tugone, Oregon 97403
Portland, Oregon
PORTI.
ERVER
VOLUME XIX NUMBER 26
_______________________________________________
JULY 6,1989
House Passes
Legislation To
Record Hate
Crimes In Oregon
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Columbia Villa Safety Action Team Community Service Officers Chris Shelton, Left,
and David Dixon, Right, Flank Team Leader Rod Englert
The caller from the Housing A u th o rity o f Portland (H A P ) had asked me to check out the changes at Colum bia
V illa in N orth Portland and hung up. Since this was the same C olum bia V illa that has received the “ death”
sentence from Portlands’ m ajor media outlets on more than one occasion, our curiosity made it a m ajor p rio rity.
So check it out we did-and what we witnessed and heard was hard to believe. Hard to believe because Colum bia
V illa has been stigmatized as Portlands’ “ W atts” or “ C om pton” . It has the largest concentration o f low -incom e
fam ilies (1200) in the C ity. I t is alleged to be headquarters fo r the CRIPS. It is also alleged to be headquarters
fo r heavy concentration o f drug dealers. Factually, it has had more than its share o f shootings, gang violence
drug a ctivity etc. According to the Portland Police department, C olum bia V illa is a high crim e area. A nd many
Portland police are accused by tenants in the V illa o f using this excuse as reason to “ show no m ercy” .
It has been called by some members o f the media ‘ A Haven fo r drugs, prostitution, gang violence and welfare
deadbeats” .
We shall argue neither pro or con concerning the allegations. Those are w ritten accounts, undoubtablt,
somewhat accurate, but grossly exaggerated, i f one were to believe what has been w ritten or reported about
Colum bia V illa in the months past. This struggling com m unity could be “ persona non g iu ta ” ,
welcomed.
And that is the problem. Because o f the adverse p u b lic ity , Colum bia V illa is virtu a lly ‘ ‘o ff lim its ” . A t least tw o
concerned tenants expressed dismay that, “ Nobody visits a nym ore , the o nly people we see out here are neigh­
bors and police, unless there is a problem and then, we see the press.”
But as o f A p ril, 1989, some one does care. Thru an arrangement worked out by H A P w ith M ultnom ah County,
a small police force o f w ell trained, w e ll disciplined county officers have policed Colum bia V illa w ith great
success. It is a rare occasion these days when a com m unity o f poor and downtrodden would welcome w ith
virtu a lly open arms a police force that moved in “ next door” .But the M ultnom ah County sheriffs safety patrol
under the supervision o f L t. Rod Englert has made a difference. L t. Englert has put new meaning into the
com m unity p olicin g concept. Using this approach at the V illa , he has gained the confidence o f w elfare fam ilies
and some gang members alike. His style is not just to police, but to interact and down play the com m unities fears
that all policemen are anti-B lack, anti-poor, John Wayne clones.
The safety team counselor, teacher, interprets the law i f needed, feeds some o f the kids who are hungry,
provides medical attention i f needed, plays basketball w ith tenants and generally speaking, goes beyond the
usual day to day operations o f a law enforcement agency. This tw enty- seven year veteran o f police w ork (tw enty
years w ith M ultnom ah County) has adopted the V illa as his own com m unity. A nd he has selected a crew w ith
equal strength and commitments. T heir interaction w ith the tenants has introduced “ o ffic e r F rie n d ly” to
C olum bia V illa . The Green uniform at the V illa is a welcomed s ig h t
When I left, the tenants were planning a barbecue fo r theofficers. This is in appreciation fo r showing that they,
the M ultnom ah C ounty sheriffs department, tru ly cares.
The tenants are once again m ingling freely in the V illa w ith little fear o f violence. The playgrounds are active
once more w ith a ctivity other than violence. The M ultnom ah County sheriffs department is truly m aking a
difference at Colum bia V illa . I t is an approach to com m unity policing that the Portland police could w ell
introduce to Portland, and perhaps they too could make a d iffe re n c e ..
PRIVATE INDUSTRY COUNCIL
OPENS NEW OFFICE
Targeting adults age 22 and above, the Portland
Private Industry Council celebrated the opening of its
Northeast office last week. The facility, located at 3034
N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd. will provide job train­
ing, which hopefully will lead to successful job place­
ment for 150 adults. A conference room is available for
community use and the pulic is invited to inquire. The
telephone number is 241-4644.
S upport O u r Advertisers!
Say You Saw It In The
PortlandObserver!
25C
oaicm - iviemoers ot tne House ot
Representatives today voted 40-20
to Pass Senate B ill 606 w hich re­
quires police departments to keep
statistics o f hate crimes comm itted
in Oregon.
“ Ia m very pleased this b ill passed as
few issues are as dangerous to our
dream o f realizing the fu ll promise o f
Am erica as the continuing tragedies
o f bigotry, religious intolerance and
racial hate,” said Representative Bev­
erly Stein, carrier o f the b ill. “ For
too long, hate crimes have either
been swept under the rug or ignored,
in part because no mechanism is in
place to distinguish them from other
crimes, and no statistical records are
kept
Throughout the country, anti-Semitic
and anti-homosexual incidents have
reached their highest levels in more
than five years. Oregon has not es­
caped in filtra tio n by racist, violent
groups such as the Skinheads as w ell
as other gangs. Gang related v io ­
lence is on the rise throughout the
state, occuring in Portland, C orval­
lis, Eugene and M edford. The crimes
range from harrassment to murder
based on race, color, religion and
sexual orientation o f the victim .
