isakov
Edgefield (Sun Aug 20)

Who's ready to have some fun? Well, the Mercury is here to help with FREE TICKETS to see some of Portland's best concerts and events—our way of saying thanks to our great readers and spread the word about some fantastic upcoming performances! (Psst... if you want to say thanks to the Mercury, please consider making a small monthly contribution to keep us alive and kickin'!) And oh boy, do we have a fun event coming at ya this week! CHECK IT OUT!

• Enter to WIN FREE TICKETS to see Aly & AJ on April 1 at the Crystal Ballroom!

Aly & AJ's newest single "With Love From" hints at a forthcoming album of haunting introspection and personal recollections. Like a lost diary that has been found, the forthcoming record is rife with organic observations on life's nuances and the meaning behind what makes us who we are. Fitting with the project's lyrical content, the record itself has a rawness that marks the next phase in their current artist renaissance after their acclaimed last album, which was a joyful sunbathed celebration. Enter to win free tix to see this dynamic duo at the Crystal, or purchase your tickets now!

Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, Saturday April 1, 8 pm, $37.50-$47.50, all ages

GOOD LUCK, and all winners will be notified by Monday at noon. And check back next week for more FREE TIX from the Mercury!

Although many have heard of, enjoyed, and snorfed the trail dust of Pickathon—the best darn little music festival held 16 miles outside of Portland—it's also no shame to be new to the name.

The Happy Valley farm-placed fest has a history of setting new standards for sustainability and creating a unique choose-your-own-adventure experience in a lush natural setting. But, above all, Pickathon has an undiminished reputation for curating a bill that even the vinyl-hardened audiences of Portland can appreciate and be surprised by.

This morning the fest announced its 2023 lineup, to unfold across a four-day weekend this August. And they made a Spotify playlist, so you can immediately start dipping into summer.

“2023 not only presents our best lineup ever," Pickathon founder Zale Schoenborn said in a press release, "but now we understand the new Pickathon Neighborhoods even better, and we’re excited to refine all the details to make this year our most immersive experience to date.”

The weekend is packed with the likes of soul icon Lee Fields, folk duo Watchhouse, singer/songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews, Austin soul/R&B artist Jackie Venson, female-fronted “discodelic soul” from Brooklyn band Say She She, Canadian rapper TOBi, punk-jazz from New Orleans band Mike Dillon's Punkadelic, hip-hop and electronic duo They Hate Change, psychedelic African rockers Orchestra Gold, reggae vibes from Pachyman, Chicago indie-rock trio Dehd, and punk and garage rock from Hermosillo, Mexico band Sgt. Papers.

There are a handful of stalwart Portland-based artists on the bill as well, including krautrockers Møtrik, garage and psych group the Shivas, and shoegaze/synthpop band WHIMZ.

Last year's hot and dry return to Pendarvis Farm was the first since 2019, due to the pandemic, and saw the fest revamp the layout of stages into various themed neighborhoods, which drew audiences into shady areas during the heat of the day and out under the stars at night.

Check the vibe: Our Favorite Moments of Pickathon 2022

The return was not without hiccups, many unavoidable (the high-90s heat on some festival days) and some that Pickathon has obviously worked to improve upon. With the release of the 2023 early bird tickets, the fest revealed improvements to the parking situation, in the form of a new, much larger lot. Early Bird ticket sales are in motion and going fast, and there’s car camping, parking, and shuttles on sale now.

Check out the full lineup below:

FULL LINEUP: 

Watchouse

Lee Fields

Dehd

Madison Cunningham

Vieux Farka Touré

Florist

W.I.T.C.H.

Wednesday

MonoNeon

Ocie Elliott

Butcher Brown

Yot Club

Courtney Marie Andrews

Imarhan

Say She She

MJ Lenderman

Madison McFerrin

The Po' Ramblin' Boys

They Hate Change

Andrew Marlin

Pachyman

Wine Lips 

Nikki Nair

GA-20

Nick Shoulders

Wayne Graham

Mike Dillon's Punkadelic!

Rich Ruth

The Altons

Thee Sinseers

Novalima

Logan Ledger

Meridian Brothers

TOBi

Emily Nenni

Mikaela Davis 

Joe Rainey

Riddy Arman

The Mountain Grass Unit

The Kernal

Larry & Joe

Hooveriii

Gel

Jackie Venson

Nat Myers 

Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves

Sgt. Papers

Orchestra Gold

WHIMZ

Sprig of That

The Shivas

MØTRIK

Pickathon 2023 takes place at Pendarvis Farm, 16581 SE Hagen, Happy Valley, Thurs Aug 3-Sun Aug 6, tickets here, all ages

HOWDY SMARTY BRITCHES! It's time once again to put your brainy-brain to the test with this week's edition of POP QUIZ PDX—our weekly, local, sassy-ass trivia quiz. And this week, you'll test your amazing knowledge on such topics as sketchy NIMBYs, a certain beloved/disgraced local figure skater, and is this town big enough for TWO hirsute Blazer mascots? 🤔

But before we continue... HOW DID YOU DO ON THE PREVIOUS QUIZ? Extra super duper good, you guys! 👏 However, I must take issue about your responses to our subjective question about what type of money-making company you'd like to own. While I appreciate your enthusiasm for kicking Nazis in the nuts and policing the police... why do so few of you NOT want a company that clones Ryan Gosling? DO YOU HATE MONEY??

