In Portland, if you see a person dressed up as a character from Alice in Wonderland, they might just be chasing their bliss. 

However, when Rebby Yuer Foster—who plays Alice in Shaking the Tree's experimental new play Forbidden Fruit—moves through a room, they draw the audience with a presence that approaches gravitational pull. Before the show, Foster weaved through the din of a mingling pre-show crowd, intermittently pausing and holding statuesque poses. Were we not instructed to follow them, it's likely some of us would have anyway. 

Was that the beginning of Forbidden Fruit? The work feels like a constant beginning. Was it the walk from Shaking the Tree's newly acquired offices to the door of their warehouse performance space? Did it begin when we poked cautiously through a corridor of tightly packed cardboard boxes, or when we split into groups and entered one of the eight rooms that hold the play's juicer bits?

A longstanding Midgard of Portland theater, Shaking the Tree makes both boundary-pushing and wonderfully relatable projects. We expect grand things, and the company consistently delivers. With Forbidden Fruit, Shaking the Tree has raised the bar once again. 

The hybrid play/installation is ambitious in scale—the product of twelve performers, six playwrights, one choreographer, with multiple cast members devising their own scenes, and at least one actor (Joellen Sweeney) composing her room's music. That's not even getting into the director Samantha Van Der Merwe, the show's creative team, and incredible set makers.

Not to be capitalist, but the show feels valuable.

Each of the eight rooms has an entirely different look, story, and emotion on display. And all of it is awesome—scary, illuminating, funny, sorrowful. Every eight minutes, a bell chimed and the audience moved clockwise to the next monologue, dance, and/or serenade. Though the room-hopping felts like musical chairs, it was never overwhelming. 

There's an unrepentant lack of direction, but our pod of six were lucky: When we opened our first door, an herbalist (Vana O'Brien) beckoned us into a cozy hut filled with natural medicines. We sat around a table and she told us the Midrash-inspired story of Adam's three wives, and what items we should prepare to stop a pregnancy. Her greeting made sense for her character, but would not have worked for the next room, where performer Claire Aldridge shrank and scribbled in the corner as if terrified of our presence.

It's interesting to think about the order of the doors—each with a fruit or other mythic food item painted above the frame—and how starting in different places inevitably leads to different emotional landings at the cycle's conclusion. The six people you start with will be your pod for the entire show, and while there's an instinct to stick together with friends, it might be interesting to separate, begin in different places, and compare notes.

As the audience moves from room to room, they happen upon Foster and Rabbit (Kai Hynes) in unmoving impressive poses: eg. fighting over a spilled goblet of wine, Alice gesturing towards Rabbit with a sword, Alice holding a rabbit in a bed of flowers. The progression of powerful images was the show's most striking visual. Aldridge's Pina Bausch-style dance, choreographed by Amy Leona Havin, was a close second.

Forbidden Fruit is a masterful production and a perfect way for Shaking the Tree to celebrate 20 years of treating Portland to exciting and interesting theater. The concept actually feels like a further exploration of what Van Der Merwe was working on in the company's 2018 production _____ the wolf, which took a single pod of audience members through six dioramas. It's a bigger, better version with more voices, stories, and perspectives. And a great representation of all that Shaking the Tree has grown to be.

Forbidden Fruit runs through Sat April 1 at Shaking the Tree, 823 SE Grant (but it begins in the office next door, 2136 SE 8th), $5-33, tickets here, 16+. While the show is SOLD OUT, there's an active waitlist. 

Hidley ho, Trash Pandas! Welcome to The Trash Report. I'm your best friend, Elinor Jones, here with the latest in gossip, news, nonsense... kinda whatever, this column can really go off the rails sometimes. Whatever it is, it will be words. Let's go!

Speaking of trash pandas, more information is coming out about the origins of the coronavirus, and signs are pointing towards a raccoon dog! Without looking up what a raccoon dog is, I'm assuming it's an animal with the intelligence, memory, and charming personality of a dog, mixed with the griminess, cunning, and manual dexterity of a raccoon. Sounds like a cursed animal to me, and I feel just fine pinning the pandemic on it! Bats, which had initially been blamed for passing the virus to humans, are tapping their weird little mammalian bird legs off to the side, wondering when to expect their apology.

This is the best reaction I've seen to our current banking crisis:

You know America is smart because we're hitting the "huh I guess bad things happen when you roll back banking regulations" phase at the exact same time we're entering the "let's see what happens when you roll back child labor regulations" phase

— Hamilton Nolan (@hamiltonnolan) March 14, 2023

It's been a week, but gossip from last week's Academy Awards is still trickling out. As we know, Top Gun: Maverick was nominated for Best Picture, leaving many convinced that Tom Cruise would grace the Oscars with his presence. Alas, he did not. The official reason he bailed was that he had to work on filming the new Mission: Impossible movie. As if movies can't pause production on a Sunday afternoon so its star can go do something else for a few hours? Not buying it! Others have speculated that he didn't go because he didn't want host Jimmy Kimmel to make fun of him. But the best suggestion is that Cruise didn't go because he didn't want to share the red carpet with ex-wife Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban. This one I like. This makes sense to me. That they broke up 20 years ago and still can't hang is the most relatable thing I've ever heard about Tom Cruise. I still avoid grocery shopping in the neighborhoods of people I dated a decade ago. I get it!

And my favorite little morsel from the event is that actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr. and his 23-year-old daughter took public transportation to the ceremony. Like, "Honey, you wanna go to the Oscars?" "Sure, Dad!" "Great! We'll just take the bus, and then the subway, and then walk the last few blocks." This is just such a dad move, to make something as glamorous as getting to go to the Academy Awards, but then making it contingent on taking two different forms of mass transit to get there. I love it tremendously.

