Theater, Portland Mercury

  

The Mercury’s Do This, Do That: June 30–July 6
This week: Wu-Tang Clan, ceviche, queer cinema, and a friendly reminder not to traumatize dogs. by Lindsay Costello One of your most important missions this week is to find a copy of the Mercury's 2025 Queer Guide, but that'll take you what, a few minutes? That leaves you with roughly 10,076 minutes to fill. Read on for why you should spend at least a few of them listening to hip-hop revolutionaries, watching comedy sets from a picnic blanket, and screaming along to “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” on July 4. It beats blowing your fingers off with fireworks. Monday, June 30 Bajala x Mad Man: Mariscos & Drinks The forecast is in the high 80s today, so I'm more than sold on an opportunity to eat fresh seafood without having to bust my ass in the kitchen. Mind you, a lot of restaurants are closed on Mondays, so this collaborative pop-up between taco slingers Bajala and West Indian-inspired chef Mad Man comes at the perfect time. They'll set up at Bar Cala to whip up mouthwatering cold dishes like calamansi scallop ceviche, citrus and chile oil hamachi crudo, and aguachile with apple, cucumber, and jicama. Say less—I'm already there. (Bar Cala, 2703 NE Alberta, 5–10 pm, more info here) JANEY WONG Thank God It's Queer: All About My Mother If you were rightfully disappointed by last year’s Emilia Pérez, I’d like to point you toward Pedro Almodóvar’s Oscar-snagging '99 melodrama, which follows the stories of a trans sex worker, a grieving mother, and a pregnant, HIV-positive nun. All About My Mother's cast—including a young Penélope Cruz—is damn near impossible to look away from, and the film’s pinkish-red palette pulses against the surreal flourishes of Antoni Gaudí’s Modernista Catalan architecture. (Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7 pm, $10–$12, R, tickets here) LINDSAY COSTELLO            View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Criterion Collection (@criterioncollection) Tuesday, July 1 Jonathan Richman I first came under the spell of Jonathan Richman after seeing a clip from his performance of “Vampire Girl” on Late Night With Conan O'Brien in 1993. Richman croons about intriguing goth girls with an almost child-like spirit, strumming his hollow-body electric guitar with a huge grin while shaking his hips and maintaining intense eye contact with the crowd. The result of this performance should be kind of fucked up, but it’s undeniably charming and refreshingly authentic. This “so wrong it’s right” contradiction is what makes Richman an enduring counterculture icon and godfather of punk rock. His music has influenced a long list of music legends, including Brian Eno, Joan Jett, and David Bowie. The modern-day Buddy Holly, striped-shirt icon, Velvet Underground fanboy, man, myth, and legend is coming to the Portland for two nights alongside his trusty sidekick, drummer Tommy Larkins. (Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, July 1–2, 8 pm, $38.08, all ages, tickets here) AUDREY VANN Wu-Tang Clan / Run The Jewels Certainly nuthing ta fuck wit if you’re a cop, or a racist, or a busta, Wu-Tang Clan very much should be fucked wit if you’re a fan of hard-hitting revolutionary hip-hop. The Staten Island crew formed in 1992 with a roster including RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon, and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard—some of the most influential names in rap and hip-hop to this day. Opening are icons of the genre in their own right, Run The Jewels. The pit during RTJ is gonna be bonkers, fuck around and find out… (Moda Center, 1 Center Court, 8 pm, $59.85–$306.10, all ages, tickets here) NOLAN PARKER Also worth it:What is Your Ancestral Performance Art? at Bishop & Wilde, 7 pm, more info here Wednesday, July 2 Church of Film: The Clan’s Heir is a Transwoman Hitoshi Ozawa—veteran V-cinema actor, sexagenarian boxer, and perennial cool guy in sunglasses—is also a director. The Clan’s Heir is a Transwoman (2013) plays like a lo-fi passion project, but it’s also a surprising, queer-centered take on the yakuza genre. In the aftermath of a yakuza boss’ death, his clan sets out to locate his successor, leading them to a queer bar—and to Nana, a trans woman who turns out to be the boss’ heir. A weirdly heartwarming question is posed: Will a trans woman be accepted into the hypermasculine world of Japanese organized crime?! The ever-reliable cinema series Church of Film describes Clan’s Heir as a “sensitive tear-jerker.” I believe it. (Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, 7 pm, $10, not rated, tickets here) LC Shanea / Tony Horses / Pale Violet  Perhaps best known as the bassist of Portland favorite Dustbunny, Shanea has been quietly crafting a solo catalog of hushed bedroom indie-pop anchored by their singular world-building. Their 2024 debut album Root Rot is a beautiful maze of texture you won’t know you’re lost in until the last song has ended, a maze you will want to revisit over and over. Perfectly paired openers on this all-Portland bill are Tony Horses and Pale Violet—one of which released a powerful album earlier this year, with the other really needing to release their debut full length ❤️‍🔥. (Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8 pm, $15.28, 21+, tickets here) NP Thursday, July 3 Pace Taylor: Last Call at the Rainbow Cafe In recent years, Portland artist Pace Taylor’s figurative work in soft pastel and graphite has been featured in exhibitions in Los Angeles and Paris, gaining a devoted following for their saturated hues and emotional charge. Elegant, sculptural bodies and sidelong glances mingle in settings like nightclubs or bedrooms, bringing focus to a recurring theme that Taylor explains as “the collision between intimacy and isolation, and how you can have both of those things in the same moment.” In place of their usual party scenes and domestic tableaux, their new solo show Last Call at the Rainbow Cafe Taylor has built a kaleidoscopic landscape that incorporates shreds of Americana, recontextualized within a decidedly queer aesthetic. (Nationale, 15 SE 22nd, through Sun Aug 10, more info here) MARTHA DAGHLIAN "Love's Atomic" by Pace Taylor. COURTESY OF NATIONALE. Aw, Hell A clever, hilarious walking tour through Dante's Inferno, Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble (PETE)'s Aw, Hell invites us under an existential big top for the lust-filled circus that is 14th-century writer Dante Alighieri's view of the afterlife. PETE's imagining only asks the audience to walk for less than 10 minutes, through an ADA-friendly haunted hallway of Satan's fiery domain. Most of the 100-minute show is presented in a theater setting, with the audience sitting around a stage overlaid with a projected rotating spiral and punctuated with flashing lights (if those are dealbreakers for you). Cleverness and clowning abounds, as does toilet humor—it's a PETE production, so regardless of how you feel about clowns, you can trust this company for a good time. (Reed College Performing Arts Building, 3017 SE Woodstock, through Sat July 12, $45, more info here) SUZETTE SMITH Friday, July 4 FIREWORKS!!!  Look. Some of you need to get it through your skulls that there is a BAN on the sale and personal use of fireworks in Portland. However, trust me when I say that the huge fireworks shows all around the area are far superior to your stupid firecrackers, M-80s, and whistling, banging bullshit that scares the living daylights out of our pets. For example, the largest such show explodes from the Waterfront Blues Festival (which can be enjoyed from the riverbanks, Portland’s many bridges, Mount Tabor, or by breaking into your office’s roof). There’s also the smaller, but also impressive Oaks Park Fourth of July Spectacular, and if you live further east, the Happy Valley 4th of July Family Festival, which sounds like it would be perfect except for the “family” aspect. Sorry, screaming children are almost as annoying as illegal fireworks. FIGHT ME. (Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Oaks Amusement Park, and Happy Valley Park, all events start at 10 pm, free, all ages) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY A view of last year's fireworks from Downtown Portland. COURTESY OF COURTNEY VAUGHN. Emo Night at Holocene Not in the mood to celebrate an America that’s currently in the clutches of insecure, mentally deficient bozos who create cruel, blatantly stupid policy in retaliation for their fathers not saying “I love you” enough? Then feel free to go DEEP into your feelings with Holocene’s regular Emo Night—which beautifully lands on July 4 this year. Block out the incessant bangs and whistles of your thoughtless neighbors’ illegal fireworks and dance the night away to the music of My Chemical Romance, Panic! At the Disco, Sunny Day Real Estate, and more. (Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 9 pm, $23.37, 21+, tickets here) WSH Kickstand Comedy in the Park Let’s be real, Portland summer doesn’t take itself seriously until July. That’s when the rain clears and the sun decides to settle in. Summer also marks the joyful return of Kickstand Comedy in the Park. Where else can you see a free comedy show AND simultaneously relax in a park on a summer evening? (No, that family bbq where your cousin cracks jokes doesn’t count.) Grab a friend, bring a blanket, and mosey over to Laurelhurst Park to get some laughs in before the holiday sky booms make the city go nuts. (Laurelhurst Park, SE César E Chávez and Stark, most Fridays through September 5, 6 pm blankets drop, 6:30 pm show, free, all ages, more info here) COURTNEY VAUGHN           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Kickstand Comedy (@kickstandcomedy) Saturday, July 5 Bijoux Cone / Pool Boys / Ghost Piss When she’s not touring the world with Gossip or down in Brazil playing solo sets and DJing, Bijoux Cone can be found casing the streets of Portland, making some of the city’s best music. Her most recent LP, Love Is Trash, is one of my favorite albums of the last five years—it’s real, it’s camp, it’s stoned, it’s pure summer! Bijoux, if you’re reading this can you please put out another record? We miss you! Portland’s Pool Boys will be delivering their dreamy, surfy harmonies in the middle slot, while Brooklyn’s Ghost Piss open this mother up with their indie electro-pop à la the Blow and Nouvelle Vague. (Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $19.12, 21+, tickets here) NP Also worth it:Revolutions per Movie: Live with Julie Klausner at Clinton Street Theater, 6 pm, tickets here Sunday, July 6 IX of Swords  / Left On Read / Warnoutjoy / House of Warmth One cup slacker rock, three sprigs shoegaze, a dash of ’90s emo, bake at 666 degrees, and what have you got? A sharable helping of Portland’s IX of Swords! The band released their lush wall-of-sound full length I Can’t Imagine How it Felt to Live last summer—it’s been on heavy rotation since. Left On Read released their Bomb in the Garden EP earlier this year and, if we’re lucky, will be playing it in full. The track “Second Thoughts” features crushingly screamed vocals that'll get you every time. The internet is insinuating that Warnoutjoy is a new band, what their music is saying tells us they know what they’re here to do (very much hoping they’ve got a full record coming down the pipeline). Opening this transcendent bill is House of Warmth, listen to their new track “Buffy, Heavy” and you’ll understand. (Lollipop Shoppe, 736 SE Grand, 9 pm, $12.51–$15.71, 21+, tickets here) NP K. Trevor Wilson If you love the downhome Canadian silliness of Letterkenny, then you should check out the standup comedy of K. Trevor Wilson (who plays the much-beloved character “Squirrely Dan” on the show, famous for his bafflingly funny and idiosyncratic speech patterns...such as his catchphrase “That’s what I appreciates about you”). His standup act is no less idiosyncratic, as he sports a dry, droll delivery on subjects that range from embarrassing personal stories, Canadian road signs, and the always-entertaining topics of poo-poo, pee-pee, and of course, taints. (Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, July 3-6, various times, $32.99-$44.99, 21+, tickets here) WSH           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by House Of Comedy BC (@houseofcomedybc) Also worth it:Behind the Shoji: Annual Summer Marketplace at Portland Japanese Garden, June 21–September 1, more info here Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!

