🌱 911 is always slow + Homeless shelters don’t help the neighborhood

Hey, hey, Portland! This month continues to bring the holidays. We have Kentucky Derby Day, Free comic day and who knows what other celebrations lurk around the corner. Well, let’s start with some of what’s happening today.

First, today’s weather forecast:

Still rainy today, but only occasional showers expected. The high temperature will be 51.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. On May 18, 2021, while managing the fallout from the pandemic, staffing shortages and call volume that had recently begun to climb rapidly, the Office of Emergency Communications moved to new standardized scripts for dispatching fire and medical calls, known as ProQA. Immediately after the transition, wait times increased. The city says $2.3 million software will reduce from Portland responsibility for emergency calls and increase efficiency by ensuring the right responders are dispatched to the emergency room. But an OPB investigation finds ProQA was pushed through loud objections from dispatchers, who say the software gummed up the 911 system, causing longer hold times and putting lives at risk. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
2. Law enforcement and health officials in Clackamas County are warning that fentanyl is becoming more prevalent there. At a public safety town hall on Thursday, State Representative Janelle Bynum, D-Clackamasguest leaders such as Captain Marcus Wold with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. “The point that I really want to take home here is that it’s happening in Clackamas County“, World mentioned. One of the stats: More people died last year in Clackamas County from drug overdoses than from car crashes. (KATU)
3. Just days after a leaked draft decision indicated that the United States Supreme Court looks set to overturn Roe v. Wadewhich guarantees a woman’s right to abortion, US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra traveled to Portland to show his support for keeping abortion legal. “Patients make their own decisions about their own bodies,” Becerra said during the trip, which involved a meeting with the leaders of Planned parenthood chapters in Oregon as well as Representative Kurt Schrader which represents Clackamas County in the United States House of Representatives. “It’s their right. (Portland Patch)
4. KATU investigation found shortcomings in pre-trial data collection in Multnomah County, including information on whether people even show up for court-ordered surveillance. Of the more than 10,000 judicial referrals to pretrial supervision since 2019, the county cannot say how many of those people actually showed up. Temporary release is what it sounds like: it’s when a suspect is released from prison after being arrested, in the hope that he will show up in court, but KATU discovered that no one was systematically monitoring the actual functioning of this important part of the court system in Multnomah County. (KATU)
5. Leah Armstrong, Andy Pollack, Marta Guembes and Meka Webb own North Portland. But they say the shelter that is supposed to help homelessness in their neighborhood has now made their lives intolerable. There has been a lot of attention given to why he took the cCity of Portland and Multnomah County so long to open shelters and Safe rest villages. One of the big pushbacks from neighbors is the fear that they will invite people to camp nearby where there are no rules. (KOIN.com)

Today in Portland:

• Join Satellite Tavern for its first-ever Kentucky Derby viewing party! Help organize the favorite equestrian sporting event and donate a portion of the event’s net proceeds to Big Yard Foundation. Fancy outfits are strongly encouraged! Tickets are available online. Doors open at 11:00 a.m.
• Lumbertwink Portland has moved to a new location and it wants to celebrate! The next event will take place at Spare Room Restaurant & Lounge in Northeast Portland. Join hundreds of Plaid dads and flannel friends for the return of Lumberjack! The music will be DJ Sappho and Detour Dan (Eagle Portland). The event is organized by Matt Bearracuda and Wayne Bund. Admission is $10 if you wear a plaid, $15 if you don’t. The fun starts at 9:00 p.m.
• For a unique comedy night, head to Dom-Prov at the Funhouse Lounge. Come see the improv company perform shortened improv skits and compete for the affection of their very own mistress who punishes and/or rewards them. Be careful because the Mistress’ punishments and rewards are often very similar. Using public suggestions, Dom-Prov is a showcase of fast-paced and painfully funny improvisation. It’s improvisation. . . with a safe word. Tickets are available online. Doors open at 9:30 p.m.
• It’s Free Comic Book Day at Cosmic Monkey Comics! Free Comics Day (FCBD) 2022 offers an amazing selection of comic book titles for the industry’s most anticipated annual event. There will be more than 50 titles available on Free comic day (5 comics per person). 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• It’s National Homebrew Day at Threshold Brewing & Blending. If you’re a home brewer, curious, or just like being around beer people, this is going to appeal to you. Participants will be joined by six local leaders and experts for a lively panel discussion – covering topics such as technique, leveling, what a brew club can offer and competition tips from BJCP certified judges. There’s no entry fee, just bring your rad and maybe your favorite homebrew to share and you can celebrate how so many Portlanders got their start in this beautiful world of craft beer. The beer starts flowing at 2:00 p.m.
  

From my notebook:

• City leaders announced Friday that they plan to have the famous fountain base return with the Thompson Elk statue in downtown Portland. The entire elk statue has been removed from SW Main Street in July 2020 after being damaged in protests. Several fires were lit in the fountain’s trough, destroying some of the granite. When momentum was removed, along with the base of its fountain, it was feared that the fountain would not return – but Commissioners Dan Ryan and Carmen Rubio say they tabled a resolution this week for affected offices “to take all necessary measures to restore and fully restore the Thompson Elk Fountain in its original condition and location.”KOIN)
• Everyone loves a deal. But many offers that seem advantageous at first glance often end up costing us time and energy. In the case of Danish app Too Good To Go, which aims to eliminate food waste by connecting customers with leftover ingredients from restaurants and cafes – there are failures and advantages to the exchange. Overall, the idea works. Users find and book “surprise bags” shops nearby and pay only a third of what the contents of the bag would normally cost at retail. In return, restaurants can recoup some of the cost of food they would otherwise have thrown away. (Portland Mercury)
• Last year, Portland Parks Foundation worked for months with a steering committee of BIPOC Arts and Social Justice Leaders develop a celebration of creativity and community resilience to help heal downtown. He is called “Paseo”. Just days before organizers are set to showcase and celebrate dozens of local artists, artisans, food vendors and self-help groups, the Delta variant of the COVID surge ahead of their plans. PPF rotated to in line with the Paseo Mutual Aid Challenge to showcase the talent and community that had come together. This year it will be Paseo for realz! (Paseo)
• Empty fire extinguishers, needles sticking out of sharps containers, inadequate staff training are un safety conditions in a city-sanctioned homeless village in Portland that drive workers to form a union. Nonprofit All Good NW operates three small villages of homes for the homeless in Portland: Old Town Village at Northwest Sixth and Glisan, BIPOC Village at Northeast First and Weidler, and Queer Affinity Village at Southeast Water Avenue and Main. (North West Labor Press)
• There is still time to plan a big Mothers’ Day for the moms in your life! FOX 12’s Ayo Elise arrested by Zupan for tips on how to make (or buy!) a great bouquet, plus some ideas on ways to spend time with mom on her special day. (KPTVName)

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That’s a lot of Saturday, even for Portland. Is it humanly possible to have so much fun in a single day? Probably not, but I’ll have a good time trying. But no matter how much fun you have, don’t forget your mom tomorrow! Oh yeah, and meet me here next week for more news from our favorite hometown.

— Dominique Anaïa

About Me: Physician, educator, and now writer/artist, just chilling out in Portland, OR with my wife, our ferrets, chickens, and goats.

Do you have a news tip or a suggestion for an upcoming Portland Daily? Contact me at [email protected]