THE "LETTERS TO THE EDITOR" ARE BELOW THE EDITORIAL From The Editor Information, instead of rumor and speculation  “The press” in this country has long been regarded as the best source of hard information on what goes on – in our country, in our state, and in our locality. But it has become pretty obvious that, these days, many people rely on other sources for such things, and it is reported that “social media” is now cited as the primary news source for a lot of people. We received a phone call a few months ago from a woman in THE BEE’s service area in Southeast Portland who demanded to know why we were not reporting the current “crime wave” in her neighborhood; she said she was deeply concerned for her own safety in this current “crime wave” that we were ignoring. We told her we daily monitor police and other emergency calls throughout the entire city, and the police calls were actually lower in Inner Southeast than in the rest of the city (which is still the case as this is written)! We asked her just where it was, here in Southeast, that she believed was so riddled with crime? She said it was in north Westmoreland – at an address that was within three blocks of where we put THE BEE together for you each month. We told her that we knew from personal experience that there was no “crime wave” right around her house at present, and we added that we walked the streets by her address daily with our dog without experiencing mayhem. We asked her just what her source was for this “crime wave” information – and she suggested it may have been a “social media” website called NextDoor. Alas, all of “social media” really has no credentials for accuracy in reporting. Much of its content is speculative, frequently quoted from rumors posted by others, and is often inaccurate to a greater or lesser degree. Sometimes an item is based simply on somebody’s suspicion, or guesswork – yet it subsequently gains the currency of being accepted fact, simply because someone who saw it somewhere reports it as fact somewhere else. It does not help that most of the primary providers of “social media” in this country are reported to have chosen to use algorithms to direct specific “information” to each reader that is selected because it agrees with whatever it has determined that person already thinks – in an effort to improve its “engagement” with that person, so that that person will be more apt to respond to the accompanying advertising (which is also selected based on detailed monitored metrics of what that person seems to like). Give them what they want to hear, rather than what is true. Do you think this is part of why our country is so divided these days? It certainly seems so to us. Well, at THE BEE, and the company owning it – CMG Media – we are still committed, as we hope the rest of the press in the United States is, to determining and reporting the actual facts. Any opinion (such as this column offers) should be, and clearly is, identified as such. If you are among the many these days, we are told, who rely on “social media” as your primary news source, we suggest you yourself adopt some of the critical thinking techniques we all expect of a professional news reporter: What is the source of this information? If there is no clear source, is there somewhere I can go to find out if this is right or not, and get the facts? Is this an opinion based on something that is actually real and specific, and if so is there another way of looking at and thinking about the same information to learn other points of view? Unfortunately, there is also some additional critical thinking we often need to employ these days, believe it or not: “If this is divisive information, could this be coming from people based in other nations who are seeking to destabilize our country?” Several countries have been reported as using squads of techies and hackers to set up fake accounts in the United States’ social media to spread propaganda, and to increase the polarization and disaffection of our people. The last two presidential elections were the targets of intense foreign efforts of that sort. Among the countries which have already been confirmed as engaging in this sort of behavior are China, North Korea, and Russia. And such nations as Iran, and various terrorist groups in the Middle East, are reported to be actively trying to do the same thing. The fact is, one of the reasons that the United States has been a beacon in the world for so long is that our two-party political system, when it works properly, accomplishes what it does through a process that brings people of different views together. It’s a process called “compromise”. While many other democratic countries are ruled in an environment in which a welter of polarized and one-issue political parties build divisive coalitions to gain control of the government for a time, in the United States if the two main political parties do not actively engage in compromise, either nothing much gets done (does that sound familiar?) – or, we wind up with a heavily one-sided governmental entity which does not require compromise with others to accomplish what it wants – which occasionally does occur throughout our history, and which might be a problem right now. In a situation like that, it is likely the pendulum will soon swing back the other way in the next election and the American electorate will obtain a better balance of representation, restoring our country’s