Author Archives: King Neighborhood Association

Youth Demand Central Communication Hub: Community Responds

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Northeast Coalition evolves existing Hotline

Every day, at least 8 million children are left alone and unsupervised once the school bell rings. While 9 out of 10 Americans think that all youth should have access to after-school programs, two-thirds say it is difficult to find programs…even locally (according to the National Youth Violence Office).

This is true for Northeast Portland youth, who voiced a need and a concern at a recent Youth Engagement Workshop sponsored by the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods and League of Women Voters of Portland. During the discussion following a panel of community leaders, youth asked how to find out about all of the issues and opportunities to get involved. It was clear that youth want to be engaged and need the channels to do so. Youth participant, Deyalo Bennette, shares that “This is another step for our community to take the lead in responding to our own needs. It is a symbol of positive change. I am inspired to be the lead youth organizer for the Hotline.”

“I didn’t have this growing up and didn’t know there could be more to my life than basketball until I graduated college. The Hotline is helpful for youth to know resources to develop personal skills and interests. Today’s youth are primed to learn and explore. If they don’t have an outlet for this creativity or interest, then they turn to the streets,” explains Imani Muhammad, Hotline Project Coordinator, “For the average youth who are not enrolled in programs that provide afterschool programming, the number one question is where do I go and how do I find out about opportunities for youth. Youth today are ready to lead and want to be prepared,” she continues.

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Five Sunday Parkways Coming for 2010!

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Transportation Options is bringing you five – yes, five! – Sunday Parkways events this year. Wow! The free Sunday events will take place May through September in Northeast, North, Southeast and East Portland, with a fifth route still being worked out. For all the latest news and route information, check out the Sunday Parkways pages online or go to www.GettingAroundPortland.org.

Police Bureau Introduces New Citizen Online Reporting System

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The Portland Police Bureau has launched a new Citizen Online Reporting System. This internet-based system, gives citizens the ability to report property crimes within Portland that have no suspect information, saving them time and money and freeing up valuable police resources for response to more critical incidents.
Once submitted, Portland police officers will review and approve every report. Reports that require additional response or are inappropriate will be modified and responded to as needed. The reporting citizen will then receive a PDF copy of the approved and case numbered report via email within 72 hours. This online service is without any cost to the citizen and avoids the current minimum $10 expense and delay in receiving copies of reports not submitted online.
Citizens can report the following types of incidents:
o Theft from vehicle
o Vandalism to vehicle
o Theft (excluding firearms and prescription medications)
o Vandalism (excluding graffiti)
o Lost property (excluding firearms and prescription medications)
o Additional property information (property information from a previously filed report)

Access the Police Online Reporting System at www.portlandpolice.com

On Life’s Terms: The Middle Passage

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Writer, Poet Nabeeh Mustafa and Producer/Director Floyd Cruse will reproduce their 2005 production of “On Life’s Terms: The Middle Passage” at The Miracles Club with four performances, March 27-March 28 and April 3-April 4. This dramatic play parallels slavery and addiction, bringing awareness about the issues of addiction and recovery and the affects it has on individuals, families and the community.

“The Middle Passage” was adapted, directed and produced by Floyd Cruse in 2005 from “On Life’s Terms” a play by Portland writer and poet Nabeeh Mustafa. “On Life’s Terms: The Middle Passage”, parallels slavery and addiction. The Middle Passage is the Atlantic slave trade, the triangular route from Europe to Africa to the New World. This play tells the realistic and powerful stories of people who have taken the journey or middle passage from drugs and alcohol to recovery. This play highlights the affect addiction and recovery has on us all, bringing awareness about the challenges and struggles individuals, families, and communities face. It also emphasizes the important role and influence, individuals and organizations can have in supporting recovery.

Miracles Club was established in 1992 by African Americans so that all people in recovery in North/Northeast Portland would have a sanctuary where they could maintain their sobriety with culturally specific support and encouragement. A nonprofit 501c3 organization, credentialed by AMH to provide multi-cultural peer delivered trainings, has operated with an all volunteer team, offering a variety of clean and sober social activities and educational forums, which has provided community outreach to more than 15,000 individuals and families since its inception. Miracles also conducts thousands of hours of peer services, health presentations, statewide summits and facilitates 23 twelve-step meetings per week to the people it serves. Currently Miracles is seeking additional funding to expand programming and services.

The play will be shown during two weekends Fri-Sat March 27-28 and Aril 3-4. All showings start at 7:00 at Miracles Club, 4069 NE M L King Blvd, Portland, 97212. Tickets can purchased at Elevated Coffee, Christopher’s, Geneva’s, One Stop Record, Reflections, and Miracles Club.

Bike Boulevard Improvements at Going/Martin Luther King Jr.

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The Portland Bureau of Transportation is beginning work on Northeast Going Street at Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to construct intersection improvements for cyclists and pedestrians. The project will consist of extending the median barrier on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and two striped crosswalks where there are higher traffic speeds and traffic volumes on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and pedestrians and cyclists have difficulty crossing the
street. No parking removal is necessary to accommodate the median island on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. In addition, auto traffic will be regulated to right turns at this intersection only.

The project is scheduled to start in late March dependent on weather and construction crew availability. Construction of the intersection improvements should be completed relatively quickly within about a week and a half. This location was identified as a location where cyclists and pedestrians may have trouble navigating and crossing the busy intersection. This improvement will shorten the distance pedestrians and cyclists are exposed to traffic and will increase the visibility of pedestrians and cyclists to motorists and to each other. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to make a two stage crossing, with the benefit of a concrete refuge to wait for traffic to clear for a safer crossing. The project team has visited neighborhood associations after holding two initial public meetings to get feedback from neighborhood residents on North and Northeast Going Street so that feedback and neighborhood input could be incorporated into the proposal. Access will be maintained in the area during all construction phases. Some road access will be limited while work is occurring in the street but access will be maintained through the duration of the construction. No complete road closure is anticipated.

The Bureau of Transportation is sensitive to the use of this connection in the neighborhood and will endeavor to complete the work as quickly as possible to minimize the inconvenience these improvements may cause.