Walsh Construction, which weathered months of protest for planning to build a large abortion business in Portland’s African American neighborhood, is now off the job.
Some opponents have sent notes of thanks to Walsh for distancing itself from the Planned Parenthood headquarters project in Northeast Portland. But it appears that the move did not come from the firm itself.

Andrew Beyer, project manager for Walsh, says that construction at Northeast Beech and Martin Luther King Boulevard may go ahead with developers and Planned Parenthood opting to act as their own general contractors.

“We were prepared to work with them on it,” says Beyer, who last year said builders should not be penalized for constructing a building for something that is legal. Beyer also called the project “an important project in the redevelopment of Northeast Portland.”

Opponents of the proposed clinic and offices have protested at the site for a year, charging Planned Parenthood with a cynical business plan that targets African American women, who have an abortion rate higher than women of other races.

“It was a nice thing that Walsh got out. The battle still goes on,” says Bill Diss, one of the leaders of Precious Children of Portland. Diss, a member of Holy Rosary Parish, credits protest as well as prayer for working on Walsh, which has done many projects for Catholic institutions.

Leaders at nearby Immaculate Heart Parish have been part of the opposition. Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers has said the neighborhood would suffer not only from the abortions, but from the culture of promiscuity that Planned Parenthood promotes.

Last week, at Immaculate Heart, the niece of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. met with Precious Children leaders to encourage them in their work. Alveda King says that her uncle would not want abortions performed on a street bearing his name. Also at the Immaculate Heart meeting was the head of the Oregon Chapter of Black Americans for Life.

A procession with the Eucharist from Immaculate Heart to the proposed Planned Parenthood site is planned for Sunday, May 25, the feast of Corpus Christi.

In a Sentinel column last month, Archbishop John Vlazny asked Catholics to consider Planned Parenthood “a major contributor” to the spread of the “culture of death.” The archbishop, calling Planned Parenthood’s financial gains from abortion “alarming,” urged readers to tell city leaders how they feel about the project.

Meanwhile, Knights of Columbus councils from around the area have been taking on the protest as one of their works.

Adding to the Beech Street controversy is the role being played by city government. Portland’s urban renewal office long searched for a tenant for the publicly-owned parcel and ever since Planned Parenthood stepped forward, the city has tried to pave the way for the abortion provider.

Portland Development Commission members are still getting protest messages, but say they have already given the go-ahead to sell the city land to Beech Street Partners.

Sara King, Portland Development Commission manager for the site, says it is rare, but not unheard of, that a developer would act as its own contractor on a project this large.

Opponents have called on Ankrom Moisan Architects of Portland to leave the project, too. The design process of the project has been delayed as protests have endured.
Ankrom Moisan did not return calls placed by the Sentinel.

Before the proposed Aug. 13 closing date for the sale, developers must send construction plans to the city for review and must show that financing is in place.