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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2017)
June 14, 2017 The Skanner Page 3 News Juneteenth “ The festival is sched- uled to begin at noon and run until 6 p.m. Festivities include live bands and local artists, food and retail vendors, and a children’s play area. Donations to the June- teenth Oregon Celebra- tion 2017 can be made at w w w.gof undme.com / Recently there’s been a lot of hatred and tension going on, so it’s about letting them know we stand together we stand together.” Jack’s grandmother, Clara Peoples, moved to Portland in 1945 and brought awareness of Juneteenth to Oregon by organizing the first event. When Peoples passed away in 2015, Jack made a commitment to carry the torch and honor the legacy of this important — but often overlooked — day in Black history. This year, the June- teenth Oregon Celebra- tion will be operating solely on donations, which includes vendors, to encourage a greater attendance and a stron- ger network of locals. “Juneteenth is a cel- ebration of African American’s freedom, but it opens the door for so many other commu- nity opportunities,” the Juneteenth Oregon Com- mittee wrote in its press release. On Saturday, June 17, the parade will start at 10:45 a.m. at the Safeway parking lot, located at 5920 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. The parade will head south until Russell Street, where it will turn west and end at the Lega- cy Emanuel Field, located at NE Graham and Van- couver. Good juneteenth-oregon-2017. Vendor forms can be found on The Skanner’s website. PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED es, and the struggle of the current generation with not getting enough sup- port,” organizer Jenelle Jack told The Skanner. “Regardless of our cul- ture, we need to come to- gether and support each other. Recently there’s been a lot of hatred and tension going on, so it’s about letting them know cont’d from pg 1 Local Juneteenth Events: March Against Sharia Counter-Protest Saturday, June 17, 11 a.m. — 3 p.m., 2017 Juneteenth Celebra- tion, hosted by Van- couver, Washington Branch NAACP, Foster Hall, Clark College, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA 98663. This year’s theme is “Edu- cation is Empowerment;” activities include Grand- ma’s BEST pie contest, spoken word, hip hop mu- sic, African dancing, ven- dors, food and family fun. Monday, June 19, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Juneteenth: Words Along the Way, hosted by PassinArt: A Theatre Company, North Portland Library, 512 N. Killingsworth Street, Portland, OR 97217. Outdoor festivities with words and music. Saturday, June 17, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m., Juneteenth BBQ, hosted by Nat Turn- er Project, C3: Initiative, 7326 N. Chicago Ave, Portland, OR 97203. Live music by rapper Zed Ken- so, poetry by Olivia Olivia, and face painting cour- tesy of Jamaaliz Jamjam Roberts. Hundreds of people attended a counter protest to the March Against Sharia held on the Seattle City Hall Plaza Saturday June 10. The anti-sharia rally was organized by ACT for America and was one of dozens held across the Country, but anti-sharia protestors were vastly outnumbered by counter-demonstrators who drowned out the speeches of the anti-sharia group by chanting things like “No hate, no fear, Muslims are welcome here,” and banging pots and pans. Smith cont’d from pg 1 LLP – “this was supported by the statements of several witnesses. However, there are several staff members who have raised seri- ous concerns about their interac- tions with her.” “ investigate the employee’s claims. On April 5, the county paid Kwon a settlement of $23,820, which included attorney fees, plus six months’ administrative leave. The public should never doubt that I let this misguided process distract me from doing the business of representing the most vulnerable in Multnomah County The allegations made by MeeSeon Kwon on Jan. 22, fol- lowed by Saba Saleem on Feb. 10, were first made public by emails sent from the employees to the Willamette Week. Both letters contained accu- sations that Smith had misused county resources, funds and staff for her personal campaign events, and used unprofessional conduct — including discrimina- tory behavior and harassment — toward her staff. In the wake of Kwon’s com- plaint, Commissioner Smith re- quested that Human Resources While Smith rescinded her initial request, the county’s