4
• January 19.2001
^1101111 o u t
* Celebrating a strong foundation
The Care &
* Turning conflict into an intimacy tool
* Keeping the magic alive
Feeding of
* Relationship communication skills
* Exploring the dance o f intimacy
a Healthy J| February 16 & 17
F ri 6-10pm V S at 9am - 7pm
Relationsh
V eelfcompaeeion&aol.CQm
Com paeeionate Solutions Institute V 503-2P® . r
f ramed^/f/studios
‘for the
of your business”
wholesale custom picture framing and framed * \ t I
Julia M. Hcinzmann and Brooke E. Lindgrcn
phone 503.493.2880
K im
T r i P
tfiw np
I am there for you through every step
of the home-buying process.
2% of proceeds are donated
to local non-profit organizations.
503 - 416-2017
They'll tune
your engine.
They'll fix
your car.
And as an
added bonus,
they'll save
the planet.
T r u st
N orth
Portland
We are committed to providing
loving, com passionate medical
care for your pet.
(5 0 3 ) 282-3315
We are proud to be building a
new, state-of-the-art veterinary
hospital to serve you.
It is scheduled for completion in
early 2001. You can watch our
progress at 3000 N. Lombard.
In the meantime, w e are
A U T O M O T I V E
Mechanics WHh A Conscience
(and x-ray vision)
N dsl D€0 repair M b
À SE cmufm
Gerard Lillie *5934 N.E. Halsey
To the E ditor :
The Jan. 15 Oregonian included the follow
ing account of Portland Police Chief Mark
Kroeker celebrating the Rev. Martin Luther
King Jr. at Vancouver Avenue First Baptist
Church: “The meeting was sponsored by We’re
Here, We Care, a nonprofit, faith-based agency
in North Portland that aims to reduce juvenile
violence.... Kroeker stressed Kings role as a
peacemaker and talked about the ethnic hatred
he witnessed in Bosnia three years ago. Kroeker
brought pockets of the congregation to its feet
and applause from many as he quoted Scripture
verses related to peacemaking.”
Now, let me get this...er...straight? First,
Kroeker, as a high-ranking official in one of the
most brutal and corrupt police bureaus in the
nation (Los Angeles), appears before a heavily
armed, far-right gathering of Christian police
men and exhorts them to regard gays as a terri
ble scourge on the United States, to demand
wives submit to husbands in a society plagued
with spousal abuse and to discipline teen-agers
with a boat oar in a way that skirts the statutes
on child abuse.
When his taped remarks are criticized in
Portland, he refuses to discuss them, not to men
tion repudiate them, saying his religious beliefs
are his personal business and not for public con
sumption. (This, despite the fact the tapes are
available to every skinhead enclave on the
globe, thanks to the magic of Internet com
merce.) The Oregonian, meanwhile, goes
absolutely ballistic over the idea that anyone
would challenge whether his hate rhetoric is jus
tified in the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
Then, suddenly, Kroeker holds forth on his
religious beliefs again in a highly public setting.
He pounds the pulpit for biblical peace and love
without ever having repudiated his message of
hate and repression.
He also has refused to advocate for the
expansion of hate crimes legislation, as promot
ed by Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith on the previ
ous page of the same issue of the Oregonian. And
the crowd goes wild over this new heir apparent
to the King legacy.
Kroeker is the new spiritual son of Dr. King?
But I’m so confused.
His religious beliefs are highly private and
not to be discussed in public—yes or no? I’m so
confused.
It’s me, isn’t it? I’m the crazy one...?
M itc h G o u l d
Veterinary
Hospital
PDX Automotive Is a certified
Eco-Loflkai Business.
King for a day
pleased to serve you at...
our current location.
(503)
285-0462
2009 N.Killingsworth*
Forest Grove
Family ties
To the E ditor :
After attending the sexual minorities commu
nity forum Dec. 11, in which about 200 were
present, 1 was expecting almost an equal showing
from the sexual minorities community at the
multi-issue fonim Jan. 9 organized by Love Makes
a Family. Imagine what a statement we could
have made to Portland Police Chief Mark Kroek
er if he were forced to confront such an immense
crowd from the sexual minorities community,
compounded with the activist community, com
pounded with the African American community,
compounded with the dynamic youth communi
ty. My expectation was not fulfilled.
When the meeting began, each person in the
audience had the opportunity to state his or her
name and organization, if any. I was surprised no
one from Just Out was present at this time.
Hopefully, someone from Just Out made a
later appearance. It is not enough that we as a
larger community play host to and attend our
own forums. It is imperative that we are visible
and active in the larger Portland community.
#
Even if Kroeker repudiates statements made
concerning gays and lesbians, we still are left
with an unregulated police bureau that will con
tinue to violate our rights. In a recent letter to
the editor under the heading “Where is the out
rage?” Michael E. Barrett wrote, “The truth is,
we do not yet enjoy the same status of other
oppressed groups, such as ethnic and religious
minorities” [Jan. 5].
Let me tell you where the outrage is! If you
had been at the Jan. 9 meeting, you would have
heard stories of racial profiling in our fair city
that would have made you outraged. You would
have heard about the civil rights violations that
threaten our city’s most active citizens.
The truth is, we all still are struggling to
enjoy the status of human beings who are treat
ed with respect and dignity. We all still are fight
ing to protect our basic human rights whether
they have been denied because of ethnicity, age,
belief system or sexual orientation. Please, do
not dare extol the status of ethnic minorities as
if their oppression is a thing of the past or is not
deeply connected to the oppression of sexual
minorities.
This is not a time for division. Kroeker’s
words and direction of the Portland Police
Bureau contribute directly to a climate of big
otry and violence. An active dialogue is impos
sible with a man who refuses to answer any ques
tions in clear, meaningful language.
This is a time when we all must rally togeth
er, although it might seem we have distinct
issues. Let us remember we are all part of a larg
er family of concerned citizens here in Portland.
J a n in e H . O sh ir o
Portland
Unfair shake
To the E ditor :
No matter what Portland Police Chief Mark
Kroeker says, he will not please everyone in the
LGBT community.
I have a difficult time standing up for an offi
cer, but 1 think he is being unfairly judged for
10-year-old words and not today’s actions. The
Portland Police Bureau has a long way to go in
learning to deal with the LGBT and other
minority communities.
I feel your article on Kroeker is fair hut still
leaves a lot to be said [“Sorry Seems to Be the
Hardest Word,” Dec. 15). What I have a prob
lem with is how people, my fellow brothers and
sisters, can condemn a man for something he
said 10 years ago.
1 believe his actions today speak for his
beliefs, not something that was said 10 years ago.
I know 1 wouldn’t want to be judged about all of
my remarks 10 years ago.
Who are we to judge in the first place? Are
we so righteous and do we lead such perfect lives
that we can tear a man apart for what he said a
decade ago and use it to ruin his professional life,
along the way tearing at his family life? Would
we want this done to us?
People’s attitudes have changed dramatically
during the past 10 years about homosexuality,
and in the next 10 years we will make even more
strides toward basic human rights (once we get
the right wing out of the White House, anyway).
Look around you and see the families that now
accept their gay sons and daughters that 10 years
ago wouldn’t have thought about it.
I don’t believe Kroeker is any differeni from
most people, in that his views will change, and
have changed, with more education and first
hand dealings with level-headed people within
the LGBT community. Look at your own fami
lies and see how their views on homosexuality
have changed during the past 10 years— or are
they exempt?
I believe Kroeker is showing compassion