^<*ge 2 Portland Observer Februar} 21, ! 990
N e w s A round T ow n
P ortland O bserver
County Audit of Performance
Releases Tax Audit
313 NE VVYGANT
HÛIÎT LAND, O il S7211
3OJ 202-3533
ilJfc
1
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P o r.-aru — M _ tzjocuh Ccimry aud.-'-e
D ir 1 « * » sodxv re la x e d i p e rio rB u n .e
a - c z o i the A ssessm eci « tc Taxation Di • i-
u o e. The report seals » iUs the accuracy « id
iem eu .:( a e c sx rr. i •ew xrca. n l a r r i i . j .
tax assess.- . c i s
h ancte said the majority o: hom es » e re
b e ..-j assessed a t values w idu* 10 percent
o f w hat - 'e y » ere w o rth oo the o pen m a r
ket. B - t there - a s a jrr.ii-x y for asseii-
csents to decre ase as tne v al ^e o f use home
increase-i M a n , lo w e r > i . z c hom es were
o v er assessed. trie r ow ners w ere paying
snore ta x than t h e , sh o u ld . H ig h e r priced
hom es o e the o t h a hand le a d e d co be under
assessed. trie..- ow ners tended to pay less
tax cruet they sh o u ld
1» a n cie said, 61 o f 9 9 residential neigh
borhoods sam pled had as erage assessm ents
w id u B 10 percent of » .ta t the properties
were worth. Forty percentofriom es is these
areas had assessm ents th at differed by m ore
than. 10 percent from » hat the property sold
for State la » says assessm ents should be
w ithin 10 percent o f » h a : trie property is
worth.
For com m ercial properties, the average
^Imagination is as good a s ^
many voyages — and how
much cheaper.
The
Portland Observer
X e w sp a p e r
PORTLAND OBSERVER
FAX #
503)288-0015
4747 N .E Martin Lother
King Jr., Blvd.
(Formerly Union Avenue)
A Letter to the Community
b , J.C. Cowan
Manager, Single Family Housing
Portland Development Commission
difference bet w ees » - a l trie property sold
for. and the assessed « alae. was about 17.5
p ercen t
F ct residential properties. the average
difference betw een » h a t the property sold
for and the assessed value w as about 14
p ercen t
V ader assessm ents occurred prim arily
as Southw est and N orthw est P ortland Over
assessm ents w ere found in N orth. N orth
lishes incom e and fam ily size guidelines
that determ ine w ho’s eligible for the loans
O ne unique aspect of our loan program
is the opportunity for borrow ers to work
with a PDC housing specialist. O nce ap
proved for a loan, the specialist w orks with
the hom eow ner to identify housing m ainte
nance problem s, help prepare construction
budgets, prioritize work, obtain bids and
m ake certain all the work is com pleted
properly The housing specialist w orks on
each step of the repair project to provide a
personal serv ice tailored to the homeowner.
east and Sc-_f.east P o rtla n d
b an.i .e s a d the B eard of County C om
m issioners and the public should b e kept
better inform ed about the accuracy and
taim ess o f county assessm ents “T h e As
sesamen « Í T axiocn Dn s e e has an c c c g x c n
to render a com plete and understandable
account of the accuracy and fairness o f its
assessm ents d ire c t), to the public C hanges
in the way the county esttm ates property
values, a rd reports o n its perform ance m
doing so are se e d e d .“ I . artete said
Iv an.cie asks trie county to consider the
recom m endations m this report tn. order to
im prove property assessm ents throughout
M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty .
Black United Fund
Sponsors Forum
The Black United Fund of Oregon is
sponsoring a four part series of fun
draising forums. The purpose of
the forums will be to give com m u
nity-based organizations basic in
formation about developing diver
sified fundraising stratedles. The
first forum in the series is on AL-
TERXATTv’E FUNDS. March 1. 1990
from 9-11 a.m. at the King Neigh
borhood Facility. Deb Ross Co-
Director of McKenzie River G ather
ing and Eunice Letzing. Executive
Director of ATerritory Resource will
present information on the applica
tion process for their perspective
funds. In addition, they will dis
cuss the similarities in funding pri
orities of national and west coast
alternative funds. The subsequent
forums will be as follows: March 28
Private Foundations: April 25 Cor
porate Giving Funds: and May 30
Special Events Fundraising. The
series will end with two half-day
workshops tentatively scheduled for
Ju n e 13 and 27 to review fundrais
ing strategies of agencies th at have
participated In the series. For addi
tional information, call Elizabeth
____
Waters at 282-7973.
J .C . C o n a n
Mr. Jones w is blm d and living in North
Portland in a hom e w ith m ajor roof leaks
and decay ing front steps. A call to the Red
C ress H oaxing H otline connected him with
the Portland Dev eiopmen.t C om m ission, the
C ity s urban renew al agency. A fter talking
with a PDC finance advisor, M r Jones
qualified for a low -interest loan to fund his
home repairs- M r. Jones benefits from a
new roof and stairs: the neighborhood benefits
by keeping a good neighbor and preserving
good, safe housing.
The PD C ’s Single Family H ousm g loan
program has been operating since 1968
with a strong com m itm ent to preserving
neighborhoods. T hat early com m itm ent is
still in piace along with a national track
record the program has earned for innova
tio n and perform ance. The program is aimed
at k»» - to-m oder are-incom e households—
households earning less than 8 0 ^ o f the
m edian family' incom e. It offers those who
could not continue to m aintain th en homes,
k)» - interest loans for repairs o f health and
safety concern. The loan program is one of
many PDC housing program s w hich, to
gether with other city program s, m ake a
difference in the quality o f life in our n eigh
borhoods.
Since 1985PD C ’sSingleFamuly Housing
program has loaned $8.7 m illion to repair
1.670 houses. H om eow ners qualify ing for
the program can receive interest rates o f
0%. 3%, at (fit. Portland’s BiaeauofCommunity
D evelopm ent determ ines eligible neighbor
hoods. and the federal governm ent estab
Address _
C ity____
t h e H oyt C h o ir o j H arlem
State _
O n N ational Tour
7 ;.e * r!d rer. wned Boys C hoir of Harlem is scheduled to visit more than 40 cities and towns in the L S. betw een February a,id J,Iy,
I99iJ, in a tour sponsored by the second straight year by the Pepsi-C ola Company. With a repertoire o f spirituals, gospel, the classics and
xJcrn m m e , the choir m em bers attend the Boys C hoir o f H arlem 's school and they m ust m aintain a "B average in order to rem ain in
CREED OE THE BLACK PRESS
The Black P re « hetteva that America can best lead the world away from social and
national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color, or
creed, full human and legal rlghu. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black
Frew strives to help every person In the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone
. Z ip .
Phone
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1 Year - $20.00
_ 2 Years - $35.00
(A llo w 2 lo 3 weeks fo r D e live ry)
Outstanding Corporate
Business Award
tsbeid back
ERVER
PORTLfi
OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PUBLICATION
ExtabUhod in 1970
Allred L. Hender«orVPutikkh«r
Laon Harria/Gonaral Manager
Joyce Washington
Sales/MarKa’ang Dveckx
O«ry Ann Qarnett
Qu&inata Manager
r o K T L A V D O IS U V t a
II povllllua »,,»17 »7
KlU ruW llllInt ( Olii»«,? Ir»
« ta t N . t M L X - Bll«,
ronw aa, Origaa S t i ll
s«« n r
r<inta«a, orn i»« n w
r.o.
(503) 28B-0033 (Office)
Deadlines lor H submitted mataríais
A/Vdas: Monday, 5 p.m.; Ads: Tuesday. 5 p.m.
