Skip to main contentI have been dreaming of a tiny/cob home for years ["Small Comfort," WW, June 11, 2014]. I could build my own; I just lack the property.
This has been my idea for a solution to homelessness for a long time. I've been fighting with little to no income since 2008. I don't have any addiction issues, mental-health problems or criminal history. I'm just very poor.
My partner and I sleep under the Hawthorne Bridge onramp with our dog. Hopefully, soon I'll be able to buy a van for us to live in. I will never again take a grant or subsidy for a mold-infested apartment that I can't afford.
Thank you so much for your work toward a solution that actually has promise.
—"Tara Johnson"
The city should give this idea a shot. While there will be backlash out of fear of what the homeless camps typically turn into, some sort of low-cost option for housing makes a lot of sense.
Why not give Michael Withey a shot to see how this works? Certainly it is better than the status quo.
—"Firegod"
TEACHING DIVERSITY TO WHITES
Diversity training for only white men? ["For White Men Only, WW, June 11, 2014.] Doesn't everyone need it?
All of us can use a little help unlearning racism, and those with white privilege doubtless need it the most.
But where will the voices of those who are put down be if only white men are "in training"? I am white, and the training I've been through has always been racially inclusive.
Otherwise, there's no way for the white folks to be confronted with their privilege and their assumptions.
—"Leo's Buddy"
Mayor Charlie Hales should ask his legal department for advice on eliminating an ineffective equity department and take over the diversity training.
If Hales can't trust them, why are we paying for it? Is it really highly specialized to do diversity training for white guys?
—"PDXwatch"
I'm flabbergasted that taxpayers are expected to pay $56,000 for this. The city has an equity department, an HR department and a team of lawyers—all paid well.
And somehow nobody in these areas is capable of giving training as part of their job? I can't believe a group of "experts" is this incompetent.
—"Rob"
CONVICTION OVERTURNED
A great story and a great result, thanks to federal public defenders Tex Clark and Steve Wax ["Magical Mystery Tower," WW, June 11, 2014]. These people are heroes.
The power of the state is immense in prosecutions. This story provides great evidence of the importance of strong public funding for state public defenders.
—"Into it"
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WWeek 2015