Good Morning, News: Oregon Lawmakers Bungle Transpo Bill, Shooter Ambushes Firefighters, and PDX Ranked #1 Bay-beeeee! ?
By Wm. Steven Humphrey If you’re reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercury’s news reporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we can’t do it without your support. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋 And the sunny hotness continues with the warmest temps of this week happening today, topping out at 94 degrees. And as you know, such sultry weather goes smashingly with a cool, frosty cocktail, which—lucky you—will be in abundance all month long starting tomorrow (Tuesday, July 1) with the Mercury's SUMMER OF SLUSHIES! Enjoy a fun variety of boozy, frozen cocktails for the entirety of July at 22 of your fave Portland bars, and they're only $10 a pop! And now, allow me to pop off... with some NEWS. IN LOCAL NEWS: • The Oregon legislature ended their session Friday night with some big wins, and one—as the Oregonian screechingly put it—"towering failure." The big winners were labor unions who will begin receiving unemployment pay while on strike, tougher gun laws, more reasonable approaches to mental health, and increased affordable housing—but the Dems failed to pass a major transportation bill before the session ended. The plan would've paid for sorely needed improvements to roads across the state, while also avoiding layoffs in the transportation department, but bickering Dems and obstinate Republicans were unable to come to agreement in time. Governor Tina Kotek was so infuriated that she threatened to call a special session to make legislators return to work in order to get a transportation plan passed—and we'll see if she follows up on that threat. 🚨 ALERT 🚨Multnomah County DA Nathan Vasquez bypassed the grand jury and cleared a deputy in a fatal police shooting—with no public testimony, no transcript, and no accountability. Just a memo, a video, and a statement. That’s not justice. That's not transparency. And we won't be silent about it! 🧵[image or embed] — Candace Avalos (@candaceavalos.bsky.social) June 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM • A scary story out of Idaho: A suspected gunman in Kootenai County, Idaho, is dead after allegedly starting a fire and then staging an ambush for firefighters, killing two and injuring a third. Authorities believe the act was intentional and that the firefighters "never had a chance" after responding to the blaze. It remains unclear whether the suspect—who was found dead at the scene with a weapon nearby—committed suicide following the attack.  • Congratulations to the Portland International Airport, which RANKED #1, BAY-BEEEE in the Washington Post's list of the "50 Best Airports in America, Ranked." WaPo compared PDX to walking into a "nature bath," while calling it "an airport with so much to enjoy that you may wish for a delay." High praise, indeed! 👏   Trash Report's special edition for our Queer Guide—Be Gay, Ready Gossip —will have you 😠, 😂, and 😍. You need to know about all this Pride traffic revenge, local Gossip(s). Plus, derailing a Shakira concert is homophobic; we know this and discuss.[image or embed] — Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) June 28, 2025 at 4:11 PM   • Oregon's minimum wage is bumping up by 35 cents starting tomorrow, with Portland's hourly pay rising to $16.30... but before you plan on buying that gold-plated jet ski, you should note that due to cooling inflation, this is the smallest minimum wage hike since 2015. • And once again here is your annual pre-July 4th reminder (that will absolutely not be heeded) that the purchase and use of fireworks in Portland is ILLEGAL, and besides the obvious danger of wildfires and personal mutilation, those explosives are wildly annoying, a useless pursuit, terrorize pets and veterans suffering from PTSD, and... nobody's listening are they? Didn't think so. 😒   How much do you know about Portland? ("Lots!") How much do you know about Oregon? ("Mmmm... still a lots!) Okay, how much do you know about Ferris Bueller? ("Wait... what?") Let's find out with this week's super fun POP QUIZ PDX! 🤓[image or embed] — Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) June 26, 2025 at 10:09 AM   IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS: • King Fool's "Big, Beautiful Bill"—which threatens to leave an additional 12 million Americans uninsured and add $3.3 trillion to the national debt—is clunking along in the Senate, where Republicans are desperately trying to get it passed before their Trump-imposed July 4 deadline. Senators on both sides of the aisle have been arguing and adding amendments all weekend, but the Republicans are losing their minds over two defectors—Senators Rand Paul and Thom Tillis—both of whom said they will not support the bill because of the proposed cuts to Medicaid. Currently, the GOP can only afford to lose one more "yes" vote.   Americans disapprove of the strikes on Iran 56% to 44%, according to a CNN/SSRS poll conducted after the strikes. An even greater number distrust Trump’s decision-making on the use of force in Iran... only 27% believing the attacks will lessen the threat theintercept.com/2025/06/27/h...[image or embed] — Nick Turse (@nickturse.bsky.social) June 29, 2025 at 5:53 PM   • Meanwhile the Trump-controlled Supreme Court is set to take up a Republican-backed case to end limits on how much political parties (particularly them) can spend on their chosen candidates in federal elections. The Supremes have already heard the case once before in 2001, in which they allowed the law to stand—but of course that means nothing to the Court's corrupt Trump lackeys. • Good news for women's sports: The WNBA is adding three new expansion teams to their growing roster, in Detroit, Philadelphia, and Cleveland over the next five years. Assuming they get approval from the NBA, Cleveland will start balling in 2028, Philadelphia in 2029, and Detroit in 2030. On a slightly related note, when I was visiting Phoenix this weekend (don't ask), I was initially delighted that the town was such big fans of the Mercury—until I remembered that's also the name of their WNBA team. 😭 • To the surprise of no one, a national Gallup poll has revealed that national pride has taken a significant dip since Trump has retaken office, falling to 58 percent—that's nine points below 2024, and five points below the previous all-time low in 2020. So much for "making America great again." • And finally, me going into the work week like.... @vcrofdeath Mac and Me goes so hard.  #orionhomevideo #macandme ♬ original sound - VCR of Death

