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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 1991)
I • » » » c o U t v i ' / o i • »>'»■ » • » •»» • • « » • / ♦ • » » ♦♦ ♦■ < » ♦ < * • V* •' ♦'* * » « < « if ♦ > ♦ *• * » 1 <r * < < <** < * * < < r * * * * ♦ V ♦ V ♦ m r FM UFE K T M OF OUR HOOK ÖKERVER PORTL Volume X X I, Number 12 'The Eyes and Ears o f The Community" Center Closure Eminent Without Funds.».Now Ron Daniels alludes to the shamefulness of war PAGE 2 Retaining Religious Duality, by A. Lee Henderson Grace Collins with her kids PAGE 3 he Grace C ollins M em orial C om m unity Center which was founded by Grace and Evelyn C ollins over 40 years ago is facing yet another threat o f shut down. The Center has been plagued with numerous problems recently includ ing threat o f closure by C hildren’ s Service D ivisio n in October, 1991 for violations that had gone uncorrected fo r some time. W ith support from a few o f the parents whose children are cared fo r at the Center, some con cerned citizens from the com m unity and some public o fficials, the board o f Directors chaired by Ralph L. Davis o f the M ultnom ah County S h e riffs Department, won a ninth hour appeal and was granted a temporary license. The Jefferson Dancers prepare for a busy spring PAGE 4 The Center, under the direction o f Stan Peterson has been operating according to plan and is up fo r a fin al CSD review in M ay o f 1991 at which time CSD w ill determine i f sufficient progress had been made in the areas o f staffing, sanitation and curriculum . A t this time CSD expresses optimism about the future o f the Center. The regulatory agency has taken an unprecedented and excep tional ro ll o f resource and support o f the Center to assist during this period. The Center has operated as an in tentionally subsidized program since it was founded. M iss C ollins and her mother Grace C ollins wanted to pro vide low cost day care fo r mothers who wanted to w ork rather than remain on welfare and other assistance programs. Local student seeks funds to visit Africa PAGE 5 The Harlem Renaissance and Marcus Garvey examined in upcoming book ■ 8 r PAGES Vera Katz urges Governor Roberts to respond to the gang problem PAGE 8 Unified School District Fund Raising Event For The Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Fund The M artin Luther K ing, Jr. Schol arship Fund o f Oregon is having a fund raising banquet to commemorate the life o f Dr. K ing on Saturday, A p ril 6, 1991,6:30 pm, at the Red Lio n Jantzen Beach Hotel, Portland, Oregon. Dr. George J. McKenna III , super intendent o f the Inglewood U nified School D istrict w ill give the keynote I* I INDEX News Religion Entertainment News News News Classifieds Bids/Sub Bids Next Week In thg, Locker Room: Robert Parish: A Sec ond Wind, by Ullysses TUcker, Jr. 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 9 Dr. George J. McKenna III Superintendent of the Inglewood address on “ Recommitment To The Dream...Educating Youth For The W orkforce In The 90’ s And Beyond.” As the principal o f George Wash ington Preparatory High School, lo cated in south central Los Angeles, Dr. McKenna developed and implemented the preparatory school m odel, a progam stressing academic excellence at all levels. In four years, he successfully changed an inner-city high school that had been tom by violence, low achieve ment and lack o f com m unity c o n fi dence into a school which now has an attendance waiting list, and where nearly 80% o f the graduates enroll in college. Because o f his success, Dr. M cKenna’ s programs are being w idely modeled throughout the nation. The scholarship fund incorporated in 1971, and located on the Portland State U niversity campus offices do nated by the U niversity, has provided about 1,700 scholarships to students: totalling more than $400,000 in educa tional assistance. Better than 95% o f the contributions are utilized in direct scholarship assistance, w ith the small remainder going to defray the operat ing expenses as a n on-profit charitable corporation. These contributions have been made available to the fund over the years through the generosity o f corporations, organizations, and mem bers o f the Oregon com m unity, who are concerned about the future o f our youth. Proceeds from this event w ill pro vide scholarship assistance to m inority students who m ight not otherwise be able to get a college education. Make a com m itm ent to jo in us for this celebration. Tickets may be pur chased for $30.00 per person at the fo l low ing locations: Ms. C ’ s W igs: 707 N.E. Fremont, G I Joe's: A ll Locations, H ouscof Sound Record Shop: 3634 N. W illiam s. In keeping w ith that mission the Cen ter has continued this practice and until recently had been able to oper ate at a loss because o f contributions from friends and support for the w ork M iss C ollins was doing in the com m unity. The Center was also able in past years to obtain grants from such organizations like the C ollins Foun dation, Fred M eyer and the Tem ple ton Foundation. Several churches, prim arily outside the Community have been ongoing supporters o f the work o f Miss C ollins. Today many o f the past support ers have passed on and their contribu tions have not been replaced. Rates at the Center have gone virtua lly un changed yet the cost o f all aspects o f running the Center have increased. The Center runs deeper in the red w ith each passing day. Miss C ollins and the Board have w ritten nearly 1000 letters during the past three months to local churches, organiza- ubns, private individuals in the city and around the state and public o f f i cials, local, state and federal, many o f whom know Miss C ollins and her w ork in the comm unity. W ith all their combined efforts the Center is barely able to make pay ro ll from week to week for its 18 members who are paid only m in i mum wage and have no benefits. The Center's worst financial woes are now facing it in the form o f unpaid payroll taxes in collection w ith the IRS. In order to pay staff the Center has calculated wages and made all deductions, but has not paid payroll taxes assessed on a quarterly basis. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 Congressman Wyden Hosts Town Meetings M arch 20,1991 A Lion At Bay? BY PROFESSOR MCKINLEY BURT Oregon-who at the beginning o f his tenure received a carte blanche accep here is a common saying when tance from taxpayer, staff and commu a person is caught in a deep, nity alike. Today, however, the climate pensive pose,” Y o u ’re a study is in remarkably different. And the man is “ defensive, indignant” it is said. The blue...what on earth is on your m ind?” Black United Front is “ angered.” That was the immediate reaction It is the school board, o f course, when we saw school superintendent which has earned the same critical ap M atthew Prophet’s full-page portrait praisal as the “ lion at b a y ". This is not on the cover o f the Sunday Oregonian a situation where comprehension yields Northwest Magazine. The feature ar sim ply to being made aware o f such ticle, ‘ ‘ The Perils o f Prophet: The Head O f Portland’ s Schools Feels The Heat” , transgressions as when “ Prophet and board member Joe Rieke took steps to undoubtedly brought the same pensive keep a labor agreement w ith classified school workers quiet u ntil after the election-chief Deputy Donald M cElroy in agreement.” School board member Joe Rieke is directly quoted, “ We are attacked fo r behavior in the p olitical arena, and attacks like that divide people.” Wasn’ t something once said about ‘ Caesar’s w ife ’ ? Reader may recall that last July I did a two-page spread which highlighted, among other gross and arrogant fa il ures o f this district, a description o f a black parent’s frustrating exchange with the implacable mindset o f Portland’ s Matthew Prophet school board. B riefly, this particular look to our own features. Hardly into piece focused upon a board member’s the article, another fa m iliar standard d iffid e n t (contemptuous) reply to cita was recalled as w riter B ill Graves set tions o f the district’s failure to acquaint the tone, “ The best laid plans o f mice their child with any vestige o f her A f r i and men often go astray.” can American heritage-this, after m il But, here, we are not reflecting lions in monies and man hours were upon the characters o f a play (“ O f spent to import noted historians in the M ice A nd M en” ), but upon the frus field, and to develop a number o f re trated hopes, plans and aspirations o f a lated Baseline Essays along w ith cur community and a school district-all now riculum aligned materials. Earlier, I at loggerheads over the most divisive had frequently cited ‘ ‘ a consistent fa il (and confusing) issues ever to confront ure to deliver the ‘product’ to the con Portland’ s education system. And as sumer. Something that would not be reported, this is occurring in one o f the tolerated in industry.” state’ s wealthiest school districts, led I do not believe this com m unity is by the highest paid public executive in CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 T Anti-Hate Crime Legislation Introduced . *» Saturday March 23, 1:30 to 3:00 PM Lake Oswego Com m unity Center 505 SW G Street Lake Oswego Monday, March 25 7:00 to 8:30 PM Cherry Park United Methodist Church 1736 SE 106th Portland Wednesday, March 27 7:00 to 8:30 PM Troutdale C ity Hall 104 SE K ib lin g Troutdale SPECIAL FORUM ON VIOLENT CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN Saturday, March 23 10:00 A M to 12:00 PM Westminster Presbyterian Church 1624 N E Hancock Portland The latest crim e figures for our community show violent crimes against women arc up significantly. Please jo in law enforcement officals, social serv ice agencies, leading wom en’s organi zations, and Ron to discuss new strate gies to protect womcn-and federal leg islation that can help. 25<P Rep. Bill Dwyer (D-Springfield) C alling his anti-hate violence pro posed legislation a “ fittin g response to utter cruelty and inhum anity, “ Rep. B ill D w yer (D -Springfield) pressed his House colleagues to pass HB 2488, which calls fo r adding racially m oti vated murder to Oregon’s death pen alty statute. Referring to the November 13,1988 m u rd c ro f Ethiopian national M ulugcta Seraw and to the earlier murder o f Portland resident Stanely Reed, D w yer called fo r the Legislature to “ send an undiluted crystal clear message that we mean business on this issue.” “ Hate crimes were reported in 20 different counties in Oregon,” Dw yer said, “ This isn’ t just a Portland prob- J c n rC n m c s o fjirc ^ u d ic ^ tre jn c re a s ^ ing in Oregon.” He cited a 40% in- crease in reported crimes o f prejudice between 1989 and 1990 in Oregon. “ Just in 1990 there were 343 re ported hate crimes in our state,” Dwyer said, citing a recent report by the Ore gon law Enforcement Data System. “ I am appalled at the extent o f racially- motivated crimes in this state-the threats and the violent acts.” Citing National Council o f Churches data o f 121 hate inspired murders be tween 1980 and 1986, Dwyer said, “ we must send the message to Skinheads, Neo-Nazis and any other hate apostles o f any race that i f you k ill in Oregon, you face a harsh penalty.” “ Neo-Nazis organizers have ap parently targeted Oregon as a haven for hatred," Dwyer said, “ But the judge ment against Tom Metzger and the in creased discussion, w ithin your col leges and political forums, shows that people are ready to unite against this monstrous brutality,” D w yer’s b ill would add murder ‘ ‘because o f the v ic tim ’s race or co lo r” to the existing aggravated murder stat ute (ORS 163.095). I f adopted, racially motivated killin g s would jo in murder fo r hire, the k illin g o f a police o ffice r and other heinous homicides among those eligible fo r the death penalty. U rging House Judiciary members to "elevate into the fraternity o f hei nous homicide those who k ill with racial hatred as their cause,” the Springfield legislator said that the current legisla tive session needs to “ send a message that we w o n 't tolerate this type o f gar- bage in our state!”