🌱 Portland Police Approve ShotSpotter+Manufactured Home Tax Break

Yo, yo, yo, It's Saturday, Portland! Put on your weekend attitude and let's do our thing.

• Old Town is going car-free
• We've got a pirate night happening
• And voters still support Measure 110

Will wonders never cease? Let me lay it down for you.

But first, today's weather:

We've got a sunny day with a high of 79. Perfection!

Here are the top stories in Portland today:

1. As of yesterday, a 12-block section of downtown Portland will be off-limits to cars two nights a week. It’s part of an effort from Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office to improve safety and reduce gun violence in Old Town Chinatown’s entertainment district. If this sounds like deja-vu, that’s because the City of Portland first made the connection between crime and cars in this area in 2009 and then expanded it further in 2012 at the behest of former Mayor Sam Adams. (BikePortland)
2. If you're going to Sellwood anytime soon, I should let you know of some traffic disruptions. The Portland Water Bureau announced they will close single lanes of traffic on weekdays for one month on Southeast Tacoma Street and Southeast Milwaukie Avenue beginning Friday, as crews work on the Sellwood Water System. Officials said those hoping to access the west side may consider using the Ross Island Bridge as an alternate route from McLoughlin Boulevard and Oregon 99E. (KOIN.com)
3. Portland Police Bureau is about to get some technological help when it comes to gun violence. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has decided to move forward with a controversial technology that claims to detect and pinpoint gunshots throughout the city. ShotSpotter claims it can identify and locate gunshots in real-time using a series of small microphones placed throughout a neighborhood. The technology is controversial and a number of recent studies have called its reliability into question. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
4. Good news for Multnomah County owners of manufactured homes, you'll only be taxed for the first $50,000 of their home’s value. If a manufactured home is valued at $50,001, the homeowner will receive a tax bill only for the $1. The county has close to 5,000 manufactured homes — also known as mobile homes — many of them concentrated in east Multnomah County. As property values continue to rise, commissioners said they hope the new policy will extend the benefits of the tax exemption to all those residents. (OregonLive)
5. In the wake of reports of Rene Gonzalez being fined by the city of Portland for getting a sweetheart of deal for his downtown office space, his landlord defends him. In April, real estate mogul and philanthropist Jordan Schnitzer met with Portland city council candidate Rene Gonzalez at Schnitzer's office in downtown Portland. "I said, 'By the way, I've got some vacancy that I've had for two years across the street if you need some office space,' and (Gonzalez) said, 'That'd be great,'" Schnitzer said. "I said, 'Fine, you're welcome to have it, we'd like to see the space activated and some activity there.'" (KGW)

Today in Portland:

• Forgotten Fantasies is taking over the Saturday Slasher at the 4th Wall tonight. All evening long they’ll be riffing and roasting some truly classic, truly awful horror fun fantasia. First is an open room roasting of the onscreen silliness, but, later, local comedians will take turns tearing up a particularly terrible movie and you can be a part of the action.3:00 - 9:00 PM.
• Yo Ho Ho, It's Pirate Night at Wyrd Leather and Mead! Come out for an evening full of sea shanties and pirate garb! If you have Liars Dice, bring it! COSTUMING STRONGLY ENCOURAGED.CONVENTION RULES APPLY FOR WEAPONRY. SWORDS MUST REMAIN SHEATHED AND CANNOT BE UNSHEATHED. The fun starts at 5:00 PM.
• It's Widmer Brothers' 18th Annual Oktoberfest! With guest appearances from Timber Joey and Jean Pierre the Alpaca! Live music and dancing. German sausage! Need I say more? The fun starts at 2:00 PM.
• If you want comedy, come to Secret Aardvark at Honey Latte Cafe! Spicy hot comedy from 30 of Portland’s best improvisers. Hosted weekly by an INCREDIBLE mystery guest!! Past guests have included David Lynch, Notable Ghosts, High School Theater Students, Tinder Dracula, and many more... Who's the guest? Well that's the secret... shhhhhh... 8:00 - 9:30 PM.
• For a musical evening, come to the Hot Club of Cowtown at the Jack London Revue. Since 1998, the Western swing-gypsy jazz trio Hot Club of Cowtown has traveled the world bringing their own brand of magical musical chemistry to audiences far and wide. Doors open at 8:00 PM.

From my notebook:

• Travel Portland: "Happy first day of fall, everyone! We're still a ways away from peak fall color, but it will be here before we know it. What are you most excited to do this season around town? 🍁🍂🍁#ThisIsPortland 📷: @n1ck_on #PDX #PDXNOW #TravelPor..." (Travel Portland via Instagram)
• Portland Art Museum: "🍂 Rejoice in the beginning of sweater weather. So long, summer, and hello, autumn equinox. From the Latin words “aequi,” for equal, and “nox,” for night, day and night are of near equal lengths today. 🍂 Gustave Courbet (French, 1819..." (Portland Art Museum via Instagram)
• Oregon Historical Society: "On Friday, September 23, we are thrilled to debut the GRAMMY Museum’s Motown: The Sound of Young America, for the first time in Portland. This engaging exhibition shares the story of the famed record company and the artists who collectiv..." (Oregon Historical Society via Facebook)
• Measure 110, which decriminalized the possession of small amounts of drugs and diverted millions of dollars of marijuana taxes to addiction services, has received a lot of criticism, but recent poll numbers have shown that it retains strong majority support. (Data for Progress)
• Mayor Wheeler announced increased community safety measures for the Old Town Entertainment District during a press conference on September 20, 2022. The Portland Police Bureau will also dedicate a small group of officers to be present in the Entertainment District during these closures to patrol the area. The City will also provide physical safety enhancements such as improved lighting. (Portland.Gov)
• The Unipiper: Yuri from Stranger things dances a jig while Darth Vader plays bagpipes. Real life is way better than any "art" generated by AI. (Instagram)

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Alright, Party People, that's your Saturday. Have an awesome weekend and meet me back here next week for more news of Portland.

— Dominic Anaya

About me: Doctor, educator and now a writer/artist, I'm just chillin' in Portland, OR with my wife, our ferrets, our chickens and our goats.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Portland Daily? Contact me at portland@patch.com