I mentioned this in Good Afternoon, News the other day but I've had some time to think about it some more, and I have a lot of questions, or maybe a suggestion. So, the Portland Trailblazers have revealed their new mascot, which is a giant fuzzy Bigfoot named Douglas Fur. Fine. But the Blazers already have a mascot, which is a white cat named Blaze. And I need to know the backstory here. Was Blaze not doing his job well enough? Does Blaze have to pretend to welcome Douglas Fur, but behind the scenes they hate each other? I'm getting Nancy Kerrigan/Tanya Harding vibes. But then, maybe after a while of hating each other, they fall in love. Yes, and then during the last regular season game, they are smooching on the sidelines, not realizing that they're on the kisscam! The crowd is elated, and the Blazers go off to a championship sweep made all the sweeter by the love between Blaze and Douglas, or Blagus, as they've come to be called. But they are under so much pressure, and during a halftime show of the final series, Douglas and Blaze attempt to do triple flips off a trampoline to slam dunk a basketball while holding hands, but they fall, and are both seriously injured. The Blazers go on to lose this game. Will the mascots recover? Will the Blazers recover? The final series is tied 3-3. It's halftime again, and the Moda Center is eerily quiet. Then, with no announcement, two dark figures appear on the court. It's Blaze, and he's pushing Douglas in a wheelchair! The crowd goes wild! They make a lap around the court, waving, and the crowd is so happy, and everybody feels like we can breathe again. They pause, and Douglas is handed a mic. He speaks?? Nobody has ever heard this before! Douglas thanks the community for their support and for giving them the space to heal. "I couldn't have asked for a better cuter cat to recuperate with than Blaze," and then Blaze covers his face with his fake paw. Douglas sets down the mic and trembles for a moment, before pushing himself out of his wheelchair! He can walk again! And just moments after standing does he lower himself again, but this time to his knee, as he pulls a novelty ring from his plaid vest. "Blaze," he says. "You've made me the happiest 7-foot-tall mascot in the NBA. Will you marry me?" And Blaze nods excitedly—he doesn't talk—and Douglas jumps to his feet again, and they embrace! The crowd goes wild! And the Blazers go on to win the championship game!!!!!

Anyway, just an idea. 

Speaking of sports, like I famously do, Major League Baseball player Kiké Hernández revealed that he recently shat his pants during a game, and was then gifted a bunch of Dude Wipes: Baby Wipes for Men* (*not actual tagline, although it could be, because that's what they are). While if I ever publicly shat my pants, I would crawl into a hole never to emerge again, even if admitting it did get me a bunch of free stuff—but I'm not going to shame anyone else for their own bodily functions! Besides, who could be mad at a guy who look so happy to be ready to poop his pants again? 

Thanks to the guys @DUDEwipes I’m prepared for my next shart attack! Cuz 💩 happens!! pic.twitter.com/lwxOLQaGow

— Enrique Hernández (@kikehndez) March 14, 2023

It's just about officially the beginning of Spring. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I do have a house with a yard, which means I'm about to spend several afternoons a month mowing it. Mowing the lawn is the only yard work I look forward to. I like the slowness, the method, and that I can do it holding a beer. That said, this also looks fun. Maybe there's a cupholder for your beer?

U.S. issues Mexico travel safety alert, especially for these popular spring break spots https://t.co/wbdfhsgFeH

— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) March 16, 2023

Well, I guess I've done all I can here. Thank you for spending some time with me, and I'm sorry if I made anything weird.

Making it weird,

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! While you can expect showers today (and a high of 53), the sun returns tomorrow and Wednesday as temps soar back up to 60 degrees. Now let's soar into some NEWS! ("Soar" is one of those words that looks weirder the more you type it.)

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• If you love neighborhood association DRAMA, you're gonna flip over this banger of a report from the Mercury's newest star reporter Courtney Vaughn. Even after having their funds yanked by the city for financial mismanagement, the overprivileged souls of Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. want Portland to resume giving them free money... without showing any sign of change. Come for the eye-bulging entitlement, stay for Commish Dan Ryan bending over backwards to help these rich crybabies.

• Speaking of chattering neighborhood groups, members of the Montevilla community gathered at a church to voice their unsurprising discontent over a proposed city-run safe parking site that would allow houseless people to stay and live in their vehicles. Their complaints stayed right on brand: expressing "empathy" without being empathetic, using right-wing dog-whistle, made-up terms like "homeless industrial complex," and automatically categorizing an entire group of people as drug addicted, violent criminals... you know, the YOUZH.

• But wait... who organized this meeting? OHHHHHHH... now this makes sense.

Angela Todd played a role in the PPA/Hunzeker attack on Commissioner Hardesty. At the time, Mayor Wheeler feigned concern but now he works directly with Todd, speaking at her forum on houselessness. https://t.co/CEdKeyQ6Ca

— Public Record And Data Archives (@PRADAPDX) March 19, 2023

• HOWEVER! Across the city, folks in the Central Eastside also held a meeting with city leaders about the first mass homeless encampment being located in their neighborhood, and expertly called out the mayor's hypocrisy for incorrectly trying to sell it as a "housing first" model. They also castigated the mayor for ignoring the concerns of local houseless nonprofits, and putting California's Urban Alchemy in charge of running the camp—even though the organization has been the subject of multiple lawsuits. (Congrats to this Central Eastside group who have done their homework and actually seem to know what they're talking about! Ahem... Montevilla.)

• RELATED AGAIN: Hilariously, Mayor Ted Wheeler (and fellow Portland Business Alliance employee, Commissioner Mingus Mapps) is claiming that his sweeps of houseless folk encampments near roadways has led to a dramatic decrease in the deaths of homeless people. AHEM. And now our own Isabella Garcia will handily disabuse them of that delusion:

Dickman said the change in the number of unhoused pedestrians killed in crashes (19 in 2021 and 10 in 2022) could be within a standard range of variation or other factors could have been at play—there just isn't enough data to identify a pattern, let alone a change in the pattern

— Isabella Garcia (@isabellaaliciaa) March 17, 2023

• A Portland Police Bureau employee is being charged with evidence tampering after she allegedly attempted to “destroy, mutilate, alter, conceal and remove physical evidence” in an investigation into her husband, who has been accused of manslaughter.

