Instead of our SNACC meeting this month, a few of us from the Sunnyside Shower Project participated in a lively policy conversation on houselessness and public safety sponsored by Portland Forward, an intergenerational organization that envisions a Portland that works for all. Leaders from Street Roots, H4All, and other organizations were present, as were the D.A., a former mayoral candidate, and several singers (one of whom has a singing telegram company). We came up with some big ideas that included increasing pay for social workers, ending the commodification of housing stock, and using Neighborhood Associations as a way to build community amongst unhoused and housed neighbors. Our next SNACC meeting will be on April 20th at 6:30 p.m.
Category: Neighborhood Newsletter
Get to Know Your Neighbors – Ben Wyatt, Multnomah STEP Court Program Coordinator
Q&A with Ben Wyatt
Born in San Diego, Ben Wyatt grew up mostly in Salem and Jefferson, Oregon, before relocating to Dallas, Texas, at the age of 12. He returned to Oregon in his late 20s to be closer to his extended family after the tragic death of his mother and uncle in a plane crash. In 2020, he, his wife Petrina, and their then 11-year old son moved to a house in Sunnyside, where they’re happy to be setting down roots. Ben even joined the board of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association in 2021, where he is serving as Secretary. Trained as a mental health and substance use disorder therapist, he is now the Program Coordinator for Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt’s new STEP Court, which helps people convicted of a crime access behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment instead of receiving a lengthy prison sentence.
How long have you been in Sunnyside and what brought you here?
Ben: My wife, son and I moved to Sunnyside in the summer of 2020, right at the height of the pandemic, from the Buckman neighborhood. We had a little condo and with two dogs, a cat and the three of us it just seemed little much for 700 square feet.
You moved to Dallas, Texas when you were 12. Dallas strikes me as stereotypically opposite from Portland. Would you say that’s true?
Ben: When I moved to Portland it was during the George W. Bush presidency and there was a lot of political tension. In Portland, whenever I told people I was from Dallas, they didn’t really talk to me. It was kind of hard to make friends at first. I was working at REI in Dallas—which is about the most liberal place you can work there. Then I transferred to an REI out here and people would find out I came from Dallas and they would … um …
They would judge you.
Ben: Yeah, they would judge me.
How did that manifest?
Ben: Here in Portland we recycle. In Dallas there wasn’t as big a focus on it. One time when I was working in an REI bike shop in Portland, I came back from lunch to see that my co-worker had all my garbage from lunch strewn out on the counter where he worked on bikes and he goes, “I know your mother just died, but that’s no excuse for not recycling.”
Wow … That is some Portlandia stuff right there.
Ben: I know, I was like, “Welcome to Portland.”
Critic’s Corner: Pizza Picks
My favorite pizza place is Straight from New York on Hawthorne. I like it because they make very thin slices and they make them very big. Pepperoni is my favorite. My second favorite is Ranch Pizza. They have all the favorite toppings that I normally like, like pepperoni. I like the square shape and the crust is sooo good. My third favorite is the pizza from my school – Glencoe. On Thursdays, the lunch menu is pizza and I like it because it is greasy and has pepperoni.
Straight from New York, 3701 SE Hawthorne and 3330 SE Belmont.
Happy Hour slice is $3.25
Ranch Pizza, 2239 SE 11th Ave.
They also have fancier pies like the #4: aged mozzarella, red sauce, sausage, ricotta, with calabrian chilies, pecorino, and basil.
Please submit ideas for Critics Corner to Hannah at [email protected]
News from the President
Hi Neighbors! I’m writing this in the aftermath of the big February snowstorm. Sunnyside looks beautiful with the sun shining off the fresh snow. Hopefully, when you read this, spring will be showing its green face again!
During the February board meeting we focused on land use — specifically revitalizing our Land Use and Transportation Committee. We had several folks join us who are interested in this important work and we voted to create a committee. We are moving forward with choosing a chair and establishing some priorities for Sunnyside. If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact us at [email protected].
We are still searching for new board members and officers for the SNA. Elections will be held in May. Please contact us at [email protected] if you’d like to learn more.
We look forward to seeing you in March at our next general meeting on March 9th at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the website (sunnysideportland.org) for agenda details. As always, if you have something you’d like to discuss or learn more about, we’d love to hear from you!
What’s Your Preparedness Story?
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a Sunnyside Neighborhood Emergency Team (aka NET) member and I’m tasked with encouraging all Sunnysiders to be prepared, not scared.
I’m shifting the focus of my news articles for the rest of 2023 to hearing and sharing your efforts, successes, and even frustrations with preparedness within your own families and blocks. We learn best from stories, so think about sharing yours with me. The best way to reach me is via email at [email protected].
Once you’ve emailed me, I will reply with a series of questions assessing where you are in your efforts to be prepared. I would also be willing to meet in person or via Zoom to chat once you have answered my follow-up questions. Then I will write an article for the newsletter, which, depending on space limitations, would be published sometime in 2023.
Looking forward to hearing from you and sharing your stories. Happy 2023.