Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share a virtual kitchen table with other readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by to talk about music, your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper…. Newcomers may notice that many who post in this series already know one another to some degree, but we welcome guests at our kitchen table and hope to make some new friends as well.
There is nothing like an occupation to make you turn to local news. I have subscribed to The Oregonian and thought you would like some items from that journal that you won’t see everywhere.
One thing you will see everywhere is that there was relative calm downtown in the absence of the Little Green Men. The Black Lives Matter protests continue downtown. However, things did heat up this week on my side of the river and tear gas was used by Portland Police on Wednesday in response to a fire set at the door to the East Precinct police station. The conflict at East Precinct continued last night.
This is the depressing part. The rest is a bit better…I promise.
I think I told you last week that Commissioner Chloe Eudaly has fined the Federal Government for erecting an unpermitted fence around the Courthouse — and that fence was (and still is)/blocking a bike lane. The fine is $500 every fifteen minutes and as of Wednesday at noon, this fine was $584,000 and counting. Read about it here: Portland says fence fine approaching $600,000, feds aware of it but unresponsive:
“The fence is currently still in place,” Margaux Weeke, spokesperson for City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, said Tuesday. “I’d have to refer you to the federal government for their rationale as to why the fence is still obstructing our traveling lane.”
Department of Homeland Security officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
🚴♀️🚴🏼🚴🏻♂️🚴♀️🚴♀️
Remember the living statue guys from Freedom Plaza in DC? They came here, too! Waterfront statues depict President Donald Trump’s ‘legacy,’ Trump Statue Initiative member says. From the story:
🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨
Here is something very inspiring. You know how Portland is well known for its culinary scene — from food trucks to fine dining. There is a charitable side, as well. Making change: Portland’s Feed the Mass chef feeds thousands for free, but he’s just getting started:
Jacobsen Valentine gets his day started by cooking — not for himself, but for hundreds of strangers.
Valentine, 32, is the founder and executive director of Feed the Mass, a nonprofit cooking education organization that was started in 2016 to help aspiring cooks and food lovers learn about healthy eating, cooking and food scarcity. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, he’s busy leading teams of volunteers in cutting up vegetables, boiling pasta and manning the grill to make meals for anyone who needs food.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced millions to file for unemployment around the country starting in March, Valentine launched the Fed Project under Feed the Mass to provide free meals to anyone in the Portland metro area who needs them. Valentine and his crew have served well over 10,000 meals since the pandemic started.
🥗🥗🥗🥗🥗
Lastly, the Rose Festival did happen this year, but with some changes (masks) given the pandemic. Portland’s Rose Festival queen is crowned in a celebration of ‘the beauty within each of us’:
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
The weekend begins now. Come in, be comfortable, and share your day, your weekend plans, your menus! This is an open thread.