In this week's batch of food news, the Portland culinary scene welcomes some inventive flavor combos, from pho-braised brisket pizza to longanisa burgers. https://t.co/OmhVoh4kHA

— EverOut Portland (@EverOutPortland) March 17, 2023

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• A criminal indictment for former President Trump could drop as soon as tomorrow, and while he called for his minions across the nation to protest and flip their kitchen tables, so far he's received a muted response. However, rest assured his Republican cronies in the House will take the opportunity to feign outrage and use the situation to their fundraising benefit.

Happy #Arrestmas Eve! pic.twitter.com/NMK0UP1X6d

— Space Force Cadet (@SpaceForceCad) March 20, 2023

• A panel of UN climate scientists have issued a dire warning, that unless nations come together now to battle climate change, our already bleak situation could become irreversible by 2035.

• Chinese leader Xi Jinping is in Russia to shake hands with accused war criminal Vladimir Putin, and make a bid for the two countries to become a world superpower—a move that's sure to unnerve the US and her allies.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/ptN3vD0FRY

— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) March 19, 2023

• Taylor Swift kicked off her wildly anticipated "Eras" tour in Arizona on Friday, performing a three hour concert (!) that included 44 songs (!!). Damn, Taylor! Save some for your Seattle gig!

• And finally... me, coming into the new work week like...

Looks like landing at St. Barts airport is pretty wild pic.twitter.com/xytsehcRrt

— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) March 19, 2023

GOOD MORNING, SUNDAY! It's the perfect time to catch up on some of the great reporting and stories the Mercury churned out this week! (PRO TIP: If you despise being "the last to know," then be one of the first to know by signing up for Mercury newsletters! All the latest stories shipped directly to your email's in-box... and then... YOUR HEAD.)

• Portland City Council Approves Incentives for Office-to-Apartment Building Conversions

Facing a housing crisis and a sluggish downtown economy, Portland City Council is aiming to incentivize developers to convert vacant office buildings into residential apartment complexes by waiving fees and relaxing seismic requirements. But is it enough?

• POP QUIZ PDX!

Hey brainy butt! 🤓 See how well YOU score on the latest POP QUIZ PDX! This week: famous Oregon flops, creepy bird lovers, and the eventual (and welcome) death of capitalism! 🤗

• Climate Change and the Housing Crisis are Burdening Portland’s Emergency Shelter System

As climate change increases the frequency of severe weather events and the region’s housing crisis persists, operating emergency shelters is taking an increasing toll on the county and city—as well as the community volunteers who run the shelters.

• Traffic Deaths in Portland Remain Record-High For a Second Year

Sixty-three Portlanders died in traffic crashes in 2022. Speed, dark conditions, and prolonged road exposure played a significant role in another year of record-high fatal crashes in the city.

• THE TRASH REPORT

Let's go, trash pandas! 🦝 Here's the hottest goss of the week: A slap-less Oscars, a disappointing revelation about Hugh Grant, and... if you love bird puns... buckle up, baby! 🦜

• Win Free Tix to the Treefort Music Fest!

Oooh-WHEE! There's still time to enter to win TWO five-day general admission passes to the Treefort Music Festival! (WHAT?? YESSSSS!) 🏃‍♀️

• Oregon Is at a Crossroads for Trans Rights

Guest editorial: Blair Stenvick of Basic Rights Oregon on why the fight for gender-affirming care and trans rights is especially important right now.

• HEAR IN PORTLAND

In this week's music news: All-ages hip hop shows from Friends of Noise and the Y La Bamba record release show deets you desperately need.

• Oregon Symphony 2023-24 Season: Cancellations, Crowd-Pleasers, and Comebacks

Approachable programming like the cinematic Popcorn series returns in the recently announced Oregon Symphony 2023-24 calendar. But budget cuts nixed the annual free waterfront concert.

• SAVAGE LOVE

In this week's column: She was never able to have vaginal penetration orgasms before... but now? BLAMMO! What's up with that?

WOW, THAT IS A LOT OF GOOD READIN'. I hope you didn't have any other plans this weekend! Dig in, and remember: Producing all this hard work costs moolah—so please consider contributing to the Mercury to keep it all coming! Thanks!

The lady on the corner of SE 69th and Woodstock had not even finished fixing her house from the last time one of you morons drove into her home with your car before another one of you stupids drove into again! In the 3 years I've lived on this corner, I seen had 3 drive bys and 3 other houses hit by cars I can't even tell you how many car vs car wrecks since I've lost count. Its not the cops, or the homeless, its you, you suck. All of you, you are all incompetent! Its the collected sum that makes it all suck, you are just as much a part of this shit too. On the behalf of the poor lady on the corner: You suck, learn to drive.

The remarkable journey of life can never be dull or difficult as long as there are sublime vistas and surprises along the way. From your first happy welcome, to our sad, sudden parting, it's been impossible to ignore the unifying thread woven throughout our every shared caper, argument, or silent moment of gladness, and it is this: no one who glides within your orbit will ever be bored, their moment with you will be rich, the absence of you will tug in delicious sorrow. To know you is sublime, to remember you, an act of love.

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 AFTERNOON, PORTLAND! *whispers* (Is it thong weather?) I do believe it's... THONG WEATHER! 💥😎😛 And here's your thong weather report: Expect sunny skies and a thong-tastic 64 degrees tomorrow... and while showers return on Sunday, the temp will still hit 56, which means you can wear your fur thong! And now, here's some thong-tha-thong-thong NEWS. 

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• If you love neighborhood association DRAMA, you're gonna flip over this banger of a report from the Mercury's newest star reporter Courtney Vaughn. See, even after having their funds yanked by the city for financial mismanagement, the overprivileged souls of Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. want Portland to resume giving them free money... without showing any sign of change. Come for the eye-bulging entitlement, stay for Commish Dan Ryan bending over backwards to help these rich crybabies.

