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