OKAY, TIME FOR A NEW QUIZ! Take this week's quiz below, take our previous pop quizzes here, and come back next week for a brand spankin' new quiz! (Having a tough time answering this quiz? It's probably because you aren't getting Mercury newsletters! HINT! HINT!) Now crank up that cerebellum, because it's time to get BRAINY!

Create your own user feedback survey

As states across the nation restrict abortion access and launch legislative attacks on LGBTQ Americans, Oregon legislators are looking to protect people seeking reproductive and gender-affirming medical care, as well as doctors providing the services. House Bill 2002, sponsored by 34 Democratic lawmakers, would strengthen protections for medical providers who offer abortion services, close reproductive service gaps in rural areas of the state, and expand insurance coverage for medically necessary gender-affirming care.

“While there's a lot in the landscape that's changing when it comes to health and gender-affirming care in the rest of the country,” said Cassie Purdy, political director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, “I really think that we can look at this bill as a continuation of what we know Oregon stands for.”

Oregon law protects the right to an abortion, but the shifting national landscape of abortion laws has still impacted the state. In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, Speaker of the House Dan Rayfield convened a workgroup of healthcare professionals, legal experts, and impacted communities to evaluate gaps that exist in abortion access and protections for healthcare providers. The workgroup also tackled issues of access to gender-affirming care for transgender people—a population that’s also seen a rise in attacks on their rights and bodily autonomy in recent years. According to LGBTQ advocacy group Basic Rights Oregon, there are currently over 300 anti-LGBTQ bills in legislatures across the nation, like fining Texas businesses who allow children to watch a drag show or allowing officials in Tennessee to refuse to marry same-sex couples based on religious beliefs.

The result of the workgroup is a host of healthcare initiatives rolled into HB 2002 that aim to increase access to abortion and gender-affirming care services and protect providers who continue to provide that care under Oregon law.

“Folks may think of this as multiple bills, but it’s really one package bill because of the… connection to privacy, body autonomy, and protections for all of our communities,” Seth Johnstone, Transgender Justice Program Manager for Basic Rights Oregon, told the Mercury. 

If approved, HB 2002 would expand the definition of medically necessary gender-affirming care to include procedures that are currently deemed cosmetic, like facial affirmation surgery or some types of implants, so that they are covered by private insurance.

Carolyn Ward, a transgender woman who moved from Kentucky to Oregon a year ago in search of protection against hostile legislative attacks against trans people, said she’s been fortunate to have access to hormone replacement therapy through her health insurance. However, Ward hasn’t been able to receive facial electrolysis, or permanent facial hair removal, because the procedure is deemed cosmetic, not covered by health insurance, and too expensive to pay for out of pocket.

“I wake up nearly every day and see my facial hair in the mirror and it causes me an overwhelming wave of crushing dysphoria that’s only maintained throughout the day,” Ward said. “Because of my sensitive facial skin, I can only shave every 48 hours and, as a result, I only have a brief reprieve from this dysphoria.”

A 2021 research paper published in JAMA Dermatology found that gender-affirming hair removal for transgender and gender diverse people led to a 38 percent reduction in severe psychological distress for the previous month, 28 percent reduction in suicidal ideation compared to the previous year, and 24 percent reduction in tobacco use compared to the previous year. Because of the growing evidence that cosmetic procedures like facial hair removal have significant impacts on gender diverse peoples’ mental health and safety, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and several American medical institutions now deem procedures like facial electrolysis and facial affirmation surgery medically necessary. 

Christina Milano, director of the Transgender Health Program at Oregon Health and Science University, also noted that ensuring transgender Oregonians are able to access healthcare in a safe environment can impact their overall health. If a transgender person feels unsafe or unsupported by their doctor, Milano said they are less likely to schedule yearly check-ups or seek help for other health concerns. However, if gender diverse people have access to health services that are critically important to them, they are more likely to see their doctor and be able to be treated holistically for their health concerns, which also improves overall health outcomes.

