Response (below)

EDITORIAL---ASHAMED TO LIVE IN OVERLOOK

By Warren Cassell

Here it is the morning after the huge OKNA general meeting held at Kaiser Town Hall on September 18. There was an extraordinarily heavy turnout because of three large issues on the agenda: yearly elections of officers, the summer fire on the Bluff and a presentation about a possible Interstate Avenue name change. This last item seemed to have brought out the worst in my usually soft-spoken neighbors. Instead of a civil hearing of opposing points of view, there were interruptions and shouting down of minority views. Instead of civil discourse, there was mocking of the guest speakers and the rule of the squeaky wheels (loudest voices) having their say above all others. Instead of listening carefully to the message of the speakers, there was an assault on the speakers’ integrity.

Obviously, there were many exceptions to the above. However, my overall impression of the neighborhood as reflected by this meeting was not a pleasant one. I came away with the feeling that the issue of re-naming Interstate took a back seat to our community’s uncivil reaction to the concept. A meaningful dialogue never happened because sadly, the community would not permit it to happen. I sincerely hope this is an anomaly because the past six years that I have lived in Overlook have been most pleasant and gracious---particularly because of the good nature of my friends and acquaintances living in every part of the neighborhood. My guess is that many of those neighbors didn’t attend the meeting last night.

A little background: I grew up and lived on the East Coast for the first seven decades of my life. We know rude. Snarling store clerks proliferate like roaches in those high rise buildings. Say hello to your neighbor or worse, to a stranger? Not a chance, or else you will be accused of harassment. Welcoming a new resident to your building? Don’t even think about it. New Yorkers are notorious for not knowing their next door neighbors’ names even if they have been living in the same building for decades. Coming from this kind of background and moving to Portland resulted in a bit of culture shock. Store clerks at Fred Meyer, New Seasons and practically every retail establishment I visited in the last six years have always been outgoing and personable. My walks around Overlook always result in friendly greetings from neighbors and strangers alike. I have found this to be a welcoming city built on a tradition of good manners. But just where was that tradition at the September general meeting? Certainly not at Kaiser Town Hall last night.

There is no doubt that we will discuss contentious subjects at future meetings and despite the OKNA board’s best efforts in this debacle, I hope we’ll be better prepared. My hope too, is that our community will come to realize that there is no place for rude, intolerant and nasty behavior here or anyplace else. A return to civility for which this city is famous would be a welcome replacement.

                              Response

Dear Mr. Cassell,

I sincerely appreciate your acknowledgment of the negative experience of the Cesar E. Chavez Blvd committee members (and my two children) with Overlook Neighborhood Association on September 18. You don’t know how important it was for me to read your message.

I must say I was stunned and disheartened at the level of anger, cruelty and racism directed at us by around two hundred of my neighbors. I know the reputation for this area is one of cohesiveness, and to some degree, acceptance. Unfortunately, we did not get to experience this that night.

Personally, I am worried about the impact left on my children. I’ve done my best as a mother to raise them with the values of pride in their ethnic heritage, respect, and a strong sense of community. I was excited that, through this opportunity to present to the association, elected officials and other civic groups, that they would also come to value civic engagement. I am afraid the impression they were left with was intolerance, cruelty, racial discrimination, and tension. This makes me very sad.

Our committee has truly made respectful efforts, as we are able to as volunteers, to educate the neighborhood areas about why this is important to us and hopefully gain their support. Unfortunately we did not receive that same degree of respect that has just been our reality.

I understand that that many people from the Overlook and surrounding areas do not agree or support the name change and respect their right to disagree – everyone is entitled to his or her opinions. However, when those opinions are delivered (even before we’ve even had a chance to make our case) with such disdain and anger directed at us I no longer feel safe on my own neighborhood, I don’t believe that is welcoming as I once thought.

Cesar Chavez promoted understanding and advocated for peace. I am sad that peace and understanding were not found in Kaiser Town Hall last week. But I thank you so much for your supportive letter, your acknowledgement of what happened, and your courage in calling out what happened to the very people you care about – your neighbors. And most of all, for treating us like human beings deserving of dignity and respect.

“Si se puede”,

Marta Güembes

Co-chair for the Cesar E. Chavez Project