A report on Ethan Schaffer (recipient of the Brower Youth Award in 2002) who has created Organic Volunteers, a national outreach and education program for sustainability and organic food systems.

Portland Chinese Garden's struggles with pandemic, racism, housing crisis |The Story| Sept. 28, 2021

Sept. 28, 2021 on The Story: Old Town, once a pride and joy of Portland's downtown corridor, is struggling to survive. We talked with Lan Su Chinese Garden Executive Director Katherine Nye about how the pandemic, a growing houseless crisis and racism have impacted the garden.  

Called From Darkness is a five-part documentary series that explores the spiritual dimensions of addiction recovery with an emphasis on finding community and recovering one’s own meaning and purpose.

All in the series represent a range of communities in rural, suburban and urban settings and include former gang members, recovering addicts, Native Americans, Hispanics, and Homeless Veterans. Produced by Paul Steinbroner and David Okimoto, TouchPoint Productions, Inc.

Contact Paul at (541) 941-5317 to arrange a screening. And thank you for your interest and support. 

JustUs is the story of a family in the Española Valley of New Mexico ministering to their community during an epidemic of heroin addiction and political corruption.  This location is the homeland of a variety of Indigenous tribes.  In 1598 Spanish Conquistadores attempted to colonize this area. The Pueblo rebellion of 1680 was a reaction to enslavement that resonates with historical traumas that even remain today.  Most of the people here are bi-racial. The Spanish language is a dominant cultural influence.  Though the land is enchanting, poverty is endemic and the State of New Mexico is ranked 49th in educational achievement.  Job training facilities and job opportunities are nearly nonexistent with the distribution of heroin and methamphetamine being the primary source of income.  Produced by Paul Steinbroner and David Okimoto and directed by Paul Steinbroner of Touchpoint Productions, paul@touchpointproductions.com at (541) 941-5317 to schedule a preview.

Thank you for your interest and support.

A talk by William Mitchell titled "Portland: A Black Perspective" hosted by the Pearl District Neighborhood Association, Portland, Oregon on July 1, 2020.  

Armed militia, Black Lives Matter protesters collide in Louisville marches. This is what has been happening throughout many American Cities mostly as reported by news stations such as this one by the Lexington Herald Leader.  Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American emergency medical technician, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove on March 13, 2020.

A heavily armed group calling themselves "American patriots" retreated after marching to downtown Louisville when they were confronted by Black Lives Matter protesters calling for justice for Breonna Taylor. 

Forum for the Future

Using the systems thinking 'iceberg model' to explore the civil rights movement shows us how different parts of a system interact and influence one another. It becomes clear that no single event started the movement, but rather it evolved through collaboration and decades of perseverance. By working together, we can change how power and privilege it is allocated, we can design societies that are free, democratic and support everybody on the planet to flourish.

Trudell is a 2005 documentary film about American Indian activist and poet John Trudell. The film traces Trudell's life from his childhood in Omaha, Nebraska, through his role as a leader of the American Indian Movement. It also covers his rebirth as a musician and spoken word poet after his wife died in a house fire suspected as arson. Heather Rae produced and directed the film, which took her more than a decade to complete. Trudell aired nationally in the U.S. on April 11, 2006 as part of the Independent Lens series on PBS. Actor: Robert Redford, Kris Kristofferson, Sam Shepard Director: Heather Rae

Visit John Trudell's first CD, HeartTaker, Owl Dance Song, on YouTube here.

Scott Warren Provided Food & Water to Migrants in Arizona; He Now Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison.

Democracy Now! Published on May 29, 2019

An Arizona humanitarian aid volunteer goes to trial today for providing water, food, clean clothes and beds to two undocumented migrants crossing the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona. If convicted, Scott Warren could spend up to 20 years in prison. Warren, an activist with the Tucson-based No More Deaths, is charged with three felony counts of allegedly “harboring” undocumented immigrants. For years, No More Deaths and other humanitarian aid groups in southern Arizona have left water and food in the harsh Sonoran Desert, where the temperature often reaches three digits during summer, to help refugees and migrants survive the deadly journey across the U.S. border. Warren was arrested on January 17, 2018, just hours after No More Deaths released a report detailing how U.S. Border Patrol agents had intentionally destroyed more than 3,000 gallons of water left out for migrants crossing the border. The group also published a video showing border agents dumping out jugs of water in the desert. Hours after the report was published, authorities raided the Barn, a No More Deaths aid camp in Ajo, where they found two migrants who had sought temporary refuge. We speak with Scott Warren and his fellow No More Deaths volunteer and activist Catherine Gaffney in Tucson.

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