The FOUTLAISO O S S U IV t R wWotxTw« l ' i i n r c » M r s M e r s
« M phatogiwirw shonU ba d a w ,
laaalak arW an* ba rabanad I Mtsnvarua* by a »a« aM>asnaa anaalopa M c'aalad Saaignad daeWy adi
bacama Wa sola waoarty o< iha rawspapai an* can aal ba «aad at « h a , p u tm o a m oí panana uiaga Mhowl
Wa a<«lan aenaanl al Iba (anaial managa«. «nWa« »W e*am haa p v e b a a ^ lha cw rw o ilo n al »ue* ad , SM
ponnxM) oesrRvtR m i romis Rtscnvio. Rtpnooucto« w wwou on h
ptnuissiON o pnoneitEO
paat without
SabawekwW ' »20.00 pai yaar In lha To-Caarty w a a .
Tha PO RILA RO O a W R V t R - Oiagan a aMati «nean Anwncan P«Abeaben- ,a a twnW ai W Tha Nalonal
Hawapwaai «atacaamn - Taonkad w IMS. Tha Oiagen Naaaapapai Pabkahaia AaaooaMn. and Tha NRonjJ
AkraiSw«* HawaaartaRva Aarwganwsad PakRahars. Ina., haw YaW.
G eorge L. Knox, S taff Vice President,
Public A ffairs. Philip M orris C om panies
Inc., right, accepts an "O utstanding Corpo
rale Business Award” for Philip M om s from
the N ational M inority B usiness Council,
Inc. (N M B C ) With Knox is John F Robin
son. President o f the NM BC who presided
at the C ouncil's 1 Oth A nniversary Business
Awards Luncheon recently at the G rand
H yatt Hotel in New York City. One o f the
five national corporations honored by the
N M BC, Philip M orris was identified by the
Council lohave increased us minority suppliers
from 1,500 to m ore than 2,500 during the
past tw o years, "accounting for m ore than
$238 million spent with minority businesses
in 1988."
There is much satisfaction to be gained
from a program that sees real results: an
older couple on fixed incom e is able to
install a home security system ; a single
m other is able to lower her m onthly bills by
w eatherizing her hom e and fixing her bro
ken furnace. In addition to providing loans.
PDC encourages the use o f m inority con
tractors for repair projects. My staff and 1
rem ain com m itted to the preservation of
single fam ily housing as healthy neighbor
hoods are the backbone o f a great city. For
more inform ation about our housing p ro
gram s visit P D C ’s Eastside O ffice, 1425
N.E. Irving, or call 230-9550.
"Glasnost" For American
Educators And Publishers
_ New Subscription
_ Renewal
_ G ift Subscription
N am e_________________
Company.
T he 90 s will bring special challenges
and change for P D C ’s hom e loan program.
We will be looking for new ways to im
prove the program and m ake it m ore re
sponsive to the com m unities it serves. C it
ies across the nation have traditionally looked
to the federal governm ent for m oney to
help finance housing program s. A s these
dollars dim inish and com petition for them
increases. PDC will look for new and inno
vative ways to obtain money for its housing
program s. The PDC has entered a success
ful partnership with Security Pacific Bank
O regon to help fund these program s and we
will continue to seek such public/private
partnerships. As m oney for our housing
program s becom es m ore difficult to get, it
will also becom e increasingly im portant to
target existing housing dollars w here they
are not needed.
P D C ’s Single Fam ily H ousing program
is only one o f the tools em ployed in the
fight to keep neighborhoods vital for the
citizens o f our comm unity. R evitalization
is one piece of a broader city plan that
includes program s to reduce crim e, unem
ploym ent, and drug and alcohol addiction—
problem s contributing to decline in our
neighborhoods.
— O ur front page article o f February 7 (H istory As A Weapon O f Racists) has provoked so
many inquiries from readers w anting more inform ation on 'A lexander P ushkin', the great
. African poet w ho raised Russian literature to w orld class status, that we reprint the follow ing
ty M cK inley Burt.