HB 2002 would also seek to strengthen protections for healthcare providers who offer abortion services. Nearly half of US states have banned or severely limited access to abortions in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, many of which threaten criminal penalties for people who have or facilitate an abortion. According to Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, while Oregon still protects the right to have and perform abortions, her office has seen confusion over what services are still allowed in the state and if medical providers are subject to criminal penalties if they provide abortion services to someone traveling from a state where abortion is illegal. To tackle that confusion, Rosenblum’s office launched a reproductive rights hotline in January which provides free legal advice and information on the status of reproductive health resources available in Oregon.

Rosenblum’s office also worked with the HB 2002 workgroup to create language that, if passed, would make certain Oregon providers who are following state law would be protected from criminal prosecution if they provide abortion services to people who had traveled from a place that criminalizes abortion. Healthcare providers would also be safeguarded against losing their medical license and medical practice insurance for providing reproductive health services that are allowed under Oregon law.

“We obviously can't control the laws of other states,” Purdy of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon said. “We can do everything we can to make sure that folks who are in Oregon who are licensed in Oregon are able to do their jobs.”

HB 2002 would also provide funding for mobile reproductive health clinics in rural areas of the state where services are more difficult to access, as well as direct public university health clinics to provide emergency contraceptives.

While the bill is strictly limited to expanding insurance coverage for gender-affirming care, adding infrastructure for reproductive healthcare, and protecting Oregon providers from persecution from other states, much of the opposition against the bill has centered on youth access to gender-affirming care and reproductive health services. During a five-hour public hearing on the bill Monday, several people—including lawmakers on the Behavioral Health and Health Care committee—took issue with the fact that minors can access reproductive health services without parental consent in Oregon. Under existing Oregon law, minors of any age can access reproductive healthcare services like STI tests and birth control without parental consent. HB 2002 also does not seek to change guidance on age-appropriate gender-affirming care, despite claims from opponents of the bill. 

Representative Ed Diehl, a Republican representing parts of Salem, raised concerns that Oregon is moving too quickly to increase access to healthcare services and should wait for more research to be conducted.

“We need to be careful—this is about our kids,” Diehl said during Monday’s hearing. “We’re going to look back 10 years from now and say ‘My god, what did we do?’”

Johnstone of Basic Rights Oregon told the Mercury that expanding insurance coverage for gender-affirming care has already been delayed in the past because there weren’t enough studies showing the impact gender-affirming care has on the livelihood and well being of transgender and gender diverse people. Now that those studies have been conducted, Johnstone says it's time to act.

"Because of all that evidence review and collection of data, we can finally demonstrate to our [lawmakers] that this always was necessary care,” Johnstone said. “We know that gender-affirming medical procedures that folks get to align their body with their identity give us long term mental health benefits, specifically for the population that faces extreme suicide ideation.”

As more states further restrict access to reproductive healthcare and threaten the safety of LGBTQ people, advocates and lawmakers anticipate that Oregon will see an increase in people coming here for services and protection, and the state needs to be ready to meet the moment. Between the rise in demand for abortion services in Eastern Oregon following Idaho’s abortion ban and people like Ward leaving Republican-controlled states for Oregon, that moment is likely already here.

“I am far from the only trans person who will migrate here from a state dead set on persecuting trans people,” Ward said. “It’s a strong belief of mine that every single transgender person who flees here looking for a safe home like I was will absolutely be able to find that here in Oregon.”

HB 2002 is scheduled for a work session on March 27 and is expected to be debated on the House floor in the coming weeks.

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

Good morning, Portland! Well, the sun was fun while it lasted, but it looks like we're back to rain and *checks notes* a chance of snow (?!?!?!) through the weekend. The good news is that it's perfect NEWS READIN' weather.

In local news:

• Portland’s planned mass outdoor camps may include rigid-sided sleeping pods—not tents, as originally planned. Mayor Wheeler made the announcement during a Tuesday Q&A on the first planned camp in SE Portland (a second Q&A on the camp is planned for tonight). According to Wheeler, Gov. Tina Kotek has expressed support for the idea, which would be potentially funded through Multnomah County funding—except MultCo leaders have yet to buy into Wheeler’s mass camp idea. Notably, if the camps use sleeping pods instead of tents, Portland may be able to snag some of the $200 million in state emergency funding for homelessness that passed the legislature this week.

Another wrinkle: Courts have said that tents don't count as "shelter" under Martin v Boise — the court ruling that prohibits homeless camping bans unless a city can offer adequate shelter. If Wheeler pivots to sleeping pods, Portland's homeless ban may be more legally sound. https://t.co/0tDImk7y8T

— Alex Zielinski (@alex_zee) March 23, 2023

• Calling all sustainably minded Oregonians: You may be able to start bringing your own reusable containers to restaurants for to-go orders IF Senate Bill 545 passes the House this session. The bill aims to reduce single-use takeout containers that are inconsistent with Oregon’s goal of diverting 25 percent of plastic waste from the landfill.