Moldy Bar
By Anonymous I went to a music venue in inner SE last night and was so overwhelmed with toxic mold I had a headache within the minutes. I left. Still have the headache and other symptoms 18 hours later. I am over sensitive to mold due to long term exposure but anyone exposed to mold is getting toxic particles in their bodies. 1/5 people don’t metabolize them. Few people get as sick as I do. All are affected. My friend asked the door person if, since I had to leave so fast due to the moldy environment if her other friend could get in one as her plus one (yes, quite cool of them). I wasn’t present for this part but apparently the person at the door thanked my friend for validating her complaints about mold that the folks running the place won’t acknowledge. The door person says she gets moldy sick every time she works. No help from management. WTF is wrong with people? Oh, right, money. It would cost money to protect your employees and patrons health. Can’t have that. And if you are reading this kind door person, get out. The effects are cumulative and if you can’t clear these toxins you will remain sick, possibly for years. No wage is worth your health.

Hurry Up and Eat, Portland! The Mercury's NACHO WEEK Ends Today!
Fill up your hungry belly with delish, creative nachos from the city's best chefs! by Mercury Promotions Oh, hello... and hurrah! It’s time for the Portland Mercury’s Nacho Week! Not only are nachos the platonic ideal of bar food, they also present a wonderful canvas for creativity: Crunchy tortilla chips (or tots or what have you) provide a base for whatever toppings your heart desires! The Portland Mercury’s annual Nacho Week (which ends today, Sunday June 29) demonstrates the dizzying versatility of the beloved Tex-Mex dish with exclusive specials created by chefs all over Portland... and for a mere $10 each!  Your mission: Try as many as your stomach (and dignity) will allow. Use our Nacho Week Map to plot your crunchy course through this salty citywide snack fest. And remember—each full-sized,  $10 plate is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, made just for this week! So plan your itinerary, round up some friends, and go share some full-sized plates of hearty nachos smothered in melty cheese, until you fist-fight over the last bite! And get ready—this is the BIGGEST Nacho Week ever! So we’re turning up the flavor with a brand-new mobile pass to help you crunch your way through it! Just sign up for a free account here, snag your Nacho Week pass, and start mapping out your cheesy adventure. You’ll be able to see nearby spots, check in as you go, and climb the leaderboard like a true nacho champ. Oh, and did we mention we’re giving away a $500 Visa gift card? Yup! You’ll get five entries just for signing up, plus one extra entry for every check-in. So grab your pass, bring your appetite, and let the snack-down begin! But first? A few quick pointers: • Don’t forget to tag us with #mercurynachoweek when you’re out there! • Be patient and tip your servers, who are working their buns off to get you those delicious nachos! • And a great big thank you to our partners Travel Portland and Hornitos! Check out ALLL those delicious nachos HERE!

The Best Bang for Your Buck Events in Portland This Weekend: June 27–29, 2025
Good in the Hood, Portland All Nations Canoe Family Day, and More Cheap & Easy Events Under $15 by EverOut Staff Gear up for another gorgeous weekend with our cheap and easy guide, which features events from Good in the Hood Multicultural Festival to Portland All Nations Canoe Family Day and from My People's Market 16 to the SE Industrial Dock Party. For more suggestions, check out our top event picks of the week. FRIDAY FOOD & DRINK Summer Solstice Radler PartyI'm not really a beer person, but I love a radler (turns out mixing beer and citrus is delicious). Sip into summer at Alpenrausch with four housemade radlers, a wine pop-up, and the launch of Commensal’s Alpenglühen Tyrolean pilsner. Summer babes of all ages can get their faces painted and chow down on (rather silly looking) sausages from the restaurant’s curbside Würstelstand. SHANNON LUBETICH(Alpenrausch, Richmond, free)

