By Emily Scarvie
(PORTLAND, Ore.) Hello Portlanders! It's Monday, Nov. 29 - Here's your daily round up of all the news happening in the City of Roses.
1. City to pay $125,000 settlement in excessive force lawsuit against Portland police from 2018
After a man was struck in the head by a flash-bang grenade fired by police during an August 2018 rally in downtown Portland, the city is set to pay $125,000 to settle an excessive force lawsuit. Aaron Cantu has accused Portland police of firing flash-bang grenades into a passive crowd that had gathered in opposition to a rally organized by the right-wing group Patriot Prayer.
According to Cantu, the flash-bang grenade fired by police hit the back of his head and went through his helmet and his skull, causing him to suffer a traumatic brain injury. The event organized by Patriot Prayer attracted over 1,000 counter protestors and at least three people were hospitalized.
Cantu’s injury led to former Police Chief Danielle Outlaw temporarily banning the use of flash-bang grenades fired into the air by police.
To read more about the lawsuit, click here.
2. Extended COVID vaccine deadline approaches for state employees
Tuesday is the extended deadline for around 38,000 state employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The original deadline was Oct. 16 but was extended in union negotiations.
Some state departments have lagged behind others in vaccinations. The Oregonian reported that the Department of Agriculture has 65% of workers fully vaccinated, the Forestry Department has 65% fully vaccinated and the Department of Corrections has 67% fully vaccinated.
3. Portland Timbers hosting MLS Western Conference Final this Saturday
The Portland Timbers will host the Western Conference Final of the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs on Dec. 4. The Timbers will face off against Real Salt Lake, coming off a win against the No. 1 seed Colorado Rapids on Thanksgiving.
Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. at Providence Park. Tickets to the game will go on sale on Tuesday and can be purchased here.
After struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Portland’s small businesses reported a successful weekend of sales as shoppers turned out for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Many local businesses are still working to bounce back from pandemic setbacks.
“We’ve been hit the hardest, you know, when COVID hit, a lot of us screeched to a screeching halt, everything stopped,” Lluvia Merello, owner of Indigenous Come Up, told KATU.
Luckily, Portlanders showed up to shop small this weekend.
“Every big business started out as a little business. So you need to support your little people so that they can grow to be big people,” Kandyse Whitney, owner and artist at Distracted Squirrel Studio, told KATU. “It’s the small business owners of America that really keep the country going.”
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