• Last month, Clackamas County Commissioners approved the purchase of an old motel to serve as a transitional shelter for homeless residents. In an abrupt reversal, Clackamas County Chair Tootie Smith convened an emergency board meeting Wednesday to change her vote, killing the project. Why? Well, funding certainly wasn’t the problem—the $15.2 million for the project came from the Oregon Community Foundation, not Clackamas County’s budget. According to Smith, community members said they needed more time to be “engaged” about the project. (*cough*NIMBYs*cough*)

• Headline of the week goes to The O for this banger: “$200k investigation paid for by Multnomah County DA finds no evidence of discrimination by Multnomah County DA”

"The ADL recorded 40 incidents of antisemitic hate in Oregon in its 2022 audit, the most ever, and 65 incidents in Washington, also a record. Reported incidents were up 36% nationally, according to the ADL."https://t.co/wdoCJLaJfO

— Ryan Haas (@ryanjhaas) March 23, 2023

In national news:

• A tornado touched down near Los Angeles Wednesday, injuring at least one person and damaging at least 17 buildings. Wind gusts reached up to 110 mph, making it the strongest tornado to hit the Los Angeles area since 1983.

• If you’re a bit lost on allll the criminal investigations surrounding former Prez and living nightmare Donald Trump, you’re not alone. NPR has this handy break down of all four ongoing investigations and criminal cases Trump is facing, including election interference, actions around January 6, and paying hush money to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.

• Alexa, please play “What Goes Around… Comes Around” by Justin Timberlake:

Joseph Harding, the Florida Republican who sponsored the "Don't Say Gay" bill, has pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining COVID relief funds.

He faces up to 35 years in prison.https://t.co/lWrkLQi6yi

— NPR (@NPR) March 23, 2023

• Eight celebrities, including Lindsay Lohan, Soulja Boy, and Akon, have been charged by federal regulators with illegally promoting cryptocurrencies and failing to disclose to that they were paid to do so. These celebs aren’t the first to be caught promoting crypto without divulging they were being compensated for it—the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Kim Kardashian of the same scheme in October.

• Feral summer vibes:

I will always post cat eating corn when I see it pic.twitter.com/GutmycBU01

— Tweets of Cats (@TweetsOfCats) March 22, 2023

The man was still giving me evil eye as he was leaving. I said, what do you want? He said, I wasn't looking at you, you'd know if I had a problem with you. You'd know. So turn your bitch ass around. He keep going on and on. Oh lord is what I said. Now I'm thinking, Yes, what a kind chivalrous gentlemen while I'm the bad guy. That is some bullshit.

Is your garbage filled with food-stained takeout containers? Some Oregon lawmakers want to change that. 

A new bill would allow customers to bring their own reusable containers to restaurants for takeout orders and to-go food. Senate Bill 545, introduced by Senator Janeen Sollman, a Democrat from Hillsboro, aims to reduce landfill waste and cut back on single-use plastic and other non-recyclable containers. The bill already passed the Senate with bipartisan support and now needs approval from the House of Representatives. If approved and signed into law, the bill would update Oregon’s health regulations to allow restaurants to fill customer-owned containers with food. Currently, the state prohibits the practice due to potential cross-contamination.

Many takeout containers used by restaurants are not recyclable or compostable, due to wax coating or other mixed materials. 

Moreover, Oregon set goals in 2015 of reducing plastic and food waste by 25 percent within five years. However, in 2020, the state estimated only 10 percent of food waste was being recovered and only 13.7 percent of plastic waste was being diverted from landfills, the Statesman Journal reported. 

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is also working to allow customers to bring their own containers to grocery stores for bulk food items. A series of similar bills would further crack down on styrofoam products and single-use plastics.

“Reducing food container waste is good for our environment,” Sollman said in a news release. “This is a simple, sensible change that will encourage a more sustainable and resilient future for ourselves and generations to come.”

While some Portland food and beverage businesses already have programs where customers can return plastic or glass packaging for wash and reuse by the business, those programs require specific conditions in order to be compliant with state laws.

Bold Reuse, formerly called GO Box, partners with New Seasons grocery chain to offer reusable containers and has active partnerships with nearly 100 Portland-area restaurants that accept the special plastic containers, but the business acknowledges it’s in a gray area when it comes to health regulations. 

“Bold Reuse has relationships with the state Departments of Agriculture and County Health Departments for the states that we provide our service,” the company’s website notes. “Our service falls outside of their regulatory purviews, but these organizations have reviewed our standard operating procedures related to the safe and sanitary washing, drying, and transporting of reusable containers and cups.”

