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Guerilla theater marks symbolic community triumph after long struggle
LEE PERLMAN
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO
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| Tom Mannen (left) “arrests” Parks director Charles Jordan (second from left) with help from his deputy at the Senn’s Dairy Park naming ceremony while neighborhood leader Joe Rossi looks on. |
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| Smiles on the faces of Senn's Park boosters at the recent dedication and naming ceremony (from left), Heather Hess, neighbor and member of the Friend's of Senn's Park volunteer group, Christine Czarnecka, Coordinator Parkrose Target Area / Family Works, and Khadim Chisti, Family Works director. |
| Mid-county Memo photos by Tim Curran |
As the former city commissioner was about to speak, two husky men dressed as cowboys stepped forward. One accused Jordan of trying to name a city park after James Prescott. He then stated that Prescott was a corrupt former mayor of Parkrose whom he personally had once arrested - and that he was about to do the same to Jordan. Gripping the 6’7” politician’s arm he said pointedly, “You’re not going to fight me, are you?”
At that point community leader and Senn’s Park patron Joe Rossi stepped forward and interceded, successfully, on Jordan’s behalf. It was all in fun - the “sheriff” was actor and filmmaker Tom Mannen. James Prescott was a fictional character from Mannen’s recently produced film. Jordan took the shenanigans with his customary good humor. However, the prank was a reminder that getting the city to accept the place as a potential park, and the community’s name for it, had not been easy.
A stubborn bureaucracy
Community volunteers first began pushing to obtain the one-acre parcel at Northeast Prescott Street and 112th Avenue from Multnomah County in 1998. The Parks Bureau showed considerable skepticism about the parcel’s suitability for park use given its small size, location, and degree of pollution. It took more than a year for these obstacles to be overcome. Along the way the land was dubbed “Prescott Park,” supposedly as a temporary identification. Later, residents were told that their choice of title would constitute a name change. Bureau officials had other problems with the name. “There never was a dairy farm here,” one said. “Why should the city honor people who were responsible for polluting this land?” Parkrose residents saw it differently. Senn’s Dairy, owned by Walter Senn, had been an important part of the area’s past, and one they wanted to immortalize.
Assuming a familiar role, Rossi Farms’ manager Joe Rossi became the point man in persuading the city to see things the community’s way. “You came to my office, told me your vision, and I couldn’t see it,” Jordan said when he finally commenced his speech. The work of community volunteers such as Rossi and Christine Czarnecka, the North Parkrose Target Area organizer and program director at Family Works, a Mid-County nonprofit agency, eventually won him over. “Thank you for the opportunity to allow me to keep my promise,” he said.
It takes a village
At the ceremony one dignitary after another credited the persistence of the neighborhood volunteers, and Charneski, with making the project happen. Bureau of Housing and Community Development director Tonya Parker, Family Works, director Khadim Chisti, Mindy Brooks of the Bureau of Environmental Services and Parks Bureau supervisor Bob Stillson offered their congratulations. Parkrose Neighbor-hood Association president and former school board member Mark Gardner declined to address the event, but told the Memo, “This was a long time coming. I’m pleased the city is finally participating in this great project with their neighborhood association.”
There were salutes from Parkrose Cub Scout Pack #4, and Boy Scout Troop #606. The non-profit group Ethos provided entertainment as did rapper Michael K. Even Jordan got into the spirit of the event, after recovering from the surprise. “It’s a good thing I didn’t have prepared remarks,” he quipped. “It’s what remains of your past that shapes your future, or the present makes no sense at all,” he went on. “It’s easier to recall the past if you can return to the places where you began. You haven’t just put a park here,” he said. “This is an opportunity to connect to your community.”
As to his own future plans, Jordan was vague except to say that he intended to travel and speak in other cities. He said he intended to return to Portland. “I’m looking forward to coming out, and getting dirt under my finger nails,” he said.
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