Think Out Loud

Last month, the Salem Reporter revealed that the city’s police chief, Trevor Womack, wants to hire 15 additional police officers and launch a new community policing program. As of early May, the department is facing nearly two dozen vacancies and has shifted resources in recent years in response to reduced staffing levels. City leaders are proposing to fund the new positions by raising monthly utility fees and adding a new payroll tax which would cost workers an average of $42 a month.The city council is considering bypassing voters to implement the payroll tax which would also be used to fund emergency services and help balance the city’s budget amid declining revenues. The city council must approve a new budget by July 1. Abbey McDonald covers the city for the Salem Reporter. She joins us to talk about her reporting on this issue.

Fentanyl has taken over the illegal drug market largely due to its low cost and abundant supply. It’s fueling rising addiction rates, and those in need of treatment often have no options. Enter the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde’s Great Circle Recovery program. Great Circle runs two clinics in Portland and Salem, as well as a mobile clinic. It serves not just tribal members, but anyone who’s struggling with addiction and wants help.
We hear more about the nonprofit’s mission and how the program works from Executive Director Kelly Rowe, Medical Director Dr. James Laidler and Operations Director Jennifer Worth. We also talk with James Smith, a urinalysis technician at Great Circle who is working to become one of their peer mentors; as well as Albert Mendez, who is in recovery and receives regular treatment from the clinic. Oregon Health Authority’s Behavioral Health Director Ebony Clarke also joins the conversation.

In 2012, photographer Matika Wilbur sold everything in her Seattle apartment and set off to document the 562 federally recognized indigenous tribes in country. Over a decade and hundreds of thousands of miles later, she has released a new book called “Project 562.” We talk to Wilbur about her journey, her book, and her mission to provide Native Americans images that are more "useful, truthful, and beautiful."

Last week, Multnomah county commissioners approved a $3.5 billion budget for the next fiscal year. County chair Jessica Vega Pederson joins us to discuss the role that the county will play in addressing homelessness, behavioral health, and other challenges facing the region.

After the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868, many Black men enlisted in the military as a way to earn both income and respect in U.S. society. Despite facing many barriers within the military, Black soldiers fought in many wars and conflicts, both at home and abroad. A new documentary from Vancouver-based filmmaker Dru Holley explores the complicated legacy of Black soldiers, particularly their role participating in the subjugation of Indigenous peoples. We talk to Holley about “Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts,” which airs on OPB TV Monday, June 12.

The longest legislative walkout by Oregon Senate Republicans in state history had meant the death of any number of bills. Now that legislative leaders have reached a framework for a possible deal to bring lawmakers back to the capitol, some may have new life. But the fate of one caregiving proposal was unclear even before the partisan boycott: a bill to allow parent caregivers of severely disabled children to continue to be paid for their work. Advocates say the program, which began in the pandemic, has resulted in dramatically lower health care costs and a reduction in the number of hospitalizations.

According to these parents, “Of families that participated in the parent caregiver program, 80% reported reduced hospitalizations, 73% reported reductions in calls to 911 or crisis intervention, and 82% reported extreme concern about the risks to their children’s health since the program ended in May.”

Parents rallied last week at the capital in an effort to call attention to what they say is truly an emergency, and in lieu of the bill, get support for a budgetary note to continue this funding. We’re joined by Calli Ross, who cares for her 8-year-old son who manages severe disabilities.

Although voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional measure last year to prevent boycotts from grinding legislative work to a halt, that didn’t stop Republicans from staging a walkout in early May, which stretched into the longest one in state history. Without enough Republicans to form a quorum, Democrats haven’t been able to pass any bills since May 3. GOP leaders had said they would return at the end of the month to pass only budget bills, just before the session ends June 25. The walkout started over Democratic proposals to strengthen health care for trans youth, protect abortion access and expand gun safety. But now legislative leaders have reached a tentative framework to bring Republican Senators back to the capitol. OPB Political reporter Lauren Dake joins us to tell us more about the possible deal, and the prospects for the 2023 regular session in its last two weeks.