After being cut off from city funds in 2021 for financial mismanagement, neighborhood coalition leader Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. is seeking new money from the city. Critics aren't convinced the neighborhood group has changed. https://t.co/XRKbr3PMkQ

— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) March 17, 2023

• Very much related: Building more housing is IMPERATIVE to curbing the state's homeless crisis, and while every NIMBY in the state is screaming and crying for houseless folk to disappear, according to a new poll, only a quarter of Oregonians want new construction in their neighborhood, and half don't want landlords to get any special incentives for taking in the homeless. Feel free to lose YOUR GOT-DAMNED MIND.

• Hilariously, Mayor Ted Wheeler (and fellow Portland Business Alliance employee, Commissioner Mingus Mapps) is claiming that his sweeps of houseless folk encampments near roadways has led to a dramatic decrease in the deaths of homeless people. AHEM. And now our own Isabella Garcia will handily disabuse them of that delusion:

Dickman said the change in the number of unhoused pedestrians killed in crashes (19 in 2021 and 10 in 2022) could be within a standard range of variation or other factors could have been at play—there just isn't enough data to identify a pattern, let alone a change in the pattern

— Isabella Garcia (@isabellaaliciaa) March 17, 2023

• While an Oregon bill that would ban the use of kangaroo skin to make sports shoes and other goods has hit a dead end, activists are pleased as punch by the news that both Nike and Puma will cease using kangaroo leather in their overpriced creations. (Do you own "kangaroo shoes"? If you or your kids play soccer, then the answer is probably YES.)

Saddle up, trivia lovers! 🤠 Let's see how well YOU score on this week's wicked fun POP QUIZ PDX. Expect lotsa quizzy Qs about famous flops, drinking on the job, and everybody's fave topic: the death spiral of capitalism! https://t.co/n1ysuVAR43

— Wm. Steven Humphrey (@WmSteveHumphrey) March 17, 2023

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• It's always a good day when war criminal Vladimir Putin is issued with an international arrest warrant over accusations that he committed war crimes for the "unlawful deportation of (children) and unlawful transfer of (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.” While he will certainly ignore such a warrant, it will definitely make for some awkward moments during his weeklong sleepover next week with China's President Xi Jinping.

Breaking News: The Justice Department is investigating the owner of TikTok for possible spying on U.S. citizens, according to people familiar with the matter. The inquiry appears to be tied to an admission by the app’s owner, ByteDance. https://t.co/pVOMnFu5kU

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 17, 2023

• Run to the store this weekend and buy some popcorn, because multiple law enforcement agencies are preparing for the possibility that former President Donald Trump could be indicted as soon as next week (!!) for his role in the Stormy Daniels hush money scandal. (Meanwhile a federal judge has ordered Trump attorney Evan Corcoran to testify regarding the mishandled classified documents that were found at Mar-a-Lago. SO MUCH LEGAL TURMOIL, I LOVE IT.)

• News for your racist uncle: Despite recent accusations that the coronavirus was leaked from a Chinese lab, recent data indicates that the virus may have originated in Wuhan raccoon dogs—which I've never heard of, and to be honest, I'm not exactly psyched by the prospect of a dog that can steal and open a can of snacks all on her own. Anyway, the World Health Organization is investigating.

• Sad news for all of us fans of John Wick and The Wire:

Rest in Peace Lance Reddick 💔 pic.twitter.com/P0vPinu7li

— Alamo Drafthouse (@alamodrafthouse) March 17, 2023

• Thousands of demonstrators are flooding Place de la Concorde in France to protest the government's plan to raise the national retirement age from 62 to 64, and the situation wasn't improved when President Emmanuel Macron suddenly ordered the legislation to pass without allowing lawmakers to vote on it. (Trust me when I say the French make Portland's so-called "riots" look like a kindergarten trip to the cotton candy factory.)

• And finally... what your office cat is doing while you're away for the weekend.

they're evolving pic.twitter.com/LN5QDtD8QY

— cats being weird little guys (@weirdlilguys) March 17, 2023

First, it was a $66,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan during the COVID-19 pandemic that raised eyebrows. Then, an audit concluded a city-funded district coalition had misspent close to $354,000 over the course of a decade. That chain of events led the Portland City Council to cut off Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. from city funds in 2021.

Now, Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. (SWNI), a nonprofit representing neighborhood associations in South and Southwest Portland, is coming back before city leaders, asking to be reconsidered for annual funding. Neighborhood leaders in South and Southwest Portland say the funding would be a welcome relief. Others are worried about accountability. 

SWNI is one of seven district coalitions established by the city to represent and provide services to neighborhood associations in its geographic boundaries. Neighborhood associations are intended to improve livability in the city, via increased civic engagement and communication with elected city leaders. District coalitions provide support and technical assistance to those neighborhood associations, in the form of administrative services, board training, and community outreach efforts. The city of Portland typically provides funding to coalitions that gets passed on to associations. 

In recent years, the Office of Community & Civic Life has reexamined the roles and functions of neighborhood associations and coalitions, which tend to consist of only homeowners and often lack racial and economic diversity—a criticism leveled at SWNI before it was cut off from funding.

After concerns about suspicious financial activity within SWNI back in 2020, the city commissioned a financial audit of the coalition. The audit found roughly $174,000 was lost to employee embezzlement at SWNI from 2003 to 2010. Auditors cited a lack of internal financial controls and lack of board oversight, but also noted lax city oversight contributed to an additional $179,000 being mishandled. 

The fallout of the financial audit led to three neighborhood groups leaving the SWNI coalition. Facing financial uncertainty, SWNI is now seeking approval for city funding from Civic Life—but critics argue the organization has made no meaningful changes since being cut off in 2021.

While no decisions have been made on whether the embattled nonprofit will receive city funding again, SWNI’s board seems to have the ear of Commissioner Dan Ryan, who oversees Civic Life. SWNI’s board voted Wednesday, March 15, to send a proposal to Ryan and the Civic Life bureau, outlining how funds would be used to serve neighborhoods, nonprofits, and community groups, while making a bigger push for equity and inclusion. The proposal does not include a specific funding amount, just a plan for how future money would be used.