SB 606 requires police departments
to keep statistics o f crimes motivated
by prejudice based on a v ic tim ’ s
perceived race, color, religion, na­
tional origin, sexual orientation and
other classes described in the b ill. It
also provides fo r training o f officers
to recognize and report properly.
“ This b ill w ill enable law enforce­
ment agencies and police to track
and deter hate related crim es,” Stein
said. Stein represents D istrict 14 in
southeast Portland, Earlier in the
year, an Ethopian man was beaten to
death in this neighborhood by local
Skinheads.
Minnesota, W isconsin, M aryland,
V irg in ia , Oaklahoma, Connecticut,
Illinois and Pennsylvania are the only
other states that have legislation fo r
hate crimes. O f the seven, M aryland
has had the most success. M aryland
state police have recorded much prog­
ress in tracking hate crimes and stop­
ping them before they become felo­
nies.
SPENCER RECEIVES
Ruth Spencer was given a Spec
Recognition Aw ard by the DM>>
Committee at a school Board me<
ing, June 26. The award cites M
Spencer fo r the consistent endeav
to bring about better educational o
portunities for African American ch
dren. Since 1948 she has taught in
Portland Schools including Bois
E lio t, W oodlawn, Irvington, ai
Beaum ont
Mrs. Spencer taught at Georg
State College and Boston Colic)
and holds a Master o f A rts Dcgn
from New Y o rk University. She hi
done advanced studies at Boston Cc
lege.
Answering questions about tf
changes her activism brought to tfi
DMAC AWARD
Portland Public Schools Mrs. Spencer
said: “ There are tw o actions that
brought about permanent changes.The
firs t was the 1969 C iv il Rights Suit
against the PPS in which the Oregon
Supreme C ourt gave the C iv il Rights
Bureau the rig ht to review personnel
records o f public institutions. This
was a systemic institutional change.
The second was the 1977 suspension
& expulsion com plaint that resulted
in the DepL o f Health Education and
W elfare finding the PPS g u ilty o f
imposing disciplinary practices which
discriminated against African Am eri­
can students. As a result o f this fin d ­
ing, the PPS enacted, fo r the first
time, uniform policies, rules, and regu­
lations governing suspensions and
expulsions. However this does not
mean the rules are not violated.
Looking toward the future, what
needed changes do you see? “
The complaints filed w ith Region
X in 1981 concerning achievement
o f African-Am erican students, insuf­
ficient African- American staff, teach­
ing African-Am erican H istory, and
high school drop-outs continue to be
highlighted by D M A C and the Black
United Front as u n fu lfille d promises.
The future; more now, than ever, (
must include continued effort in these
areas.”
PHILADELPHIA MAN KEEPS
NAVY BLUE
ANGELS FLYING STRAIGHT
by Jeffrey Perron
Bruce D illa rd w ill spend about 300 days this year on the road, fly in g from
town to town, making sure a ll goes as planned for the Blue Angels 1989 air
show season.
D illa rd , the son o f Philadelphia resident M arian D illa rd , is this year’s
events coordinator for the N avy’ s F lig ht demonstration Squadron - Blue
Angels.
“ I set up all the air shows, from start to finish, for the whole team,” said
the 29-year-old Navy lieutenant. “ I handle any logistics o r operational
support that we need in dealing w ith the F A A , getting hotel accommoda­
tions and making sure we have transportation.
‘ ‘I start planning for the season w ith w inter visits to the various sites from
December to February. During the visits, we set the groundw ork for the
show and talk to everyone involved. Safety is our number one concern so
everything from crowd placement to area observation must be checked.
A fte r that, I keep in touch w ith them throughout the year to make sure all that
bases are covered before we show up,” he added.
To give you an idea o f the responsibility D illa rd has .keep in m ind that the
Blue Angels appeared before crowds o f more than eight m illio n people last
year.
D illa rd has to keep everything running smoothly, w hile constantly being
in the spotlight, and he seems to thrive on it.
“ I think the exposure we get is awesome. I t ’s a lo t more than in other
Navy jobs because o f a ll the different people we meet,” said D illard.
“ I really enjoy talking to people, talking to children. The v is ib ility is
great and i t ’ s fun. I think I ’ m having a too good o f a tim e to feel the
pressure,” he added.
The Blue Angels are a handpicked group, chosen from the finest in both
the Navy and Marine Corps. The crew is m ixed w ith enlisted men and
officers. Before becoming eligible fo r the team, the pilots have to log over
1,500 flig h t hours and have been part o f a aircraft carrier deploying
squadron.
D illa rd , w ho graduated from Drexel U niversity w ith a degree in opera­
tions and systems management, is a naval flig h t o fficer, w hich means
instead o f fly in g the plane, he rides in the back. He flies in the number seven
je t w ith the narrator, Blue Angels number seven, and loves that aspect o f this
jo b the m ost
“ I always wanted to fly , but I never got serious about it u ntil a few years
ago,” said D illard. “ And the fly in g you do as a Blue Angel is the best.”
The Blue Angels were established by Adm. Chester N im itz as a way to
keep people interested in naval aviation after W o rld W ar II. T ha t’ s s till true
today because the Angels target audience is young, talented people in the 17
to 28-year-old range to inform them o f programs offered by the Navy.
“ I think a career in naval aviation is a lot o f fu n ,” said D illa rd . “ The
challenges and rewards are unlike anything you’ ll do anywhere else. I think
it tests your strengths and weaknesses unlike any jo b in the w orld. I t ’s just
a neat way to live.
NOTICE!
A July ceremony at the corner of
Martin Luther King Blvd. and Ains­
worth will celebrate the placement of
the first King Blvd. sign. The public is
invited to the ceremony, which will be­
gin around 11 a.m.