“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” ––Martin Luther King Jr.

This will be an honest, vulnerable, painful post.

I've been somewhat disturbed by yesterday's silence in light of @portlandmercury article about E.D. Mondaine. As Portlanders, we have a tendency to say something nice or say nothing at all. This ‘Portland Nice’ often equates to silence when faced with injustice.

These past 3 years, the truth telling of survivors has brought reckoning to our society and culture. But our work is not done.

In June 2012, I started what eventually became a 55 day hunger strike outside of City Hall. My hope was to bring attention to Portland's terrifying housing crisis.

For those two months, I lived outside of City Hall. Just a block from where protesters rally today. For those 2 mos, I was often ridiculed & snubbed by fellow Portlanders. My tactics were too extreme. My vision was too unrealistic. Nothing I did was good enough.

But in 8 years, the demands from my hunger strike become reality. Tens of thousands of Portlanders have been helped.