While the reusable container model is embraced by many restaurants, the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA) opposes SB 545, along with a slew of other bills aimed at eliminating single-use plastic and styrofoam. 

“We have a couple of concerns: The first is simply around health and food safety, not knowing whether or not somebody’s container is clean,” Greg Astley, government affairs director for ORLA told the Mercury, noting uncertainty about whether new rules would require restaurants to have separate sinks for washing or disinfecting customer containers, or whether the state would require all containers be washed by restaurant staff, which would be time consuming.

Astley said ORLA fears if anyone were to get sick from a contaminated container, restaurants would likely take the blame. 

“All it’s gonna take is one contaminated container and you’ve got a food borne illness outbreak,” Astley said, noting the disinfection process is much more stringent in commercial kitchens than most at-home washing methods.

SB 545 would create new rules stipulating containers must be visibly clean, or refilled “from equipment that provides contamination-free process.”

Johnny Ricci, owner of Dots Cafe and Atlas Pizza, shares ORLA’s immediate concerns about cross-contamination, but said he’s eager to reduce waste and cut down on the cost of purchasing takeout containers for his businesses.

“Who’s in charge of actually deciding what’s clean? I wouldn’t want to put that on my staff’s plate, no pun intended,” Ricci said. “While I’m totally for it, because a reusable container seems more environmentally friendly than a plastic or paper container, I’m concerned about the [unknowns]. I don't need some guy coming in, busting my balls because somebody brought in a dirty lunchbox to take French fries home in.”

Ricci acknowledges the prospect of not having to store as many single-use containers in his cafes and pizza shops has major appeal.

“As long as the liability lies in the hands of whoever’s taking the food home, I think it’s a great idea,” he said.

If approved, the Oregon Health Authority would develop new rules that take effect no later than June 30, 2024.

It’s officially spring, music nerds! This month is shaping up to be pretty nice in terms of weather and the local music climate. There’s some quality stuff here, from an empowering new single and video from Joseph, an unofficial Latin music night, and a one-year anniversary for the Get Down. Let’s get into it.

Can’t miss upcoming events.              

We love to see Portland’s independently owned music venues win whenever possible. If you're in the mood to move your body, head to the Get Down on Saturday, April 8, when the relatively new music venue is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a concert starring electronic music duo BoomBox. Originally founded by producer Zion Rock Godchaux, BoomBox now comprises his brother Kinsman MacKay. The evening will showcase the indulgent grooves of the Muscle Shoals-based brothers, who play an eclectic and euphonious mix of house, soul, funk, rock, and blues. Considering the many changes to Portland’s small business landscape since 2020, the fact that the Get Down is still rocking a year later is worth celebrating. (The Get Down, 615 SE Alder, Sat April 8, 9 pm, $25, tickets here, 21+) 

New release(s) from a Portland-relevant artist. 

Portland-grown indie folk and pop trio Joseph just released an empowering new single, “The Sun,” which also serves as the title track on their forthcoming LP, out April 28 via ATO Records. At the end of the galvanizing chorus, the Closner sisters sing: “I thought I was the light switch you turned on / But I was the Sun.” Is it just me, or is the titular lyric reminiscent of Grey’s Anatomy (season 10, episode 24), where MerDer are in a spat over whose prestigious career to prioritize, and Cristina Yang delivers her final poignant nugget of the entire series: “Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He is very dreamy, but he is not the Sun. You are.” Meredith eventually realizes she is the Sun, and Derek eventually dies, and that’s what this joyful song feels like. Sort of. Anyway, “The Sun” also comes with a fabulous new music video that sees the sisters leaning on each other, jumping, and dancing around joyously–again, very Grey’s–while sporting some identical mauve jumpsuits by beloved Portland boutique WildFang.

Some upcoming music buzz to put on your radar.

Behold: an exciting evening of Latin music held at downtown’s intimate music club Jack London Revue. Get there on time to catch Mariachi Tradición fever. Lesslie Nuñez started the Mariachi Tradición music program as an after-school club at Neil Armstrong Middle School in 2016, but the program’s popularity grew into a high school and middle school elective course. Forest Grove High School’s excellent audition-based ensemble will warm up the downtown basement with the troupe’s eight violins, two trumpets, one guitarron, one vihuela, two guitars and, of course, vocals. Stay to hear singer-songwriter Edna Vazquez tear up the mic with her iconic, emotive covers like Consuelo Velázquez’s bolero song “Bésame Mucho,” and Daddy Yankee’s “Lo Que Pasó, Pasó.” There’s also the option to make it a super swanky night out, by reserving a three- or six-person VIP table or booth. (Jack London Revue, 529 SW 4th, Sun April 9, 6 pm, $20-180, tickets here, 21+)

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! Yippee-ki-yay, mothereffers, it's gonna be another sunny, relatively warm (62 degrees) day, which I hope you'll enjoy before showers and a possible thunderstorm rolls in tonight. And now, let's read some yippee-ki-NEWS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• It should be noted that our current City Auditor Simone Rede does NOT mess around, and has released a new report on how well Portland cops are doing at collecting data in regards to their attempts to control gun violence by pulling people over in traffic stops. While the police have shown improvement by starting to note the race of the people they're stopping, they still aren't documenting whether or not the effort is producing any measurable result, or if civil rights are being protected. (Unsurprisingly, our union-fearful mayor is rushing to the cops' defense.) Our Isabella Garcia has the deets.

