Portland's Water, A Hot-Hot Japanese Restaurant, and the Cannery Strike that Radicalized Marie Equi -- All in One Post

The new Afuri Ramen restaurant chose Portland because of the city's water. Located at 923 SE 7th Street this much-sought-after foodie outpost will be located in the "new" Industrial Southeast. It happens to be 1 1/2 blocks from the site in 1913 of a labor strike at the Oregon Packing Company at 8th and Belmont. 100 years ago the area was just the working-class Eastside with "industrial" a given. A strike by women workers at this cannery is what drew Dr. Marie Equi into her first labor dispute. She was radicalized by a cop's club during the strike.

A quick sentence from Equi's bio: "Some of the strikers called out to her to help them, and Equi mounted their tar barrel and urged the women still working inside to join the walkout. With that simple act, she altered the course of her life."

As you inevitably wait in line at Afuri Ramen, consider the life of these blocks a century ago.

"Marie Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions" at bookstores and online