Good Morning, News: US Supreme Court Majority Cowards, Queer Youth Crisis Phone Lines in Crisis, and Oregon Legislature Final Exam Cram
By Suzette Smith If you appreciate the Mercury's interesting and useful news & culture reporting, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. Your donation is tax-deductible.  Good Morning, Portland! Enjoy the drip today because area temps rise starting tomorrow! Our Sunday forecast tops out around 90 degrees, and the week to follow looks a smidge too warm for Portlanders. The good news? The Mercury's Nacho Week lasts through Sunday. The bad news? National news. BUT FIRST, LOCAL NEWS:• Welcome to the end of the Oregon legislative session, the final exams/term paper rush for state lawmakers. The session must end Sunday! Should you have been studying French this whole time? MAYBE. Can that massive and sprawling transportation bill make it through the House? [NON-COMMITTAL SOUNDS] Wake up babe, new 155-page amendment to the #orleg transportation bill just dropped. olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025r1/D...[image or embed] — Julia Shumway (@jmshumway.bsky.social) June 25, 2025 at 3:33 PM • Also imperiled: Multnomah County’s Preschool for All tax, which was approved by 64 percent of county voters in 2020. For the past few weeks, we've seen both state legislators and Gov. Kotek try to restrict the tax, out of concern that its discouraging wealthy people from moving to the area. The Mercury's Taylor Griggs digs into the issue, speaking with one family who says Preschool for All has transformed their family's lives for the better. The legislature dropped an attempt to phase the program out on Tuesday, but Kotek criticized Preschool for All as recently as Thursday, in what many are calling a "double down," saying the program still doesn't support enough Oregon preschoolers for the money it collects from taxpayers. • Further legislation'n: The House passed a bill prohibiting "rapid-fire activators" [bump stocks and friends]. A new fix may ease the pinch of Oregon's stinging public defender crisis... by okaying public defender overtime and instituting quotas? Feels bad. Lawmakers also passed a bill to curtail how much Oregon's for-profit utility companies can raise rates. Oregon Capital Chronicle is providing live updates 🤓. • Also in whaaaaat?! You can't park right by stop signs? When I moved here, years ago, everyone made fun of me for leaving a car's length gap before a stop sign—because that's what they teach you in Michigan driving school—and I believed it was just one more of Portland's Bad Driving Habits for Bad Drivers. This is how I find out I have been lied to?! AGHAST. A major court ruling could force Portland to shake up how it keeps thousands of intersections safe www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...[image or embed] — Zane (@zane.bsky.social) June 26, 2025 at 4:28 PM • Expect that to show up soon on Editor-in-Chief Wm. Steven Humphrey's Pop Quiz PDX. This week he got down into Oregon's Official State Microbe—do you know what it is?           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury) • Music editor Nolan Parker and I co-edited the Mercury's 2025 Queer Guide, and they wrote a banger of an intro: "The theme of this year’s Queer Guide as 'Be Gay, Do _____.' Be gay, do community! Be gay, build networks of care! Be gay, free Palestine!" They're respectfully calling in the essay Be Gay, Do Crime by the Mary Nardini Gang, "a group dedicated to the teachings of Italian anarchist Mary Nardini. The short text of radical queer ideology insists upon the here and now: We take care of us because we know us; we know what we want and need. It’s up to you and me—right now—to envision the realities (plural) we want to live in, then put ourselves in those realities, and build them for ourselves, with ourselves." • There are so many great things to check out in the guide: Our queer events calendar for Pride [gestures]. A profile of queer icon / urban development writer Iain Mackenzie. A serious piece about Trump's threats to cut crisis line funding specifically for queer youth. Pick up a print copy around town and / or become a subscriber—you can has delivery. • A brief non-sequitur: Love this report from KGW about Oregon State Hospital (OSH) buying sex toys for patients; $2,900 to provide "65 sexual aids to patients last year," and that just seems like not very much money and fine? However, this is a great example of percentages. If OSH distributed 42 toys in 2023 and 65 in 2024, that's a 55 percent increase, but just 23 sex toys. So go into this glorious weekend remembering that percentages are often tools of hyperbole. • Okay let's exit local news with thoughts of lenticular clouds. DEEP BREATHS. Great lenticular cloud time-lapse over Mt. Hood Thursday evening! 🏔️☁️ @koin6.bsky.social #PNW #Weather[image or embed] — Josh Cozart (@joshcozartwx.bsky.social) June 27, 2025 at 12:07 AM IN NATIONAL NEWS:• I'm not saying that all the Supreme Court justices are cowards, but the majority of them are. The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to allow President Trump to end birthright citizenship in some parts of the country, even as legal challenges to the constitutionality of the move proceed in other regions. Here's what to know about the 6-to-3 decision. nyti.ms/3ZTsSif[image or embed] — The New York Times (@nytimes.com) June 27, 2025 at 7:42 AM • Another complete wreck in the separation of church and publicly funded schools from the Supreme Court this morning. JUST IN: The Supreme Court rules in favor of parents who want to opt out of classes that use books with LGBTQ characters.[image or embed] — NPR (@npr.org) June 27, 2025 at 8:24 AM • We have to hand it to them, though. Opening the Evil Tomb Of Batibat is just what is right for our nation at this time.  They did it.[image or embed] — Tim Onion (@bencollins.bsky.social) June 27, 2025 at 8:00 AM • It's always confusing that the Supreme Court also does things like maintain the Affordable Care Act, but there's always that "for now" on the horizon. JUST IN: The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a key provision of the Affordable Care Act, ensuring, at least for now, that some 150 million people will continue getting many free, preventive services under the act.[image or embed] — NPR (@npr.org) June 27, 2025 at 7:50 AM • Kind of weird to share this, but we have actual footage of Mercury Editor in Chief Steve Humphrey trying to get me to stop working and take a vacation. A quote from the video: "[Suzette] gets a bad rap that they're scary or mean, but they're actually really important for the ecosystem." SO THERE.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by The Dodo (@thedodo)

Time, the Revelator
By Anonymous Last Sunday around midnight a kid was murdered in my neighborhood. Stabbed at 21, Miguel Alvarez’ death was the 16th homicide in Portland this year. Sources say an altercation at Bar Maven spilled out into the parking lot, Miguel's body lay in front of Bodega PDX, where now a makeshift memorial stands. Wilting bouquets of lilies and roses, poured-out 40's, candles flickering, photos and notes, like whispers, of a life now lost as the traffic down Foster Road thunders past. And so, is that it? Are we meant to casually accept this, ignore it, pass by? One more murder in Portland, thousands more murdered on Sunday in neighborhoods across the world, 22 more murdered in Kahn Younis, 9 more murdered in Kyiv, the tally continuously ticking up. Maybe the onslaught of murder statistics, maybe the casual entertainment from cop dramas, true crime shows and fucking podcasts, maybe the constant bloody lead pieces of local news, and for some of us in certain neighborhoods, real life, maybe we have to be desensitized in order to function. People who study this have shown repeated exposure to violence can lead to less anxiety and depression when confronted with it, as well as less sympathy for victims, and, perhaps paradoxically, an increased likelihood to be violent. There is no mercy when we are all starving. Do communities fail when we become used to it, or perhaps it's the other way around? Whether it is the cause or a reaction, let's promise each other we won't become numb. One murder in our city is too many. We have a goal here of no traffic deaths called Vision Zero. What will it take to envision a neighborhood, a city, a world, where no kid, ever again, ends up like Miguel?

Business as usual
By Anonymous Basically just clocking in and clocking out while all the worst things we ever heard about are happening in front of us. Six months ago, I was at work listening to a bunch of people celebrate, once again confused by how many people around me were excited to see him actually pull it off. But it’s already like we’ve all done a year in prison with more to go. We see bad shit everyday and it’s all too big for us and we can only do so much. It’s far enough away that it doesn’t seem real but it definitely is. I’ve been pretty detached from people for a long time. I’m not always welcome everywhere and I don’t have that much time to go out anyway. When so many people out there are being dragged in, it is shameful to do so little myself. Stay safe out there. Thank you for resisting

Ticket Alert: Maroon 5, Adam Sandler, and More Portland Events Going On Sale This Week
Plus, Reneé Rapp and More Event Updates for June 26 by EverOut Staff Get your credit cards ready ’cause these tickets are comin’ in hot. Frontman Adam Levine and the Maroon 5 crew will return to Portland on the heels of their eighth studio album, Love Is Like. Basketball shorts enthusiast and comedy icon Adam Sandler embarks on a new tour this fall. Unbothered Gen Z pop girlie Reneé Rapp brings her Bite Me tour to the Moda Center this October. Plus, Portugal. The Man will nod to their Alaskan roots on their Denali tour, which includes a two-night stint at Revolution Hall. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use. ON SALE FRIDAY, JUNE 27MUSICBetween the Buried and Me & Hail The SunRevolution Hall (Sun Oct 12)Boris: Pink 20th Anniversary TourRevolution Hall (Sun Nov 16)Cut CopyWonder Ballroom (Tues Nov 11)

