Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1989)
♦ ♦ w »e» - ♦ < • < < «- ♦ * # < *•> ♦ > •« er Roca >rory T ty o f • ' - f I -»• •i A'i’ P o rtla n d . O re g o n •'THE EYES AND EARS OF THE COMMUNITY" C om m en tary N/NE COMMUNITY CONDEMNS FIRING OF OLLIE SMITH IN TERN A TIO N A L AW A RD for the Inner Northeast Smoke D etector Pro gram is displayed by City C om m issioner Dick Bogle (left), Fire Bureau Public Education O ffice Jim C raw ford, and Com m unity activist LaN ita Duke. The program was recognized by the International A ssociation o f Fire Chiefs as the best fire prevention program in the world. Bogle is com m issioner-in-charge of the Fire Bureau, Craw ford spearheaded the sm oke detector program, and Duke enlisted 120 citizen volunteers to aid in the effort. T he area where smoke detectors w ere installed houses 5 percent o f Portland's population, but ac counted for 26 percent o f the city's fire fatalities. There have been no fire deaths in the 18 m onths since the program started. A bout $1.5 million dollars o f federal funds will flow into the Portland area over the next five years for "Operation Bootsrtap," a new federal program designed to help unem ployed and underem ployed people gain econom ic independence. In one o f the first new H ousing and Urban D evelopm ent (H U D ) program s under Housing Sec retary Jack K em p, the Housing A u thority o f Portland (HAP) was awarded 50 Section 8 certificates for housing subsidies-approxim ately one-third of total allocated to O regon, W ashington and Idaho. O peration Bootstrap targets fam ilies unable to achieve self-sufficiency due to family problem s such as a lack o f housing or em ploym ent or alcohol and drug dependence. The program will link qualified fam ilies with services to help them overcom e those obstacles. W hile H A P provides the funds for a stable housing situation, the Private Industry C ouncil, Portland C om m u nity College, and M ount Hood C om m unity College will involve the fam i lies in jo b training and counseling program s and offer jo b referrals. O p eration Bootsrap w ill be instrum ental in helping to break the cycle o f hom e lessness, as homeless families and those w ith special needs will be referred to the program through helping agencies such as Portland Im pact,Bradley Angle House, and Human Solutions. The local program will be coordinated by the Neighborhood Revitalization M anagem ent Panel, which will appoint a task force to develop a detailed action plan to im plem ent the services. HAP's partners at the M ultnomah County Community Development Division will provide staff support to Operation Bootstrap to enable the program to serve needy families in East Multnomah County. "Operation Bootstrap provides a "whole person" approach to solving the prob lem o f poverty, "H A P Executive D i rector Don Clark says. "It pulls to gether all the partners in our com m u nity to work as one in helping people break out o f the cycle and succeed.” The imagination and creativity o f HAP, the local HUD office, and the O pera tion Bootsrap partners played a large role in the success o f the application. Nationally, this new program is still evolving, and HUD is looking to the local housing agencies to help develop the structure needed to build on the program for die next funding year. ECCLESIA CHILDREN IN STATE CUSTODY O ctober 14 m arked the first anniver sary o f the tragic death o f 8-year-old D ayna Broussard, O n that evening one year ago. C hildren's Services Division took 53 children into protective cus tody and sheltered many o f them temporarily at H illcrest and M acLaren Schools while recruiting addiuonal foster homes. O f the 53 children, 40 still rem ain in foster homes, T heir ages range from 1- 15. Eleven children have been placed with relatives in California and two were reunited with their parents. O f the 4 0 children we continue to care for in foster placem ents, 6 children may be placed with relatives outside Oregon. W e have 20 foster homes in four coun ties caring for the children. The total cost for their care was approxim ately $545,000 as o f July, 1989. So far, the Clackam as Juvenile Court has conducted hearings on 15 families and 45 children. The court has found that all o f the children need the protec tion o f the state. Judge Robert Morgan will finish the hearing in late October. Judge Morgan will oversee the juvnile court proceedings for all 18 Ecclesia fam ilies. In addition, five adults affili ated with Ecclesia have been convicted o f m anslaughter or crim inal m istreat ment. The children in C SD ’s custody attend public schools and have participated in a wide range o f activities during the past year. Judge Morgan has required C hidren's Services Division to make m onthly unsupervised group visits available for all o f the children and fam ilies. Tw o o f these group visits have taken place. Som e o f the children continue to need m ental health assistance. A prom inent Portland child psychiatrist specializ ing in post-traum atic stress syndrome has volunteered to work with CSD staff supervising the care o f the children. Planning for the Ecclesia children rem ains focused at reuniting children and parents w henever possible, as soon as possible. Som e progress has been made. Since late sum m er, parents have begun efforts to find work and estab lish households. PORTLAND OBSERVER 2 8 8 -0 0 3 3 ■lA. Roy Jay/Mildred Schwab To Host Gàia Benefit Portland