In December 2023, a team of civil rights lawyers, including Albies, Stark & Guerriero, LLC, Oregon Law Center and Legal Aid Services of Oregon brought a suit against the City of Portland, Emanuel Hospital, and Prosper Portland on behalf of Emanuel Displaced Persons Association 2 (EDPA2) and 27 Black survivors and descendants of families who lived, worked and thrived in the Central Albina neighborhood. The lawsuit seeks compensation for the destruction of the historic neighborhood, for the forced displacement and loss of intergenerational wealth following evictions and demolitions, ostensibly to make way for a hospital expansion. Desiree Hellegers speaks with Lisa Byrd of EDPA2 about the history of the neighborhood, the lawsuit, and the parallels to the violence and displacement of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Rinehart Building on N. Williams, a remnant of the thriving Black neighborhood of Albina; image licensed for public use: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rinehart_Building_-_Portland_Ore...
- KBOO