Preschool for All Advocates Put Kotek and State Legislators on Notice
When Salem lawmakers moved to gut Multnomah County’s preschool tax, program supporters jumped to its defense. Their efforts seem to have worked—for now. by Taylor Griggs When Riley McPhee’s twins were born four years ago, he and his wife immediately began looking into their childcare and preschool options. After looking into multiple programs and crunching numbers, it became clear that the kids’ monthly daycare expenses would end up consuming the entirety of his income. McPhee and his wife decided to have one parent stay at home with the kids for the first three years of their lives, switching off after a year and a half. It saved them the cost of daycare, but meant their four-person household had to rely on a single income to get by.  Then, when the twins turned three, it was time for preschool. But instead of paying thousands of dollars a month for them to attend private preschool, as would likely be required to ensure their access to a quality early education, their tuition was fully covered by Multnomah County’s Preschool for All program.  “I can say with zero reservation that Preschool for All transformed our lives,” McPhee told the Mercury. “If it didn’t exist, almost all of my income would be going to [childcare.] Instead, I am able to use my wages to enrich the lives of my children and our family.”  The McPhee twins at preschool. photo courtesy of riley mcphee McPhee’s family is one of about 1,900 in Multnomah County currently benefiting from Preschool for All, which was approved by 64 percent of county voters in 2020. The program is funded by a marginal income tax paid by the county’s highest earners, and has been accepting participants since the 2022-2023 school year. The county ultimately aims to offer free, high-quality preschool to all its families if they so choose, hoping to do so by 2030.  That is, if pushback against the program—first from Portland area business leaders and now from Governor Tina Kotek and members of the Oregon State Legislature—doesn’t end it altogether.  Late Monday night, members of the Oregon Senate’s Committee on Finance and Revenue added an amendment to the placeholder Senate Bill 106. As written, the amendment would obligate Multnomah County to stop collecting Preschool for All taxes now, and phase out the program entirely by 2027.  The move came following a recent exchange between Kotek and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, revealed last week by Willamette Week. The correspondence seems to have started when Kotek sent a letter to Vega Pederson on June 10, encouraging the county chair to make significant changes to Preschool for All. In response, Vega Pederson said while she is open to making some changes, she is concerned about delivering on the program’s promises.  Advocates for Preschool for All were concerned by news of Kotek’s letter. But they were even more outraged by Senate Bill 106, which lawmakers appeared poised to push through at the very end of this year’s legislative session, without taking any public comment on the topic. Many expressed their fears on social media, and more than 35,000 Preschool for All supporters wrote letters urging state lawmakers to back off the program. Whether due to the volume of opposition or because the end of the 2025 legislative session is mere days away, Senate Bill 106 doesn’t appear to be moving forward.  Even if the Oregon Legislature isn’t on track to kill Preschool for All this session, county leaders and program advocates are staying alert to potential new threats.  “The threat hasn’t gone away. We have to have a conversation in Oregon about who the government is there to serve,” Multnomah County Commissioner Meghan Moyer said at a June 25 press conference organized by Preschool for All advocates. “I will stand strong, but I do not stand alone in saying Multnomah County and the state of Oregon have to be there for the people. Programs [like Preschool for All] are what let people live and thrive in Multnomah County.”  Preschool for All pushback When Preschool for All passed with nearly two-thirds of the vote in 2020, it set up a marginal income tax meant to impact only Multnomah County’s highest earners. For single filers, a 1.5 percent tax kicks in on income over $125,000, while the threshold for joint filers begins at $200,000. Single filers contribute 3 percent of their income above $250,000. Those filing jointly pay 3 percent for their earnings that exceed $400,000.  Despite strong support for the program, Preschool for All got its share of backlash from the start. Notably, Portland Metro Chamber Executive Vice President Jon Isaacs attempted to kill the program with a lawsuit before it even qualified to be on the 2020 ballot, challenging its constitutionality. Though their early attempts to completely stifle the program didn’t work, Chamber leaders have remained among the loudest critics of Preschool for All in the years since. They allege the tax is contributing to an exodus of Portland’s high earners, making the city less competitive.  Critics have also taken issue with Preschool for All’s rollout, which they say has been too slow—especially considering the program has a pot of unspent money in the bank. Some private preschool providers have been hesitant to participate in the program, and others have wanted to but been denied. County officials say they always planned a slow, careful rollout with money in reserves, to accommodate for fluctuations in personal income tax earnings.  Multnomah County leaders may have been able to dismiss Preschool for All backlash when it was largely confined to the peanut gallery. But now, in a turn county leaders say was unexpected, Governor Kotek is leading the charge against it.  In Kotek’s June 10 letter, the governor asked Vega Pederson for her “consideration of approaches that ease the current tax burden even if doing so may slow the timeline toward achieving universal preschool in Multnomah County by 2030.”  The governor’s suggested changes included clarifying the program’s financial needs, pausing tax collection for three years to focus on “strengthening the existing program at the current number of seats,” and reducing the tax rate.  Kotek also expressed concern that “the scope of the program has grown beyond what was proposed in the ballot measure,” potentially impacting its sustainability.   Vega Pederson wrote back on June 18. In her letter, the county chair expressed openness to potential changes to Preschool for All’s tax rate and mechanism, potentially including adjusting the income threshold for inflation, and said she shares the governor’s concerns about the county’s “financial health and well-being.”  “However, it is crucial that future decisions are guided by economic research and a community-centered and equity-driven process,” Vega Pederson wrote. “Hasty decisions or piecemeal changes to the tax mechanism or rollout of this program will not serve Multnomah County or the future we’re delivering.”  “It’s like nothing that I’ve ever seen before out of the Legislature.” Following news of the exchange between Kotek and Vega Pederson, members of the Legislature’s Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue took up the Preschool for All mantle. First, they held a brief information session about the program last Friday, indicating their desire to make changes. When the amendment dropped on Monday night, though, its contents were far more dire than county leaders had predicted.  “I think there is some end-of-session maneuvering that is happening at the last minute to try to get out of the building whatever folks are trying to do. But I think using the children, family, workers, and people of Multnomah County as a means to that end is completely undemocratic and unfair,” Vega Pederson said at a Tuesday morning press conference. “Really, it’s like nothing that I’ve ever seen before out of the Legislature.” A few commissioners headed down to Salem in time for an informational meeting about Senate Bill 106. Senators Kathleen Taylor, who represents the western part of Milwaukie and inner southeast Portland, and Mark Meek, who represents northwestern Clackamas County, were the most outspoken committee members during the discussion. But it was immediately clear they struggled to defend the amendment from Multnomah County leaders, seeming to back away from the text they ostensibly supported just the day before. (Neither Meek nor Taylor responded to the Mercury's repeated requests for comment and clarification.) “My understanding from the governor is that she is not trying to get rid of preschool slots…I don’t think anybody is interested in making it so there aren’t slots available,” Taylor said. “The question is, can we maintain the slots in a way that's more economically responsible?” As written, the amendment to Senate Bill 106 would sunset Preschool for All in 2027, explicitly getting rid of any available preschool slots for interested families.  Meek stressed his concern that Preschool for All is duplicating services already available at the state level, such as the Department of Early Learning and Care’s Preschool Promise. He also indicated a desire to see the Multnomah County program adopt means-testing, limiting services only to those below certain income thresholds.  Multnomah County leaders emphasized the difference between the statewide Preschool Promise program, which provides free preschool to Oregon families who live below 200 percent of the state’s federal poverty level, roughly $64,300 for a four-person household. In addition to the program’s income limitations, it only provides partial-day preschool, making it inconvenient for parents who have to work full-time. The program is also facing a funding shortfall, as the Legislature recently approved a departmental budget that included major cuts to early childhood education programs, including a $20 million cut to Preschool Promise.  Advocates have also pointed out that Preschool for All has requirements that ensure teachers and assistants are paid wages that are significantly higher than those required by the state programs.  “Multnomah County’s Preschool For All gets right what state preschool programs get wrong,” County Commissioner Meghan Moyer said. “We're being criticized for not being means tested…we prioritize low-income families right now because we are not at full enrollment, but be clear that our goal is universal preschool.”  Moyer said the cost of preschool can be “crushing” for many families, not just those who live below the poverty line.  Means testing is often criticized for being inefficient and inequitable, leading to worse outcomes. Consider the difference in perception of universal programs like the K-12 public school system and Social Security versus means-tested ones, like SNAP benefits and subsidized housing.  “Programs restricted to families with lower incomes never enjoy the political support and sustainability as do universal programs,” Mary King, an economist and longtime supporter of universal preschool, said. As for Preschool for All’s supposed problems with slow rollout and underspending, Moyer says they’ve been significantly overhyped. The program did adjust its yearly enrollment goals in 2022, responding to the continued impacts of Covid on the childcare landscape, but the county still plans on offering universal preschool to all families by 2030. And the surplus of money the program has will eventually dwindle as enrollment increases.  “Yes, we’re at a surplus, more than we expected. It’s actually a huge benefit to us,” Moyer said at the June 25 press conference. “Absolutely, we are looking at the capacity to grow…but if we don’t have healthy savings going into that period, we’d have to dip into the general fund, which would hurt other services.”  Moyer at the June 25 press conference.taylor griggs Even if some of the pushback the program has received is valid, program advocates say the solution isn’t to completely do away with it before giving it a real chance to succeed.  “[The Board of Commissioners] has said repeatedly, ‘Let's talk.’ Do I want every child in the state of Oregon to have access to high quality preschool? Yes, I do,” Moyer said.  But, she said she hasn’t seen the governor and state legislature put in the work to make that happen.  “I'm unaware that there were actual negotiations…I did not know about any conversation at the state level regarding Preschool for All until a week and a half ago when I read the governor's letter,” Moyer said, noting if state leaders were serious about wanting to change or eliminate the program, they should have included Multnomah County commissioners. “I had no conversation with anyone from the governor’s office or the legislature up until, frankly, yesterday.”  The tax debate  One of the first points Kotek made in her June 10 letter to Vega Pederson pertained to her concerns that high-income earners were leaving Multnomah County due to Preschool for All and other taxes.  “I am troubled by the overall decline in the total number of taxpayers filing for the PFA tax,” Kotek wrote. “Data presented to the Portland Central City Task Force Tax Advisory Committee…suggests the PFA tax is creating an environment that discourages higher income earners, and any businesses that may be associated with those earners, from staying or locating in Portland.”  Kotek’s fears are based on numbers that are far from universally accepted. In some cases, the data she presented was flat-out wrong.  While Kotek referenced “a drop of more than 1,700 total filers since 2021,” recent county data show the number of filers paying the Preschool for All tax grew by nearly 5,500 between 2021 and 2023. It’s also unclear whether the data is skewed by people filing late. Multnomah County currently requires filers to make estimated quarterly payments, or face late penalties. Some filers say the payment process is cumbersome and often difficult to comply with.  Statistics do show a modest decrease in the county’s highest earners ($500,000 a year or more). Between 2021 and 2023, there was a roughly 12 percent decrease in filers earning half a million dollars or more, at least according to who paid the Preschool for All tax in those years. Preschool for All supporters say it’s impossible to say if high earners are leaving because of taxes—especially because of this particular tax. High-income households often rely on volatile income sources, such as investments and capital gains. And there are other reasons a household might move out of the county.  “Not every move by a high income household is about taxes…Research shows that taxes are not big factors in household location decisions,” King, the economist, said at the June 25 press conference. “If we want to improve Multnomah County's economy, we need to ensure Preschool for All meets its promise to the voters who supported it by fully funding its rollout to universality by fall 2030.”  Moyer was adamant about this latter point, too. The future of the county’s economy, she emphasized, is not “70-year-old CEOs” (like Jordan Schnitzer, who has spoken out against the Preschool for All tax).  “We value the relationship [people like Schnitzer] have had with our community for a long time, but we can’t just think about them, because they’re not the future of Multnomah County,” Moyer said. “[Young people] with families—those are the next CEOs, those are the next entrepreneurs. In order to bring Portland to its full potential, we have to have people who want to move here, who want to start businesses here, who can find workers here. That is exactly what Preschool for All does.”  McPhee, the parent of twins who benefit from Preschool for All, told the Mercury the program “quite literally lifted my family out of poverty.” He sees the benefits of high-quality preschool for his kids, who now have a leg up that will help them in the future.  “I can say with absolute certainty that my children already have opportunities in Portland that I did not,” McPhee said. “To those in Multnomah County who fund Preschool for All: thank you for contributing to this critical program that is uplifting thousands of children in our state, transforming their lives forever. This is the kind of program that taxes are meant for…Your money is being well-spent and Portlanders won't forget your contribution.”  He has a different message for Kotek and the state legislators involved in Senate Bill 106.  “I proudly voted for Kotek because I believed [she was] going to champion the causes of all Oregonians,” McPhee told the Mercury. “Nobody wants to see our economy die, but is this the thing that’s going to fix it? As a voter, my trust in Kotek’s ability to get things done in an equitable and fair way has really been shaken by this experience.” As for Kotek, she appears to be standing behind her convictions—although it’s unclear how far she’ll go. In a June 26 statement, Kotek said she understands that the Preschool for All program is “well intended and works for many families.” “It represents hope, possibility, and opportunity, for families and for children. I get that — and will fight for the goal and the smart governance it takes to achieve that goal,” Kotek wrote. “But for many families and the community at large, the program is not working…I stand firm in my position that the County must walk and chew gum at the same time – continue to serve the children it is serving, amend the tax, and fix the program before the next tax year to reduce the burden on Multnomah County residents.”  Kevin Foster contributed reporting to this story. 

