Participation, not stewardship
I’m not going to make many friends writing this. In fact I’m worried I’ll lose some. Yesterday I read Mara Zepeda’s PICOC announcement and while I applaud the intent and even the idea there’s one line I keep coming back to:
“We are not disruptors of civil society. We are stewards.”
I moved to Portland just over five years ago. I love this city. It’s been a kind and welcoming home for my family. But when I travel and I’m asked where I’m from I say “outside Boston, but I live in Portland now.” I’m not from here. It’s not my city. And I’m keenly aware that the longstanding culture that exists here is not mine, though I’m grateful it accepted me and continues to allow me to participate in its future.
I’m no steward. That’s not a position you can simply grant yourself. Nor can you deny disruption and simply make it true. The best you can do is accept that you’re a thread in a larger fabric and do your best to make it beautiful as you move forward.
Like it or not, the influx of tech money is changing Portland. The change is so drastic many people simply cannot survive it. Rents are doubling. Businesses are being uprooted. And stumps are once again littering the hills of Portland as “affordable housing” replaces once-public spaces.
The tech community loves to look at its economic impact and talk about rising tides lifting all ships. There’s truth in it, but to deny that people drown is wrong. Lives are being disrupted and to ignore that is to ignore the privilege that comes with being among the city’s new elite economic class.
I’m not trying to condemn any effort to make the community better. I truly believe that PICOC was started with that intent. I commend them recognizing the power they have and using it to unselfishly try to do good.
I’m writing because when they talk about preserving the culture of this great city “good” isn’t theirs to define. Stewardship needs to be given. A steering committee with no representation of the people whose lives are being disrupted can’t know where to steer. I’m sure they’ll be asking many questions. The folks I know on that list are good and thoughtful people. But to do real good in this city it’s important the tech community realize how well heeled it is and own the disruption it causes even as it works for a better future.
Accountability isn’t just measuring performance. It’s giving others access to your power.
I hope PICOC rethinks its steering committee and adds voices from outside its own echo. It needs representation from people like Chloe Eudaly who is currently running for City Council while she fights to keep the lights on at Reading Frenzy, the independent bookstore she’s owned and run for over 20 years. It also needs the voices of teachers from Portland’s unique and underfunded public education system. Those teachers celebrate Portland’s rich history and ensure the next generation won’t forget Vanport or the Japanese internment camps of WWII. It needs people like Illmaculate who can talk about the way police treat hip-hop in this city. It needs the volunteer DJs of XRAY.fm who keep a light shining on local music and the artists funded by wonderful local organizations like PICA.
These are the stewards or Portland culture.
And what about the people living in tent cities who are forced to relocate every time a new affordable housing project or event pushes them from the spaces they occupy? What about the artists and families who have already been forced to leave? Who speaks for them?
The fabric of any city is rich and complex. Portland is lucky to have economic drivers willing to participate in making a better community. The people behind PICOC can influence massive change for the betterment of this city. For that to happen they need to win the city’s trust as neighbors, not stewards. No one is asking for someone to watch over them, fix their problems, or manage the path to that bright future. They’re just want their voices to be heard.
Remember: the state motto is “she flies with her own wings,” but it’s heart is “Fifty-four fourty or fight!” Let’s be in this together.
