Potter's Field?

oooo boy! matt davis posting everybody! another dull I mean exciting post by wonder blogger matt "look at me i have an accent" davis

groan. I mean yippeeeee!

so now you love potter? such a hack tool you are davis. not really. a joke of a journalist. not really. well actually kinda... oh ok, yes exactly.

I wonder if it is because of you that when you google "blogtown pdx" the third result are portable shi^^ers? lol

no no no, what am I saying it's just the merc in general that brings that result back... maybe you've just helped it move up in the results. way to go. something to be proud of.

congrats davis!

I really like matt davis! he is awesome. not really. oh ok not at all. he is a putz and he is well aware of this fact.

I-Love-Davis went a little crazy with the kidding on the square.

The "If you disagree with this, you're a latent racist" line of argument from Potter is pretty much exactly why I'm against the renaming.

Hi Matt,
Here we go again…What does “nutting up” mean exactly? We’re not British so you have to translate for us Americans.

When I “squint and look at this situation” what I see is that you and the mayor seem to be incapable of hearing full sentences. People are not just “slapping down” the proposal to change the name of a historic street they have ties to. They are giving alternate suggestions like, erect a statue, name a park, a building, or (gasp) a NEW street. As far as you labeling Portland as just a city with a history of racial problems, I would like to ask, what city in this country doesn’t have a history of racial problems? How about your country’s history of racism? Are you saying the only way to address these historic racial problems is re-naming historic streets?

As for the letter from Tom Potter on his website. It's very insulting and shows how he is once again not listening to the citizens of Portland. The only message he is seems to be hearing is from the Chavez Committee. Potter’s inference that people who are against this change are only basing their objections on fear of change just shows that he has no true understanding of the pride we Portlanders take in our city and its history. The mayor asked for community involvement and he got it but he appears to be disinterested in the results.

His lack of respect for how most North Portlanders feel about this is appalling. His lack of respect for the history of the city he governs is shameful. I wonder if the Mayor plans to be at the public meetings? It sure would be nice if he could hear for himself how unpopular this issue is and learn for himself that people are not bigots just because they disagree with this particular method of honoring Cesar Chavez.
Tracy Weber

He's certainly right that opinions should be delivered with a sense of respect. However, so too should the process itself, and it sounds now as though he's trying call all the neighbors who resoundingly voted "no" on this issue a bunch of racists.

Renaming streets, like closing schools, is a very, very personal issue for many people, and when citizens feel like the government is beholden to any particular group while riding roughshod over their own views, they get really irate.

That's not to excuse any kind of racist or disrespectful remarks, however. But there's also the disrespect that comes from ignoring local sentiment, and Potter risks a great deal when he acts with that kind of disrespect.

Copy of a post I put up a week ago over on Metblogs.

I'm reminded of Bill Maher's line in When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden - "Put a flag on your car. It's literally the least you could do."

Rename a street to show how great you are at "celebrating diversity". It's literally the least you can do.

I don't live off Interstate so I don't really care about the local impact, whatever that means considering the effort is being run out of Tigard with fundraising done in Oak Grove.

I'm just pissed because I KNOW the next time some Mexican goes to City Hall with a gripe that his kid's school is falling apart, or ESL programs are poorly funded, or unequal access to public programs he'll get a shrug and a friendly reminder that they renamed Interstate - what more could he possibly ask for?

Fuck tokenism.

When I squint at your responses, I feel hatred. And it's hurtful. Now, I imagine how I'd feel if I were a Latino writing. In an email to the Mayor's office dated September 21, Lee Potts wrote:

"Where does it stop? Which ethnic group do you declare too small to get a street or just give them a little street? Why doesn't Portland just subtitleportions of streets like other cities?"

And: "Is encouraging locating the Hispanic community in North Portland part of the Mayor's Visioning Plan? Isn't creating, intentionally or accidentally, a ghetto..."

SQUINT AT THOSE QUOTES, ladies and gentlemen, and speak to me of "due process". Incidentally, the Portland Tribune has been on the phone to Mr.Potts, asking him to write an editorial this morning. Which to my mind, signals the end of my open-mindedness to other opinions on this issue.

Oh, and "Nutting up": Growing a pair of balls. Telling people what they need to hear, as opposed to what they want to hear. Potter's reasoning for making the statement may be unclear, and possibly political, but whatever. I applaud him for making it.

Well said Tracy. I think Matt's blog is as intellectually lazy as the Oregonian reporter's account of the neighborhood association meetings was.

That said, Mayor Potter will be present at the October 3rd Ockley Green meeting according to an e-mail response I received from his staff. I don't know why he won't be at both meetings, ask him.

As a homeowner in Overlook, I find this strange rage against re-naming interstate pretty comical. Good lord people, you would think the sky is falling. Nevertheless, let me tell you exactly why this is so comical, and frankly a little pathetic:

You have hundreds of people showing up to community meetings to rant and rave about the re-naming of a street. Meanwhile, at the exact same time, the city is actively undergoing the process to re-zone every property within a quarter mile of Interstate avenue. This is an issue that DIRECTLY affects one's own property, and our immediate neighbors, yet what do you hear? Not a peep.

