The ESDs are a remarkable case study in how business interests have wormed their way into public governance. In the background, the Portland Business Alliance and other elements of the corporate lobby busy themselves with activities like putting outpro-ESD op-edspushing for encampment sweepsreportedly attempting torestrict aid provisionandopposing pro-homeless measuresThey alsowork to amplify narratives It's easy to get lofty and romantic when describing the power and purpose of poetry. But the truth is that the poems that stay with you are the ones that make you feel something, that shift the way you think, that give voice to individual and collective experiences and offer a new way to see the world and your own place within it. They're an exercise in memory and meaning for both the reader and the writer. in the city — use the proceeds to hire security and police, contract cleaning companies, make infrastructural improvements, and fund their lobbying and marketing efforts. (Portland alternative weeklyWillamette Weekrecently reported In recent years, “critical infrastructure” laws have been passed that work to criminalize pipeline protesters. Last year, Mississippi, Kentucky, South Dakota, and West Virginiapassed laws meant to dissuade protestersand in thepast few months