FREE TICKETS THURSDAY: Enter to Win Free Tix to See Mix Tape One, Tropical Fuck Storm, Macy Gray, and MORE!
By Mercury Promotions Who's ready to have some fun? Well, the Mercury is here to help with FREE TICKETS to see some of Portland's best concerts and events—our way of saying thanks to our great readers and spread the word about some fantastic upcoming performances! (Psst... if you want to say thanks to the Mercury, please consider making a small monthly contribution to keep us alive and kickin'!) And oh boy, do we have some fun events coming at ya this week! CHECK IT OUT!   • Enter to WIN FREE TICKETS to see Mix Tape One on June 28 at Tomorrow Theater! Artist Tommy Becker performs two of his latest musically driven stop motion based films! Becker will perform live vocals and sound in sync to projections of his playful and vibrantly colored works. Get your tickets now or enter to win a free pair! Tomorrow Theater, 3530 SE Division St, Wed June 28, 7 pm, $16, All Ages   • Enter to WIN FREE TICKETS to see Tropical Fuck Storm on July 9 at Aladdin Theater! Australian outfit Tropical Fuck Storm returns to Portland with ever-lively acid-punk stylings — enjoy both melody and madness at the Aladdin! Get your tickets now or enter to win a free pair! Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, Wed July 9, 8 pm, $28.07, all ages   • Enter to win a pair of tickets to see Macy Gray on July 14 at Crystal Ballroom!  The ability to compose refreshingly candid music that resonates deeply with listeners is a rarity in music. Few artists possess this tool, however, R&B/soul singer-songwriter, musician and record producer, Macy Gray, is one of them. With her vivacious voice, unshakable grip on soul, and funky spirit, Gray knows how to wield the power of music, which sets her apart from her contemporaries. Get your tickets now, or enter to win a free pair here! Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, Sat July 14, 8 pm, $50.50-79.10, all ages   • Enter to win a pair of tickets to MXPDX Mexico/Oregon Fiesta de La Cerveza on July 19 at The Redd Portland!  MXPDX Mexico/Oregon Collaboration Festival of Culture and Cerveza debuts in Portland!Bringing together Mexico and Oregon craft cultures, the MXPDX Mexico/Oregon Fiesta de La Cerveza, presented by Travel Portland, will debut July 19th with exclusive new and imported cerveza and sidra, arte & artesanías, actuación, comida, música, vino, and espirituosa. The indoor/outdoor festival will features traditional Aztecan dance, popular Mexicano music and DJs, a food hall of authentic eats from top Latino restaurants of the Northwest, Luchador wrestling, and an entire pop-up mercado marketplace of over a dozen artists and craft vendors. Get your tickets now, or enter to win a free pair here! The Redd Portland, 831 SE Salmon St, Sat July 19, 2-8 pm, $39.26-$55.20, 21+ GOOD LUCK! Winners will be notified on Monday, and check back next week for more FREE TIX from the Mercury!