These anti-renaming Interstate Avenue people kind of remind me of the silly, militant anti-abortionist and anti-gay rights people. They'll expend all their energy on one single issue, an issue that ultimately has little direct affect on themselves, but yet will completely ignore larger, more important issues that will hugely and directly affect Overlook, Arbor Lodge, and Kenton residents.

People pick their own battles I guess. I just find it sad that they usually pick the more emotionally reactive and intellectually simple ones.

Disclosure: I don't support changing the name either, but the amount of energy I see expended on this single topic staggering. And yes, I support the zoning changes.

Davis is compleltely intellectually lazy. (as someone above mentioned)

He is like a Bill O'Reilly or Limbaugh in that regard. Only on the left side of things.

Keep up the emabarrassing and lame work Davis, at least Scott Moore and a few others will still be enchanted with you.

There is a huge difference between the frustration people are feeling and the hatred you seem determined to find in people.

The people who are against this are angry because they KNOW they are not being listened to. They are angry because they KNOW that our laws are being tampered with. Not one person is saying that Cesar Chavez should not be honored. What they are saying, loud and clear, is that they don't want to honor him with re-naming a historic street. They are repeatedly offering other methods of commemorating him and not being heard.

Potter chastising the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association by saying that their vote against the proposal was negative, disrespectful and destructive doesn't prove he has nards, it only proves he doesn't care about their wishes or the democratic process.

"nards"

that's classic.:)

"Our laws are being tampered with?!"

Jesus. Federal wiretapping, anyone? Find an issue that matters! I agree with "another Interstate Resident" that it's amazing to see the level of feeling generated on these issues.

And describing me as the left-wing Rush Limbaugh is about the biggest complement I've ever been paid. Although I still feel hurt by some of the other stuff. Ouch.

Davis says likening him to a manipulator of facts with a narrow viewpoint was"...the biggest complement I've ever been paid."

deary me... he is far worse off than I imagined, quick davis, go to the local pub, tell some jokes, wear a flashy shirt, smile at Scott Moore, help an old lady cross the street. Do some things that will elicit some favorable words from some people.

Still a putz and an intellectually lazy half wit.

P.S. davey boy, in case you care http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/complement.html

I've weighed in on another post, and have put in all of my notes from both the Arbor Lodge and the Overlook meeting, so you can see for yourselves that neighbors have NOT been disrespectful. To the contrary, there's overwhelming support for honoring Chávez in a way that more than a handful of residents is excited about.

Yes, our laws were and are being tampered with. As far as the federal wire-tapping goes, what can we Portlanders do about that? What can you do? A whole lot of nothing. The issue of a local street being re-named is something people actually can have an affect on.

It must be really gratifying making fun of people who care about this issue. It's so productive. It really goes a long way toward showing how rational and respectful your input is, and I'm sure everyone will listen and stop caring about Interstate immediately.

Sorry Matt, I don't buy it. But as for you, "I-Heart-Davis," you are an utter cock. Please, never use the internet again.

Please read Amy's post, guys, and my response to it, which I'll repost here:

I'm sorry if you feel blindsided, Amy, and let me be clear that there is no question about my respecting your opinion absolutely.

But as to what your reporting has found, I think regardless of what has been publicly expressed about and during the process, there is unexamined prejudice and perhaps hatred lurking in the vehemence of that expression.

How many people showed up at this meeting?! Are you kidding me?! To talk about renaming a street?

I know you don't agree. I know you don't. Because we talked about it on Rosa Parks and now, we're talking about it here. And I can guarantee that Amanda Fritz will disagree, too. But whatever the mayor should or shouldn't have done, however this was timed, the perception of prejudice in my eyes, and the perception of prejudice in the eyes of some members of the Latino community is real. And the perception of it by the mayor's office is real, too.

The mayor has nothing to lose and I think it's good that he gave the neighbors something to think about.

Portland is a city in which everyone is quick to affirm their liberalism, except when it comes to anything that might be right in front of their face. Or that might impact the value of their property. Portland, I'm sorry to say, has an extremely racist history and I feel, still has to come to terms with that. Every decision we take where race is an issue can't be taken out of context—it needs to be read against the last 200 years of Oregonian history.

Maybe I'm biased, but I've just watched a documentary about the Klu Klux Klan here and read James W. Loewen's Sundown Towns. Oregon by no means gets a free pass.

I didn't plan to be at the next neighborhood meeting to take a load of hate for my opinions, but if neighbors would like someone other than Tom Potter to focus their venom on, I'd be happy to be there. And if you would like me to show up, I categorically will do.

"I know you don't agree. I know you don't. Because we talked about it on Rosa Parks and now, we're talking about it here. And I can guarantee that Amanda Fritz will disagree, too. But whatever the mayor should or shouldn't have done, however this was timed, the perception of prejudice in my eyes, and the perception of prejudice in the eyes of some members of the Latino community is real. And the perception of it by the mayor's office is real, too": OK, Amy, I'm pretty sure Matt just called you a racist. You gonna sit still for that shit?