“This is a unique opportunity,” SWNI Board Chair Steve Mullinax said during the meeting. “It comes as there is new leadership on council. The commissioner (Ryan) is more interested in what we can do moving forward, than what has transpired in the past.”

Prior to Ryan being assigned to oversee Civic Life at the beginning of this year, former Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty was in charge of the bureau. Following the audit, Hardesty recommended cutting SWNI’s funding. The City Council later approved a plan to have Civic Life take over to serve neighborhood associations in SWNI's boundaries. 

Mullinax said without a new infusion of stable funding, SWNI may be forced to shutter, leaving neighborhood associations with fewer resources and less cohesion. 

T.J. McHugh, acting director of Civic Life who serves on Ryan’s team, said “no decision has been made” to change SWNI’s current operating model.

“Any change to the current structure of how Southwest Neighborhoods are organized or funded will involve neighborhood associations, community organizations, and the people who live in the area,” McHugh said.

Still, McHugh’s request for a funding proposal from SWNI signals a willingness to re-consider partnering with the organization. Swaying Ryan might be SWNI’s last chance at success.

After losing city funding, SWNI scaled back its services in 2021 and laid off all staff except a part-time bookkeeper, relying on private donations each month. Southwest and South Portland neighborhood associations within the district coalition were directed to work with Civic Life for administrative services and insurance coverage, instead of SWNI. Many neighborhood leaders say that hasn’t been working out.

Shortly into the administrative transition, neighborhood associations were informed that a different district coalition had failed to acquire proper insurance coverage on their behalf. Associations also reported little to no communication or access to Civic Life.

“Our neighborhood’s experience with the city of Portland has been a lot of red tape, a lot of small individual grants, and just seems to be dividing us into small little groups,” Marianne Fitzgerald, a Crestwood neighborhood resident, told the SWNI board. “The city really hasn’t done much to unify people in Southwest Portland, so we want to leverage our resources.”

City leaders warned of “toxic” behavior

Even before a formal funding proposal reached Ryan’s team, the city was met with opposition. In a series of letters and emails to Civic Life, some former SWNI members urged the bureau not to restore funding, citing a pattern of “bullying and intimidation” from SWNI leadership. That behavior in past years led neighborhood association leaders, and, in one case, the coalition’s own equity leader, to step down.

Carol Porto, a former SWNI board secretary, wrote to Civic Life staff and city commissioners March 13, claiming a toxic culture within the organization. 

“Taxpayer dollars are not to be squandered on a handful of citizens for whom bullying is a standard practice, who say one thing but do another where equity is concerned, routinely make false representation claims, and deploy tactics to suppress, oppress, exclude and disregard community members,” Porto wrote. 

Porto said she was once asked to change meeting minutes to include “inaccurate information,” and said two other committee leaders—including the former equity and inclusion chair—both cited threats, bullying, and “demeaning behavior” from SWNI’s former president in their resignation letters. Porto also reminded council that South Burlingame Neighborhood Association’s president has been “threatened with lawsuits, grievances, cease and desist orders and forced board removal.”

Critics say SWNI leadership is quick to censor dissenting opinions and doesn’t allow meaningful discourse on topics like exclusionary policies, or the group’s own historic missteps. 

During Wednesday’s meeting, SWNI equity and inclusion chair Laura Campos was interrupted by Mullinax for voicing concern over how a recent neighborhood summit was facilitated. Campos ultimately voted against SWNI’s move to ask the city for funding, calling the group “out of line” with equity practices and state housing goals. Another meeting attendee was kicked out of the virtual meeting after posing questions in the chat about how SWNI would rectify its financial oversight, if given city funds. 

“Literally nothing has changed at SWNI since they were defunded in March 2021, except that several neighborhood associations have since left SWNI,” said Marie Tyvoll, former chair of the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association in Southwest Portland. 

Tyvoll was ousted from her neighborhood association position by SWNI leaders after a series of clashes, including her suing SWNI for failing to provide public records. 

SWNI leadership did not respond to the Mercury’s request for comment, but current board leaders appear eager to move past prior conflicts and focus on a path forward.

“This plan is presented in the hope that it will be the foundation for moving forward in a positive way to restore – and enhance – the full range of Coalition services for all of our residents, including renters and previously underrepresented members of the community,” a draft version of SWNI’s proposal for city funding states.

SWNI’s request for funding comes as larger questions loom about the viability and purpose of district coalitions, especially as Portland gears up to change its form of government that includes geographic representation in 2025. Many district coalitions have proven dysfunctional and been stymied by a lack of community participation and volunteer leadership. Three of the seven neighborhood coalitions are now run by the city, instead of a contracted coalition like SWNI. 

It’s not just the coalitions that have become difficult to operate. The Office of Community & Civic Life was deemed by the city in 2017 as “suffering from limited accountability and outdated funding and program models.” Four years later, a damning report revealed widespread dysfunction and plummeting employee morale within the bureau. At least two former Civic Life directors were forced to resign with payouts from the city in the wake of the report. The bureau has continued to experience a high level of leadership turnover. Michael Montoya, who was appointed as interim bureau director in 2021, left on a temporary leave of absence in early March, citing “personal matters.” McHugh, a special projects and policy advisor in Ryan’s office, was appointed to run the bureau in Montoya’s absence. 

Tyvoll and others say Portland’s district coalition and neighborhood association system is outdated and archaic, and should be replaced.

“The way Neighborhood Associations are organized reinforces a racist power structure that led to our system, which continues to prop up a core group of white people,” Tyvoll said. “Six people, all white identifying, made most of the motions that went to SWNI, and thereby, City Council. If you don’t have folks who use the lenses of equity and inclusion and the basic best practices, that organization is going nowhere.”