The Portland Police Bureau still doesn’t track enough data to evaluate whether its gun violence intervention tactics are effective at measurably reducing gun violence, a follow-up report from the city auditor found. https://t.co/hFJ9PM1OSq

— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) March 21, 2023

• State lawmakers have passed a $200 million housing and homelessness package that's designed to assist renters (to keep them from becoming homeless), as well as build more shelters and housing across Oregon. Lots of this money will start being distributed into communities this week, and is a big win for Gov. Kotek and the Dems. Aaaaaand right on cue, here comes wet blanket Mayor Wheeler to complain that this state money won't be available for his mass internment camp scheme, because his idea of hundreds of tents crammed in together doesn't jibe with the governor's plan for "structurally sound" and safe shelters. (Interesting... it's almost like being intentionally cruel doesn't inspire great partnerships.)

• In other "poor judgement from Mayor Wheeler" news: As you know, the mayor is absolutely befuddled as to why some houseless people don't want to move into his guarded mass tent internment camps that could be legitimately unsafe or traumatizing for the homeless, their families, or pets. So his new plan is to get former houseless people to convince the currently houseless to go to the camps... or face getting citations? Because if there's one thing everyone trusts, it's a narc. 🙄

Our own @Jarrette_Werk spoke with Weinstein in an exclusive interview, “Institutions need to critically reflect on their past and their positions in this very colonial system,” she said.
Read the whole story- https://t.co/QJsecBzaag

— Underscore News (@Underscorenews) March 17, 2023

• For those upset about the impending closure of Portland's oldest Jewish deli, Kornblatt's on NW 23rd, dry those eyes—Henry Higgins Boiled Bagels will be moving into the spot which just so happens to schmear up the same bagels Kornblatt's has been serving for years.

"Tides," the new solo album from founding Decemberists member Jenny Conlee, is perhaps unsurprisingly inspired by the Pacific Northwest's gray and moody coastline.https://t.co/Kp3hpzCJKT

— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) March 21, 2023

IN NATIONAL NEWS:

• While "Arrestmas" (AKA the Trump indictment) didn't happen yesterday, prosecutors are still gathering evidence, including email exchanges between the former president and his hushed-up former play pal Stormy Daniels. In any case, I assume it was actually a bigly disappointment to Trump that his attempt to whip up free publicity and his base ahead of his presidential run was thwarted by a district attorney who just decided to chill and watch the latest episode of Ted Lasso instead.

THANK YOU TO ALL 17 OF MY BRAVE SUPPORTERS AT MAR-A-LAGO!! NONE OF YOUR GRANDCHILDREN WERE AVAILABLE???

— Donald J. Drumpf (@RealDonalDrumpf) March 22, 2023

• In other critical trial news, actor/Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow is in court over accusations she slammed into a fellow skiier at an Utah resort and scooted off without a word, even though the person was seriously injured. Paltrow denies the charges, saying the victim is exploiting her wealth and celebrity—and probably the fact that people don't like her very much.

(CNN)- It's #Ramadan, the holiest month of the #Muslim calendar. In 2023, it runs from March 22 to April 21. But what if you're not a Muslim Is there anything you should do so you don't come across as insensitive to your fasting friends during Ramadan? 👇🏾https://t.co/4sOUexorBs

— Arsalan Iftikhar (@TheMuslimGuy) March 22, 2023

• Now nobody panic, but beloved 97-year-old actor Dick Van Dyke was in a car accident last week that left him bloodied and possibly concussed. 😱 Thankfully he was treated on the scene and escaped with no serious injuries. 😥

• Before renting your next AirBNB, here's a headline to think about: "Mountain lion attacks tourist in a pool at Colorado vacation rental."

• And finally... THE RESULTS ARE IN.

The New York Times, New York, January 3, 1897 pic.twitter.com/2boaDZIeKf

— Yesterday's Print (@yesterdaysprint) March 22, 2023

I do NOT understand WHY no one talked about fighting back hemorrhoids every Fucking Day in your 40’s as a transformative experience. It’s like fighting hell back from wanting to use my asshole as an entrance into this realm. I’ll use my god damned finger to fight you!!!! For as long as it takes. I have power over this portal. Fuck face.

