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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2002)
apri 19.2002 » gm aout j | | Q » p T c T T T T T n ^ otu ^MIVC recent events— such as the Special Emergency Response Team investigation, J ‘ 1 1 the Damon Woodcock job stress settlem ent and the alleged assault near Stephana's— affected your opinion of the Portland Police Bureau? B B S s •rtte B foUeT lleged inexcusable behavior by two off- duty police officers should not alarm citizens; we have a responsible bureau, and suggestions that any community in our city thinks that past history is a factor in this incident are totally immersed in ignorance. This is Expressions of Human Dignity M onth; don’t you think a little inclusion of it by our media would be a responsible change? A N orm C osta Portland hese are very difficult prob lems for the bureau. In my opinion, I believe the resolution to the SERT incident was a fair decision. It is now history. I do n o t know all th e details o f the D am on W oodcock situation. T his was an o th er diffi cult situation for him and th e bureau. T h ere was a resolution, so now it is a done deal and is history. T h e assault near S tep h an o ’s is still under investigation. T h e chief has told the Sexual M inorities R oundtable w hat now is being done. The bureau will conclude the investigation and take the appropriate action where it deems necessary. T hen it will be history. My personal opinion of Portland police is very positive. W ith the budget and resources that are available to them , they are doing a great job. Is there room for improvement? Sure, but every day they strive for as much perfection that can be had under the present budgetary constraints. Continually bringing up the past every time T In addition, the caption accompanying speaker Dan A llender’s picture misleadingly states that he will “teach Christians how to heal homosexuals” at this conference. Again, nowhere does the fellowship claim that Chris tians or anybody else can “heal” homosexuals. Rather, Christian belief—in line with Orthodox biblical teaching— holds that hope for healing and restoration from the devastating effects of all types of sin, including homosexuality, only comes through relationship with Christ. Clearly, rather than objectively report on this topic like he did with the other 15 briefs in that issue, Radosta felt the need to editorialize and insert his own bias not only into the infor mational content of the fellowship’s conference but also in his final paragraph, where he com ments on the totally unrelated issue of Exodus relocating its national office from the Pacific Northwest to Florida. In terms of professional journalism, I was disappointed to see his per sonal bias and catty “parting jab” included in the format of a compiled news column. C aleb R ainman Portland Marc my words To E ditor : arc Abrams is running for circuit court judge in M ultnomah County. I’m writing to urge voters to elect him to that position. the M there is an incident at the bureau for sensation alism sometimes causes pain for those who orig inally were involved who have to relive that event again through the media. O nce an inci dent is resolved, it is history and should not be repeated every time there might be another related incident. R o ni L ang Portland y opinion of the police bureau hasn’t changed much because it was low already. I thought the chief’s so-called apology after his tapes were publicized (“I am sorry for the effects M He has shown his fairness, strong sense of value for civil liberties and dedication to respect for all people by his long and impressive history of community service. I have worked with him as he served on the Board of Education for Port land Public Schools and the Multnomah C oun ty Citizen Involvement Committee. I have appreciated Marc’s strong support for the rights of sexual minority families, including students and parents. His stand for us resulted in the ban on U.S. military recruiters in Portland schools because of discrimination against queer servicemembers. Even th o u g h congressional th reats to w ithhold all federal aid to education has forced the board to alter the policy, that stance had a profound im pact on th e safety of all students, w hatever their actual or per ceived sexual orientation. It also sent a clear message to all teachers and administrators th a t the board would n o t tolerate discrim ina tion against us. We need that kind of courage and convic- of my words") was evasive. He sounded like a child who was sorry a cookie jar fell down in his vicinity. I have atten d ed m ost o f th e Sex ual M inorities R oundtable m eet- ce th en and have con- they are a waste o f tax payers’ m oney. O n ly a few nonpolice members show up at most m eetings, and th e co chairs discourage th e discus sion o f current issues and h av e expressed c o n tem p t for newcomers who wish to discuss th e ir experiences. N ew topics are dismissed as “brush fire issues,” and m uch o f the tim e is spent o n bylaws and mission statem ents. O n e o f our co-chairs recently spoke to th e m edia (th e Tribune made it sound like she was speaking for th e whole roundtable), claim ing “fences have been m ended.” I’d guess th a t although a cou ple of strands o f wire have been retied, a p ret ty big herd (of differing view points) still is w andering through th e giant hole. W e need a b etter way for concerned people to com m uni cate w ith the police. * ln n ° ^ e 4 B E * * * * 'e n C e A # ' * e t ’í * M t e n t ' VC 503 3 2 0 - U ‘n. .m a ^ osa P hil W agoner Portland n 6 X t Were you satisfied w ith the ending of Kissing Jessica Stein, or were you hoping she would “go gay"? Respond a t w w w .ju stout.com . (D on't forget to include your nam e, city and daytim e telephone num ber.) Injured? ...Call me Proudly serving our community since 1989 in personal injury claims including: tion in the judges who preside over our courts. Vote for Marc Abrams. • Auto & Motorcyle Accidents L ianne T hompson Portland Keeping a straight face To E ditor : ’m a member of the straight community, but I’m concerned for the common rights of all human beings. I just want to say thanks to the Just O ut staff for your ongoing coverage of issues that affect us all and particularly for reminding us nonqueers of the continuing injustices not covered elsewhere. You have many supporters outside the sexual minorities community. Please continue to inform us of what’s going on, where to demonstrate, who to write to and how to make a better world for all. Hala Gores, P.C. Attorney at Law the I B ill F oust Portland N o w a c c e p tin g op inion s on all topics in "Letters to the Editor" at w w w .ju s to u t.c o m W -w - justrrm Serving Oregon's Gay, lesbian , Bisexual & Trans Communities for 18 Years Free Consultation No Fee Unless You Recover 503 / 295-1940 12 th Floor 621 SW Morrison Portland FïïTTTTfTTTlTPTO FA BA » ■ in tm n M • Bicycle & Pedestrian Accidents • Medical Malpractice • Wrongful Death • Defective Products • Insurance Claims You Deserve full Compensation for: • Pain & Suffering • Medical Expenses • Lost Earnings • Property Damage • Car Rental Integrity , E xperience ^ R e s u lts 5