principle of compromise: People coming together to negotiate for much of what they want, while conceding points as necessary to get things done. Coming together, rather than dividing into intransigent camps. In the meantime, we hope and believe that the press in this country will continue attempting to determine and report on the facts of what goes on – in politics, in government, in business, and certainly in our personal day-to-day lives. And we at THE BEE will continue to try to be the most authoritative and complete source of news about what goes on in our section of Inner Southeast Portland. If we make a mistake in the process, we admit it, and we strive to do even better. Thank you for continuing to read THE BEE. Your support is the reason this 119-year-old newspaper is able to continue to be here as a resource for you! Feel free to thank our advertisers for stepping up to help pay our costs of doing so, each and every month. And we hope you do sign up for your free delivery of THE BEE in the mail each month, as outlined on page one of this issue!  If you live in the 97202 or 97206 ZIP Codes, it’s free – and you no longer can receive it free, unless you DO sign up right away. Please do! This QR code will take you to a special webpage where you can sign up to get THE BEE for free if you live in the 97202 or 97206 ZIP Codes. If you never have gotten it free, or if you used to but no longer, or even if you still do (until now) – the ONLY way get it free by mail, starting with the April issue, is to sign up for our new and updated mailing list NOW! Letters to the Editor About the KKK reference Editor, [I have been a] faithful reader of THE BEE for many decades now. I was especially intrigued by the [“Southeast History”] story by Eileen Fitzsimons about Mary Jane Shipley Drake in the February issue. There was, in it, the mention of an “incident” in Sellwood involving the KKK in the mid-1920s. I have searched the Internet and have not found any info on this. Very curious to learn more.   Ben Johnson via email EILEEN FITZSIMONS RESPONDS: Briefly, the pastor of a small church in Sellwood (he was from Alabama) accepted $75 from the Klan in 1922 for his church. I don’t know if they mailed a check or showed up in their nightdresses. In 1924 his church members couldn’t raise the money to pay off the mortgage – this kind of indicates how small his flock was. So he invited the KKK to his church, and this time they did come in their costumes and paid the $350 mortgage off. Then the congregation had a lunch to celebrate – did the KKK attend? Did they remove their hoods to eat? End of story, except the pastor left for home, back to Alabama, sometime later. I do not think the church lasted very long. No indication of ANY KKK in Sellwood – these were outsiders. The accounts are in the 1922 and 1924 BEEs, which are on microfilm (not digitized) at the Ledding Library in Milwaukie. Date set for Royal Rosarian “Milk Carton Boat Races” Editor, The Royal Rosarian Milk Carton Boat Races, presented by Alpenrose, will take place on Sunday, June 22nd, at Westmoreland Park Casting Pond. The Opening Ceremony begins at 11:45 a.m., with races starting at noon. Family-built boats may be entered in several categories. The public is encouraged to attend and cheer the racers on. Kids can enjoy games at the Youth Activity Center supported by the Sellwood Community House. Don’t miss the “People’s Choice Award”, in attendees vote for their favorite boat.  Visit Royal Rosarian’s website [https://tinyurl.com/2duzejtd] for event details, rules, and registration. A Rose Festival tradition since 1973, this event promises fun for all – come race, watch, and celebrate! Connie Shipley Milk Carton Boat Race Chair The Brooklyn Pharmacy story Editor, A note to Paige Wallace, the writer of the February BEE cover story on “Brooklyn Pharmacy”: My father-in-law, Richard “Dick” Gustafson, was a long-time Southeast Portland neighborhood pharmacist who, as president of the Portland Retail Drug Association, took on price discrimination in drugs fifty years ago: Abbott Laboratories v. Portland Retail Druggists, 425 U.S. 1 (1976). Here is a link to the case – https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/425/1/ Fifty years battling the same issue – different prices for drugs for different buyers. Mr. Wyden was involved then, as he continues to be now. Kathy Schroeder via email Editor, Great article on Pat Hubble. He is a great small business! We switched to Brooklyn Pharmacy after a series of disasters. Bi-Mart closed their pharmacy; we went to Walgreens, but they staggered under all Bi-Mart’s customers; we switched to CVS on Tacoma Street, but they staggered when their branch on Powell closed. . . The only salvation for small pharmacies is to form large buying entities, as occurred in the hardware business. Chuck Martin via email The CHS “renovation delay” story Editor, I read "Funding woes stall plans to rebuild Cleveland High” by David F. Ashton. I’m looking for additional details and context to explain how PPS has conducted seemingly-similar renovations of other schools, but the CHS and Ida B. Wells projects would result in the “most expensive high schools ever built in Oregon.” The Lincoln HS project took the tear-down and replace approach. Why would the same operation at CHS cost more? Are we looking simply at the effects of rising costs in supply chain, materials, and labor? If so, then