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Harrison fired
by Robert Lothian
James Harrison brought a compul
er lab and a kindergarten to St A n
drew School during his three years
Police Chief Penny Herrington listen* Intently at recent Boise Asso
ciation meeting where latest account* of Lloyd Stevenson death were
ajred
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
A new police version
by Lam ia Duke
C R A S S R O O T N E W S . N .W . —
The official police version o f what
happened April 20 recently was up
dated and caught some residents o ff
guard. However, the latest account
related at a recent meeting o f the
Boise
Neighborhixxl
Association
by Police Chief Penny Harrington,
is closer to eyewitness accounts o f the
event as reported in the Portlund O b
server April 25 and M ay 2.
Harrington said there were three
telephone calls to the police. The
first car arrived at 11:05 and was
called away to a higher priority call.
"T en or 12 minutes later the store
called again and said a fight had
broken out with the shoplifter and
they needed help now In addition,
the service station attendant called
juid saic a fight was going on and
somebody was going over there with a
gun," explained Harrington.
She said it
officers saw two
groups o f people — the shoplifter
and the clerks near the store and a,
the other end o f the parking lot an
other group was shouting and yelling.
Harrington said the police noticed
Stevenson backhand a service station
attendant and Pant ley intervened.
"The attendant backed up and
was quiet while Stevenson was still
pushing in that direction. Officer
Pantley pul his hands on Stevenson’s
shoulder and Stevenson said some
thing to the officers he did not hear.
Stevenson kept pushing and hit him
(Officer Pantley). Other (three) o ffi
cers jumped him from behind and
each side. They took him to the
ground, put the hold on and hand
as principal.
He credits the kindergarten with
causing a turnaround in declining en
rollment at the small Catholic ele
mentary school with about 80 students.
Harrison said a "team concept"
and sensitivity to the special needs o f
students, many o f whom come from
low income families, has made the
school popular with parents.
"W e started something here three
years ago." he said. " W e like each
other, we enjoy working together and
that’s bang broken u p."
In March, Harrison was informed
by St. Andrew pastor James Coleman
that his contract would not be re
newed, allegedly for refusing to recog
nize the authority o f the St. Andrew
school board and parish council in a
dispute over whether the St. Andrew
Clothes Closet should continue at
the school.
Five teachers and the school secre
tary — almost the entire staff — re
signed in protest of Harrison's firing,
and a group o f parents picketted
Sunday services at St. Andrew
Church.
"Next year, you’re going to have a
completely new school,” said H a m -
son. He said that if he was offered his
job back he would probably refuse
because of what he described as in
sulting treatment by the church lead
cuffed h im ."
Edna Robertson, one o f the com
munity leaders Harrington called
alter the tragedy, immediately noticed
ership.
Harrison said he is filing a grievance
with Portland Archdiocese school
the different story.
" I dont think the story was related
to you correctly. The question in my
mind is, here you have a young man
who was a karate expert, who knew
how to break a hold like that. I have
to think someone in the line has lied
to you. You did your duty and related
to me what was told to you. And a lot
of truth was not told to you from the
very beginning."
One resident left the meeting
saying, " I believe she was set up.
Some o f those officers didn’t want a
woman as chief and gave her a bum
officials.
The trouble began with the Clothes
Closet, which draws up to 150 low-
income people to the school on Thurs
days for free clothes.
Harrison said Clothes Closet clients
wait in the hall and roam the school,
disrupting classes and bothering stu
dents. One little girl went home with
wet pants because she was afraid to go
to the bathroom, and the kindergarten
teacher told him that "Thursdays are
wasted" because of the noise, said
Harrison.
" I don't think (the Clothes Closet)
should operate while school is in ses
sion,” he said.
He offered suggestions, including
moving the Clothes Closet to a room
with an outside entrance, but his
suggestions were ignored, according
story.
Legislators nix contra aid
by Robert Lothuin
As President Reagan lobbied for
$14 million in aid for the contra
rebels fighting to defeat Nicaragua’s
Sandinisia government, the Oregon
legislature passed a joint resolution
calling for an end to the aid.
Senate Joint Memorial 3 urges the
President and Congress to provide
“ no further aid in any form , includ
ing but not limited to funds, material,
personnel, or operational or policy
guidance to counterrevolutionary or
other private military or paramilitary
forces conducting military activities
against the civilian population, na
tional territory or government o f
Nicaragua."
The memorial urges a cut-off ol aid
flowing through "any nation, group,
organization, movement or individ
uals."
