SEPTEMBER 21. 2007 |U StOUt
northwest
A SUPERB “QUEEN ANNE”
Neighborhood Watch
A restoration of unbelievable quality awaits you on a
grand scale! I he character, chemistry and detail creates
the cozy appeal! A lovely 95 X 100’ lot surrounded by a
One organization wants to hold
petition signers accountable
white picket fence draws you to the homey front porch
Inside this beauty exudes detailed woodwork, wood floors,
a parlor, breakfast room, a dazzling new kitchen, 3 or 4
bedrooms, 2 baths, full basement and a newly built over
by Julie Sabatier
size double garage with 300 sq ft loft. Only a 15 minute
JHF now Thy Neighbor Oregon made a big
I J splash when it launched a Web site late
not afraid,” she continued, adding cryptically, ‘TH
just say two can play the same game, but I’m not
going to say anymore. There’s a lot of information
you can put on the Internet."
Berg says Shannon has the wrong idea about
Know Thy Neighbor’s intentions. “This isn’t about
violence or intimidation; it’s about a democratic
process," he said. “We want a level of responsibili
ty that some people don’t realize comes with the
initiative process.”
Know Thy Neighbor Oregon has elicited mixed
reactions from those who support both domestic
partnership and nondiscrimination laws. “It’s very
confrontational,” said Kendall Clawson, who
relocated from Massachusetts with her wife to take
over as executive director of Q Center. “While
1 love the idea, I get a little nervous about how
people will choose to use the information and
whether there’s risk involved with that.”
Brian Grose, former bias crimes detective for
Portland, said he does not think publishing names
and addresses online will lead to violence. “On
a professional level, I don’t foresee any problems
happening because of it," he explained. “I person
ally think if you’re going to sign something, stand
up and say you signed the damn thing.”
According to Toleos, Know Thy Neighbor groups
in Massachusetts and, more recently, in Florida have
last month, announcing its intent to
I
publish the names and addresses of those
Wk who sign petitions seeking to refer
Oregon’s new domestic partnership law (House Bill
2007) and nondiscrimination law (Senate Bill 2) to
the 2008 ballot.
“After ¿time of the rhetoric we felt in the hear
ings and also how they are really mobilizing around
hate and really attacking our families after we’ve
been fighting for so long, we couldn’t just sit by
while they tried to repeal these two measures,” said
23-year-old Brandon Berg, the spokesman for
Know Thy Neighbor Oregon.
Berg, who is gay, grew up in Idaho and moved
to Oregon five years ago to attend Lewis &. Clark
College. The former Basic Rights Oregon intern
says he was active in grassroots efforts to support
the legislation. In addition to holding down a full-
time job as an event manager for a small company,
Berg says he volunteers 15 to 20 hours a week to
the Know Thy Neighbor effort.
The group has yet to incorporate as a nonprofit
and has thus far raised less than $500, he adds. He
estimates he has spent $200 out of his own pocket on
expenses like phone lines and Internet hosting for
the organization.
r,
drive to downtown Portland!
A value at $499,950!
Call Judy Berrett at 503-318-0483 for a private showing!
Free “24 Hour” Audio Tour 1-800-903-1892 x 2066. View online at: www.15202SERupertDr.com
JUDY B. & CO. • 503-924-3434
KELLER WILLIAMS
www.j udy berrett .com
A
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Judy Berrett, Principal Broker - 23 Year Veteran
Y
'"D avid W. O wens
P. C. & ASSOCIATES
serving the community since 1975
A ttorneys at L aw
Serving Oregon & Washington
503-224 3100
DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS
ADOPTIONS • ESTATE PLANNING
WILLS • TRUSTS • ADVANCE DIRECTIVES
POWER OF ATTORNEY
GUARDIANSHIPS AND CONSERVATORSHIPS
www owens law com • 101 SW MAIN, SUITE 700 • Portland, Oregon 97204 • Parking Validated
Dwkcatrd to protecting AIL Oregon (amilu-s and creating a
Know Thy Neighbor Oregon
respectful honest and civil dialog within our state around
the issue of gay and lesbian equality
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10 Days Until Anti-Family Signatures Are Turned in
With only ten days left until ami-family.
pro dWcrumnatton groups turn in their
About
signatures to overturn Oregon s Domestic Partnership law and Anti-Discrimination hw
Orinbuit Todi»
we ve qot to ramp up our fundraising to prepare for the entry of well over 120 000
Mtcfu Inauirirt
(at least 55^ 79 for each referendum'
Votame*
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Fraud, Deception and Illegal Activity Plague
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Arponn’c Anti-Gay Gmnnc
Know Thy Neighbor is shedding light on petition signers.
According to Berg, Know Thy Neighbor
Oregon started with a small committee of five
people but now has a growing roster of volunteers.
Although it is a largely local effort, the group has
gotten a lot of help from Aaron Toleos and Tom
Lang, co-founders of the flagship Know Thy
Neighbor organization in Massachusetts.
Toleos and Lang launched a Web site in
September 2005 in response to a petition drive by
Vote on Marriage, a group that collected signatures
for a bill that would have outlawed same-sex
marriage in the Bay State.
“It’s a veiled threat,” said former state Sen.
Marylin Shannon, R-Salem, who is part of Defense
of Marriage and Family Again, one of the groups
circulating petitions to refer HB 2007 and SB 2 to
the 2008 ballot. “We’re not Massachusetts. We’re
served a secondary purpose: uncovering fraud.
The signature-gathering effort in Oregon has
already garnered one serious complaint, which Know
Thy Neighbor Oregon has featured prominently on
its Web site. Political activist and former lobbyist
Ellen Lowe filed the complaint with the secretary of
state’s office Sept. 4, stating that groups gathering
signatures were misleading potential donors by call
ing themselves a political action committee.
The signature gatherers have until Sept. 26 to
collect the 55,179 signatures required for each
successful referendum. Shannon and David Crowe,
executive director for Restore America, another
organization working to gather signatures, are keep
ing mum about how close they are to that goal.
Watch the Just Out blog at www.justout.com for
updates. © .
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