>y P rofessor M cK inley B urt
G rove Press, 1967, 1969.
The new Russian policy o f “glasnost" is
As w ith many o f E urope’s geniuses of
defined as openness. May we take this opportunity
A frican Descent who influenced the d es
to dem and a forthright expedition o f this
tiny o f that continents' affairs, there was in
process at hom e as well as abroad1
Pushkin a very early m aturation o f talent.
For instance, we need to m ost im m edi
At the age o f 12 he entered the Im perial
ately develop reading program s and su p
Lycee at St. Petersburg where, incredibly,
porting m aterials that high light the great
his passionate outpourings led to his b e
B lack contributions to the w orld's finest
com ing R ussia's leading poet at the age o f
literature. T here is o f course the vaunted
15. His first poem "R em iniscences o f T sar
w orks o f Byron, Yeats. T ennyson. L ongfel
skoye Selo" was not w ritten in the conven
low and Poe, but w hat about the m agnifi-
tional French o f the Russian intellectual
cient w orks of the authors o f A frican d e
circles, but in Russian. Russia had at last a
scent— w hoseworksiwith notations ofancestry I
would provide m otivation and self-imagery
great poet using her own language; “W ith
one cut o f the sw ord Pushkin had freed
for A frican-A m erican students: Pushkin.
Russian literature from the ties that were
Dumas(es), SamuelColeridgeTaylor. Robert
keeping it enslaved."
Brow ning, and m any others.
The passage below from the “In tern a
Ale xandcr Pushkin (1779-1837): Today's
tional Library of Negro Life and H istory"
article is about this A frican-R ussian liter
acy giant who changed the history of R us
( p . I l l ) indicates that Pushkin’s pow erful
sia (and the w orld) for all tim e to com e w ith
pen was a pow erful force in die overthrow
the passionate hum anity o f his prose and
o f the C zars o f tyranny, and w as crucial to
poetry. In direct relevance is “T he C ap
the development of that mindset which blossom
tain's D aughter”, a historical novel o f epic
ed into the Russian Revolution. "Placing
proportions, a story of the p easan t’s revolt.
the language of his people among the w orlds'
In this country and as late as 1940, two o f
m ost im portant, Pushkin cried out for free
dom and protested bondage and serfdom ...
Pushkin's shorter w orks appeared in many
prim ary school readers; his m ost popular
becam e spokesm an for the poor and o p
pressed."
poem, "T he Fisherm an and the F ish" and
Marx, Lenin, and K erensky have their
“T he G olden C ockerel", a fairy tale o f great
beauty and fancy.
due in Russian history, but most o f us know
Two o f his novels were converted into
that it is first the soul o f man w hich m ust be
fam ous operas; “ Boris G odunov" (M us-
reached. Ale .ander Pushkin did just this in
sorgski), and“EugeneOncgin"(TchaiKovsky).
shaping the psyche o f the Russian m asses
At the library you will find a m ost inform a
w ith o u tsv o rd o rc annon— th isgreatgrand-
son of G .n cral H annibal, the freed A frican
tive article in the "N egro H istory B ulletin,
M arch 1948; The N egro’s Literacy Influ
slave who becam e chief m ilitary engineer
for Czar, Peter the Great.
ence on M asterpieces o f M usic (pp. 134-
137)". A lso, if you can find it, there is
Several lines from Pushkin’s poem, “©de
to Liberty", say it all:
“ Pushkin, the Shakespeare o f R ussian" by
Boris Lee B rtsol, N.Y., 1931. More recent
“O h shake and shiver, tyrants o f
and of special interest to English teachers
the World,
developing lesson plans( we hope) is “Pushkin:
But lend and ear ye fallen slave
A B iography", D avid M agarshack, N.Y.,
G ain courage and rise."
Say You Saw It In The
Portland Observer!
!