In other parts of Portland, what do they think of when they hear or read the name “Beaumont-Wilshire”? Some, no doubt, haven’t a clue. (“Beaumont-what?!”) But for many others, the name likely conjures up stereotypical images of a sleepy but charming little neighborhood nestled somewhere amidst ubiquitous trees and multi-colored gardens on the East Side, with residents going about their business calmly and securely, kids making their way to school, joggers in the park, cyclists in the streets, strollers on the sidewalks, dogs along side—a prototypical placid, idyllic community. That, of course, is only part of the picture. Like anywhere else, Beaumont-Wilshire has its share of rough edges as well, not the least of which is the acquired reputation in recent years as a nexus for grassroots activism.
Beaumont-Wilshire’s experience with grassroots advocacy was showcased at a February 28 citywide “community summit” organized by the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI)—City Hall’s main link to Portland’s 90-plus neighborhood associations. Billed as the “In It Together Community Summit,” neighborhood activists from more than 20 organizations, along with the mayor himself (“A Conversation With Mayor Hales”), made presentations on a wide range of topics of local interest from police profiling of minorities to services for the elderly to demolition/development.
Representing BWNA were board member Barb Strunk and past president and newsletter editor Al Ellis, who teamed up with South Burlingame Neighborhood Association’s Jim Gorter to conduct a workshop on how neighborhood grassroots organizations can be organized to impact public policy.
All three of these presenters are members of the steering committee of United Neighborhoods for Reform (UNR), a grassroots organization with roots in BWNA and the source of a resolution for demolition/development reform that has been endorsed by close to half the neighborhood associations in the city. Although the workshop’s focus was the evolution of UNR and its growing influence at City Hall, the discussion also touched on the organization and accomplishments of other local grassroots movements, including Beaumont-Wilshire’s “Respect PDX” (organized to prevent the construction of a cell tower adjacent to residences) and Beaumont-Wilshire Neighbors for Responsible Growth (organized to mitigate problems associated with construction of a four-story apartment building with no on-site parking and an out-of-scale size at odds with the character of Beaumont Village.)
The Community Summit was held at the Ambridge Center (1333 MLK Jr. Blvd) with doors opening at 8:00 a.m. for pastries, coffee, and registration, followed by three sessions of workshops—one in the morning and two after lunch—with the event concluding around 4:30 p.m. Lunch was free, courtesy of the city, and at-home babysitting and on-site interpreters were made available by ONI upon request. It was a capacity attendance, estimated to be around 400.