There is a new candidate for Portland City Council District 2 (N/NE). You may have already heard his name. Or, I should say, I saw his name on the side of cider cans at stores and gatherings around our city. Rev. Nat Hard has built his cider business over his 12 years from the basement of his home to a garage in the Woodlawn neighborhood to stores and refrigerators around the world. I'm thinking of waking it up.
West arrived at The Shed a few hours ago on his rugged Radwagon cargo bike and we had a wide-ranging conversation that provided a great introduction to this interesting candidate. I wasn't there when former pub owner Bud Clark made a surprising run for mayor and became a local folk hero, but I've come to think of West as this election's Bud Clark. Don't expect him to do lots of media interviews, talk like a politician, or attend all the mandatory election events. Instead of running a typical campaign, he plans to spend his time meeting people at small gatherings and happy hours around the city, while also continuing his new day job as a TriMet bus driver.
In today's interview (listen below), after sharing a list of the bikes he's owned his entire life and how he started his cider business by collecting apples from trees around town on his bike, West talks about the George Floyd of 2020. He spoke about the protests and their efforts. A public battle with the city of Portland ignited his political career.
West was on the front lines of the protests when he and his teenage child were seriously injured by federal police gunfire. I asked West how the protests have affected his positions on issues like policing and racism, and whether he regrets taking to the streets every week. (He has no regrets). Other topics covered include:
- Once he takes office, how will he balance activism, idealism, realism, and progress?
- Why is there a link to his Strava account on his campaign website?
- What exactly does he want to do to support small business owners?
- Why does he think PBOT should be focused on maintenance rather than “shiny new infrastructure” (and I'm perpetuating that false binary on his campaign website) I objected to that.
- His ideas for reforming the Portland Police Bureau.
- And of course we talk about cider and other things.
Below are some excerpts.
About his early love for cider:
“I was collecting apples on my bike with my kids. We were collecting apples all over Portland… Before the business started, I was making cider at home and I said, 'Can I have your apples?' I made a flyer called. It was a photo of my kids and me and a simple explanation about how to take care of people's backyard apple trees instead of collecting fruit. And we loved riding our bikes all over the North and Northeast. And every time I saw an apple tree, I would leave a flyer. And about two people responded to him saying, “Yes, come and pick up the apples!'' ”
On how we can help more people ride bikes:
“When we think about how to increase the share of bike modes, we think about making roads safer for freight drivers, making roads safer for bus drivers and bus passengers, and making roads faster for bus users. , and then eventually there will be less car travel and cars will be taken off the road…. The thing about cargo, that cargo is always alongside cars, that's so wrong. Ours The goal is to actually take cars off the road, so freight should be partnered with bikes and transit.”
On the forces opposing his vision:
“I drive through there. [I-5 Rose Quarter] Interchange…I had an accident there once many years ago. I drive by that place all the time. Every day, probably for the last 20 years or so…I don't think there's a need to expand. I passed by during rush hour. I sat in that car for 20 minutes to go one mile. I don't think it should be expanded. I think there needs to be an agreement that as car drivers, we're going to sit on the road for 20 minutes sometimes because that's where we choose to drive. ”
On how he balances his activist impulses with the pragmatism needed to succeed in Portland politics:
“Small businesses must always create a vision. They must have a vision. They must defend their vision to their employees, customers and other business partners. The vision is clear and It needs to be achievable, but it also needs to be bold, otherwise people will say, “If the vision is just to get paid and go home, why work on this?” Sho. 5 bottles every day? That's not fun. It's not motivating. So I think I really learned that you have to be full of big ideas and motivate people at the same time.
Then, when the meeting is over, file your payroll taxes and empty the trash can. As I said earlier, 99% of his work in small businesses is boring. I don't think they are contradictory at all. Having a vision is important, but I think the city of Portland currently lacks both vision and execution. ”
On his role in the 2020 protests:
“when [the protests of] As 2020 dawns, I poked my head in and saw something that was clearly wrong. Have we solved systemic racism in America? No. But we posed the question… What was our goal for 2020? Our goal for 2020 was not to abolish police departments; that was never our goal. The goal was to raise a problem, continue to discuss it, and ultimately find a solution. So knowing that really motivated me…
I'm not afraid of fights at all. I'm not afraid to show my fair skin in places like this. It's much better to have a white man saying these things than a black man saying these things. It's really comfortable. I welcome the opportunity to truly make a difference, listen to the voices of those around me, and amplify their voices. ”
Are you an anti-police candidate?
“No. I'm primarily anti-police in terms of the reaction we're getting from the police. There are definitely places in America where we have police. Does it have a horrible history? Yeah. Problems everywhere you look. Yes. But you can't get rid of the police. You have to be able to call the police when you're dealing with a “hat guy” or when you're in an active situation…
Thanks to the PPA, some police officers keep their jobs despite breaking the law. [Portland Police Association union] is too powerful…I would also like to point out that I don't think funding should be cut. I think the defunding movement did a great job of drawing attention to this issue. I want people to change the way they spend money. And one of the things I'm really looking forward to is being able to provide more mental health support for police officers. More police officers die by suicide than in the line of duty. It is one of the jobs with the highest number of suicides in America. ”
About haters:
“And that's honestly why I think I'm running because I know I can do a good job. I know a lot of people and I have a unique perspective on things. Am I really, really excited about continuing to receive hate from people who don't like me or don't like this city?
No, I'm not excited about it, but I'm going to do it anyway, because it needs to be accomplished. ”
Thanks to Brock Dittus of Sprocket Podcast, known for his great theme music.
Listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts. I also shared the video below on Instagram earlier. Here are some excerpts from the first half of the interview (my video camera broke after 30 minutes! Wow!).
