Today is a short episode that sprang from a conversation I had with Kip on July 24, the day after a meeting of PCCEP (Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing). PCCEP is a 13-person committee of citizens tasked with monitoring the Portland Police Bureau's implementation of the DOJ Settlement Agreement, which is an important job. 

In June of this year, a man tragically died in police custody. Kip talks about the case, what we know and what is under investigation. 

Prentice Onayemi has carved out a varied and unique place here in Portland. He is a founding partner of Grains of Salt, a consulting form that supports community-driven projects at the intersection of the arts and real estate; he is co-founder of Foglight Farms, a BIPOC-owned and operated farm in Hillsboro; and he applies his rich bass to narrating audio books. Tim and Prentice share a history they only recently discovered, having both served as director of communications for ArtPlace America, a creative placemaking initiative that seeded many interesting projects across the country. Prentice talks about how he sees all of his work as connected, and how he thinks art can thrive in our city. 

The unsinkable Steph Routh joins us, fresh from a stint working with Senator Khanh Pham in Salem. Steph ran for City Council last year and was our very first guest, and continues to be a force of nature in local politics and activism. We talk about Electrify Oregon, the Mamdani Effect, the social benefits of biking, and much more.

Kip and Tim interview self-proclaimed "local nuisance" Kat Mahoney, attorney, board member of Portland Neighbors Welcome, former executive director of Sisters of the Road, and general rabble rouser. This is officially a "shit-talking" episode, so you'll hear some dirt. Topics include the Mayor's shelter-heavy approach to homelessness and protesting past, present and future in Portland. 

Kat Mahoney practices law specializing in Family, Domestic Violence and Animal Law. You can engage with here here: https://kmahoneylaw.com/

Former Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt joins us to talk about his work as General Council at Urban League of Portland and his new podcast, The Schmidt Show PDX.

We talk to two insiders providing homeless services downtown to get deeper into what Portland needs to do better. Liz Starke is Development Director of Rose Haven, a day shelter and community center serving women, children and gender non-conforming folks experiencing the trauma of abuse, loss of home and other disruptive life challenges. Justine Ziegler is Development Director at Outside In, helping homeless youth and other marginalized people move towards improved health and self-sufficiency. 

“If I had to choose one thing to pressure people to put resources in, it’s the folks that have the most severe physical and mental disabilities. Because that bogs down our agency. When someone’s having a mental health crisis, how many of our staff members does it take to get that person back down to baseline and keep everybody safe when we could have been working with 5 people inside that were ready to work towards other goals. I think that’s the challenge, because the police don’t have the capacity to deal with it, the jails are full, the hospitals are full. So there’s no where to send these people, and those are the folks that the neighbors are the most upset about.” - Liz Starke, Development Director of Rose Haven

No interview this time, just a check-in on what's happening with the City Council, including the potential ban of algorithmic price fixing of rents and the proposal from Councilors Avalos and Green for creating social housing. Also we attempt to keep our focus on how national politics impact us locally but end up going off on tangents and rants (unavoidable these days). 

There's a movement afoot to bring universal health care to all Oregonians, and it is looking more likely every day. Our guest is Valdez Bravo, President of Health Care For All Oregon. Valdez tells us the ins and outs of the plan, and explains that it is far more expensive to maintain the system we have and exclude people than to actually provide for everyone. 

We're back, sorry for the long silence! This week we're talking with Mark Douglass, a highly experienced addiction therapist, about what works and what doesn't in Portland and Oregon when we talk about drugs. Mark talks about what was wrong with Measure 110, how to create better policy, and crafting individual treatment for people that isn't one-size-fits-all.

Blair Stenvick, Communications Manager at Basic Rights Oregon, joins us to talk about LGBTQ2SIA+ rights in the Trump era. With friends around us feeling fearful (understandably), we wanted to talk about what sort of advocacy and action can be relied on to keep our queer friends safe. 

Samantha Silverman joins Kip and Tim as a guest host (thanks Sam for adding your insight!).