The past two weeks have been chock full of tragic events, bad press and anxiety on the streets, specifically downtown. A group of kids, presumably homeless, attacked a 70-year old employee of the Portland Outdoor Store downtown. He was hospitalized after ...
21 Jul 2013 - Israel Bayer
What a week on the homeless front. A partnership between some of the most powerful interests in the city and a group of homeless activist, a snowstorm and the Portland police chief announcing a plan to address homelessness downtown. Wow. I haven’t even me ...
7 Feb 2014 - Israel Bayer
As organizations working to preserve and expand opportunities for low-income people to live and thrive in Portland, we support the proposal by Portland City Commissioners Dan Saltzman and Nick Fish for a dedicated stream of funding for affordable housing, ...
23 Jul 2014 - Israel Bayer
The Oregonian recently reported that apartment rentals in Portland shot up 6.1 percent last year according to Axiometrics, a rental industry data firm. The average rent for an apartment in Portland is $1,160. You know what? They’re going to increase even ...
13 Aug 2014 - Israel Bayer
One of my first mentors on the streets was the great Genny Nelson, co-founder of Sisters Of The Road. Genny has mentored dozens of organizers, agitators, policy makers, writers and artists over the years. Her life’s work has a footprint on both Portland p ...
30 Oct 2014 - Israel Bayer
One of my first mentors on the streets was the great Genny Nelson, co-founder of Sisters Of The Road. Genny has mentored dozens of organizers, agitators, policy makers, writers and artists over the years. Her life’s work has a footprint on both Portland p ...
30 Oct 2014 - Israel Bayer
Oregonian reporter Anna Griffin talks with Israel Bayer about her special report on homelessness in Portland Anna Griffin has been around the block. After spending 10 years at the Charlotte Observer, Griffin moved west to take a job at The Oregonian. Her ...
12 Mar 2015 - Israel Bayer
Gentrification has been slowly eating away at our city for the past 20 years. Although during the past five years, with massive rental increases and the gap between the rich and the poor widening, doesn’t it feel like we are on the verge of completely los ...
2 Apr 2015 - Israel Bayer
The streets are hot, literally. It’s summertime in the city. People are everywhere. If you are a Portlander then you’re probably spending as much time as possible soaking up the sun. It’s that time. The days are longer. Our senses seem sharper. The mornin ...
18 Jun 2015 - Israel Bayer
The Portland Business Alliance took out a full-page ad in today’s Oregonian with the headline, “We can do better than this.” The ad goes on to say, “Our city is experiencing a crisis on our streets and in our parks. Everyday thousands of people sleep in o ...
15 Jul 2015 - Israel Bayer