2NW5
The Hoxton's Basement Bar is back in action under the moniker "2NW5," a new speakeasy-inspired concept. The menu includes elegant bar snacks like oysters, arancini, steak tartare, and "green eggs and ham" (deviled eggs with harissa and bacon) alongside classic cocktails like Sidecars and Jungle Birds.
Old Town-Chinatown

Lucky for you, there are plenty of cheap and easy events this St. Patrick's Day weekend that won't cost you a pot o'gold. Check them all out below, from Irish Festival 2023 to St. Patrick's Day Party with Pfriem and from This Ain't No Disco: A Drag and Burlesque tribute to Talking Heads to Palestinian Art and Cultural Festival.

Adam Melchor: Free Pizza Lunch, In-Store Performance, and Signing
Indie-folk singer-songwriter Adam Melchor will stop by Music Millennium for a free in-store performance, signing, and pizza party in support of his sophomore album, Here Goes Nothing!, which features an appearance from PNW favorites Fleet Foxes.
(Music Millennium, Kerns, free)

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: We're looking at some nice ass weather this weekend. I wouldn't be a true midwesterner if I didn't immediately follow such a statement with a reminder to keep your drunk bros out of the fast, cold, and tricksy Oregon rivers.

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• OPB's Amelia Templeton has been writing a multi-part investigation of Oregon's mental health system. Yesterday, part one looked at the problem of not having enough facilities to house people experiencing serious mental illness. Today's part two is about rural areas, which have disproportionately higher instances of “deaths of despair.”

• If the conversations about ongoing staff shortages in Oregon's hospitals are of interest to you, the newly released study—compiled by the Oregon Longitudinal Data Collaborative—explains some of the problems and recommends solutions. By all means, read the study, but OPB's Meerah Powell summarizes it well, too.

• Today in continuing the tradition of making "a desire to focus on his family" sound sketchy as fuck:

ICYMI: the outgoing director of @OHAOregon discussed conflict of interest issues with the state ethics watchdog before he unexpectedly resigned, citing a desire to focus on his family. The watchdog's opinion could complicate the search for a replacement: https://t.co/3A0043UZ64

— The Lund Report (@TheLundReport) March 17, 2023

• If you take Amtrak regularly (or even just next week) you may want to be aware of these service hiccups.

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

Pint-sized queen of vulgarity Ali Wong has plans to pop by Portland in July. Plus, Counting Crows & Dashboard Confessional and perennial emo faves Jimmy Eat World & Manchester Orchestra will rock Bend's Red Mill District this summer. https://t.co/71kkXVXVm6

— EverOut Portland (@EverOutPortland) March 16, 2023

IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• Oh holy shit, this just dropped so keep an eye out for future developments, but the Associated Press reports that the International Criminal Court located in the Hague, Netherlands issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Whether this is anything other than a piece of political theater remains to be seen—my general understanding of the Hague is that it only matters to people who respect the Hague?  And Russia does not.

BREAKING: The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes because of alleged involvement in abductions of Ukrainian children. https://t.co/3GGDn4ilIj

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 17, 2023

• As former president Donald Trump works on his bid for reelection to the White House in 2024, YouTube announced this morning that it will allow him to return to the platform. He had previously been banned in 2021, after thousands of his followers attacked the US Capitol on Jan 6. It's not like YouTube has repeatedly been reported on as a radicalizing medium or anything.

• French President Emmanuel Macron forced a bill through his nation's parliament yesterday, raising France's retirement age from 62 to 64. And the French ARE NOT HAVING IT. If you ever wonder why the French travel, vacation, and eat lunch like human beings—it might be because every time someone tries to take away their rights they get out there and flip cars. For more background on the story, I liked yesterday's episode of the Daily.

• Your energy today—I am going to be that dachshund still carrying the hotdog costume til the end:

@yunabugs YOU GUYS… I AM WINDED FROM THIS TREND. 😮‍💨 #fyp #fy #foryou #dog #dachshund ♬ ceilings - Sped Up Version - Lizzy McAlpine

Seriously folks. Most of the people here need to chill out and have a good listen to the song First World Problems by the great Ian Brown!

If you call Trimet transit tracker like I do, here's the scoop. When it says max line will arrive in 2 min, that really means 10 min. The max is always off. There is something always wrong with something. Some technical or mechanical issue. Some disruptive passenger causing the delay of 100s of people and numerous max lines behind. There is always something delayed. I also remember in years past on snow days, transit tracker would say, bus is arriving in 1.8 miles. Whatever the Fuck that means. The thing is, nobody cares or has nothing to do in their life so they're okay with waiting in the madness that is now this city, and the commotion that is now this world. I got things to do. I have a home to return to from a job. I don't need to be waiting and stuck amongst a land I don't want to be a part of. I can't share ride everywhere, everytime. I would if I could. Or maybe I should when I know. Note to self, if trip planner says take a route that involves the max, AVOID THAT OPTION AND FIND ANOTHER ROUTE.

There is a very old saying that goes, "非其鬼而祭之，諂也。見義不為，無勇也。" which is another way of saying "if you know better and don't do better, then what are you exactly?" (This is very far from a direct translation, it's 2023 you can look it up yourself ;-) ) Our society has entire industries to scare us and wear down our impulses, this affects some more than others. But it also has a cascading affect on us as a whole, that same anxiety induced by advertising to manufacture a need to fit in, or participate in the latest trends, that same fear conjured by politicians to exploit your need "to do something" gets quite overwhelming when combined with the day to day chaos and callousness of our modern world.. This is why breaks and support are important.. Because when given the opportunity to step out of these hyper-stimulated environments, its easier to see them for what THEY really ARE. Let's try this another way. Take a step back and try to assess what it is you have adjusted to. Do you want to be adjusted to a society where children go hungry? Do you want to be adjusted to a society where violence and destruction are seen as acceptable parts of the political process? Do you want to be adjusted to a society where your elected officials are more concerned with their coffers than with compassion? This should sound familiar. These are not new concept. This idea was broadcasted years ago by one of earth's greatest teachers. We don't have to pretend things are okay, if they aren't. We must be maladjusted in order "to emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man's inhumanity to man, into the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice.”