It should be cautioned that as of this evening we are entering a time of the year that cultures around the global mark as particularly magical or holy. This is a time to release yourself from the dark and destructive energies of the winter and to embrace renewal, rejuvenation, and rejoicing. It's generally recommended that you make a sincere effort to altar or upset your routine in order to better welcome these new energies and awarenesses. While the world is full of balance and while everything has its time in place, now is not the time to be investing your beingness in or experimenting with negative thoughts or entities. It's best to stop meddling in matters beyond yourself, firmly signal to all that you are repentant and reversing course, and make direct requests for mercy and harmony when making the appropriate offerings. Should you experience fear, hate, or other types of blindnesses it is recommended that you pray for illumination and run towards LOVE as fast as you can. LOVE can always be found. Now is the time to unite and gather, now is the time to reach out to others and offer our support, now is the time to check in on the humans and animals we haven't heard from during the winter. Spring has sprung! Embrace cleansing and renewal.

When she’s not touring the world with the Decemberists, collaborating with an array of local musicians, or writing and recording her own solo works, Jenny Conlee teaches piano—mostly via Zoom.

So she was fully prepared, when asked during an interview, to explain the seven ancient Greek musical scales—or modes—that form the foundation of about half of her new album Tides: Pieces for Accordion and Piano, which also happens to come out on Friday via Jealous Butcher Records.

“I've been wanting to write pieces in the modes for a long time,” she says, pulling her keyboard towards her with a practiced motion. “Because I’m a piano teacher and an accordion teacher, I wanted to write teaching pieces to explain how those (scales) sound.”

Most of the Greek scales have unique qualities—a sharp note here, a flat note there—that make them sound and feel exotic to our ears, which are accustomed to hearing music in the major and minor scales most commonly used in Western music.

Major and minor scales tend to provide our brains with a feeling of completion and stability by resolving from dissonance to consonance, Conlee explained. The Greek scales don’t have the same intervals, so they don’t really resolve in the same way.

“They always seem kind of like they’re floating because we can’t feel the root note,” she said. “You can’t find ‘home,’ so it feels a little bit drifty.”

That’s why the first half of Tides: Pieces for Accordion and Piano evokes a sense of melancholy for many people. Conlee wrote its seven tracks for solo accordion using the Greek modes as a framework and the Washington coastline as inspiration.

“I submitted a proposal for an artists’ residency at the Sou’Wester Lodge (in Seaview, Wash.) and the idea was that I’d write songs in each of the Greek modes and they’d be based on folk tales,” she said. “But when I got out there, I decided I’d just base them on what I was seeing, because I would get up in the morning, go to the beach and be like, ‘I want to try to make the sound of the sand. What mode would that be?’”

The answer, it turns out, is the Aeolian mode, a minor scale that gives the song “Sand” a sort of wispy, slowly shifting feel. “Wind,” on the other hand, was written in the Phrygian mode, Conlee said, so it would “sound like a whirling dervish kind of thing.” The suite’s penultimate track, “Shell,” is unmistakably somber, thanks to the Locrian mode’s dissonant tonic triad, while “Dune Grass” flutters playfully atop deeply rooted chords in the Lydian mode. 

“The classic Lydian song,” Conlee says, plunking out some familiar notes, “is the ‘Simpsons’ theme song.”

          View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Jenny Conlee-Drizos (@jennycd)

The second half of Tides features five entrancing, melodic ostinatos for piano, written by Conlee over the past few years. They're good companion pieces and nice palette cleansers, after 21 minutes of distinctive accordion sounds. All five are generally bright, beautiful and, in spots, heavily influenced by jazz giants Chick Corea and Bill Evans.

Conlee credits the Sou’Wester residency with giving her the time and space to finally complete her long-mulled project, and to stretch her classically trained musical muscles, which she tends to ignore when she’s busy with Portland-based folk-rock heroes the Decemberists, for whom she has played keyboard and accordion for the past 23 years.

“I like getting to play a grand piano in front of a listening audience to indulge my classical side a little bit,” she said. “I got my degree in piano and then ended up in rock bands, and I’m definitely happy that I’m in rock bands because the classical world is very competitive, and I’m not that kind of player. But I like the music and I like to compose in that way.”

At Sunday’s album-release show at the Old Church, Conlee will not only perform Tides in its entirety, she also plans to project video of coastal Washington to help take the audience back to the place where she wrote the music.

“I really like to think about that place and those things when I’m playing it, because I want to bring it out so much,” she said. “It’s almost like I made a soundtrack to the ocean, and I want people to see that and feel that.”

