Hasaan Thomas is the star of the satirical web series, "Hasaan Hates Portland," which was created by his friend, Mischa Webley. Hasaan is also a professional marketing and branding expert. We talk about what it was like to create and film the show; how he comes up with creative branding ideas; what it's like to live as a black man in Portland, Oregon (the whitest big city in America); growing up with a father and a stepfather who were pro athletes; surviving an attempt at suicide; getting recognized in public; and so much more.

• https://www.tiktok.com/@hasaanhatesportland
• https://www.youtube.com/@JumptownTV
• https://www.instagram.com/hasaanhatesportland
• https://jumptownfilms.com/portland

Laura Curry describes herself as an itinerant artist and consultant. Laura has lived in various large cities throughout the world. She purchased a condominium in the Stadium neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, years ago when she was searching the United States for a pied-à-terre. She identifies as queer and has a daughter who is a person of color. Laura talks about the addiction and mental illness crises she regularly witnesses in her neighborhood and what she and her neighbors are trying to do about it. She also talks about why she believes that Multnomah County, where Portland is situated, is responsible for these crises.

• https://stadiumhood.org
• https://www.amazon.com/American-Psychosis-Government-Destroyed-Treatment/dp/0199988714
• https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDr_BcMvGjW/?igsh=MTU2ejBubmw2NTJ6bw==
• https://katu.com/news/local/multnomah-county-chair-does-walk-through-with-neighbors-outside-providence-park-jessica-vega-pederson-portland-city-council
• http://www.portlandpeoplesoutreach.org/#/

Karen Chirre owns the Stadium Superette convenience store with her husband in the Stadiumhood neighborhood off of West Burnside in Portland. Karen says that her husband is a first generation immigrant who lived in his car in order to save money to realize his dream of owning a convenience store. According to Karen, over 500 people have committed crimes against the Superette in the past four years. Karen says that she may have to be killed before Portland’s public safety problems get better.

• https://stadiumhood.org
• https://katu.com/news/local/fentanyl-hotspot-near-providence-park-has-neighbors-calling-for-larger-police-presence
• https://katu.com/news/local/multnomah-county-chair-does-walk-through-with-neighbors-outside-providence-park-jessica-vega-pederson-portland-city-council
• https://coachmaxsteele.substack.com/p/hanukkah-presents-28?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
• https://www.justcompassionewc.com

Michael (Mike) Thelin is the founder of Bolted Consulting, which, among other things, helps clients with communication, strategy, and design. He co-created Hot Luck, Austin's culinary and music festival. He also co-founded Feast Portland, which was the largest food festival in the Pacific Northwest. Mike has been a local Portland food writer, and he has appeared on numerous TV shows, including 42 episodes of "Unique Eats" on the Cooking Channel, Check out his Substack, "Food Cities," where he writes about things like politics, civic engagement, food, and travel. We talked about the unique challenges Portland faces and what happened to Feast; Mike's vision for Portland and how it can harness what makes it special; food (of course); music (he's a songwriter, singer and musician!); and more.

• Bolted | Home
• https://substack.com/@thelinmike
• https://www.instagram.com/mikethelin?igsh=MWNubTMwcGYyajEyYQ==
• The Enthusiast 100: The Best Wines of 2024 | Wine Enthusiast
• https://www.hotluckfest.com
• https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2024/12/09/oregon-food-beverage-bambuza-hot-mama-salsa.html
• https://providorefinefoods.com

Artist and graphic designer Autumn Sharp and personal trainer Max Steele are two of the founders of Friends of Couch Park, an organization in Northwest Portland to try to make Couch Park more livable. They talk about drugs, crime, mental illness, and street homelessness in their neighborhood and what they are trying to do about it. Andy Chandler from the Spotify and YouTube show NW Fresh co-hosts.

• https://friendsofcouchpark.org
• https://maxsteele.training
• https://coachmaxsteele.substack.com
• https://www.instagram.com/friendsofcouchpark?igsh=MWNrdzJ5dGZ3dzIzdQ==
• https://www.instagram.com/ppbcentralbikesquad?igsh=Y3NucGdxc2xrOXE=
• https://x.com/katunews/status/1865222206596247679?s=46
• https://www.portland.gov/parks/rangers

Pete Colt is a retired marketing professional who lives in the northwest Portland neighborhood known as Stadiumhood. Stadiumhood is located in the southeast corner of the Alphabet District, the northeast corner of Goose Hollow, and it shares a border with the Pearl District and downtown Portland. Pete talks about how Stadiumhood has been plagued by drugs and crime and how he and his neighbors have banded together to try to make Stadiumhood more safe and livable.

