Local landlord industry group MultiFamily NW held its glitzy annual ACE Awards tonight, and nattily dressed property management folks were breathless in anticipation for categories such as "Single-family Property Manager of the Year (Any Size Portfolio)" and "Renovated Property of the Year ($1 Million+)."
But whoops! Housing crisis.
As hopefuls arrived at the Portland Art Museum, they were bombarded by a few dozen demonstrators with the group Portland Tenants Unite, who shamed anyone who walked past with bullhorns and taunts. Low-paid museum security guards to highfalutin rent gougers—no one was spared derision.
Local gadfly Charles Johnson asked me for a cup of water. PTU leader Margot Black handed out a host of fake awards: "Biggest Rent Increase,""Most Dramatic No-Cause Eviction," and "Top Crisis Profiteer" (which went to mom and pop landlords). And a whole lot of people walked into what must have been a sumptuous dinner with bemused and awkward grins plastered to their faces.
You wanna see tweets? I've got tweets.
.@PDXTenantsUnite is picketing out of a yearly landlords award gala. "vultures!" They shout. pic.twitter.com/PVokQGJELb
— Dirk VanderHart (@dirquez) May 27, 2016
Lots of fancily dressed folks grinning as they walk into the Portland Art Museum to this. pic.twitter.com/xuHkw7bEzj
— Dirk VanderHart (@dirquez) May 27, 2016
Some MultiFamily guy was trying to film protestors back and had his phone swatted from his hand. Wound up fine.
— Dirk VanderHart (@dirquez) May 27, 2016
Man. I bet the food inside this landlord gala is primo. Gotta figure an open bar too, right? pic.twitter.com/YX4nNChCOb
— Dirk VanderHart (@dirquez) May 27, 2016
Just a guess: not what these people expected they'd arrive to. pic.twitter.com/ssrs26zKG5
— Dirk VanderHart (@dirquez) May 27, 2016
"Wipe that smile off your faces! The housing crisis is not a joke!"pic.twitter.com/uEYtPBlmcw
— Dirk VanderHart (@dirquez) May 27, 2016
Props to the landlord dude with the vape pen arguing w protestors. Strong vaping.
— Dirk VanderHart (@dirquez) May 27, 2016