As someone who now lives in Portland I can tell you that including the residents in planning and honoring the existing and storied history of this neighborhood will go a long way to making the revitalization a success. What most people dont understand about this blue collar neighborhood is that even with boarded up buildings and average income below the poverty line those who live here are proud of Portland and her history. They know what it once was and they long for what it could be again, but they WILL NOT stand for the gentrification of their neighborhood. Many who live here are generational. They have always been Portland Proud because Portland has always been home to their family. To them it is more than a catchphrase, a project, or trend. There is history in everything here. The architecture. The businesses. The geography. The population. All of them can tell a story of the growth and development of our little river town. I encourage anyone who is looking to invest in Portland to do so. We are a community with great potential, but I also encourage them to do their homework and learn about those who live here. We would love to not have to drive across town for a good sit down restaurant or cup of coffee but ,as the articles author stated, we also dont have the disposable income to spend $6 on a cup of fair trade, 100% organic coffee. If you build it, make it something we can afford to come to regularly and support. The residents here fiercely support local business, it is how the business like Shaheens and In and Out and Ace Hardware have all stayed in business. Portland has potential. We were something shiny and beautiful once and beneath the grit, and wear of being forgotten there is something beautiful waiting to polished and shine again.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 18:08:01 +0000
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