POP QUIZ PDX: How Much Do YOU Know About Portland? And Oregon? And Ferris Bueller?
See how well you score on this week's sassy-ass trivia quiz! by Wm. Steven Humphrey CALLING ALL BRAINIACS! It's time once again to put your brainy-brain to the test with this week's edition of POP QUIZ PDX—our weekly, local, sassy-ass trivia quiz. And in this edition of classic POP QUIZ questions from the past, we're testing your knowledge on how much YOU know about Portland, the state of Oregon, and the state of Ferris Bueller! (As you will soon see, I have FEELINGS about this movie. 😒)  But first! How did you do on last week's quiz? My goodness, you're so smart! And checking in on last week's "subjective question," most of you chose... "sleepy raccoon"?? Welp, okay then! Governor Tina Kotek... the people have spoken. MAKE IT SO! 🦝 READY TO START? Take this week's quiz below, take our previous pop quizzes here, and come back next week for a brand spankin' new quiz! (Having a tough time answering this quiz? It's probably because you aren't getting Mercury newsletters! HINT! HINT!) Now crank up that cerebellum, because it's time to get BRAINY! Create your own user feedback survey Did you enjoy that? Take our past Pop Quizzes HERE!

Good Morning, News: Portland's Noise Code Gets Revamped, Police Want to Curb Disclosure Requirements Related to Officer Conduct, and Pam Bondi Plays Dumb About Masked Federal Agents 
By Courtney Vaughn If you’re reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercury’s news reporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we can’t do it without your support. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland! We’re almost through the June gloom. Expect clouds and a slight chance of rain today and tomorrow, with a high of 71 degrees. But come Saturday, get ready to party, cuz it’s sunshine and high 70s, baybee! In Local News:  The Portland Police Bureau and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office are backing a proposal that would change a current Police Bureau directive about Brady material in criminal trials. What is Brady material, you ask? It’s essentially evidence that could potentially exonerate a defendant in court. The “Brady rule” exists to ensure due process for the accused. Prosecutors are typically required to collect that exculpatory evidence from police–which can include information in an officer’s personnel file if they're called as a witness–and submit it as evidence. A few years ago, PPB adopted a directive that goes one step further than the federal law, and stipulates that the Bureau will “err on the side of disclosure” when it comes to releasing any pertinent information to the DA’s Office. Now, PPB wants to claw back that directive, claiming concerns over unnecessary disclosure of officers’ personal information. Defense attorneys are calling BS, noting federal law already prevents that, and it’s the local DA’s Office that actually pushed for the change, because it lowers the burden of responsibility (and ultimately the workload) for prosecutors. Last night, Portland’s Committee on Community Engaged Policing determined they won’t support the change, joining local public defenders in citing concerns about police deciding what counts as exculpatory evidence. Abe Asher has the background in this piece published yesterday.  The Police Bureau and DA's Office want to change a key directive that could determine whether criminal defendants have access to information that could potentially exonerate them in legal cases. Tonight, Portland's Committee on Community Engaged Policing will decide whether to support the change.[image or embed] — Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com)June 25, 2025 at 11:48 AM Portland City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a noise code cleanup introduced by Councilor Jamie Dunphy. Dunphy, who ran on a platform centered on music, arts, and culture, said making the city's noise ordinances more fair was a top priority. Currently, the city's code has two noise enforcement mechanisms. One is scientific, based on decibel measurements. The other is complaint-driven and based on subjective standards of "plainly audible" noise, which can have harmful impacts on local music venues and clubs that risk complaints from neighbors. Read more about the code revisions and their impacts here.  In case you forgot, it's the Mercury's Nacho Week! More than 50 restaurants across the city are dishing out plates piled high with traditional and non-traditional takes on the classic Mexican-inspired indulgence. Nacho Week runs until Sunday.            View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury) In National/World News:  Zohran Mamdani’s win in the democratic primary for New York City’s mayoral race stunned a lot of old-guard dems, as well as big business interests. Mamdani’s supporters say it’s easy to see why voters embraced him and his vision. The 33-year-old democratic socialist’s top opponent was former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who’s been accused of sexual harassment by several women. Let’s face it, Cuomo also has little to no riz. Mamdani campaigned well and earnestly, but his victory is also evidence of how fed up younger, left-wing voters are with the Democratic Party, and how they’re ready to embrace real change and hard truths about the impact of deep economic divides.  Mamdani’s win isn’t just evidence of the growing popularity of the democratic socialist agenda. It mirrors what’s happening in other cities. A CNBC story yesterday portrayed Mamdani as a boogeyman to Wall Street, who’s sure to tank the NYC economy by causing wealthy investors to flee. Sound familiar? By contrast, an MSNBC opinion piece seemed to capture the moment, and its meaning. “The results were an emperor-has-no-clothes moment, revealing that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s city-in-crisis campaign was wildly out of step with what New York’s Democrats want in their next mayor. Though it’s only a local election, it’s a repudiation by the electorate of the fading Democratic dynasties, which Cuomo surely represents.”            View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Mohanad Elshieky (@mohanad.elshieky) US Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose determination to be Trump’s best lapdog rivals her legal ethics, recently faced questions from members of Congress earlier this week about federal immigration agents covering their faces and often wearing little to no law enforcement identifying credentials. Bondi feigned ignorance, saying she was unfamiliar with the situation, but quickly came up with the excuse that agents were being doxxed. News outlets were quick to point out that the internet is crawling with video and photos of ICE agents wearing neck gaiters to cover half their faces during immigration raids. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan stressed that federal agents hiding their identities makes them look like kidnappers to any sensible person, who’s likely to resist, and endanger themselves and the agents.  Drone footage captured by ecology researchers shows curious and enlightening behavior among a pod of orcas in the Salish Sea that borders Vancouver, B.C. and Washington’s coast. Killer whales have been spotted using long strands of kelp while brushing up against each other in a behavior known as “allokelping” which is a way to soothe and/or exfoliate their skin. Ecologists say it’s likely a grooming technique and a mechanism for familial bonding.  Guess who else loves kelp? Orcas in the Pacific Northwest! Cool findings from @whaleresearch.bsky.social: www.science.org/content/arti... #algae #ToolUse #nereocystis #SalishSea #allokelping[image or embed] — Julie Packard (@juliepackard.montereybayaquarium.org) June 23, 2025 at 3:11 PM More proof that animals are the only true pure thing left in this world.  @sarahfiles.mp4   ♬ som original - ℳ𐙚

Be Gay, Do _____.
Welcome to the Mercury's 2025 Queer Guide! by Nolan Parker Howdy y’all, My name is Nolan Parker, I’m the new-ish music editor at the Mercury, and I’m an absolute faggot—welcome to the 2025 Queer Guide! Queerness is expansive beyond comprehension, literally—there aren’t enough letters in all the alphabets combined able to describe our existence. We’re involved in every facet of every society, whether you’re aware of it or not (you’ve met a trans person, I promise). You name it, we’ve made it better, funnier, more fabulous. If I had a choice, I’d be more queer. But it’s not all Drag Race and “Pink Pony Club”—it’s actually rarely that. There are real targets on our backs that have only been brought into sharper focus under the current US administration. It’s fucking devastating seeing our trans siblings lose their rights while unchecked violence (gun and otherwise) eternally stalks homos wherever we go. Actual genocide is here, actual fascism is here. It’s these, along with myriad other omnipresent dangers that helped reveal the theme of this year’s Queer Guide as “Be Gay, Do _____.” Be gay, do community! Be gay, build networks of care! Be gay, free Palestine!  The theme is lifted from Be Gay, Do Crime by the Mary Nardini Gang, a group dedicated to the teachings of Italian anarchist Mary Nardini. The short text of radical queer ideology insists upon the here and now: We take care of us because we know us; we know what we want and need. It’s up to you and me—right now—to envision the realities (plural) we want to live in, then put ourselves in those realities, and build them for ourselves, with ourselves. We can’t control those who jump to poor faith conclusions when we talk about crime. If you’re reading this honestly, you’re willing to entertain the idea that crime is defined by those in power, and when the law is against you, it affects your view of crime and criminality.At the same time, while the historic and present trauma inflicted upon us and our friends is a source of queer grief, queerness is also a deep well of joy and connectedness and understanding and love. We fucking rule—and because we’re queers, everything we do is queer! Be gay, do your math homework. Be gay, do it. Be gay, do whatever nourishes you,gives you energy, and a sense of self. If it’s starting a garden, start a garden! If it’s going to a Sniffies orgy, do that! Be gay, do _____! The Mercury's Queer Guide 2025 has it all: Trashy gay gossip, suicide hotlines, a gay city guide by she/her about town Jenna Fletcher, femme vogue classes, the anticipatory Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a centerfold of queer Portland happenings, a queer mixtape, rockhounding with backroads legend Alison Jean Cole, queer books in NOPO, and more! The back of the issue is especially slay featuring horoscopes by Kenzie Ballew, a comix guide to zero proof Portland by Shay Merk, and a coloring page by local art alchemist Samuel Fancy featuring local musical alchemist Nonbinary Girlfriend. Read it alone, read it in community, read it at the orgy! However you read it, I hope you enjoy it. Boots the house all the way down mama,Nolan