business entrepreneur, Roy Jay, has been tapped >o host the second annual Oregon W omen in Travel Fun N' Fund Raiser to benefit the Bradley-Angle house, a non-profit organization providing shelter and related services to battered women and their children. The event "CASINO NIGHT" is scheduled for Saturday, November 11 starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Airport/John Q. Hammon Trade Center. Donated prizes continue to flow in for the benefit from local businesses and corporations including a multitude o f airline tickets from at least 3 major airlines, along with Hawaiian vacations, lodging and much more. Mildred Schwab, form er Portland city council woman, will be the co-host for the evening. Admission is only $15 each o f $25 for two. Tickets are available from most local travel agencies or Larry's Sports Center, Catalyst Book Store, American Express Travel O ffice or by writing O regon W omen in Travel, Box 8211, Portland, Oregon 97207. Tickets will also be available at the door. Event organizers anticipate a record breaking overflow attendance at this years e v e n t ► * <► *• A • A fc k«* « V a * • • • • * • • » ■ - ■ ■ <-■ ' • * By Dan Bell Friday O ctober 12th members from N/N.E. Portland m et at the King Facility to voice disatifaction over the upbrupt firing o f O liver Smith (Ollie Smith) an aide to M ayor Bud Clark. Smith a long time a aide in the mayor's office had served as a liason to the N/ N.E. com m unity since Clark's elec tion in 1984. A panel com posed o f citizens from various agencies within the N /N £ . com m unity addressed the incidentof Smith's dismissal with observations regarding Smith's capable facilita tion o f com m unity concerns to city hall and that he participated in many community forums thatt addressed concerns o f the residents of the in- ner-city. Harold W illiams, spokeperson for the Coalition of Black Men noted that as a liason Smith helped to Bridge the gap betw een city hall and the N/ N.E. com m unity. This gave the impression that mayor Clark was was concerned about the quality of serv ice the.city provided to the com m u nity. How ever with Sm ith's firing he concluded that this was not the case .and that Clark had relied on er- roneuos information to make his decision. Reverend Joe Hardie, President of the Albina Ministrial Alliance ex pressed confusion over the matter saying that this type o f abuse has been faced by the black community for years. "It appears that blacks are the last hired and the first fired" He also commented that Sm ith served the com m unity as a role model to the t- & fi* youth;That he was informs com m unity issues; respe . me cry o f the people wi .hout p ition; and he was accessible to tli^ com m u nity on call. Reverend Har tie sum marized that there were questions that needed to be answered How will the Black community nov acess the mayor?. W hat channels will used for the black com m unity to b • h ;ard- with the same or equal repre s t a tion offered by Ollie Smith?.W hen can members in leadership roles in the N/N.E. Portland m eet with the mayor concerning the plan on V. > r“V & -:V restructuring and staff operrations to help clarify the need for the dis missal o f O llie Smith?. The most strident criticism came from Ron H em don.chairm an of the Black United Front. Herndon directly as sessed Dan Steffey, Chris Tobkin and Tim G allagher for removing Smith. He singled out Steffey as being the prime m over in the dismissal is Steffey the Director o f the Bureau of Community Developm ent for the mayors office. Herndon said that Steffey envisions him self as the "overseer" o f the black community and that O llie Smith refused to be an "Uncle Tom ". Herndon stated fur ther that Steffey adm inisters an of fice that functions prim arily on fed eral dollars, how ever there are no blacks in a decision -making positi position on his staff. There are over 1776 employees effected by the funds under the bureau auspices but blacks make less up than 4% of the work force. Herndon said that Steffey exerts an undo am ount of influence on the mayor and there was a question as to who is the real mayor in Portland . Herndon left open a suggestion that residents o f N/N.E. Portland should consider withdrawing their support if present conditions persist. According to the Oregonian Bud Clark read a prepared statem ent outside his office reponding to the panels statments. "The accusations are so outrageous that they cannot stand uncorrected. My staff and Dan Stef- fey in particular were accusedof pro moting racism within my offi filée. Frankly I am having a hard time understanding the motivations be hind these accusations. Tim G allagher, Clark's executive assistant indicated to the press that Clark will not reconsider the deci sion to fire Smith. HANK SFCURl I V m lk ó ’» » A K •'-Í& O : £ I È- Í* IFCC Seeks Black Male Actors for February Production Director Rick Jones annoaunces further auditions for THE MEETING, Jeff Stetson's powerful script about a fictional m eeting between Malcolm X and Martip Luther King. Two black male actors between the ages of 25 and 40 are needed. Actors must be available for daytime matinees as well as evening performances. Auditions w ill be held at the IFCC, Monday October 23rd from 7-9 p.m. and are BY APPOINT MENT ONLY. Please call Judy at 243-7930 to schedule a read ing. Senior Citizens and Pets - A Winning Combination P O R T L A N D -Scniorcitizensw ho share their lives with