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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015
Saadat: Overt forms of discrimination may be resurfacing
Continued from Page 1A
“And it changes the way we
think of the dynamic and, per-
haps, our approach to making a
change.”
Pleased that she lived long
enough to see progress toward
civil rights and equality and the
election of President Barack
Obama, she cautioned that some
of the overt forms of discrimi-
nation in the past, such as poll
taxes that kept many blacks from
voting, might be resurfacing in
cation laws.
“Why do you want to keep
people from voting? Who wants
to keep people from voting?
What is the outcome of that for
the individual, for the collective,
and for the entire unit — the
government?” she asked.
“If you’re not asking your-
self these questions. You should.
You should. It’s important.”
Saadat also said protests over
the Ferguson shooting and sim-
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
The crowd listens to a speech by Kathleen Sadaat Friday at the Judge Guy Boyington Building.
ilar unrest in cities across the
United States and the world are
driven by some of the same so-
the civil rights movement.
“When I say movement, I
want you to envision hundreds and
hundreds of people all across this
country singing, praying, march-
ing, determined to make a dif-
ference. Somebody got them out
of their chairs, out of their living
rooms, out of their kitchens,” she
said. “And people said ‘no more.’
“That feels to me like some
of that’s in the air right now.”
The Clatsop Community
College appearance was pre-
sented by the Lower Columbia
Diversity Project and the col-
lege’s Isms, Obias and Us Com-
mittee. An evening event at the
Judge Guy Boyington Building
was presented by the Lower Co-
lumbia Diversity Project.
Organizers are also planning
to honor King with a candlelight
walk through downtown Astoria
tonight at 5:30 starting at the corner
of 12th and Commercial streets.
At the Friday evening event,
Saadat spoke of King’s emphasis
on what he considered the triple
evils of poverty, racism and mil-
itarism and the need for all peo-
ple to work together toward the
“dream of a beloved community.”
She preached against cyn-
icism. “Don’t let go,” she im-
plored. “Hold on. Don’t let go.”
Emily Carlson, 21, a Clatsop
Community College student,
said it was moving to hear from
someone who had faced dis-
“Hearing it from the heart of
somebody that experienced it,
it’s really meaningful,” she said.
James Sherman, 19, who
serves in the Oregon Army Na-
tional Guard and is involved
with the Tongue Point Job
Corps, said Saadat’s perspective
is something he is not used to
hearing from his fellow soldiers.
“I kind of got another per-
son’s point of view,” he said.
Saadat said after the com-
munity college appearance that
the value of speaking about race
and equality with audiences in
places such as Astoria, which is
predominantly white, is “getting
people to think.
“If they choose to think, they
will,” she said. “And, perhaps,
because they’ve been in this
or two people here with whom
they can talk about these issues.”
Trial: Defense attorneys claim possibility of
death penalty requires additional time to prepare
Continued from Page 1A
Alana Smith and her father,
Gregory Smith, have both ex-
pressed a desire to have the case
tried as soon as possible and not
to delay the case another year.
Preferably, they would like the
trial this summer or no later than
winter.
“The defense is essentially
arguing that their need to pre-
pare trumps any right of the vic-
tim to a speedy trial,” Marquis
wrote.
The dispute over the trial
date will be brought up at the
next scheduled hearing 2 p.m.
Thursday in Clatsop County
Circuit Court before Judge Cin-
dee Matyas.
Smith’s defense attorneys
William Falls and Lynne Mor-
week to Marquis’ motion for a
“date certain” for the trail.
Falls and Morgan claim the
possibility of the death penalty
requires additional time to pre-
pare Smith’s defense.
Smith, 40, of Goldendale,
Wash., pleaded not guilty Aug.
12 to aggravated murder and
attempted aggravated murder.
Smith is accused of drowning
her 2-year-old daughter Isabella
Smith and cutting the throat of
Alana Smith in Room 3302 at
the Surfsand Resort.
Smith’s defense attorneys
cite a 429-page law journal from
Hofstra Law School that argues
defense attorneys are allowed
more time in cases involving the
death penalty.
Marquis said he has not de-
cided if he will pursue the death
penalty.
In his response, Marquis
admits the law journal does
summarize some American Bar
Association guidelines for pro-
viding effective defense coun-
cil. However, he questions parts
of the law journal that he says,
“urges the highly controversial
use (not known by the state to
be allowed yet in Oregon) of
so-called Defense Initiated Vic-
tim Outreach.” A DIVO defense
team member reaches out to
victims, survivors and family to
help the defendant minimize re-
sponsibility for the death.
“The state is at a complete
loss to understand what rele-
vance a highly partisan article
authored by many well-known
defense lawyers and frequent
defense expert witnesses stress-
ing the need for mitigation in-
vestigation has to do with the
trial setting,” Marquis wrote.
Another reason Falls and
Morgan give for delaying the
trail is they are both already
scheduled for trial this year in
two aggravated murder cases
McDowell: ‘I take charge in anything I do’
Continued from Page 1A
McDowell’s back on deck
now as a section leader of oth-
er student deckhands.
“I’m very strong-minded,”
she said, crediting the trait
to her grandmother. “I take
charge in anything I do.”