A Crisis of Crisis Lines for America's Queer Youth
LGBTQ+ youth are reaching out to the national suicide and crisis line more than ever. What happens if Trump cuts the line? by Abe Asher In the three years it has existed, the specialized services line for LGBTQ+ youth on the nationwide 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has been heralded as a major step forward in aiding young queer people in crisis. Now, however, the future of the specialized services line is under threat. The Trump administration is proposing defunding the specialized services option for LGBTQ+ youth in the Department of Health and Human Services’ 2026 budget.  It would be a seismic change to the program. Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can call 988 to be connected to a trained counselor for help, but LGBTQ+ youth currently have an additional option: after calling 988, they can select to be connected to a counselor specially trained to provide them with support.  According to Chris Bouneff, executive director at National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Oregon, that option makes a significant difference.   “People who identify as LGBTQ+ need to feel comfortable with the people they’re reaching out to,” Bouneff said. “Otherwise they won’t reach out. So the impacts are huge… if they do away with this option, we will see a severe impact.”  Like veterans, who also have an option to be connected to specially trained counselors, LGBTQ+ youth experience elevated rates of depression and suicidal thought. A 2024 study found that four in 10 LGBTQ+ youth said they had considered attempting suicide in the past year. One in five did attempt suicide.  The data suggests queer youth are utilizing the 988 lifeline in high numbers. Since it was launched in 2022, the crisis number has fielded some 14.5 million calls—1.3 million of which have been directed to the specialized services line for LGBTQ+ youth. Data show 100,000 people accessed the specialty services line for LGBTQ+ youth in January and February alone.  It is as of yet unclear whether the funding will ultimately be cut. The White House’s budget proposal will ultimately go before Congress—where the specialized services option continues to enjoy strong Democratic support. Still, the possibility of losing the specialized service line for LGBTQ+ youth has alarmed care providers and activists across the country.  “It is vital that these young people have the resources they need in a moment of crisis and these resources be national—that they be available whether you live in a rural area or a city, that it not depend on what state you’re in or who controls your statehouse,” Casey Pick, director of law and policy at the Trevor Project, said. “That is part of the great benefit of the national 988 system.” The proposed defunding of the specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth has come as part of a much broader assault on queer Americans, with many of the Trump administration’s attacks targeting transgender people in particular.  Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has launched a broad attack on transgender people—issuing executive orders announcing that the government will only recognize two unchangeable sexes, blocking gender marker changes on passports, and defunding gender-affirming care for trans youth.   In the wake of Trump’s victory in last November’s presidential election—which followed months of intensely transphobic campaign advertisements and language from Trump and his campaign—LGBTQ+ youth have turned to crisis support lines in increased numbers.   “I can tell you that the day after election day last year, the Trevor Project saw a 700 percent increase in young people reaching out to crisis services,” Pick said. “That is the highest spike in our measurements. We similarly saw a spike after Inauguration Day.” Bouneff said that NAMI Oregon is similarly seeing higher levels of anxiety and depression driven by the current political environment—with the anxiety produced by the administration’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies compounded by other policies targeting other marginalized groups.  “People feel under threat,” Bouneff said. “It’s not just gender identity, it’s also immigration status, race, and ethnicity—people feel under assault. And it’s constant.” The potential elimination of specialized services on the 988 line, which comes amid a broader effort to cut budgets and slash the workforce at the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-led Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), would likely have different impacts in different parts of the country.  In Oregon and Washington, the impact of any cut to the 988 program’s federal funding would likely be lessened by the existence of state-level funding sources.  Last year, the Oregon State Legislature passed a law that partially funds the program’s operation within the state by levying a $0.40 tax on phone lines each month. Washington has a similar funding structure for its 988 line, though both states still use some federal money to finance the program and are vulnerable to cuts.  Trump’s budget proposal would not actually cut funding for 988, but simply prohibit funding from being used on the specialized services line for LGBTQ+ youth.  If the program is funded to the same level it was this year, Oregon should be able to continue to offer LGBTQ+ youth a similar level of support as it does now. Calls to 988 in Oregon are answered by clinicians with the nonprofits Lines for Life or Northwest Human Services, all of whom are trained to work with young people and queer people. The state is hoping to further raise the visibility of 988 through an advertising campaign this summer.  Oregon also has other outlets that provide support to LGBTQ+ youth in crisis such as YouthLine at 877-968-8491—a peer-to-peer support line for queer youth up to the age of 24. Greg Borders, chief clinical officer at Lines for Life, said YouthLine is aiming to expand to Hawaii later this year and is also looking at opening on the East Coast as well.  But the elimination of the national LGBTQ+ services line, Borders added, could still have a sizable impact on who ends up reaching out for help to begin with.  “Specialty lines exist in part to make people unfamiliar with the system… feel more comfortable and more confident knowing that they're going to reach someone who empathizes with their struggles and challenges and is trained to work with them,” Borders said. People who don’t have any assurance that the clinician they speak to, when they dial 988, is equipped to support them may be less likely to call. Other people, if they think 988 is no longer an option, may not know where to turn.  Part of the impetus behind launching 988 was that the number is intentionally easy to remember—just three digits, available nationwide. That has made a significant difference. The Trevor Project has offered a specialized services line for LGBTQ+ youth for decades, but Pick said that when the organization became part of the 988 network, the volume of calls it was able to take doubled.  “That ease of access saves lives,” Pick said.  There is little data to track how effective the 988 specialized services line has been or how many lives it has saved, but the extent to which the service is being utilized suggests that people who need it are accessing help. That, ostensibly, is the goal. But while there is no guarantee that the Trump administration will get its wish around specialized services funding, the fact that the funding is in jeopardy—after the first Trump administration supported the creation of 988—speaks to a chilling shift in thinking about the value of LGBTQ+ lives. “While we can disagree on a wide range of issues affecting LGBTQ+ people—sports, healthcare, education policy—where there is a striking bipartisan support and unanimity is on suicide prevention, on mental health,” Pick said. “We can disagree on a lot of things, but we have always agreed on the importance of saving young lives.” Given the administration’s position, Pick said, states like Oregon and Washington must step up to protect their residents’ mental health—both through funding 988 and also through other avenues like funding and training school counselors and community groups. Meanwhile, the battle over specialized services funding is set to continue into the summer with increasingly high stakes.  “The fact is that more people are calling and using the youth specialized services line every month,” Pick said. “What we should be doing here is strengthening this vital resource, not threatening it.”