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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1986)
3 f r a T rances 5 cho?n -\e w «paper Rooa U n iv e r s it y o f Oregon L ib r a r y - utrene, O r^ro n 97433 PORTLAND OBSERNER Volume XVI, Number 36 July 16, 1986 25C f Schrunk Refuses to Re-Open Stevenson's Case by Jerry Garner Multnomah County District Attorney Michael D. Schrunk said his office could find no grounds to reopen the case mvol ving the death of Lloyd D. Stevenson. Stevenson, a Black security guard, was killed April 20, 1985 in front of a 7 —11 convenience store, after police applied a choke hold on him. Stevenson was married and the father of In order to reduce the high num ber of m ino rity s tu d e n t* in special education program s, educators m ust change their attitu d e s . Asa H illard. C hief D esegregation C onsultant for the D istrict told the School D istrict Board last w e e k P hoto by R ichafd j Rr(Jwn ________DMAC Issues Repot!------------- by Jerry Garner Last Thursday the Desegregation Monitoring Advisory Committee (DMAC) issued its end of the year report to the Portland School Board The Committee reporter! that although the School District has made “ meaningful effort" in meeting its goals for desegregation, the District must do more to in crease the number of minority tea chers and reduce the large numbers of minority group member students in special education programs. "DM AC has identified an under representation of ethnic teachers, administrators, and support staff in the special education area and would like to see the staff be more representative of the special educa tion student population," said Halim Rahsaan. Rahsaan, who is Chairman of DMAC Executive Committee, said therq is a total of 426 special educa tion teachers in the Portland School District; of that number, only 29 are ethnic teachers. Furthermore, he said there were only 12 ethnic administrators and support staff The District has 193 special educa tion administrators and support staff. Rahsaan told the Board that DMAC would like to see the District exercise "affirmative hiring to in crease the number of ethnic taa chers, administrators, and support staff to work with the high percen tage of children o, color in the spe cial education program. Asa Hillard, Chief Desegregation Consultant for the District, recom mended that the School Board re strict its recruitment efforts to the local area This would place the resources tfius saved into coaching and cognitive skills training for po tential local teacher training candi dates; and assist a locally identified group to move through teacher edu cation programs in local teacher education institutions Hillard said such efforts could be done on a collatrorative basis with local tea cher education institutions Hillard said that in order to reduce the high number of minority Stu dents in special education pro grams, educators must change their attitudes "Traditionally, special education is based on the assump tion that learners' basic conditions are "permanent" (especially learn ing disabilities). A real solution to the problem requires a shift h i think mg from the traditional pattern of special education to "something that is quito the opposite ’ Hillard went on to say that if the goal of the District is to return the children to a regular category of competent academic performers, the District must provide special services Ha recommended that the Board explore the concepts which he referred to as "diagnostic assess merit" and "remedial teaching", to see which approach better benefits the needs of the students "The Special Education numbers DMAC also suggested to the Board to develop a mandate to dose tfie achievement gap between Black students and majority stu dents within the next year The Ad visory Committee recommended that Dr Hillard continue to be used as the Chief Consultant for the Desegregation program. can lie reduced and the children who are returned to the regular class»“- can return with new cogni live thinking skills so that they are not a drain on the teachers, and will be able to match tfie regular course work " Hillaid said such an ap proach has been in operation in Isreal (or nearly three decades Besides DM AC's recommenda tion that the District hire more minority teachers and implement a new approach in teaching students with special needs, the Advisory Committee also urged School Board Members to expand its Supplemen tary Education for Elementary Dis advantaged (SEED) program. Project SEED is a "pilot project" that consists of instructional pro grams that demonstrate the power of teaching to make dramatic changes in student achievement in math, self concept, discipline, and in »elated school behavior. Hillard said students who have taken alge bra instruction in Project SEED, make two years gain in anthmatic achievement for each year of alge bra instruction five children. An inquest jury ruled that Stevenson’s death was the result of negligent homicide, but Schrunk's office couldn't get a grand jury indictment of any of the officers involved in Stevon son's death. Schrunk's office was asked to reopen the Stevenson's case by the Black United Front, after it was revealed that officer Bruce M. Pantley, one of the policement involved in Steven son's death, had lied under oath while testifying in a case accusing him of using excessive force against another Black man. Pantley, incidently, pleaded no contest last week to two misdemeanor counts of false swearing; he is scheduled to be sentenced August 4 by Multnomah County Circuit Judge Donald