it seems unfair that Cleveland and Ida B. Wells should be shortchanged simply because they were relegated to the tail end of the renovation list. If there are other considerations, please extend your publication’s reporting to the next level of detail, and share your findings with us. Thank you, and long live local journalism! David Barnes Banks, Oregon EDITOR’S NOTE: You have asked the question. If we get an answer, we will report it. In the meantime we have an updated story on Cleveland High in this issue. The Springwater Trail gap in Sellwood Editor, I agree with Pete Morones in his February BEE letter regarding the unfinished part of the Springwater Trail at the south end of Sellwood, between 13th and 19th Avenues; this does need to happen. A few years ago, Metro acquired a narrow right-of-way on the north side of the Oregon Pacific Railroad’s tracks from 13th to 17th for the Springwater Trail – but there was a major problem: Much of that strip of land is within a steep slope. High retaining walls to accommodate the trail would be very expensive – so, closing the Sellwood Gap would have to wait for an opportunity to broaden the right-of-way to include flat land at the toe of the slope. That opportunity may now be approaching. In the January BEE, the headline story announced the decision of the Samuels brothers to sell all assets of the Oregon Pacific Railroad “Portland Division” to the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation within a couple of years. Those assets include the currently-unused flat land between the tracks and the Metro-acquired trail right-of-way at the south end of Sellwood. The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, Metro, and the City of Portland working together could then close the Sellwood Gap, completing a major portion of the regional 40-mile Loop. All praise to those who are able to make it happen. Michael Hayes Sellwood Still doesn’t like “Drop Tower” ride plan Editor, The Steering Committee of Friends of Oaks Bottom would like to respond to THE BEE's article about the proposed new “Drop Tower” ride at Oaks Amusement Park. Friends of Oaks Bottom is not opposed to Oak Park’s desire to update and expand the park – we are committed to upholding the preservation and restoration of Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. This commitment is what leads us to voice our concerns about the proposed tower’s effect on the birds & other wildlife who depend on the refuge. We plan to join the Oregon Bird Alliance – who also submitted public comments against the proposal – and other conservationists who are seeking a meeting with Oaks Park to discuss possible adaptations to the proposed ride. . . More than 150 different species of birds have been seen in the refuge, and they fly in from many locations & directions, at varying heights, during different seasons & different times of day. As a result, many are flying over Oaks Amusement Park to get to the refuge. Much like the flight paths of the birds, the proposed decorative lighting also cannot be contained within the borders of Oaks Amusement Park. These lights go against the lighting standards in our city code – standards that aim to minimize the impact of outdoor lights on the ecosystem while simultaneously allowing for appropriate lighting for human safety and activity after dark. These standards are consistent with recommendations from DarkSky International and DarkSky Oregon, and have been adopted in many places both internationally and locally, including by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. It would not be responsible for these carefully vetted standards to be arbitrarily modified for this project. Marianne Nelson Friends of Oaks Bottom EDITOR’S NOTE: The dark sky organizations are primarily opposed to lights aimed upward, and seeks ground-based outdoor lighting to be aimed downward, to permit astronomy to continue. These initiatives are increasingly under threat from the huge numbers of Internet-relay satellites being launched by SpaceX and other major businesses, which cause streaks in astrophotography and raise the general light level overhead, obscuring faint objects that are under observation. Editor, Walking through Oaks Park what I see is an historic shell of days gone by. In order to attract a current audience, newly proposed changes and upgrades are necessary. [But] any renewals made should strike a balance to preserve the past and enhance the park’s future. . . The addition of a giant tower not only offers an aesthetic alternation of our riverfront landscape, it greatly interferes with the wildlife in the adjutant wildlife refuge that supports over 200 species of resident & migratory birds, plus many nocturnal mammals. This environment is already being tested by surrounding city lights & noises & by the protested fireworks displays.   As a person who enjoys Oaks Bottom on a regular basis I support and applaud having more emphasis put on preserving this amazing area. My hope that the amusement park gains a respect for their wild neighbors who have no voice, & will do as much as possible to take care of them.  