General Public. This is such a shitty world were living in full of shitty ass people. I'm so sick of peoples entitlement, unfriendliness, selfishness, unkindness, and greed that I cannot deal with being anywhere in public. Noone treats anyone stranger with courtesy or respect that its just absolutely disgusting. If it ain't that, then it's fear, judgment, and caution for your fellow man/woman. 99% of people I see on a daily basis depress and uninspire the fuck out of me. Let's start with waiting at a bus stop where I'm standing away and some dude is pacing back and forth then walks in my periphery, near me, to blow a snot spray. He did that on purpose, for attention or instigation. I just started spitting profusely. Next up, when I get on a max, the only seat is next to a guy chowing some crap down his throat. He coughs no cover all the while shuffling in his seat and constantly hitting my shoulder. While behind me is another dude coughing no cover. I'm boarding this time but its another guy trying to exit with some other guy boarding with me but not waiting for the guy to exit. He said something to the impatient guy, and I called him an idiot too. Now leaving the max with some clueless jackass with his backpack in the aisle, sitting sideways so he can look at everyone. As I'm leaving i crash into his knees. I have no apology. I did that on purpose. I dont care. I dont fucking care anymore. The only time I use the word hate is how I hate people. What is wrong with this society and culture? I dont fucking care about my "neighbors" well being anymore. I dont care. Do Not Fucking Care anymore.

Bethany's Table
You'll find an Irish-inspired menu, live Irish folk songs, and plenty of Guinness at this family-owned farm-to-table bistro on St. Patrick's Day.
Bethany
Pickup, dine-in

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 AFTERNOON, PORTLAND! Here's some honest news: I intend to rush through writing this so I can stand outside and get blasted with all the Vitamin D my body has been denied over the past several months, and I know it's only like 58 degrees out there, but I'm probably going to wear shorts and you can't stop me! For more news, please read on. 

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Good news for the city center: KATU reports that downtown businesses have seen increased foot traffic in recent months, and they're crediting the return of arts programming. While the number of window shoppers still hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels, it is up 25 percent from last year. Nice! I know I for one am pumped about the summer concert series at Pioneer Square and I can't wait to see downtown look all lively and fun again. 

• From the Willamette Week: Data Shows Fires at Homeless Camps Remained a Large Portion of Portland Blazes Last Year. You can click through to find a table breaking down the instances by month, but the gist is that many more fires happen during winter months, because it's cold, and fire is warm. Honestly, what do they expect people to do? 

• The Oregon Legislature is considering a ban on TikTok on state-issued phones, which is how I learned that state employees were putting TikTok on their state-issued phones. President Biden has even threatened to pull this whole car over and ban TikTok from all of the USA if China doesn't stop using the app for spying, and China's like "We don't! By the way, your outfit is 🔥." 

• The Portland Trailblazers have a new mascot that looks like it parties, but does it party like Dillon the Pickle? 

should we ask your mom about this 🫣 pic.twitter.com/qTekPn26WK

— Portland Pickles (@picklesbaseball) March 16, 2023

IN NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

• Another bank got another bailout. It's so moving how swiftly people can take action and pull together a quick $30 billion when something really important is on the line—like protecting shareholders' assets. In the words of The West Wing's Josh Lyman: "Can't believe no one ever wrote a folk song about that." 

• When I saw the headline Biden Climate Legacy Tested by Backlash Over Willow Project, you know I clicked through. Alas, this was not about a Presidential response to the cancellation of the rebooted Willow series on Disney+, but rather the large-scale oil drilling in Alaska that Biden just greenlit despite having campaigned on protecting the environment and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. I dunno, he's pretty old, any chance somebody asked him if they should move forward with the Willow project and he thought it was the show, and not the oil drilling and that's why he said yes? Somebody with a line to Biden, please doublecheck.

• Speaking of presidents, that last one sure was bad news, wasn't he? A grand jury in Georgia just got to listen to another call he placed trying to get... I don't know, the election fairy?... to change the vote count to have him win the state. What a rascal.

U.S. issues Mexico travel safety alert, especially for these popular spring break spots https://t.co/wbdfhsgFeH

— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) March 16, 2023

• Look, if I had to read this, then so do you: Ron DeSantis Eats Chocolate Pudding Using Three Fingers, No Utensils. I'll hold your hair while you barf if you hold mine next.

• Some goats recently ran loose through the streets of San Francisco. NPR investigated how the goats may have felt as they explored the city by the bay, and an animal behavior specialist opined that they were probably "freaked out." Makes sense. While I'm not a goat psychologist, I also bet they were like, "Why are there so many goddamn steep hills in this city???" Because that's what I'm always like when I go to San Francisco. 

• French President Emmanuel Macron continues to say "oui" to the country's plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. The French people, as they do, are saying "non," and we are probably going to be seeing a lot more badass protest photos.

• The people of Turkey, who are still digging out from a devastating earthquake, are now dealing with flash floods. If the universe could ease the fuck up on Turkey, now's a good time to do so!

• A Maine man lost his appeal to have his vanity license plated reinstated because officials felt that his message, "LUVTOFU" was vulgar. The man insisted that he's just a vegan who loves tofu. Mmmhmmm. This is a good time to remind you to check out the vanity plates rejected in Oregon in 2022. LUVTOFU isn't on there but bless the Oregonians who tried P00PY and MILF AF.

• Wanna feel pervy about Billy Crystal, a 75-year-old man? Here ya go:

Thank you all.. pic.twitter.com/EySEYTBJMc

— Billy Crystal (@BillyCrystal) March 14, 2023

Now that you're informed, please go drink a margarita in the sunshine. 

Pint-sized beef lover and queen of vulgarity Ali Wong has plans to pop by Portland this coming July. Plus, there’s plenty of nostalgia on the schedule this summer as college rockers Counting Crows with Dashboard Confessional and perennial emo favorites Jimmy Eat World & Manchester Orchestra rock the Red Mill District in Bend. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use.