And to think, people are accusing ME of trying to stir shit up for the sake of it!

This isn't "for the sake of it." This is to show that you're a dick.

Oops. Sorry. That's obvious to anyone who's spent any time on this website. My bad.

Wait a second... I've spent a lot of time on this Web site and I always thought you were a nice guy Matt! How dare you deceive me! I feel dirty and cheated.

"Hi Matt,
Here we go again…What does “nutting up” mean exactly? We’re not British so you have to translate for us Americans."

Tracy Weber,
Crawl out from under the rock. "Nut up" is about as West Coast (Northwest in particular) as you can get. Do they not use it in the old folks home?

"nut up

(v.) To gird ones loins. Nutting up entails using one's proverbial balls or "nuts". Mainly used on the US west coast, it's the sister (brother?) term to cowboy up.

I better nut up or I'm gonna get my ass kicked in this fight."

"Crawl out from under the rock. 'Nut up' is about as West Coast (Northwest in particular) as you can get": Really? Since when?

Gosh, I MUST get out more....

Once again, I say to anybody doubting that my opinion is valid: Look at how hateful some of these commenters are. Seriously, take a look at how hateful they're being. It's remarkable. Over the renaming of a street?

I suggest that this is a symptom of a deeper imbalance. Something really, truly fucked up in Portland's consciousness. Honestly. So fucking intense, over a street name? Over the barest question of whether there might be unexamined prejudice?

Methinks Portland protests too much. And please, be nicer.

Matt, look at Amy's meeting notes in the thread listed above. Look at the arguments presented by the sane and reasonable people at the Overlook and Arbor Lodge meetings. In these two threads, and all the others on this website. Then tell me we're all a pack of racists.

Dick.

When you call me a dick, Will, it makes me feel disrespected.

Hateful?

LOL

again "overstateing Davis" in his purest and most idiotic form.

Just like an O'reilly or a Limbaugh, Davis is unable to digest some thoughts other than those that float around in his vapid little numb-skull. So he resorts to a comment like #26

Truly what a transparent joke Matt Davis is and continues to be... posting after posting highlights an incredible sophomoric point of view to say the least.

Keep on going at it though davey boy! Just more for you to be embarrassed by later, and after all Scott Moore needs something to read and pat you on the back for.

Matt, I'm insulted almost daily by people whom I actually respect. Your bullshit means nothing to me.

If you have anything of interest to say about Amy's meeting notes, that might be fun.

Matt, I think Will wants us to have a public fight in Pioneer Square or something. What are your thoughts on ammo? Ripe tomatoes? Whipped cream? Feather pillows? Super soakers? I don't think he'll be happy until it happens.

Matt, it's really hard to take you seriously when you (pretend to?) act hurt. It's not in character for you.

It's also hard to take you seriously when you (pretend to?) act surprised at how big a deal people are making out of nothing. I mean, that's your whole shtick. Does the phrase "duct tape" ring a bell? Remember how people got worked up back then over a little duct tape on the sidewalk? And how you reveled in it because it served your (and your paper's) publicity needs?

It's also odd to see someone who was all about the rule of law when it came to his frequent tirades on the sit/lie issue completely ignore seemingly valid complaints about how the city is not following the actual renaming process already in place.

Nope. You read about Portland's racist past in a book, so let's smear everyone along Interstate with that broad, but easy-to-use brush. It really brings out the commenters, right? And the more commenters, then the better you've done your job, right?

In my ignorant, racist opinion, people often make a big deal over the stupid, small issues because they're the ones they (1) can understand and (2) feel they can actually make a difference in. Just like with the duct tape rigamarole.

Or maybe it's because they're all secret members of the "Klu Klux Klan".

Hey Otter Pop,
Nice to meet you! I guess I am old, but I'm trying to do it gracefully, except for the hair dying (I'm not fooling anyone but I'll be a natural brunette to the end just like Rose Kennedy :)

I guess the other reasons I've never heard the term are that I have no loins to gird, nor balls to nut up so I start out with a disadvantage. I guess I can't call myself a brother or, in the context of your post, a sister either.

I was trying to be a little humorous, actually the term made me think of the mayor communing with squirrels, but anyway, mea culpa on my geriatric ignorance.

Matt said: "Once again, I say to anybody doubting that my opinion is valid: Look at how hateful some of these commenters are. Seriously, take a look at how hateful they're being. It's remarkable. Over the renaming of a street? I suggest that this is a symptom of a deeper imbalance. Something really, truly fucked up in Portland's consciousness. Honestly. So fucking intense, over a street name? Over the barest question of whether there might be unexamined prejudice? Methinks Portland protests too much. And please, be nicer."

I love how the "everyone in Portland not named Potter or Davis is a Klan member" argument has now been replaced by the always popular "waaaaah, the kids on the school ground are being bullies, and I want my mommy" argument. Good times.

I may be a little late to this fun party, but wouldn't, say, 82nd or 122nd be a better choice? Maybe Foster?

Just sayin'

I want to rename Murray Blvd "Mahatma Gandhi Way".

Or maybe 82nd from Burnside to Johnson Creek "Dinh Bo Linh Lane".