Donna Kane S.E. Rex Street EDITOR’S NOTE: The diagrams and illustrations of this ride, presented at the February SMILE General Meeting, showed a thin tower sited well away from the wildlife refuge back in the trees, that would NOT be the tallest structure on the property, and would be far less obvious to viewers on the Oaks Bottom Bluff than was the former high “rocking ship” ride which did a full 360-degree turn broadside to the bluff. It does seem to us that, if built, it would not be a bother to either humans or wildlife in the area. It’s notable that Oaks Park has been there since long before there ever was an Oaks Bottom – part of which was created from the excavation debris from the construction of Interstate 405 downtown, and part of which was once a garbage dump. Getting rid of “Lesser Celandine” Editor, As the President of the Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association, I am responding to a letter that appeared in your publication last month describing how an herbicide is being used to control an invasive weed called Lesser Celandine in the median on Reed College Place. This iconic greenspace, which our neighborhood has been maintaining for over 10 years, is lined with over 240 Linden trees, and extends for one mile through our neighborhood. Over the last few months, our Board has been deliberating on how to control Lesser Celandine, while considering the concerns about herbicides by our neighbors who use the Reed College Place greenspace with their small children and pets. At our Board meeting last night [Feb. 20], a unanimous decision was made to pause this practice for a year and pay our landscaping contractor to mechanically remove these invasive weeds. To help this project be a success, we need the help of our neighbors who have these invasive weeds flourishing in their yards and street strips.  This glossy-leaved weed will soon be producing bright yellow flowers and spreading its seeds. If you notice this invasive weed in your yard, please help us out by removing it as soon as possible (using gloves if manually digging it out).  Thank you! Jane Monson President Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association EDITOR’S NOTE: And this noxious weed is so prolific that it can overwhelm our yard recycling system. It is advised that after digging the whole thing up, you should put it all into the GARBAGE for removal. The weed shows up throughout Inner Southeast Portland; it is NOT limited to Eastmoreland! Get rid of it wherever you see it!   Southeast gardeners: Help with annual sale Editor, We need the help of gardeners across Southeast Portland for the 2025 Woodstock Neighborhood Plant Sale, scheduled for Saturday, May 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Woodstock Community Center, at 5905 S.E. 43rd Avenue. We are looking for donations of your perennials and annuals, vegetable starts, herbs, ground covers, native plants, succulents, ornamental grasses, and shrubs – as well as houseplants. Our sale, which benefits the Woodstock Community Center, depends on donations from generous gardeners in the community. We encourage you to contribute plants from your garden, planting them in nursery pots by the end of March or the first week of April. Then drop off your plants between April 13 and April 27. For drop-off location and instructions, to obtain empty pots, or more information, contact Sandy Profeta (sandy@tigerheron.com) or call 503/771-7724 – alternatively, contact Katee Foxx (kateekatfoxx@gmail.com) or call 989/941-9105. Proceeds from the sale help the community to provide essential routine maintenance for the Woodstock Community Center, as part of an agreement with Portland Parks that has helped keep the center open since 2004. Our Community Center depends on our plant sale, and our plant sale depends on all of us.  SandyProfeta, Katee Fox, Terry Griffiths Woodstock Plant Sale Co-Chairs via email SMS student statement Editor, On Wednesday, February 12, we, the students of Sellwood Middle School, are having a walk-out. We are doing this to support LGBTQIAP+ rights. We are going to walk out of class at 1:30 and will do a few field laps with chants, posters and music. The encroachments that are being made on the LGBTQIAP+ community are not okay. We have been making posters with slogans like “Love is love,” “Love has no gender,” and “Trans not transparent.” We are recruiting all the students that we can to participate. We hope this peaceful protest will make a difference in our community. Quinn Jellinek Eliza Pennington Mika Giraldo Willow Leitner Oona Penelope Holland The rest would prefer not to say. via email Letters to the Editor may be submitted via e-mail by clicking HERE. All letters to the editor are subject to editing for clarity and available space, and all letters become property of THE BEE.   Comments? News tips? Click here to e-mail us! Note to readers: At some point, this, our original Internet website, will be replaced at this web address by our new website, as part of the Community Newspapers group. At that time, you will still be able to access this, our original -- and smartphone-friendly -- website, if you save this address:  www.sePDXnews.com. Right now, it takes you to our newest website; if you ever find that newest website appearing at www.ReadTheBee.com, you will then be able to find this old familiar website at that "sePDXnews" address.  And, you'll still have your choice of which one to visit! READY TO MOVE ON TO THE COMMUNITY STORIES AND CALENDAR OF EVENTS ON PAGE 4?   CLICK HERE! X X X X X For our Thanksgiving 2023 editorial in appreciation of dogs, and in memory of the dog shown in the photo -- Sable, a long-haired German Shepherd who lived in Southeast Portland -- CLICK HERE