WW welcomes letters to the editor via mail, e-mail or fax. Letters must be signed by the author and include the author's street address and phone number for verification. Preference will be given to letters of 250 words or less. KEEP AN OPEN MIND I read your movie review of Slam [Screen, WW, Oct. 28, 1998]. My only question is, who is Kim Morgan, and what has her experience been with African Americans? Slam was a powerful movie that spoke to many levels of the African-American experience, and to the humanist and artistic nature of this movie. Ms. Morgan's criticism appears to focus on some extremely inconsequential elements of the film. The movie addressed so many issues that it seems irrelevant to consider Sonja Sohn's "ultra sexy clothes." It was the only distraction from the intensity of what the movie was trying to convey. Allow us to give our interpretations, I being an African American who was introduced to this movie by my white American friend. The African-American culture has traditionally been an oral and rhythmic one. And rap has only added to this repertoire. What Saul Williams did in the jail scene was twofold. He expressed the vulgarity of rap at times which is what our society so disdains about its lyrics. Yet in jail you could sympathize with the vulgarity of the rap understanding the hopelessness of his situation. Saul's example of being put through the criminal justice system for such a minor offense is indicative of the plight of many African Americans. The values of self-expression such as poetry and rap are far-reaching and should not be underestimated. Go see it with an open mind and spirit, and I'm sure you will come away invigorated! John W. Garlington Northeast 15th Avenue SEATTLE SUCKS There is no doubt in my semi-crazed, overindulged, highly caffeine induced craze mind that Portland is by far the better city when compared to Seattle ["Seattle Envy," WW, Oct. 28, 1998]. To be honest here ladies and gentlemen, Seattle in simple terms...SUCKS! Whenever I begin to feel that Portland is growing too fast, that the traffic is becoming a major pain in the rear, that the suburbanites need lessons in table manners and social grace, I take a little trip up to Seattle and my appreciation of Portland comes back to me in leaps and bounds! We're a small town compared to that zoo up there. Having lived in both cities, I find the citizens of Portland more relaxing, more themselves and enjoying the pleasures that surround them. In Seattle, it seems that they want to be more than what they are. Rugged outdoors men with their big SUV's that have never seen a gravel road to the wannabe New Yorkers desperate for the sophistication of that big city to the east. The traffic in Hillsboro, Lake Oswego? Child's play in comparison to entering Tacoma and heading north into Seattle. "Sound general quarters!" "Man battle stations!" Entering the modern American arena of battle...I-5 through Tacoma and Seattle. Guaranteed to find some fool driving full throttle in stop-and-go traffic, weaving through the continuous line of single passenger automobiles. All with occupants who wouldn't give you the time of day. At least here in Portland, the enraged driver will flip you off. As for coffee, something both cities share, Portland is by far the best place to find good coffee and the best places to drink it! Yes, yes, Coffee People sold out to the Canadians, but that is by far better than having to drink "Seattle's Best." What sludge! A typical reason why Seattle cannot hold a flame to what Portland is and will always be. Now be happy to be residents of a very progressive and wise community. Look north to your "big brother/sister city" for learning the valuable lesson of what you do not want to become. Anton F. Luru Troutdale THE REAL ROGUES Referring to the Oct. 21 "Rogues of the Week," I wish to offer a vastly differing yet truly factual account of events currently unfolding between the community and the University of Portland. Downplaying the efforts of North Portland native/longtime community champion Mike Salvo, you sadly misled readers from the real culprit while offering a resounding slap in the face to community activists everywhere. Between three years as PTA president and church volunteer and eventually co-founding University Park Neighborhood Association (serving as first president and twice since), Mike's selflessness has indisputably helped his community. For zero compensation. He currently tackles a monolithic UP which is systematically buying up and bulldozing a significant portion of a once thriving neighborhood. Apparently frustrated by an increasingly watchful community, UP rounded up a number of its employees and was able to fix the UPNA September elections so that fully 13 of 15 seats are in their control! This was an organized takeover and not a coincidence. At stake is $150 million in amendments to their 1994 plan, comprising mostly items the city denied originally for adversely affecting neighborhood livability. Now monitoring themselves, Mike sees that all that's needed is the four bits for a rubber stamp and UP steamrolls on. Duane Hanson Southwest Jefferson Street MORE DRAMA Well, here we go again. Another angry reader is writing to complain about the insufferable Steffen Silvis and his theater reviews. This time, however, there's a twist: I'm not writing because Mr. Silvis trashed a perfectly good show in the name of a personal vendetta, or even because he once again substituted mean-spirited insults in the place of valuable critique. No, I am far more upset by the more subtle evil Mr. Silvis perpetrated in your Nov. 4 issue ["New Vaudevilles for Old"]. I, like your reviewer, also saw Liminal's Jowl Movements I-IX, but I am not so willing to jump through hoops at the sight of anything unconventional. What is so disturbing about the apparent willingness to build up the "avant-garde" or experimental is that we are constantly told about HOW things are performed with no regard for WHAT is being said. While I must admit the Liminal players have clearly worked hard on their show, their irreverent efforts only add to the bitterness I feel toward the content they are selling. Does your critic's need to look intelligent and hip by responding positively to marginal theater take precedence over the common values we all should hold? It is sad to see the label of art hiding what is blatant slander. While ours is a society of free speech, this should not allow anyone to say anything about anyone, in however obscene a fashion, and then simply shrug their shoulders and call it vaudeville. Ironically, one of the so-called actors in the Liminal show jumped up at one point, shouting "fire!" in the crowded theater! Perhaps this was a subliminal manifestation of the group's awareness that they are abusing the First Amendment in the most despicable way. When your paper so readily supports a company that feeds our tabloid society, you must take responsibility for the inevitable decline of respect for truth in our community. I will thank Mr. Silvis to be more careful about what he chooses to support in the future, and I'd like to point out one typo: Mr. Silvis calls Liminal's approach "heuristic." This should have read "heretical." Dustin Fink Southeast Yamhill Street - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published November 11, 1998