She interned with the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers on
the Port of Portland’s dredge
Oregon for about a month,
dredging around Sand and
Miller islands in the lower
Columbia upstream from As-
toria.
“I dealt with the same thing
there as I did here,” said Mc-
Dowell, adding that she once
again earned respect through
her work.
Many women at Tongue
Point get their Ordinary Sea-
man designation, said Mon-
tero, as it can already get you
a good chance at job and is
easier than going for the more
all-encompassing Able Bod-
McDowell said she’ll be get-
ting the middle of next month.
“It’s patience,” she said.
“I’ve seen two females here
get fed up, say they didn’t
want to do it anymore.”
Between 95 and 97 percent
of all graduates get jobs af-
ter leaving Tongue Point Job
Corps, said Montero.
McDowell wants to help
transport people and equip-
ment across water. She wants
to start as an oiler, whose main
job is lubricating the engine,
with Edison Chouest Off-
shore, a global marine trans-
portation company based in
Louisiana. Her ultimate goal
is with the Military Sealift
Command, which provides
transportation for the Depart-
ment of Defense.
— By Edward Stratton
Gift: ‘The Westport community has been
a good neighbor to us for the past 50 years’
Continued from Page 1A
million, DEQ allowed the
land to be donated in 2013
and the process was complet-
ed in December, topped with
the celebration Friday.
“The Westport community
has been a good neighbor to
us for the past 50 years and
since we weren’t using the
property, it made sense that
we donate it to the county so
a nice facility could be creat-
ed for the community to use,”
Vice President and Mill Man-
ager Steve Francoeur said.
At the Friday event, Clat-
sop County Parks Manager
Steve Meshke laid out some
future plans for the donated
property, which include an ex-
isting recreational boat launch
ownership, the county can
formally pursue grant funding
to complete its Westport Cor-
ridor and Community Plan.
The county’s proposed plan
outlines improvements to the
boat launch and park area and
access to the Westport Ferry
landing.
The plan relies on possible
funding.
Meshke said he will sub-
mit a grant application to the
Oregon State Marine Board
by a March 31 deadline to
fund improvements to the
boat launch parking lot, possi-
bly add restrooms and to help
with the permitting process.
Once that is secured, fund-
ing will be sought for paving
the parking lot and building a
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Georgia-Pacific Wauna Mill Vice President and Mill Man-
ager Steve Francoeur speaks at a celebration to recognize
the land donation that opens the door for a new Westport
park. After a lengthy process that started in 2004, the mill
completed the donation in December 2013.
new boat launch. Eventually,
plans will move toward build-
ing new trails and rerouting
Plympton Creek Creek back
to its original channel.
“In March, we will have
something to at least get the
parking lot cleaned up and
start the permitting process,”
Meshke said.
Lower Columbia River
Council Watershed Coordi-
nator Margaret Magruder —
who is spearheading the effort
to reconnect Plympton Creek
with its historic channel,
which could have a positive
Friday she is seeking letters of
support for possible grants.
State Senator Betsy John-
son, D-Scappoose, who at-
tended the celebration event,
assured the room that she
would gladly sign a letter of
support on state Legislature
letterhead.
“This, in my view, is anoth-
er chapter in what I consider
outstanding corporate citizen-
ship,” Johnson said. “I think
this is going to have regional
known as a boat launch and as
such an attractive amenity. You
are going to attract visitors
from all over the place.”
Kristi Ward, spokeswom-
an for the Wauna Mill, grew
up in Westport and said the
donated property presents a
real opportunity for the local
residents.
“If the community gets
behind this, they can do what-
ever they want with it,” Ward
said. “The sky is the limit on
this project.”
in Clackamas and Multnomah
counties.
“Defense counsel have
pointed out they each have one
other major case scheduled
now. I would point out that my
co-counsel, Ms. (Dawn) Buz-
zard is co-counsel in TWO ag-
gravated murder cases (includ-
ing this case),” Marquis wrote.
“The state’s point is that the
ability to work on a single case
at a given time is in fact a ‘luxu-
ry’ few lawyers enjoy.”
Smith’s defense attorneys
also said they do not yet know
who they intend to call as wit-
nesses and what evidence they
intend to introduce in trial be-
cause they are in the very be-
ginning of preparing this case
for trial.
From Sept. 4 to Dec. 8, Mar-
quis has provided almost 2,759
pages of police reports, 36 sep-
arate CDs and DVDs, 853 pag-
Associated Press file
Jessica Smith is escorted from Clatsop County court after
a hearing in her murder trial, Oct. 7, 2014, in Astoria. At the
left is one her attorneys, William Falls. Smith is charged
with aggravated murder and attempted aggravated mur-
der, in the drowning death of her 2-year-old and cutting
the throat of her teenage daughter.
es of photographs and detailed
copies of the defendant’s state-
ments to the defense counsel.
that the defense is delaying as a
“trial strategy.”
The defense’s proposed tri-
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al date of 2016 would be more
than two years after the incident.
“The need of the victim in
particular to know WHEN she
might be required to give testi-
mony against her own mother is
no small matter,” Marquis said.