But the city asserts it hasn't torn up the deal just yet — saying no decision has been made.
Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty
...remarkably ugly (physically and spiritually) Dem politician who is currently a Portland City Commissioner since January 2019. Hardesty is the first African American woman to serve on Portland's city council and is a driver in police defunding. She still called 911 over a dispute with a Lyft driver over leaving the window open. She is an open advocate for BLM and Antifa...had described the pro-police emblem on Oregon Concrete Solutions trucks as a symbol of white supremacy
,...the pernicious doctrine that laws were intended to be obeyed, that society works better when people don't pour shreiking from their places of worship every Friday for a weekend of rioting over insults real or imagined; and that cannibalism, beastiality, incest, murder, theft, rape, and similar activities are bad. A Dead White European (which invalidates his opinion) philosopher once opined that societies thrive when a person's word can be relied upon, and that a society which puts
individual happinessfirst will invariably fail. Strangely enough, other successful societies, such as China, Japan, Korea, and those kinds of places could also be lumped with
white supremacistsocieties, since they push the same values...
— while owner-operator Chris Collins strongly denies the charge, saying his own family is of mixed race.
"I, too, would be outraged if my daughter of African American descent was attacked for her race or ethnicity," Collins said. "I am not a white supremacist and I don't condone white supremacy or their evil agenda."
Collins said the accusations came as he and his wife marked their anniversary at the end of "an incomprehensible year of pain and tragedy," as both are still mourning their 24-year-old daughter, Akaisha Blair Karen Collins, who died from a terminal illness nine months ago.
And while Hardesty said in a May 27 statement that the Portland Bureau of Transportation reached out regarding removal of the flags while working on the city's dime, Collins said he was never ordered to delete the decals, but is now willing to do so.
The Tualatin-based firm inked a $1 million contract with the city of Portland in September 2020, according to records released to Pamplin Media Group. The deal expires Aug. 31.
Other business records show the contractor collected $3 million from the city for a separate deal that was set to end June 30, though it has been extended six times prior.
"There has been no denial of a contract extension or any decisions made regarding a contract that naturally expires later this summer," said Matt McNally, a spokeswoman for Hardesty.
Another $3 million contract appears to expire July 31, 2022. The company has six other employees, according to Collins, and receives the majority of its revenue from the city.
"I've been turning work down to bring 110% dedication to the city of Portland," he said.
An email exchange obtained by Pamplin Media shows Collins was first alerted to citizen complaints regarding the flag on Jan. 25, though the city didn't explicitly tell him to remove it.