• https://katu.com/news/local/fentanyl-hotspot-near-providence-park-has-neighbors-calling-for-larger-police-presence
• https://stadiumhood.org
• https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/10/multnomah-county-chair-garners-lowest-approval-rating-for-a-local-elected-official-in-recent-memory.html?outputType=amp
• https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/homeless-tent-tarp-distribution-winter-controversy/
• https://multco.us/info/public-testimony-webform
• https://www.portland.gov/council-clerk/testimony-registration
• https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/homeless/outreach-team-safe-smoking-supplies-southwest-portland-public-drug-use/283-2b73436f-79a6-4020-8439-25a2c0b8f6a6

I sat down with host of NW Fresh, Andy Chandler, and hairstylist and small business owner Erica Gustavson, to discuss local election outcomes in Portland, Oregon, including Multnomah County, mayor and city council. We also talk about Portland in the context of the presidential election.

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/3rCeCIOT1vwgO6JHG4YXyM?si=zu9WmIf8STmTYJppdFlF4A
• https://open.spotify.com/episode/2uyInbmBTw4tFcqrFAA5ST?si=dLr7Sp3tRnq4m8f9hpA-ag
• https://apnews.com/article/ranked-choice-voting-open-primaries-election-reform-bc797f209e5f98a18afb2e5f784e63b6
• https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/10/multnomah-county-chair-garners-lowest-approval-rating-for-a-local-elected-official-in-recent-memory.html
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1857809039633297847?s=46
• https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/11/portlands-ranked-choice-debut-causes-voter-engagement-to-crater-1-in-5-who-cast-ballots-chose-no-one-for-city-council.html?outputType=amp
• https://futureportland.org
• https://www.newsweek.com/portland-protesters-vandalize-democrat-hq-1563278
• https://youtu.be/iAr8Y5rdG2g?si=hkx738BNKv39Azah

Sandeep Bali is running for Portland City Council in District 3. Sandeep is a first generation gay immigrant. He works as a pharmacist and specializes in HIV care. Prior to his work with HIV patients, he worked in geriatric care, including long-term, end-of-life, and hospice care. When Sandeep was a pharmacy student, he interned at Central City Concern, a Portland nonprofit clinic that does street medicine. Sandeep enjoys gardening, dissecting scientific and medical journals, and hanging out with his fraternal twin brother. We talked about his family's journey from India to the US; political strategy; how he would deal with Multnomah County and its Joint Office of Homeless Services; the serious issues that he sees as a health care worker in Portland; what he is hearing from his potential constituents as he canvasses and campaigns; and more.

• https://www.betterwithbali.com
• https://www.instagram.com/betterwithbali
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1795318576049795471
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/02/01/they-left-portland-is-losing-some-of-its-biggest-fans/
• https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/portland-city-commissioners-file-to-end-joint-homelessness-efforts-with-multnomah-county/
• https://www.thelundreport.org/content/county-health-and-social-services-contracts-need-better-oversight-auditors-say
• https://www.opb.org/article/2024/06/27/audit-finds-problems-multnomah-county-contracting-system/

Noah Ernst is running for Portland City Council in District 1. He is a Superintendent and an in-house counsel lawyer for Radio Cab Co. Before he was a Superintendent, Noah drove a cab on the night shift for Radio Cab. Noah became a cab driver after he suffered a layoff from his litigator job at a law firm during the recession of 2008.

• https://www.noahernst4portland.com
• https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2024/10/editorial-endorsement-november-2024-our-picks-for-districts-1-and-2-candidates-who-can-lead-portland-city-council-through-historic-change.html

Tiffani Penson is running for Portland City Council in District 2. She has been working for the City of Portland for 18 years, most recently as the People and Culture Manager.

• https://www.tiffaniforpdx.com
• https://www.instagram.com/tiffaniforpdxd2?igsh=MWJpMDVxOG0yd3YwZQ==
• LinkedIn: Profile of Tiffani Penson
• https://www.portland.gov/procurement/inclusivecontracting
• https://www.portland.gov/pemo/resources
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/02/01/they-left-portland-is-losing-some-of-its-biggest-fans/
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1795318576049795471?s=46
• Black Portlanders Are More Likely to Be Murdered Than Their Peers in Cities Better Known for Crime
• https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2022/07/82-year-old-portland-man-dies-after-unprovoked-attack-police-say.html?outputType=amp