pets live longer and are happier, according to a national survey. Pets for People is a national cam paign sponsored by the Ralston Purina Com pany, and is specifically designed to help seniors adopt pets from humane societies. The O regon Humane Society participates in the program here in the Portland area. Pets for People covers adoption fees, initial veterinary care, a starter kit, and also pays for mandatory spaying or neutering o f the adopted anim al if it has not already been steril ized. This program not only benefits people, but it puts shelter anim als into loving homes. Seniors interested in the Pets for People adoption program should con tact the Oregon Humane Society at 1067 N.E. Colum bia Blvd., telephone 285- 0641. The Oregon Humane Society is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. IT’S OFFICIAL: Charles Jordan, former Portland City Commissioner and Model Cities Director has informed Commissione; Mike Lindberg that he will accept the position of Superintendent of Portland's Bureau of Parks and Recreation. The Community and the Portland Observer welcome his return. Monday's announcement puts an end to several weeks of speculation which arose, primarily, from uncertainty as to whether Mr. Jordan planned to run for Mayor in 1992. This issue seems to be resolved as does the question of the city's assumption of relocation costs; commissioner Dick Bogle has offered a compromise that is described as politcally acceptable. 'The Eyes and Ears ol the Community ► *•-*«* ♦ • ♦ ♦ ♦ < Factually speaking it took a heroic effort by several factions within the community, spearheaded by concerned parents to force the issues to be re classified a top priority. Only then was a plan o f action developed and imple mented. His neighborhood re-vitalization strategy was and remains in a complete state o f shambles, and only since new life was injected into the plan by the community (spearheaded this time by Northeast Coalition o f Neighborhoods) do we see som e rcsembulance o f posti ve results. Economic developm ent for North/ Northeast too remains a no show. If the mayor has one, it needs to be announced. Oregon is fortunate to have a G ov ernor who refused to succum b to hys teria and call out the National Guard as requested by Bud Clark. His request for the military along with his lack o f action on other Portland problems, point out one immediate need for this city: P o rtla n d needs new lead ership! Only then will this city be consid ered for its graceful role as a liveable city in the '90s. Former Portland City Commissoner To Return (For more information on Opera tion Bootstrap or any HAP housing program, please call Public Affairs Coordinator Carol Jelinek at 249- 5514.) • ♦ A funny thing happened to Portland on the way to this city being declared one o f the "nation's m ost livable in the 1980’s." Bud Clark was elected m ayor in 1984. Portland's experim ent with a tav ern keeper as C.E.O . o f a m ajor metro politan has developed flaws too num er ous to c o u n t Considering his judgm ent on the city problems o f budget, drugs, gangs, economic developm ent and neighbor hood revitalization, one could say Mayor Clark pours a very good mug o f beer. W ebster's new word Thesaurus defines leadership as adm inistration, effectiveness initiative, foresight and influence, am ong others, h .^ v a lu a tin g the role the m ayor has played in regards to the aforem entioned, one could easily conclude that this city needs new leader ship. As m entioned numerous times be fore in this publication, gangs and drugs gained prom inence in Portland only af ter the mayor's office ignored its own police intelligence, who working in close liaison with the Los Angeles and Seattle police departm ent, subm itted a report about the potentially violent im pact in Portland. But, as historically noted, because the initial im pact w ould be in North/Northcast Portland, gangs and drugs becam e a low priority. •’ > 25C ERVER New Leadership Needed in Portland OPERATION BOOTSTRAP FOR NEW HOUSING PROGRAM V i Queenie Samuel (left) congratulates Geneva and Paul Knawls as they crossed the finish line doing the First Annual Mayors Walk-A-Thon held on Sunday., Sept. 24, 1989. The course covered 26.2 miles through the Greater Portland Metro Area. New Location Portland Observer 4747 N.E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97211 NABSE National Alliance of Black School Educators 17th Annual Conference The N ational A lliance o f Black School Educators (N A BSE) 1989 con ference will be held N ovem ber 15th- 19th in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Hilton will serve as the main headquar ters. NABSE currently has members in 40 states as well as Canada, G reat Brit a n , W est G erm any, and the Caribbean, m em bership includes superintendents, adm inistrators, curriculum specialists, and teachers w ho serve in institutionsof learning throughout the nation. j2,000 A frican-A m erican educators are ex Dr. Matthew Prophet, Superinten dent o f Portland Public Schools, and Dr. Ernest Hartzog, Assistant Superin tendent o f Portland Public Schools and former NABSE president, serve as the Honorary Chair and co-Chair of the conference. Portland Public School's A frican- American Baseline Essays and the origi nal model of Effective Schools Research formulated by the late Dr. Ron Ed monds predicate N A BSE’s 17lh annual conference theme: A frican-A m erican History and Life. pected to attend ■ ■