Racial Shift in a Progressive City Spurs Talks - Portland

[groovedaddy]

PORTLAND, Ore. — Not every neighborhood in this city is one of those Northwest destinations where passion for espresso, the environment and plenty of exercise define the cultural common ground. A few places are still described as frontiers, where pioneers move because prices are relatively reasonable, the location is convenient and, they say, they “want the diversity.”

Yet one person’s frontier, it turns out, is often another’s front porch. It has been true across the country: gentrification, which increases housing prices and tension, sometimes has racial overtones and can seem like a dirty word. Now Portland is encouraging black and white residents to talk about it, but even here in Sincere City, the conversation has been difficult.

“I’ve been really upset by what I perceive to be Portland’s blind spot in its progressivism,” said Khaela Maricich, a local artist and musician. “They think they live in the best city in the country, but it’s all about saving the environment and things like that. It’s not really about social issues. It’s upper-middle-class progressivism, really.”

Ms. Maricich, 33, who is white, spoke after attending this month’s meeting of Portland’s Restorative Listening Project.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/us/29portland.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

[Spike89]

1. Interesting article

I'm down in Eugene and have heard numerous times that Eugene is where nonexistent diversity is ferociously welcomed. It's true, we have almost no black population, a small asian community, etc. especially if you don't count university students here temporarily. What we do have and never seem to talk about when the diversity issue comes up is a thriving and growing latino community (especially over in Springfield). It isn't that people don't talk about the hispanic group, it just rarely seems to be in the discussion of diversity. Just my two cents worth from down the valley.