PORTLAND -- The Good in the Neighborhood festival kicked off Saturday in Northeast Portland, and the timing for togetherness could not be better.
The 19th annual festival celebrating culture and unity usually draws about 7,000 people during its Saturday and Sunday run and, for many of those people, it is a welcome opportunity to show off what is “good in the hood.”
This year, the festival has special importance after a year of escalating gang violence in Portland.
Forty-one separate incidents of violence tied with gang activity have gripped the city, with a majority of it centered in the North and Northeast portions of the Portland.
“This is where the things begin to heal," said the festival's chairwoman Cheryl Roberts. "We can calm down we can celebrate and we can let each other know: you’re good, you’re great, and you’re one of us."
The event kicked off with a parade up Martin Luther King Boulevard, ending at the festival at King School Park. Vendors sold their food and crafts, and various agencies had booths set up to offer outreach for health care, education and other services.
The fun atmosphere seemed to be the right antidote for taking the focus off of recent violence and putting it on community.
“When you come out here and you have fun, you don’t even think about what goes on around here that they’ve been talking about all week. It doesn’t even cross my mind when I see all these people out here just having fun and enjoying each other’s company,” said 30-year-old David Littleton.
The Good in the Neighborhood Festival took place Saturday and Sunday at King School Park in the 4600 block of NE 6th Avenue in Portland.
