TriMet News

Tia York

  • TriMet names artist selected to create a Tribute Wall at Hollywood Transit Center

    Artist to lead team in transforming transit center to honor May 26th attack victims and survivors, in response to outpouring of community support

    The attack on a MAX train pulling into the Hollywood Transit Center on May 26, 2017 forever changed lives and deeply affected TriMet and our community. Now the efforts to honor the lives lost, the strength of those who stood up to hate and the emotional outpouring in the days after the attack are moving forward with the selection of an artist to create a Tribute Wall.

    Conceptual rendering subject to change

    Sarah Farahat will lead a team of artists to transform nearly 2,000 feet of wall space at the Hollywood Transit Center into a vibrant tribute reflecting the spirit of the heartfelt messages and images that family, friends and strangers had created on the walls in the wake of the incident. After reviewing concepts from four finalists on Wednesday, Jan. 31, the Hollywood Transit Center Tribute Wall Advisory Committee chose Farahat and her team to complete the project. Farahat provided a conceptual rendering for the Tribute Wall; however, she and her team will receive input from the advisory committee and impacted family members in creating the final design.

    Conceptual rendering subject to change

    “I am deeply honored that the committee and TriMet have entrusted this project into our care. I look forward to sharing more about the project in the coming weeks after speaking in depth with the review committee. I have a very committed team of artists, educators and activists that will come together in the next few months to not only create a beautiful memorial, but also to cultivate further understanding across differences to celebrate our city’s richly diverse cultural heritage, and to demonstrate the fierce love that Portlanders are learning to show for each other in these difficult times.”

    About Farahat

    Sarah Farahat is an interdisciplinary Egyptian American artist and educator holding a B.A. in Psychology from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, a B.F.A. in Intermedia Studies from Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon and an M.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Fine Art from California College of the Arts in San Francisco, California. Her work, grounded in grassroots activism, explores the location of the body within sociopolitical landscapes.

    Hollywood Transit Center tributes

    TriMet has planned two tributes at the Hollywood Transit Center but is slowing the timeline for a plaque to commemorate those at the center of the May 26 attack. While initially planned to for completion and unveiling on the one year anniversary of the attack, more time is needed to develop the most appropriate design and message. TriMet does not want to rush a tribute that is so important  to us, the community, the families of the men who died and those who survived that day. Once fully developed, the plaque will be part of a permanent tribute at the Hollywood Transit Center.

    Work on the tribute wall got underway in April. The wall art will be completed before the end of the year.  While it will last longer than the original chalk messages, this tribute wall is meant to be temporary due to plans to redesign and redevelop the aging transit center in the coming years.

  • New law gives TriMet authority to offer some fare evaders a second chance to stay out of court system

    HB 2777 reinforces TriMet’s commitment to bring equity to fare/code enforcement

    Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed House Bill 2777 last week, clearing the way for TriMet to pursue new options that give individuals the opportunity to correct their behavior when cited for violations of the TriMet Code, including fare evasion. HB 2777 grants transit districts the authority to offer a new, administrative option for resolving citations. Read the text of HB 2777.

    Currently, citations, including fare evasion, must be resolved through the courts. They can leave a permanent mark on a violator’s record that could affect their ability to get a job, rent property or serve in the military. That can be a severe penalty for not buying a $2.50 fare. HB 2777 provides a framework to make the system more equitable and bring the punishment in line with the offense.

    “This law is about proportionality,” said Sen. Michael Dembrow (D) of Portland, one of the bill’s chief sponsors. “It gives TriMet new, less punitive tools to enforce fare evasion and other code violations.”

    However, riders should not see this as a change to TriMet’s rules. Fares remain required on all TriMet vehicles and those who choose not to pay or repeatedly evade fare will be held accountable. Also, we continue working to increase fare enforcement on the transit system.

    How we got here

    TriMet began a thorough review of the fare enforcement process in 2016. We collaborated with Portland State University and other organizations to learn how our enforcement process affects the community. We wanted to understand the underlying causes of fare evasion and what we could do to improve our enforcement efforts.

    Portland State issued a report in December that found no evidence of systemic racial bias in TriMet’s fare enforcement, but it recommended a closer look at factors like health and economics as precursors to fare evasion, especially for chronic offenders. It also called for a review of enforcement policies to ensure fairness.

    Fairness in accountability

    HB 2777 gives TriMet the authority to offer alternatives for some who violate TriMet’s Code. Under the law, TriMet can provide violators up to 90-days to engage in an administrative process that could reduce the fine or allow community service to resolve the citation. If resolved during this period, TriMet would not submit the citation to the court, which means the violation would not become part of a person’s court record. When the 90-day window closes, TriMet could still pursue unresolved violations through the court system.

    “TriMet strives to be a model in the equitable application of its rules and response to violations,” said TriMet Director of Diversity and Transit Equity John Gardner. “Our aim is to get people to pay their fare, not unnecessarily funnel them into the judicial system.”

    “We continually see data that shows that when people are given the chance to rectify their mistakes in a manner that acknowledges their humanity that they are much less likely to reoffend,” said Rep. Chris Gorsek (D) of Troutdale, who advocated for the legislation. “That’s what this bill does; it brings some compassion back into the process.”

    What’s next?

    TriMet’s Board of Directors will have to enact an ordinance to authorize the administrative options permitted by HB 2777. In the months ahead, TriMet will work with community partners to determine who qualifies, how to adjust fines, and which community service options to offer. We hope to have the administrative options in place when the new law takes effect on January 1, 2018.