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Good Afternoon News: Mayor Fires Off New Homeless Camping Ban, Portland’s Rocketing Traffic Deaths, and Angry Mob Still Mad at Pence
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Happy Friday! Today I’ve been in so many MEETINGS. What the hell is going on? I honestly do not know so I am learning all of this news with you in real time. Let’s check it out.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is really leaning into his new ban on homeless encampments near busy roads—although the talking points thus far have been more “ban campers” than “give people a place to live.” And he’s even threatening more executive orders to come. We are keeping an eye on this. (Particularly the steely eye of Alex Zielinski who files this report.)
Mayor Wheeler announced an immediate order Friday to ban homeless camping from high crash streets and intersections in Portland. He says this decision is the “first in a series” of executive orders regarding homeless camping.https://t.co/il7Tchjbwj
— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) February 5, 2022
While there’s no shortage or turgid, muddled double-speak peddled by city of Portland officials (or just about any government agency or entity), attempting to rebrand city homeless sweeps as “unsanctioned camp interventions” has to win some kind of prize. pic.twitter.com/ku1w6k1sSB
— Shane D. Kavanaugh (@shanedkavanaugh) February 4, 2022
• And our Isabella Garcia has got some more background on Portland’s traffic fatality rate, and what people are doing to try to make it better.
• The City of Portland and the Portland Police Bureau today announced that they’ve reached a tentative agreement on a new police contract and part of today’s announcement is… that they’ll share what’s in the contract next Tuesday. Will we have full transparency and accountability and a renewed sense of trust in law enforcement? I guess we’ll find out Tuesday (but I’m not holding my breath).
• Who’s up for some femme energy this weekend?
Marina (formerly Marina and the Diamonds) has always encouraged girls, gays and theys to rebel against the status quo. In this show preview / album review, @AndrewJank insists you to go full femme with her this weekend.https://t.co/vgs430ucC8
— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) February 4, 2022
IN NATIONAL NEWS:
• Man, that whole mess with Pence and the January 6th insurrection is messy. Today Pence said in no uncertain terms that former President Trump was wrong that Pence could have overturned the results of the 2020 election, no doubt not endearing him to the angry mob that stormed the capitol last year with a literal gallows calling for his murder. Oh, and today the Republican National Committee issued a censure against Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for even working on the January 6th commission, saying that the insurrectionists (the ones with the gallows) were “ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse.” Y i k e s.
• The mayor of Minneapolis today put a moratorium on no-knock warrants following the murder of Amir Locke earlier in the week. If you haven’t yet heard about this case, Locke—who was Black—was killed by SWAT officers who stormed his apartment as he slept on the couch, and then killed him as he reached for a legal firearm. He was 22 years old.
The National Labor Relations Board will mail out ballots on Friday to workers at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama for a re-run election. After the union’s lopsided defeat last year, organizers are pulling no punches this time. https://t.co/7U6o0EA6Kn
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 4, 2022
• COVID cases are dropping in 49 out of 50 states as the US death toll tops 900,000 people. Way to go, everyone (said both sincerely and very very sarcastically, up to you to figure that out.)
• It’s back for 2022! America’s sexiest, funnest dirty movie fest, HUMP! Coming at ya starting February 24 at Revolution Hall—GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
• And finally, some food for thought:
if the bag is matte the chips are healthy
— shelby wolstein (@ShelbyWolstein) February 4, 2022
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