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As gentrification causes friction, neighbors respond A “listening circle” featuring residents who say they have been hurt by gentrification will be part of the city’s annual neighborhood leadership training program. Many longtime residents in parts of inner North and Northeast Portland have repeatedly expressed concerns about problems — including rising rents, higher home prices and changing demographics — caused by the redevelopment of their neighborhoods. To help address the concerns, Resolutions Northwest, a nonprofit mediation agency, will sponsor an event called Gentrification: A Restorative Listening Circle from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, at First AME Zion Church, 4304 N. Vancouver Ave. Judith Mowry, the agency’s director of mediation services, said that although gentrification is a complex issue involving class and personal standards of behavior, many of the disputes break down along racial lines, with longtime black residents feeling they are being displaced by new white residents who don’t understand their culture. “I’ve had African-Americans friends tell me that the new white residents explain they want to understand them, then stand on the corner in a group with big dogs,” she said. “This may not mean anything to the white residents, but especially to older African-Americans, it evokes the segregation era when police officers used dogs to control them.” Mowry said the event will be an opportunity to explore such issues in a nonconfrontational environment. Speakers are still being recruited by the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, she said. Following presentations, participants will be invited to join small-group discussions to better understand and consider ideas to repair the harm caused by gentrification. Two other events are scheduled as part of this year’s program. Creating a Welcoming Environment for Your Neighborhood Organization will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at Central Northeast Neighbors, 4415 N.E. 87th Ave. The program’s final event, Building Bridges: Reaching Out to Diverse Members of Our Communities, will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 31, at Southeast Uplift, 3534 S.E. Main St. Neighborhood training events are held every year by the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, the city agency that works with Portland’s neighborhood associations. This year’s events are organized in partnership with Resolutions Northwest and three coalition offices: the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, the Central Northeast Neighbors and Southeast Uplift. They are open to the public. “Changing demographics are affecting many Portland neighborhoods, and neighborhood leaders want to learn more about what they can do to get new residents more involved,” said Central Northeast Neighbors Director Sandra Lefrancois. Information about the program, including registration, is available on the office of Neighborhood Involvement Web site, www.portlandonline.com/oni.
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