MUSIC

Bill Callahan
Aladdin Theater (Wed May 17)

Carla Morrison
Crystal Ballroom (Wed Aug 16)

Counting Crows & Dashboard Confessional
Hayden Homes Amphitheater (Thurs Sept 14)

Declan McKenna
Roseland Theater (Wed Oct 25)

PUP’s guitarist Steve Sladkowski is in a hotel room in Medford, OR trying to plan his honeymoon. His wedding is in three weeks and he has limited time to make arrangements. He’s at the tail end of a months-long tour and has just enough time off to get hitched and enjoy a small honeymoon before heading back out on the road for PUP’s next European tour. Despite the logistical nightmare of it all—and the fact that he’s “tired, it’s raining, and it’s the end of the tour”—Sladkowski is feeling very, very lucky, and not just because of his impending nuptials. 

“This week is the three-year anniversary of basically touring shutting down for us,” he says, recounting being in Eugene, OR in 2020 when the pandemic went from a blip to A Thing. “We're aware of the fact that we could want this to go on forever, and something outside of our power could take that away—for years. It’s strange. I think we're just not taking anything for granted.”

Luckily that sense of gratitude appears to extend to tolerating pesky journalists interrupting honeymoon planning.

As the band wraps up their US tour with two nights at the Wonder Ballroom—March 17 and 18—Sladkowski will be forgiven for feeling a little reflective. After all, since founding PUP in 2010, he and his bandmates Stefan Babcock (vocals, rhythm guitar), Nestor Chumak (bass, keyboard), and Zack Mykula (percussion) have been on the road for a long, long time. They played 400 shows to support their 2014 self-titled release. Touring that long and that hard for 13 years (minus a pandemic) is quite the feat for any band, but particularly for the band who wrote the song, “If This Tour doesn't Kill You, I Will,” way back in 2016. 

Over their many years together and on albums like 2022’s The Unraveling of PUPTheBand, PUP have established themselves as the thinking man’s punk (sorry, Bad Religion). Their energetic, hooky, speedball singalong songs offer a refreshing transparency about topics ranging from mental health to band drama, breakups, youthful ennui-turned-adult ennui, and the tension of being a punk band in a corporate world (see, for example, “PUPTHEBAND Inc. Is Filing For Bankruptcy”). They just put it all out there, both in their songs and their combustible live shows. Although, according to Sladkowski, the live shows aren’t as combustible as he wishes they could be. “I wish pyro[technics] were cheaper, we'd be all about it,” he says, laughing. “I wish that was a joke, but no, like, I think pyro is ridiculous. And any time you find something ridiculous, in this band, we try to take that and run with it.”

Thinking about a show's production value is new ground for Sladkowski, who put in his dues as a working musician playing in a wedding band and providing the background jazz in coffee shops before PUP took off. “One of the great joys is that this is my full-time job now, and that was something I never expected to happen. Now our shows and our audience have grown in such a way that we had to think more about production and lighting and how to actually stage the show.” 

While pyrotechnics may not be on hand this tour, the band does have some surprises in store [spoiler alert?]. “We kind of consciously took it upon ourselves to dust off some old songs and some sort of deeper cuts we haven't played in a few years for this tour,” says Sladkowski. “We've been playing some deeper cuts off of like The Dream Is Over and Morbid Stuff. We've been playing “Closure” and “Old Wounds” a lot ... Last night during one of the kind of slow moments of the song “Scorpion Hill”—we're in Santa Cruz—and there was like a circle pit during like a slow ballad part so I think people are just starting to kind of revel in doing absurd things.”

In true self-effacing PUP style, Sladkowski wants people to know that they don’t have to come to the show to see PUP. “For people who maybe might be on the fence or have seen us before, it’s such a strong bill,” he says. “Joyce Manor, every night we look at each other and we're like, how have we not done this before? How have we never played shows together before? And I think Pool Kids you're going to hear more and more about.” 

While a packed touring schedule is a great way to connect with fans, particularly after the forced hiatus of the pandemic, it does make it hard to write new music. Luckily, PUP may have found some time in their busy touring schedule to write some new tunes. “The end of this year is a little less busy than it has kind of tended to be in years past. Rather than trying to fill those dates, like a bunch of lunatics, we are going to try to start writing,” says Sladkowski. “But you know, I don't think it's something that we try and rush. We just want to get together and write music and start working. It is a bit of a self-fulfilling thing. Once we start working it becomes easier to work. And as it gets easier to work. More work kind of happens and we're workaholics so you know we'll be working on music and stuff this year, and then who knows when a new record will come out. We would like to take our time.”

We’ll see if PUP fans can wait that long.

<a href="https://puptheband.bandcamp.com/album/the-unraveling-of-puptheband">THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND by PUP</a>

PUP & Joyce Manor, with Pool Kids, Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, March 17 & 18, 8 pm, $35

Nothing about Ukraine, without Ukraine. This has been our guiding principle when determining how we as a people should lend our support to our Ukrainian brothers and sisters fighting for democracy. It's a simple concept. It's the idea that the Ukrainian people should be able to reject or consent to what happens within their own lives. It's means we respect their human right of self-determination and actively empower their ability to express it free from threats of violence or other mechanisms of illegal or unethicial coercion . But we could also do better with this concept at home. How about Nothing about Women, without Women, when it comes to the subject of abortion or other rights of bodily autonomy? How about Nothing about Trans humans, without Trans humans, when it comes to the laws recognizing our personhood, right to be included in our society, and access appropriate medical care? How about Nothing about minority groups, without minority groups when it comes to recognizing our equality and supporting our recovery from past harms enabled and encouraged by a openly corrupted state? How about nothing about the mentally or physically divergent, without the mentally or physically divergent when it comes to enabling our integration and inclusion in our society and reversing patterns of discrimination? How about nothing about union members without union members, when it comes to deciding the fortunes and fates of our industries? This is a by no means a call to retreat from our advancing of this concept in Ukraine, this is a call to better align ourselves what we call our values.