The head of the province of Alberta will talk about art, business and security at last Thursday’s festival

For more than 20 years, Alberta Street’s Thursday street festival has brought together artists, small businesses and vendors to share their work with the community in Northeast Portland.

But the event has faced complaints from neighbors for years. And it has always played an intricate role in the ongoing gentrification of the area.

Last Thursday, city officials added police personnel following the shootings and clashes with law enforcement.

After a hiatus during the pandemic, the dates were back last Thursday. The last of the summer is this Thursday, August 25th.

OPBs Paul Marshall sat down to talk with Alberta Main Street Board Chair and President Devon Horace.

Paul Marshall: What is the vision of last Thursday?

Devon Horace: To bring all the small businesses and creatives and artists to Alberta Street to share their work with the community and make some money from their work in the community.

Marshall: When they decided to reopen last Thursday, it was in the midst of an outbreak, but it also has a history of disruption for residents in the Portland, Alberta neighborhood. How do you think about reopening this time?

Horace: I said we’ve reopened it taking into account what the community is saying and concerns about Covid and we need to do this differently and we need to be more organised.

When she spoke to a few legacy members last Thursday, they were all of the opinion that this is like a burning man and that they should express themselves and be artistic.

That might lead to a bit of a break. Our team [this year] Last Thursday he wanted to bring a more organized approach. We still want it to stay local and we still want the artists and creators to be heard and share their work with the community. We take it seriously by making sure everyone is safe and more organized

Marshall: You were the first black person to lead last Thursday. Do you think you would have approached it differently?

Horace: Yes, because I know the community. Last Thursday I knew the former members were looking at me and watching my team to see what they were going to do. I’m young and black here in Portland, Oregon, and I’m proud of it. I want to do it right.

I want to make sure that I am doing the right thing not only for myself and my team but also for my community because I am part of this community.

Not only representing the black community, but my community as a whole: ‘How am I expressing myself? And how can I do it better?’

Marshall: Alberta Street has seen a lot of gentrification over the years. How will you work to address the impacts of the changes?

Horace: Courtesy, that’s how I see it – it’s going to happen.

As developers and cities and areas grow, it’s bringing in these dollars and it’s bringing in these businesses and big businesses. It also spreads a wave of money into the community and there are pros and cons to that. As an investor myself, I always see things as a win-win situation.

But also: How are we creating affordable housing or affordable rent for buildings for storefronts, programs and initiatives?

How is the city funding things so that low-income and minority people, people and businesses can benefit more effectively?

I hope that we can deliver not just myself, but Alberta Main Street as a collective, in collaboration with cities, GCs (general contractors) and other developers along the way. How can we make this more fair? It’s not just about profit and growth in that area, but how can we make this equal for everyone?

Marshall: Staying on the theme of partnership, how do you balance support for your business of color with white residents in the area?

Horace: We’ve seen black-owned businesses as well as Latinx and people of color come to Alberta Street. Because we are a community, some of our white customers support it.

They go out, they want to eat, they want to enjoy different music, different cultures. They want to support local artists.

I can’t speak to the other district or community, but from what I’ve seen as a board chair, I’ve seen a lot of support from our white folks. Others show support and say, ‘This is a black-owned business, this is a Punjabi business or Latinx or Chinese.’ And they are thinking: Let’s investigate. How can we help each other and spread this message?’

I love seeing people share these things on the Instagram and Facebook platforms and also bring their whole family and group to some of these businesses.

I think it’s a beautiful thing. But, the more it happens, the more I feel like we need to bring more of that visibility and access to black businesses, as well as business owners of color and minorities, to benefit from that.

Marshall: How would you describe Alberta Street itself and your relationship with it?

Horace: When you look at the different businesses on Alberta Street, from MLK to 33rd, it’s a flow and a diversity of different businesses and different cultures.

Someone asked me where can I get Chinese food? I was like: ‘There!’ He was also looking for some Mexican food or some Latin food or Mediterranean food. I was able to pinpoint where these businesses were all located on Alberta Street and I am very proud to say so.

Since I’ve lived here, Northeast Portland has been home. But what I love most about Alberta Street is that it’s so diverse. When you get right on the road and practice it, the road is very active, artistic. It is very helpful to the community.