146TH YEAR, NO. 170
DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019
ONE DOLLAR
ICE
detainee
welcomed
back home
Astoria man picked up by
authorities in December
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Volunteers who helped free Ruben
Perez, an Astoria man detained by immi-
gration agents in December near the Clat-
sop County Courthouse, gathered Satur-
day night in the Astoria Masonic Hall for
a welcome-home party eight days after he
was released.
“I want to thank everyone without
exception,” said Perez, flanked by his
wife, Maria Perez, and daughters Mariana
Perez, Selena Rios and Gabriella Velasco.
In December, Ruben Perez was
detained after he appeared in Circuit
Court on a probation issue related to a
drunken-driving case. He and his wife
were driving to the jail afterward to check
in with a pretrial release officer when
they were pulled over by unmarked vehi-
cles, and he was taken into custody, Maria
Perez said.
His detention localized the national
issue of immigration-related arrests in
and around courthouses, which some
judges and civil liberties advocates say
undermines the criminal justice system.
An immigration judge in Tacoma ear-
lier this month found that Ruben Perez
could be eligible to have his deportation
canceled because it would cause unusual
hardship on his wife and children, who
are all U.S. citizens, and because he has
lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years.
Ruben Perez spent 61 days in the
federal Northwest Detention Center in
Tacoma, he said. He was initially told
he’d only be held for about a week.
Volunteers with Pacific Unitarian Uni-
versalist raised money to post his bail,
and with a loan from retired doctor Frank
Erickson of Astoria, freed him Feb. 15.
Erickson felt it was one of the only
opportunities he’s had to make a real dif-
ference, he said. He related his loan to the
Perez family to the Refugee and Immi-
grant Center for Education and Legal Ser-
vices, a Texas-based nonprofit supporting
legal expenses.
“For every Ruben, there are dozens of
others without the support,” he said.
Despite seeing news coverage of U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
arrests, she couldn’t imagine what fami-
lies were going through until it happened
to hers, Maria Perez said.
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Greg Neitzel performs at the Labor Temple during the FisherPoets Gathering in Astoria.
FiShErPoEtS
tAkE oVeR AsToRiA
The Daily Astorian
T
he FisherPoets Gathering took over Astoria over the weekend, with readings,
exhibits, films and other attractions. The human orca mural was organized by the
Backbone Campaign, a conservation advocacy group from Vashon, Washington.
Several dozen people gathered under the Astoria Bridge
Saturday to form a human orca mural before the start of the
FisherPoets activities. The orca mural was organized by the
Backbone Campaign, a conservation advocacy group from
Vashon, Washington.
Duncan Berry teaches a class on a style of Japanese
printmaking using fish at Studio 11 during the FisherPoets
Gathering.
Dozens of people form a human orca mural under the Astoria
Bridge before Saturday’s start of the FisherPoets Gathering.
Drea Frost hangs a work of art to dry from a printmaking class
during the FisherPoets event in Astoria.
See Perez, Page A7
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
Ruben Perez, left, handed out pieces of
his welcome-home cake Saturday at the
Astoria Masonic Hall with help from his
wife, Maria Perez, center, and daughter,
Mariana Perez.
Volunteer driven by literacy for all
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
J
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
Judith Pearson, left, reads to third-grader Violet Dailey Friday
at Gearhart Elementary School.
udith Pearson, a retired
teacher, librarian and
technology worker, has
always loved books and help-
ing people of all ages improve
their literacy, from children
starting out to adults studying
for their General Educational
Development exam.
Pearson, a volunteer site
coordinator with youth lit-
eracy program Start Mak-
ing a Reader Today at Gear-
hart Elementary School,
was recently named its vol-
unteer of the year for the
North Coast.
“I’ve just always had a
strong drive to help peo-
ple improve their literacy
level,” she said. “I love the
SMART program, because I
work with kids, and they’re
always so spontaneous and
get so excited. It’s amazing
to see the level of knowl-
edge some kids have — Star
Wars, all about submarines,
or cats.”
Pearson first learned
about SMART while living
in Portland and unsuccess-
fully tried to get her parents
to volunteer. The nonprofit
tutoring program, started
by former Gov. Neil Gold-
schmidt in 1992, pairs adults
with at-risk readers in kin-
dergarten through third
grade. It serves more than
7,000 children at more than
200 sites. Children receive
14 new books throughout
the school year to keep and
read with their families.
See Pearson, Page A7