Think Out Loud

Police in Portland and around the country have been criticized for their use of tear gas during protests over police killings of Black people. In Portland, city councilors have expressed concern that tear gas could contribute to the spread of COVID-19 and have called for police to stop using it. Lisa Song recently wrote about police use of tear gas for ProPublica. And Melissa Belli, who works as a doctor for Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, started a petition to ask state leaders to prevent police from using tear gas during the pandemic.

We get opinions and analysis on some of the biggest news of the week with Camilla Mortensen, Scott Bruun, and Nkenge Harmon Johnson.

A number of temporary homeless shelters have been operating in Portland during the pandemic, but what will happen as the metro area begins to open up? How is the region’s most vulnerable population coping? We’re joined by Marc Jolin, the head of the Joint Office of Homeless Services, and Kaia Sand, the executive director of Street Roots.

Last week, Governor Kate Brown fired the head of the Oregon Employment Department. Logistical and technical difficulties have led to tens of thousands of Oregonians waiting months for unemployment benefits to come through. The state has at least 200,000 unpaid jobless claims on file. Interim Director David Gerstenfeld joins us to talk about what the agency will do differently.

Demonstrators across the country are protesting police violence against Black people after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. Protesters are calling for more police accountability and many, including those in Portland, have called for defunding police. Portland Police Officer Daryl Turner is the president of the Portland Police Association, the union representing rank and file officers. He joins us to discuss the recent protests.

Future Farmers of America agriculture students have been raising farm animals for months to sell at county fair auctions this summer. But with many county fairs canceled across the state, students aren’t sure if they will be able to do that. Some counties are holding auctions with new social distancing measures, or moving them online. We hear from Deschutes County student Chelsea Buhmann about raising her pig named Rooster, and how the pandemic has impacted FFA.

Noe Alvarez grew up in Yakima, WA, but when he became a first-generation college student at nearby Whitman College, he felt out of place. Alvarez dropped out of school and joined Peace and Dignity Journeys to run across America as an ally for indigenous people. Alvarez has written a book about his experience called Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America’s Stolen Land.

Thousands of people gathered at Revolution Hall on Tuesday night to protest police killings of black Americans. Tuesday was the fifth night of demonstrations in Portland. Darren Golden is one of the organizers of the protest. He joins us to talk about the demonstrations and the change he wants to see as a result.

When can I hug someone who doesn’t live in my house? Can my kids go on a playdate? Can I have my neighbors over for dinner? When can I start dating again? Even as state and local policies start to shift in terms of what is legally allowed during the pandemic, there are no clear answers to questions like these. But public health experts and infectious disease specialists can help us think through our choices about spending time with others. What questions are you facing in your personal life right now? Our guests are Washington County’s chief epidemiologist Kim Repp and John Townes, professor of medicine and medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at OHSU.

As many as 10,000 people gathered in Portland over the weekend to protest police killings of Black people, and many are calling for police reform and additional oversight. Lakayana Drury is the co-chair of the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing, the group of community members tasked with making sure the Portland Police engagement plan meets the public’s needs. He joins us to discuss his thoughts on police oversight in Portland.

A week after George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis, protesters in Portland demonstrated for a fourth night in a row. Kali Thorne Ladd is the executive director and co-founder of KairosPDX, a public charter school focused on eliminating racial achievement and opportunity disparities. She says it’s vitally important to talk to children about the protests and what’s behind them. We ask her how she’s approaching these conversations at home with her own children and at KairosPDX.

Many parents are figuring out how to work and facilitate distance learning for their children at the same time during the coronavirus pandemic. For some, juggling a job and helping with hours of online schoolwork is taking a toll. Others have been forced to reduce their hours or stop working altogether to keep their children on track. We hear how three parents — Freddy Kennedy, Ellie Hayes and Dorothy Anderson — are coping.

Like many cities around the nation, Portland saw peaceful protest over the weekend, as well as more violent demonstrations. The events were sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who was killed by a police officer. We talk with Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and City Commissioner, Jo Ann Hardesty about the weekend’s events and where to go from here.

African-American runner Amaud Arbery was shot and killed in February by armed residents of the south Georgia neighborhood he was jogging through. This week, a white police officer in Minneapolis took the life of a black man named George Floyd. These events sparked protests not only in Minneapolis and Atlanta, but also in other U.S. cities including Portland. We talk with two African-American runners about how Arbery's killing affected them and what their experience has been running in Portland. And we ask what they think the death of George Floyd says about race and racism in America.

We get opinions and analysis on some of the biggest news of the week with Christopher McKnight Nichols, Doug Badger, and Marisa Zapata.

People whose loved ones are in prison in Oregon are worried about the spread of COVID-19 inside the state’s 14 correctional institutions. Last week, a man at the Oregon State Penitentiary died after testing positive for the virus. His is considered the first COVID-19-related death connected to the state’s prison system. Inmates are particularly at risk for contracting the virus because social distancing is often impossible inside prisons and jails. People who are incarcerated also often have underlying health conditions. We hear from Natasha Pickens, whose husband, Anthony Pickens, is currently incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary and Colette Peters, director of the Oregon Department of Corrections.

In national and local races, more women of color are running for elected office and winning. Last fall, we sat down with four local leaders: Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, TriMet board member Kathy Wai and Color PAC executive director Ana del Rocio. We discussed their unique leadership styles, the challenges of being a non-white woman in office and the impact women of color have on politics in Oregon.

During this time of social distancing, people are using video chats and other technology to connect with friends and family down the street and around the world. Anabel Quan-Haase, a professor of sociology and information in media studies at Western University in Ontario, Canada, studies the way technology influences society. She tells us how the pandemic is affecting the way we use technology and changing how we relate to one another even as we’re physically apart.

Geneva’s Shear Perfection Barber and Beauty Salon served as a gathering place and institution in Portland’s black community for 30 years. The shop was opened by Paul Knauls Sr. and his wife Geneva, and operated by the Knauls family. But amid the coronavirus pandemic, the family decided to close its doors permanently. Paul Knauls Jr. tells us why they decided to close and about the legacy Geneva’s is leaving behind.

Washington County has applied for phase one reopening and is aiming to be ready to do that June 1. Contact tracing capacity is a big part of that. We hear from public health nurse and contract tracing supervisor for the county, Christine Keating, about what that process entails and exactly what happens after the trace is done.