As Oregon summers have become hotter and drier, wildfire risk has moved closer to home for Portlanders. Portland neighborhoods near Forest Park, Powell Butte, and other large natural areas are increasingly vulnerable. What’s being done to reduce risk, and what gaps remain? Join us on Friday, June 6 for a panel on urban wildfire readiness featuring local leaders working across agencies and neighborhoods to prepare for a range of possible scenarios. Panelists: • Kim Kosmas, Portland Fire & Rescue • Jen Warren, Oregon State Fire Marshal • Vivek Shandas, Portland State University Moderated by Sophie Peel, Willamette Week Keep Portland Fire Wise: Urban Wildfire Risk and Readiness 🕛 Friday, June 6, 12:00–1:30 pm (Doors at 11:30) 📍 University Place Hotel, 310 SW Lincoln St 🎟️ Free general admission, or join us for lunch and priority seating ($25 members / $32 non-members) Register here: https://crm.nonprofiteasy.com/6452/Pages/Events/#/Details/14662// (fb)

City Club is teaming up with writer and event producer Donovan Scribes, Portland Mercury, and The Old Church Concert Hall to present a first-of-its-kind City Club “State of” program: State of Racial Justice. This free public program will bring Portlanders together to reflect on five years since the racial justice protests that followed the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. State of Racial Justice: A 5 Year Retrospective of Portland’s Black Lives Matter Movement 📅 Wednesday, June 18 🕡 6:30–8:00 PM (Doors at 5:30) 📍 The Old Church Concert Hall, 1422 SW 11th Ave 🔗 Register here: https://crm.nonprofiteasy.com/6452/Pages/Events/#/Details/14660// The program will feature three panelists who contributed essays to a special edition of the Portland Mercury titled “Black-Out: A Five-Year Retrospective of the Racial Justice Movement in Portland.” They’ll reflect on the 2020 protests, what’s changed, what hasn’t, and where we go from here. (We’ll make a post about each of them in the coming weeks) The event will also include a special performance by hip-hop artist Glenn Waco and a screening of Dear Young Black Portland, a film shaped as a letter from Sharon Gary-Smith and written by Donovan Scribes. We are absolutely thrilled to work with Donovan and the Mercury on this event and thank them for trusting us to handle this content with care. Thanks also to The Old Church, 1803 Fund, AARP Oregon, and Fight Against Sex Trafficking for their support. You can pick up the BlackOut print issue all over Portland starting today, May 21. Visit portlandmercury.com/find-it to find your copy. Background Photo by Sai Stone (fb)