Known as a wonderful radical community space in Portland, Oregon, the Red & Black Cafe has also been an important resource for Portland's houseless community. Now they are in danger of losing their building, so they need our collective help!

The Red & Black Cafe in Portland, Oregon has been a staple of the radical and activist community for years. Operating as a co-op, run by worker-owners and as an IWW contract shop, the Red & Black Cafe makes itself available as a common organizing meeting space. Fundraisers, art shows, music performances, discussions, and the like are a constant occurance here, creating a useful space to the area.

What has made the Red & Black a more persistant staple of its neighborhood is its resource for the houseless community of the area. Those without permanent shelter can depend on a place to come in and read or go on the internet, and are invited in to spend the often cold and wet Portland days indoors. Unlike much of Portland's trendy cafe culture, the Red & Black welcomes houseless folks into the community and has been a staple. The cafe prides itself on being a safe space for some of the most affected groups, paying special attention to survivors of abuse. There effort has brought specific attention at their refusal to allow police into the establishment under any circumstance. This continues there commitment to the "safer spaces" policy where by many of the people who depend on the Red and Black are regularly victimized by the Portland Police Department.

Now the Red & Black is facing a possible closure, and they need to raise money from community donations to keep it afloat! Beyond just being the cafe downstairs, the upstairs of the building is a collective house with a lot of members of local organizing projects such as the Portland Solidarity Network, Portland IWW, and Portland Black Rose/Rosa Negra. Likewise, this housing could also be at risk due to the financial troubles, so they need people internationally to help and save this important community space!

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