august 17.2001 » J m t M Ë |7
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S alem C ivil R ights
P roposal O K ’ d
son,” he says, adding that several of the support
ive members are not seeking another term.
he Salem Human Rights and Relations
Advisory Commission discussed and passed J ackson I ssues
the latest draft of proposed civil rights expan
S econd A pology
sions during a meeting Aug. 14-
It would add sexual orientation, gender
'Portland Public Schools board member Derry
identity and source of income to the city’s
Jackson issued another apology Aug. 7 in
protected classes. Salem ’s Human Rights
the wake of anti-Semitic comments he made
Code, which covers private employment, during a newspaper interview last month.
public accommodations and housing, also
“I now understand the impact and gravity of
would be extended to cover lending as well as my assertions,” he said on AM Northwest. “To
public appointment, services, facili
ties, contracting and purchasing.
The proposal provides exceptions
for live-in landlords and strengthens
language allowing churches to dis
criminate. It also exempts small, fam
ily-owned businesses with eight or
fewer employees from the gender
identity clause.
Despite these concessions, “We’re
anticipating opposition from the
usual comers,” Commissioner Cary
Renfro says, referring to Salem ’s
strong Oregon Citizens A lliance
presence. He says the business com
munity also might have some prob
lems with the proposal.
The next step is to meet with city
administrators for further advice.
Forums soon will be scheduled for the
general community, business owners
and government officials.
Renfro hopes the City Council will
vote on the proposal this fall. “If we
wait until after Thanksgiving or Christ- Despite multiple apologies, Derry Jackson will be the
mas we start getting into election sea- upcoming recall effort
T
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the children and employees of Portland Public
Schools, to their families and this wonderful
city we call home, Portland, 1 apologize for:
making statements that do not create positive
support for the efforts of the board; making
statements that discredit other members of the
board; maligning Jewish people with generality
and an inference of unfairness; and allowing
my frustration to distort my judgment.”
Jackson has be£n under fire since July 21,
when the Oregonian printed an interview in
which he said, “I see the Jews running every
thing.” His July 25 apology, which failed to retract
the anti-Semitic remarks, did
not satisfy most critics.
Jackson also has offended
members of the gay and les
bian community for saying
homosexuality is a “lifestyle
choice” in contrast to race. He
made the comments last April
during the debate concerning
military recruiters in Portland’s
public schools.
Jackson seemed to be
reaching out to the gay and
lesbian community in his
latest apology. “I reaffirm my
commitment to serve in my
elected position with respect
to all— whatever their race,
creed, gender or sexual per
suasion,” he said.
Jackson admitted he did not
write the first apology. He also
continued to ignore calls for his
resignation.
target of an
Mark Wiener, a member of
Portlanders Against Prejudice,
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said that he couldn’t speak for the group but that
he didn’t think the second apology would affect
their recall effort. “There didn’t appear to be any
thing in Jackson’s latest statement...that would
lead us to change our plans.”
Wiener emphasized that most of the 30-
plus members of Portlanders Against Prejudice
once were Jackson supporters. “If Derry had
been forthcoming about his views before the
election, there wouldn’t have been a snow
ball’s chance of his being elected,” he said.
Wiener’s group might not be ready to move
on, but the school board members say they are.
They held a “positive and productive” retreat
Aug. 7 with representatives of Oregon Uniting,
an organization that has been facilitating dia
logue about racism issues for the past three years.
“In our dialogue this evening we are model
ing behavior to foster communication and
understanding,” the board said in a joint state
ment. “Where we have had disagreements and
misunderstandings and where hurtful statements
have been made, now we have come together as
a schcxil board, discussed these matters personal
ly and honestly and have agreed to move for
ward... because we have a significant responsi
bility to all students of Portland Public Schools."
It’s been a rough few weeks for Jackson. The
Oregonian reported Aug. 14 that he owes $5,510.84
in property taxes (money used to finance public
schools) and has filed for bankruptcy twice.
Willamette Week revealed Aug. 15 that Jack-
son was arrested and charged with menacing
after his wife told police he assaulted her in April
1998. The newspaper also reported he was cited
by Portland police for having an open alcohol
container in his vehicle in January 1994.
Continued on Page 9
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