Blogtown, PDX

Friday, September 7, 2007

Portland Racially Charged Neighborhood Issues

Posted by Amy J. Ruiz on Fri, Sep 7 at 11:56 AM

There’s a weird editorial cartoon in the September issue of the NW Examiner.

It’s coupled with a Letter from the Editor by Allan Classen, who makes some excellent points about the city’s neighborhood association system, and a new trend of non-geographically based groups popping up. The new groups—like the Black Citizens Coalition of Portland Neighborhoods—are meant to be a place for minorities who may not be involved in their geographic neighborhood, so they can still be heard by the city.

But Classen thoughtfully makes the case that it might be the wrong approach to getting more people involved:

If certain minorities aren’t involved in their neighborhood associations, how do we remedy that? That’s a difficult question. I’m certain that the best way to discourage their involvement in the long run is to create a separate organization whose reason for being assumes African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans or whoever cannot or will not participate fully in the neighborhood associations where they live….
This process gives minority advocates a direct incentive to keep their people from participating in their conventional neighborhood associations. The minority organizations prove the need for their existence and for continued funding by showing that the people they speak for turn to them and not their neighborhood associations when they have business with City Hall.

As a former community organizer, I’m quite sure that the organizers hired with these grants will drum up support by telling their potential constituents that the “white” neighborhood associations have never heard them, reached out to them, understood them or spoken for them. Organizers identify problems that unite people they want to reach, and the racial/ethnic identity card is the obvious one to play in these circumstances.

As a result, any neighborhood issue could become racially charged.

(I’d link to the whole editorial, but the NW Examiner has a notoriously lacking website.)

But the cartoon at the bottom of the page, unfortunately, takes Classen’s smart insights, tears them apart, and belittles the idea that Portland’s minority groups might want to form their own groups. Frankly, it’s racially charged.

The caption’s a little fuzzy. It says:

First, you’ll have to show these plans to your neighborhood association, then to the African-American Coalition, then to the Indigenous Peoples’ Council and then to the Organization of People Who Can’t Meet on Monday Nights.

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Comments

Classen is the classic white elitist.

Posted by PDXter | September 7, 2007 1:08 PM

We need fewer minority organizations, not more. People need to throw out their views that their race defines them, come together and get over it.

Posted by G | September 7, 2007 3:34 PM

I didn't take that cartoon as racial commentary so much as the problems that could arise from having a multitude of neighborhood associations. The "Can't Meet on Monday Nights" organizations seems to make that fairly clear, since it breaks the chain of racially-oriented organizations.

Not that it's an especially good cartoon. But try to show the artist the benefit of the doubt that they're not racist.

Posted by extramsg | September 7, 2007 6:13 PM

Doesn't grouping the two racially based groups with the rediculous Monday night group make the two racially based groups look rediculous?

Posted by Blog Junkie | September 7, 2007 7:18 PM

Grouping the racially based groups with the ridiculous mockery of a group not only makes the racially based groups seem ridiculous, it also invalidates them. If people of color felt welcomed in majority group coalitions and groups, they wouldn't need to make their own. If it's someone's suggestion to eliminate racially based groups altogether, they first need a way to successfully incorporate people of color into politically charged conversations where their voices will actually be heard.

Posted by F | September 10, 2007 1:16 PM

I am an active participant in the Cully Neighborhood Association and an active member of another minority community based organization. While both offer opportunity to voice my concerns with my community, our minority based organization offers an opportunity for me to specifically address matters that concern my culture and traditions and its inherent worth to my family and my children. Is it not important to hear what matters to the community no matter what avenue it is heard through?

Posted by dsf | September 10, 2007 4:10 PM

Lets face it- the neighborhood associations represent a tiny percentage of the community. They also represent a very select group of the community-largely white homeowners who have the time and resources to be involved, and are most concerned about issues that impact them and their neighborhoods. That is one world view, and I respect it. I however have nothing in common with it, and have no desire to participate in it. I don't perceive myself as part of that community. I still deserve to have a voice and participate in the future of Portland- and I have the right to do it in a way that fits my world view. I don't have to conform to the Neighborhood associations way of doing business to have a voice. That is elitist and racist and so was this article and the cartoon. Shame on you Portland Mercury for reprinting it, and shame on the original article. The city of Portland subsidizes the Neighborhood associations costs- why are we so afraid of giving people of color a voice too.

Posted by Alaskan Native Woman | September 11, 2007 2:39 PM

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