H. Londer. Schrunk said although Pantley lied about his educational background, he could find no grounds to call a grand jury to reinvestigate the death of Stevenson, He said Pantley’s educational background was a "collateral rather than material issue in the case.” Schrunk's decision to not reopen the Stevenson's case drew sharp criticism from members of Portland’s Black community. "In the past, Michael Schrunk has exhibited that he isn't con cerned with justice when the victim is Black," said one North east resident interviewed by the Observer. Herb Cawthorne, Executive Director of Portland Urban League, said that he was surprised that Schrunk decided not to reopen the Stevenson case, especially when Pantley's truthful ness has been questioned. "I would think legal and moral principals would lead him (Schrunk) to reinvestigate Steven son's death." In other related news, the City's Fire and Police Disability and Retirement Board denied officer Bruce Gary Harrington's request for full medical disability, based on job related stress. The Board voted 6 — 2 last Wednesday against Officer Harring ton's claim of job related stress disability. Harrington, who is the husband of former Police Chief Penny E. Harrington, could not be reached for comment. The Observer contacted the Harrington's home in West Linn to get a reaction to the Board's decision and was told that both Officer Harrington and the former Chief were out of town and not due back for two weeks. Jacob Tanzer, Gary Harrington's attorney, said he would appeal the Board's decision to Multnomah County Circuit Court. Graduate Shies From Acclaim An Thi Chau, brand new graduate of the Pnrtlan Community College Media. I.ibrary Assistant Program, hopes to find a job in the library of a local law firm . Chau worked in her natise Saigon as a legal assistant in the Supreme Court of Vietnam. (PCC Photo» Where An Ih i Chau comes (ruin, women shun ihe limelight. esen when they have earned it thus, the June graduate o f Portland Community Col lege was reluctant to have her story distributed to the media, even though her mentors at I f ’( ' believe it is a rather remarkable one The soft spoken, diminutive lady from Saigon agreed to all interview only when it was pointed out that by doing so site could encourage others, learning about her, to set ambitious goals o f their own Chau, wife and mother o f three, w ill receive an Associate of Sc icnce Degree hi ( leneral Studies alter completing the two year Mcdia/I ibrary Assistant cur riculum . one o f PCC s educational paiaprofession.il programs at Cascade Campus Although site started her studies at PCC with only rusty, high school level English skills, Chau is graduating with a cumulative grade point average o f < 94 out of a possible 4.0. Chau had worked as a legal assistant at the Supreme Court o f Vietnam in Saigon for 21 years before political un rest forced her to leave her job in 1975. l our years later, her husband. Tra It.inh Nguyen, and the couple's three children came to the United States ( Tiau opted Io slay behind with her aged mother until both could come to this country under Ihe federal government's < Irdeily Departure Program I he two women arrived in Portland in I9K t Sis months later Chau started her studies at Pt C's Sy lvania Campus She lust look classes in English, even tually enrolling in English As a Non- Native Language, a curriculum dc signed for those who need advanced skills so they can handle college-level classes m their chosen fields Chau plans to work as a legal library assis tant. She spent her "practicum ” this year working in the library o f the Portland law firm o f M ille r, Nash, Wiener. Hager and Carlsen. Chau enjoyed the experience so much she w ill continue there this summer as a volunteer, while looking tor a paying job " I love it there It is almost like liv ing in Vietnam again, because I spend some o f my time in the court, just as I did in Saigon " She said pursuing a life similar to the one six- left behind “ gives a comfortable feeling Meanwhile. Chau's husband is employed at Boeing o f Portland, a d iv i sion o f the aircraft giant which makes airplane parts m a plant near Troutdale Nguyen is a PCC graduate with an as sociate degree in Machine Shop Technology Chau looks back appreciatively upon her college experience "P C C helped me grow into a new life My teachers encouraged n x and pushed me ahead The school helps foreign students get rid o f their shyness and lonely feeling ” PCC also helped in a material way Dunng her years at the college, Chau was the recipient of a PCC Foundation scholarship and an award from the Margaret Mary Galati Memorial Fund for Refugee Assistance As it turned out. scholarships run in •the family Chau's IK year old daugh ter. Thao Thanh Phuong Nguyen, won three upon her recent graduation, with highest honors, from Henson Polytechnic High School The young woman w ill use the one conferred by the University of Notre Dame, where she hopes to work toward a career in medicine Thao also won recognition for her high school work in science and French, and was granted honors at entr ance by Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, and by the University of Port land Chau smilingly rchulfrd a sugges tion that the mother daughter scholar team be photographed together “ That might make my daughter proud," she said " I n her medical career it w ill be important that she not he proud " As for her own accomplishments. Chau was typically reticent "W h y should I be honored * There are many foreign students who have done |ust as well as I." Perhaps not loo many
