2020 made us very grateful for our family and friends who helped us get through the year. Below we highlight some of the best parts of our 2020, and we remember Sam's father, who we lost in April. We hope your 2021 is better than your 2020. Please reply and let us know how you are doing. Xoxo, Sam & Peter
After dating for only 12 years...
...we got married! Peter and Sam fought to win the freedom to marry, with Peter working on the statewide campaign and Sam working on the local level. We've talked about getting married since 2015 when it became legal in Oregon.
We decided to get married now before the new conservative U.S. Supreme Court messes with it, and while some county offices are still open. We plan to have a wedding celebration as soon as the vaccine is widely available and larger gatherings are safer to have.
Oregon Ballot Measure 110 wins
Peter served as the campaign manager of Measure 110, which shifts Oregon to a health-based approach to drugs, where people get better access to treatment instead of criminal records that ruin lives.
Peter and his team built a campaign from the ground up, and Measure 110 passed with 58% of the vote, making Oregon the first state in the US to decriminalize drug possession.
The New York Times said Measure 110 is “one of the most radical drug-law overhauls in the nation’s history," and many pundits said the victory is the biggest blow yet to the war on drugs. Measure 110 will nearly eliminate racial disparities in drug arrests, which are the most arrested offense in America.
Multnomah County has already started to implement Measure 110, and if you want to help make sure Measure 110 is implemented effectively, please check out voteyeson110.org.
Sam runs for city council.
Sam ran a positive campaign for Portland City Council, focusing not only on what needs to be done but also on how to do it. He offered his usual, detailed, nerdy policy agenda, which you can read about on his blog posts, StumptownSam. Sam lost in the May primary election, but he came within small percentage points of making it to the general election. Sam then endorsed and campaigned for four other winning candidates for the city council.
"It was a great experience, another BIG THANK YOU to all who supported my campaign," Sam says.
And, as he did in a recent New York Time's analysis, "How Cities Lost Control of Police Discipline," Sam continues to raise heck on issues he's passionate about, like police reform:
Since then, Sam is consulting, like recently serving as a national judge for the US Conference of Mayors' Annual Climate Protection Awards.
A documentary about Peter’s work premieres at Sundance
A new, short documentary features Peter’s work as an investigative journalist uncovering a series of child abuse allegations within Idaho’s Boy Scouts.
Brian Knappenberger's documentary, “The Church and the Fourth Estate” pre-screened earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. It was just released, and you can watch it for free online here. Reviews of the film are positive.
Now Peter is writing science fiction short stories and working on a second narrative nonfiction book with his cousin Amanda. Their first book, Buried in the Sky: The extraordinary story of the Sherpa climbers on K2’s deadliest day, just went into its 13th printing.
Sam’s father dies
Sam’s father, Larry Adams, was in a memory care facility. He died in the middle of Sam’s city council campaign, on April 24th. Sam wrote this tribute to his Dad:
"Rest In Peace, Dad. Your long shadowy fight with the brutal and unrelenting disease Alzheimers is over. Like my siblings, even though you did not recognize me any longer, it breaks my heart that I could not have been there with you in your final hours. I hope you did not feel too lonely. I hope you understand why. We are trying to quell another shadowy disease.
"After you were in recovery, and I told you what it was like to grow up with you, you hugged me, and you were crying and said how sorry you were. And,
later, when I told you I was gay, you hugged me, I was crying, and said how proud you were of me. Unexpected from a tough guy like you, those were amazing gifts of affirmation and love that helped me move forward in life happier and more confident. Thank you.
I have missed your wit and wise counsel for a long while now. Now I will miss being able to hold your hand and help you with craft time and bingo. I want to thank my siblings and your caregivers at Farmington Square Beaverton who took such great care of you and always got a smile from you. Dad, I love you. Sam"
Hobby update: Crafty fermented fruit
Our rooftop beehives are buzzing along. To help us stay sane, we made more wine and cider, including:
Fig wine, from our neighbors’ fig tree.
Plum wine from another neighbors plum tree.
Blackberry wine, from a local blackberry bush.
Cider from apples on the ground at a nearby park.
Honey wine, from our two beehives.
Are these neighborhood-sourced and small-batch brews any good? We’re not sure yet, but they’ll be ready this summer.
Contacts
Peter Zuckerman: peter@zucker.world -- 310-507-8946 (mobile)
Sam Adams: sam@samadamspdx.com -- 503-421-8925 (mobile) -- www.samadamspdx.com
5514 NE 31st Ave, Portland, OR 97211
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