Jenny Conlee plays the Tides album-release show at the Old Church, 1422 SW 11th, Sun, March 26, 7:30 pm, $20-25, tickets here, all ages

[ Read more ]

The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) still doesn’t track enough data to evaluate whether its gun violence intervention tactics are effective at measurably reducing gun violence, a report from the city auditor found. 

The report, released Tuesday, is a follow-up to a larger audit published in 2018 that evaluated the PPB’s Gang Enforcement Team—a group that aimed to target gang members by pulling them over for minor traffic violations in order to search their car. The audit found the Gang Enforcement Team disproportionally initiated traffic stops with Black drivers, citing the unsubstantiated claim that “most gang shootings in Portland [are] committed by African American gangs.” The audit also cited concerns with the team’s documentation of people they believed to be gang affiliated, noting that the bureau lacked policies that would protect those people’s civil liberties. 

After the team openly admitted to racial profiling, the Gang Enforcement Team was renamed the Gun Violence Reduction Team in 2019, with a focus on reducing gun violence generally. Following the police murder of George Floyd in 2020, City Council voted to dissolve the specialized team.

However, after gun violence spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, the police bureau resurrected its gun violence reduction efforts in the form of two new teams that split the workload of the former Gang Enforcement Team. The Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST) investigates gun violence, and the Focused Intervention Team (FIT) aims to address gun violence through patrols and traffic stops.

Because the two gun violence-focused teams share a similar mission and duties as the original Gang Enforcement Team, City Auditor Simone Rede reevaluated whether the recommendations the bureau received in 2018 are being applied to the new teams. According to the report, while the Portland police have improved their reporting on racial demographics for traffic stops and monitoring stop data, the bureau must do more to establish criteria and goals that can be used to measure the effectiveness of the traffic stops and create policies that protect civil liberties of people the police believe are affiliated with routine gun violence. 

The FIT’s patrol efforts have a high-level goal of improving relationships with community members most impacted by gun violence and using targeted patrol missions to seize illegally-possessed weapons during traffic stops. While the team has a guiding mission, the auditor says the police bureau doesn’t have measurable goals or criteria to track the effectiveness of the FIT’s work. 

“While the Bureau has a high-level mission statement for the Intervention Team, it has not set goals to measure the effectiveness of patrol stops made by the Intervention Team,” the auditor’s report reads. “This makes it difficult for the Bureau to articulate whether the new unit’s traffic stops are successful at meeting its mission to reduce violent crime and ease tension in the community.”

The report also points to a continued concern with the lack of demographic data and reporting on FIT traffic stops that are recorded as “mere conversations”—interactions that don’t result in the driver being detained or charged. The report recommends that those conversations are recorded more diligently to have a complete picture of the team’s patrols and how “mere conversations” are utilized by the police.

In a letter responding to the report, Mayor Ted Wheeler—who also serves as police commissioner—disagreed with the recommendation to increase reporting on the conversations. Wheeler argued that “mere conversations” account for any interaction an officer has with a member of the public, like someone engaging in small talk or asking an officer for directions. Wheeler argued that not only would it be a major lift to record and maintain all of the additional data, but it could also have a “chilling effect on community engagement if police officers are required to collect demographic information.”

Wheeler also disagreed with the entire premise of the follow-up report, stating that the FIT and ECST are fundamentally different from the previous Gang Enforcement Team and thus should not be held to the same expectations outlined in the 2018 audit. According to Wheeler, because the FIT uses real-time community feedback to inform its work, the team would be better evaluated with a new audit. That real-time input is provided by the FIT Community Oversight Group, a volunteer committee that gives feedback on the team’s efforts and makes recommendations for other gun violence reduction tactics.

One of the oversight group’s recommendations included Portland employing gun detection technology company ShotSpotter—a service that uses microphones to record possible gunshots and alert the police. ShotSpotter is currently under investigation by the city for possibly violating lobbying laws due to how closely company representatives worked with the Portland police and community oversight group members ahead of the group’s recommendation to utilize the technology. The city is currently still considering a gun detection technology pilot program, possibly in collaboration with ShotSpotter, despite significant negative public feedback on the plan.

The FIT oversight group also recently raised the idea of developing a Violent Impact Players list—a point system that ranks people who are most likely to engage in gun violence. According to the city auditor, developing policies for protecting people’s civil liberties and weighing them against legal requirements would become even more important if the FIT moves forward with that recommendation.

PPB did not provide a comment on the report independent of Wheeler’s response.

“Though its units have changed, the Police Bureau’s commitment to accountable and transparent policing should not,” Rede said in a press release Tuesday. “Policies are fundamental to responsible management of information the Bureau collects about community members. Setting goals would help City leaders and community members assess whether the Bureau’s tactics are reducing violent crime.”