in- vestigation — totaling $11,353.50 — continued with Belnavis as outside investigator. It prompt- ed the commissioner to file a tort claim notice against the county on April 21 for a cease and desist of the investigation. “The thousands of dollars that Chair Kafoury has spent on this investigation could have been spent to increase the number of SummerWorks jobs for under- served kids in our community,” Smith told The Skanner. “It’s a shame.” The county disclosed that the initial bill for the attorney rep- resenting Commissioner Smith through May 20 is $3,740.66. In a written statement sent to The Skanner, Smith did not re- spond to the report’s finding directly, but mentioned her accomplishments as commis- sioner and highlighted some of the big challenges the county faces, including over-policing of communities of color, dis- placement of residents, and gen- trification. “The public should never doubt that I let this misguided process distract me from doing the busi- ness of representing the most vulnerable in Multnomah Coun- ty,” wrote Smith. In his final 14-page report, Bel- navis assessed that Commission- er Smith, “used profanity at/with some of her staff and likely made personal statements that bor- dered on bullying to some staff- ers on cultural issues.” Read more at TheSkanner.com cont’d from pg 1 something it started doing last year. Counteracting ‘negative press’ for the neighborhood Good in the Hood which features mu- sic, food, dance performances and a neighborhood parade — was organized by a small group of neighbors in 1992 and was first celebrated in 1993. Sister Jane Hibbard, then the princi- pal of Holy Redeemer Catholic School, said the event was initially conceived as a fundraiser for the school. The original group of organizers — which included herself, musician and music promoter Norman Sylvester and sound technician Stew Dodge — also wanted to showcase what North and Northeast Portland had to offer. “During that time we were having a lot of negative press about gangs, and North and Northeast Portland not be- ing a good place to buy real estate and come and hang out,” Sylvester said. Adam Lyons, executive director of the Northeast Coalition of Neighbor- hoods, said when he was growing up at Northeast 10th and Schuyler, kids who lived on the west side weren’t allowed to visit him due to the area’s reputation for crime. “ About 3,000 people attended the first festival in 1993; last year 30,000 people participated Initially, Sylvester said, he wasn’t fond of the name “Good in the Hood,” but eventually embraced the idea behind it, which was to reclaim “the ‘hood,” a term often used to disparage North and Northeast Portland. Sylvester booked the entertainment — which included music of various genres, including his own blues band — as well as dance performances and food from various cultures. “I was proud to bring in Cambodian dance, belly dance, Irish dance, digeri- doo players, things that our North and Northeast kids didn’t normally see -- so we were serving them as well,” Sylves- ter said. “This was a multicultural ex- change.” As the event progressed, it grew larg- er and larger. According to newspaper accounts from 1990s, about 3,000 peo- ple attended the first festival in 1993; last year 30,000 people participated. The event roster also grew to encom- pass a large parade organized by busi- ness owner and “unofficial Albina may- or” Paul Knauls Sr. It became a Portland Rose Festival-sanctioned event in 1996 and, as of two years ago, its own 501c3 designation. Dodge, who has provided sound for the festival since its inception, said the event has always been “friendly and neighborly” and that vibe has re- mained. Penney has been involved with Good in the Hood for 12 years and has served as the organization’s president for five years. He also grew up in Northeast Portland and grew up attending the festival. “It’s always been a fun festival,” Pen- ney said. When Good in the Hood launched, most neighborhoods in inner North- east Portland were majority-Black neighborhoods. According to 2010 Cen- sus data, the same neighborhoods are majority-White. A line in the threat says, “WE THE WHITE KKK NOW OWN NORTH AND NORTHEAST PORTLAND,” an assertion Penney found particularly troubling. “It’s not true. If they do, they’re hid- ing it,” Penney said. ‘A universal language’ Last week’s threat is part of a seeming increase in hate activities in the Port- land area and nationwide. Read the full story at TheSkanner.com