It also calls for the United States
to assist with the earliest possible
resolution of armed conflict in the
Central America region, "by any
means possible.” including through
the Contadora peace negotiations
sponsored by Mexico and Venezuela.
Ttie bill’s language condemns "the
campaign ol terror conducted by
contra military forces with the finan
cial and material assistance of the
United Slates government and opera
tion and policy guidance by official
United Slates agencies and person
nel "that has caused thousands of
deaths, woundings and kidnappings
o f Nicaraguan civilians, including
many children, women and elderly
steadfastly refused any changes. They
say that Harrison has done a good
job as principal but that he failed to
understand the church's mission to
low income people.
When Coleman asked Ham son to
sign a letter supporting continuance
of the Clothes Closet at the school.
Harrison refused. He said his refusal
was based on Portland Archdiocese
regulations which mandate him to
protect the educational environment
and which stipulate that church lead
ership should stay out o f school ad
With severe economic problems at
home, "the money can be better spent
supporting needed programs in this
country,” according to the bill.
Two Oregon legislators who have
visited Nicaragua, Sen. Jeannette
Hamby
(R Hillsboro)
and
Sen
Margie
Hendriksen
(D-Eugcnc),
sponsored the joint resolution
A copy of the revolution was sent
to the President, the Secretary of
State, Congressional leaders and
Oregon's Congressional delegation,
most of whom voted against Reagan's
latest bid for more contra aid
to Harrison.
Holding the Clothes Closet out
side o f school hours or moving it
would be inconvenient for clients suf
fering from hard limes, according to
the church leadership, who have
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ministration.
" I am irritated that I have been ap
pointed as professional to administer
the building, and my professional
Ì
JANAE HAIRSTYLE
ism isn't taken seriously," he said.
St. Andrew is known for its many
programs for low income people, and
for offering sanctuary to Central
American refugees. But underlying
St. Andrew's progressive image, said
harrison, is a paternal, "do-gooder"
attitude coming from some members
of the school board and the parish
4711 N. Interstate
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249-8440
ENROLL NO W FOR
Portland Public Schools
Fall HEAD START Program
council.
" I think the school board and the
parish council are more concerned
with the image o f St. Andrew than the
reality." said Harrison. "Nobody
talked about the justice o f the de
cision. the parents wanted to talk
about justice."
At one meeting parents were told
there was no room on the agenda to
discuss th ar concerns, he said, and so
they moved to another room and be
gan planning the picketnng During
another meeting at the end o f April,
the church leadership refused to give
clear answer about why Harrison
wav fired, and 15 people walked out,
according to Harrison.
Harrison said he has received no writ
ten documentation o f the charges
against him. " I have been given vague
statements but no reasons. . due
process was not involved," he said.
At Irvington and King Schools,
said Harrison, parents agitated to get
rid o f teachers and principals they
felt were racist At St Andrew, they
said, "they are saying l a ’s keep peo
ple in the interest of good education."
" I think the picketting shows that
people believe this is a gcxxl school
and an application.
A M and PM sessions.
and they want to keep it."
Harrison lives with his wife Bar
bara and three daughters (one attends
St. Andrew kindergarten) in the
Laurelhurst area He grew up in
The Duke Report — Portland's
Urban Contemporary News Show.
Our journalistic focus is youth,
neighborhoods and Portlanders of color.
New York City, receiving a B A.
from Hunter College before leaving
for West Africa and two years as a
Peace Corps teacher. He taught at
Cleveland High for seven years and at
Grant for one year before coming to
St. Andrew.
Sunday, M onday, Thursday and Friday
9:00 p.m . - 9:30 p.m .
23
CHANNEL
NE residents
to meet state reps
C H A NNEL
MRS. C’S
WIGS
Residents of North and Northeast
Portland are invited to have an op
portunity to discuss current legislative
issues with their State Representatives
on Saturday, May 18, from 10:00 to
11:30 a m. M ajor issues to be dis
cussed are: fighting Crime — Are We
Too Tough or Not Tough Enough?,
What is the Legislature Doing?.
State
Representatives
Margaret
Carter (Democrat, District 18) and
M ike Burton (Democrat, District 17),
have set aside this lime for free
"Donutes and Coffee" with con
stituents. The constituent coffee will
be held at the Snack Bar, Portland
Community
College,
Cascade
Campus, 705 N. Killingsworth.
The public and press arc invited.
M»ny wig» priced »1
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oft already marked down
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M aM ve
Betty CiB'n* Proprietor
to NAOMI S M S ANOAI OOUOtAS N A T A lK C O U » M C H A Il
persons."
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