Portland's historic North Park Blocks are a green oasis between downtown, Old Town and the Pearl.
The Emerson School – Portland, OR from Eric Maxen on Vimeo.
A great video about our favorite North Park Blocks neighbor – The Emerson School. Every day your students’ laughter enlivens our park.
If you’re inclined to help, click here for Emerson School fundraiser.
Here’s news from the Emerson School located here in the North Park Blocks
“The Emerson School celebrates Earth Day every year by performing service that makes the Earth healthier and happier. This year, our kindergarten/first graders will be making “seed bombs” (or the more peaceful name of “seed balls”) to distribute to our neighbors. These are small balls of clay/dirt/seeds that are wrapped in degradable tissue paper and can be dropped anywhere in a garden or pot to sprout flowers. We would love to find a few places of business that would like to be recipients of our seed bombs sometime during the week of April 18th. If you are willing to accept a basketful or handful of seed bombs, please contact Tara O’Neil, School Administrator, at info@emersonschool.org and she will coordinate the details.”
Image credit: Flickr / CEMEX USA – 14 – Earth Day Tree
We received this note from our neighbors at the Emerson School inviting us to their annual Lantern Walk through the North Park Blocks – Nov 24th / 6PM. See you there!
I’m writing to let you know that one of our annual traditions at Emerson is coming up, and this year we want to invite our neighbors to join us – should anyone want to. We have an annual Lantern Walk once the darkness really settles in. Children make lanterns (this year they are various empty glass jars, decorated and given handles) and after we put candles (electric tea lights…) in them we parade through a few of the Park Blocks and gather in the Davis-Everett block to sing songs (we’ll have little word sheets for those who want them) and celebrate gathering in the darkness to appreciate the season.
Tuesday, Nov. 24, 6pm-7pm, rain or moonshine. Meet outside the school on NW Park Ave between Couch and Davis at 6pm if you want to walk a few Park Blocks with them, or join them in the Davis-Everett Park Block for singing around 6:30pm.
Bring a light source if you can (lantern, glow stick, flashlight, but please no unprotected flames)!
Image credit: Emerson School
Reposted from:
Police Passive with Homeless Population
Portland Tribune October 2015
Written by Peter Korn
Hayley Purdy can’t figure out why police officers bike, drive and walk by the social chaos she lives with on the North Park Blocks and do virtually nothing.
Throughout the summer Purdy and her neighbors documented the increasing disorder in their part of downtown. They watched the proliferation of illegal campsites and the garbage piling up and they’ve had a few angry confrontations with squatters over broad daylight drug dealing.
Daryl Turner says he knows why. The Portland Police union chief says street officers have been walking by situations involving illegal homeless camping and sidewalk obstruction when in years past they would have taken action. And that’s because city officials refuse to provide police with clear direction and support in dealing with the growing number of homeless people who violate city ordinances, according to Turner.
“We have never, ever, by any leadership, been given clear direction on how to deal with the homeless population on sidewalks and in parks,” Turner says. “Without clear direction, cops don’t know what the city wants.” Continue reading “Portland Tribune: Police Passive with Homeless Population”
Dear Mayor,
Thank you for your walk in the North Park Blocks initiated by the Emerson School this morning. I would like to share with you the events of my day subsequent to your walk.
By noon: