Portland News and Events for March 11 Through April 2015

PHOTO: De La Salle North Catholic students on March 3 held a schoolwide forum on police accountability and youth violence prevention. The event featured a panel of students along with Mayor Charlie Hales, Police Chief Larry O'Dea and Former Oregon State Chief Justice Paul De Muniz, who is spearheading the city’s newest police accountability effort. The discussion was built around a multimedia presentation of the students’ videography, music and poetry. Lisa Loving photo

OLCC ‘Listening Tour’ on Cannabis Laws

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission’s final two listening sessions on implementation of the new recreational marijuana law will be held in Portland Thursday, March 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Left Bank Annex, 101 N. Weidler Street.

The previous nine meetings held in Baker City, Pendleton, Salem, Eugene, Ashland, Klamath Falls, Bend, Tigard and Clackamas together drew more than 2,700 people. The sessions are the first steps in a year-long process of getting public input on the rules necessary to implement Measure 91, the ballot measure passed by voters last November legalizing recreational marijuana.

Under the new law, personal possession of recreational marijuana becomes legal on July 1 of this year. The OLCC must begin accepting applications for commercial licenses next January, with retail stores to open by late 2016.

Learn more at http://marijuana.oregon.gov

CART captioning services for people with hearing impairment will be available at this meeting.

All meeting sites are accessible to people with disabilities. A request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or for other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting to staff at 1-800-452-6522 or Portland 503-872-5006 or send an email to laura.paul@state.or.us

New Washington County Support Group for Survivors of Suicide Loss

A state Mental Health Prevention and Promotion Grant was awarded to Washington County to expand trainings and provide funding to start a survivor of suicide loss support group in Washington County.

The first Suicide Bereavement Support Group in Washington County will meet on Thursday, March 12, from 6:30-8:30 pm. at Dougy Center/Linkletter Commons, 230 NE 2nd, Suite E, in Hillsboro. The group, which is one of several in the metro area, will meet on the second Thursday of each month. It is free and open to anyone who has lost someone to suicide, including spouses, children, parents, siblings, friends, coworkers and others.

Registration is not required. For more information about the group, contact Nickole Skovly at 503-453-7372, or visit the Suicide Bereavement Support’s website at www.sbsnw.org.

African American Health Study

As many residents of Portland know, African Americans experience poorer quality of care than any other racial/ethnic group. Research has shown that, despite efforts, healthcare disparities persist for African Americans.

In an effort to understand what can be done, a team of students at Portland State University is conducting a study to gain a better understanding of how African Americans experience stress in the healthcare system. They hope that the information obtained from participants will help improve the quality of care for African American patients.

To participate in this study, you must be 18 years or older, must have seen a healthcare provider within the last five years, and identify as Black or African American. If you are interested and meet these requirements, you can find the survey at http://goo.gl/MJSB1Z . If you prefer to respond with paper and pencil, please email AfricanAmericanHealthStudy@gmail.com or call 503-567-4801. The survey also has a Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/AfricanAmericanHealthStudy .

This Is Your Brain On (Legal) Drugs: The Neuroscience and Art of Cannabis and Alcohol

Humans have used intoxicants like alcohol and marijuana for thousands of years, and we modern humans are no different. The Northwest is home to thriving beer, wine, and spirits industries, and now that both Washington and Oregon permit the recreational sale and use of marijuana, there are more legal opportunities to get high.

At this Science on Tap, Wednesday, March 11, have a beer and stimulate both sides of your brain as neuroscientist Bill Griesar, PhD, and artist Jeff Leake from NW Noggin discuss both the science and art of alcohol and marijuana. Find out how these drugs affect the chemistry our brains and how they change our behavior. Also find out how some well-known artists have approached (and sometimes used) these drugs in the creation of works of art.

Doors open at 6 p.m. with the event starting at 7 p.m., at the Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main Street, Vancouver, Wash.

For more information go to www.kigginstheatre.net.

RACC Hosts Public Art Murals Information Session

On Saturday, March 14, RACC hosts a free information session to help local artists and other community members learn how to organize, fund and navigate two different approaches to creating murals in the City of Portland.

The event is Saturday, March 14, 10 a.m –noon, at RACC, 411 NW Park Ave., Suite 10.
Coffee and light snacks will be provided.

Presenters include Gage Hamilton, an organizer of Forest for the Trees Northwest—a public art mural project that brought twenty artists together in August to paint murals—and Robin Corbo, a local artist known for her skill at organizing and creating community murals. Peggy Kendellen, Manager of RACC’s Public Art Murals Program, and Doug Strickler from the City’s Bureau of Development Services will also be on hand to help participants navigate the two options available for creating an exterior mural on a wall in Portland.

The workshop is free and open to artists, property owners, business owners, and community and neighborhood association members. To sign up, email publicartmurals@racc.org with the subject heading “Public Murals Workshop” and include contact information in the text of the email.

Tenth Annual Native Caring Conference in April

The tenth annual Native Caring Conference will be held on April 15-16 at the Three Rivers Casino and Hotel in Florence, Oregon. All Native Elder caregivers and relative caregivers of children from Northwest Indian communities are invited to attend.

The two-day conference features local and national spokespersons on Caregiver Well-Being, Medication Management, Elder Abuse, Children's Alcohol and Drug Use, and How to Communicate with Health Care Providers.

Registration deadline is April 3. The cost is $150 with a $25 discount if registration is received by March 3. The registration fee includes two lunches, dinner, and breakfast.

For more information contact: Doug Morrison, CTCLUSI (541) 997-6685; Wilson Wewa, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (541) 553-3313; or, Michelle Carson, The Klamath Tribes (541) 783-2219 ext 175.

The Native Caring Conference is hosted by: Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Coquille Indian Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indians Reservations, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, The Klamath Tribes, Burns Paiute Tribe, AARP and the Oregon Department of Human Services State Unit on Aging.

For more Portland and Seattle area events, visit the Community Calendar page.