[October 10th, 2007]

SLANTED COVERAGE

While we here at the Fridge commend the generally fair, accurate and balanced journalism your newspaper routinely disseminates, we feel compelled to issue a correction to your write-up of the Chinatown-dance-rock band, the Slants, in the Sept. 19 edition [“Slanted and Enchanted”].

In your article on the assured upward trajectory of the aforementioned rock and roll band you cited, as an example of this assured upward trajectory, the appearance of the Slants at a “mere Reed College houseparty” versus their later appearance, and CD release, at Dante’s. Though we no doubt wish the Slants nothing but the best in their quest for musical stardom, we take issue with your reference to our house, never mind our party, as a “mere Reed College houseparty.”

Issue One: This “houseparty” was not “mere.” Snoop Dogg was there. You weren’t. Deal with it.

Issue Two: This “house” at which the “mere houseparty” took place has nothing whatsoever to do with the aforementioned “Reed College.” Of the six individuals living at this “house,” only one attends “Reed College,” we don’t like him, and he lives in the flower room.

Issue Three: It wasn’t a houseparty, it was a bingo tournament.

Go fuck yourselves.

Sincerely,

The Fridge
Southeast 39th Avenue and Woodstock Boulevard

Editor’s Note: As of press time, WW has been unable to confirm that Snoop Dogg was, in fact, there.

KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD—BUT NOT TOO WEIRD

Your choice of Red Light as Rogue of the Week [Sept. 26, 2007] seems surprising to me. I have been led to believe, over the past 15 years, that the Ryan Whites of the world were a desirable feature of our Brave New Portland.

We seem to fall all over ourselves to fill our city with hip, young creative types from properly cosmopolitan cities well east of here. We’re so desperate for a makeover that we consider such folk necessary. Portland can’t be hip and groovy on its own, so we do whatever we can to entice them here.

Mr. White’s display would not have raised a single eyebrow in NYC (the city we wish we could become), but here, he seems to be keeping Portland a bit too weird for your tastes.

I’m not condoning a display such as you described. I’m merely pointing out that it is part of the package which the City of Poor Self-Esteem so desperately desires. When we stop caring about what New Yorkers in search of cheap rents think about us, maybe our storefronts will be safe enough for the Sunnyside neighborhood.

This would never have happened 20 years ago when Portland was just the plain girl with a good personality, whom no one asked to dance.

Curtis E. Bryant
North Crawford Street

ROBIN HOOD & HIS MERRY STUDENTS

Nigel Jaquiss’ article “PDX’s Robin Hood Tale” [Sept. 26, 2007] highlighted an important and much needed effort by Commissioner Erik Sten to identify resources in the city and shift them to help the city’s children in underserved communities. It certainly makes sense to shift some Urban Renewal dollars to other areas of the city that have seen some negative impacts of that urban renewal.

However, many discussions are still to come, and I think it is premature to cast the Portland Business Alliance as the enemy to the proposal, as the article does. The Portland Business Alliance has been a friend and willing partner to public education in the city and county since its inception. They have sided with schools to encourage adequate funding. They endorsed David Douglas School District’s 2006 bond measure. In my interactions with them, they have always been cooperative and interested in doing the right thing for the good of the students.

I am sure the Portland Business Alliance will participate in a full discussion of the merits of the proposal, reserving their judgment until all of the details are known.

Barbara Rommel, Superintendent
David Douglas School District

Speaking of Sherwood Forest...

I want to thank Willamette Week for updating the article [“Hammerfest Update: Nazi skinhead locations revealed,” wweek.com, Oct. 7] with my post from the IndyMedia website. We appreciate your coverage of the story, in at least recognizing that a possibility existed that we were duped [by the organizers of Hammerfest into allowing the event at Sherwood Elks Lodge]. You were much more fair than many of those that called our lodge to complain, who seem to believe we were waiting at the door saying, “Hey, you’re from the Skinheads? Glad to have you! Put the swastika over to the right and the human sacrifice altar is straight ahead!” Nothing could have been further from the truth.

I have to admit we were shocked to learn the background of our guests. As mentioned in the Indy post, those in attendance were polite and well behaved and gave us no indication of their organizational affiliation.

While our organization strongly believes in the Constitutional right of free speech (including the rights of the Hammerskin Nation to have and vocalize their own opinions), our organization does not condone prejudice with regard to race, sex, sexual orientation or any other discrimination. We do not permit such prejudice within our facilities or within our organization. We would not knowingly open our facility to any organization that violates our stance against prejudice. It is that simple. Some of the posters (and those who have emailed me privately) disagree with our stand, but this is our belief and our right as Americans to hold and practice the belief.

We also don’t take kindly to being misled in the way we were on Saturday.

Tony Baker
Sherwood Elks Lodge
Via wweek.com