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The Eyes and Ears of the Community"
Volumn XXII, Number 18
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The Private Industry Council Selects
New Program Director
Vernarci Taylor Promoted To Direct The Northeast
Employment And Training Center
Vemard Taylor has been appointed
d ire c to r o f T h e P riv a te In d u stry
C ouncil’s N ortheast Em ploym ent ad
Training Center.
Taylor had been a trainer for the
council since 1990, working at the cen
ter for the past year.
Before joining the council, Taylor
worked as a facility m onitor and coun
selor for Portland Progress House, a
residential treatm ent and reform pro
gram forex-offenders. He is also expe
rienced in the hospitality industry and
as a small business owner. Taylor is a
graduate o f W arner Pacific College,
and is currently involved in graduate
studies at Portland State University.
“The Northeast Em ploym ent and
Training Center provides real opportu
nities for the people o f this area to
become self-sufficient,” stated Taylor.
Services include counseling, job train
ing, job referrals, life skills and basic
skills training. The center was estab
lished in July 1989 to address the needs
o f N orth and N ortheast P o rtland’s
chronically unem ployed, especially
African-American men and W elfare
recipients.
Many partners help make the cen
ter successful. O regon’s Em ploym ent
Division, Adult and Family Services,
Portland com m unity C ollege, orga
nized labor, local em ployers and com
munity groups have joined together to
provide comprehensive job training ser
vices.
The Northeast Em ploym ent and
Training Center is located at 3034 N.E.
Martin Luther King Boulevard (241-
4644). It is an operation of The Private
Industry council, a nonprofit organiza
tion primarily funded through the fed
eral Job T raining P artnership A ct
(JTPA). The Private Industry Council
operates a variety of em ploym ent and
training programs for youth and adults
throughout W ashington and M ult
nomah Counties.
Sabin Neighbors
To Reclaim park
On Saturday, May 2nd the Sabin
community Association and the Sabin
community Development corporation
will join forces in a community w ork
day at the Vernon W atertower Play
ground. Neighbors have expressed con
cern over misuse o f the playground for
illegal or nuisance activities. It is hoped
that a facelift will encourage more fam i
lies and neighbors to enjoy the play
ground and view it in a positive light.
Volunteers will paint the play equip
ment, do some simple landscaping, and
install a bench so that parents can sit
and watch their children play. Local
n u rse rie s d o n a te d m any c o lo rfu l
plantings for this community service
effort. Neighborhood organizations lob
bied to have signs posted that will close
the park late at night. The beautifica
tion efforts have been coordinated in
cooperation with the Parks Bureau and
W ater Bureau. Neighbors will volun
teer for a continued maintenance sched
ule throughout the summer. The com
munity association will continue to work
on security concerns in coordination
with com m unity policing.
Volunteers are encouraged to join
in beginning work at 10 am and then
celebrating with a potluck picnic at 1
pm. W ear work clothes, bring tools,
and plant donations. For more inform a
tion, call 284-8870.
Blumenauer Expresses
Sympathy and Support
I want express my sympathy and
support for Jacob Johnson, who was
attacked and severely beaten last Fri
day night. According to news reports,
Mr. Johnson — an African American -
was assaulted by two white youths who
belong to a skinhead group.
I have spoken to police C hief Tom
Potter and Dr. Darryl Tukufu about the
incident. C hief Potter assures me that
the Police Bureau will investigate the
matter thoroughly and quickly. I have
offered my support and services in any
way to assure that justice is done. I also
have written to Mr. Johnson and his
family to express my sorrow and offer
my support.
Racial violence, hate crim es, and
bigotry cannot and will not be tolerated
in our city. This outrageous attack was
a tragedy not only for Mr. Johnson and
his family, but for all Portlanders.
News In Brief
Free Children’s Vision
Screenings Set
O regon4 -year-olds can receive free
tests for lazy eye, an eye condition that
can affect a child’s ability to learn
easily in school.
Doctors of the Oregon Optometric
A ssociation will provide the diagnostic
tests the week of May 11-15. Parents
can be referred to a nearby participating
optometrist by calling 654-5036 in Port
land, or toll-free, 1 -800-922-2045 state
wide. Calls m ust be m ade by April 27.
The 15-minute screenings test for
la z y eye, or am blyopia, and preschool
vision readiness skills. Lazy eye devel
ops when one eye doesn ’ t carry its share
o f the vision load. The eye may appear
to be normal or may accompany crossed
eyes. Parents, pediatricians and the chil
dren themselves may not notice that
anything is wrong.
Full recovery is possible with early
treatment. If am blyopia is detected dur
ing the optom etric screening, the child
can com plete treatm ent before entering
school.
Gov. Roberts has declared May
11-15 as C hildren’s Vision W eek.
Jefferson High Student
Awarded NACME and
NASA Scholarships
International ja z z great, TO M
GRANT, returns to his alma mater,
U.S. Grant High School.
The G rant High Alumni A ssocia
tion is sponsoring this event for the
benefit o f the students and faculty of
Grant High.
Tom Grant, class o f 1964, has just
released his 10th album entitled In M y
W ildest D ream s. This follows his last
year’s Edge of the W o rld , which hit
the #2 spot on the R&R charts and “Top
10” on Billboard.
Plan to spend an evening with Tom
and hear his strongest and most com pel
ling music to date.
“ I want people to walk away feel
ing good and with the lyrics still playing
in their heads after hearing this,” says
Tom Grant.
Tom G rant Band Concert
U.S. Grant High School
2245 N E . 36th Avenue
Thursday - May 21st - 7:30 p.m.
$10.00 tickets available at Fred
Meyer Music Dept.
Jefferson High School student
Sekou Craw ford, has been selected to
receive a $1,000 TechForce National
Action Council for M inorities in Engi
neering (NACME) Scholarship. The
scholarship money will go toward the
first year o f undergraduate study at an
engineering program o f his choice.
This prestigious aw ard is presented
to students w ho are com m itted to purs
ing undergraduate degrees in engineer
ing, have excelled in mathem atics and
sciences, and have dem onstrated com
m itm ent to their communities.
Craw ford will be presented with
the scholarship on June 5 at FORUM
’92, N A C M E ’s annual conference in
New O rleans, Louisiana.
Additionally, Craw ford has been
awarded a full academic scholarship at
M orehouse College in Atlanta, G eor
gia. This scholarship is provided by
National Aeronautical Space Adm inis
tration (NASA) for aeronautical engi
neering. As part o f this scholarship
package, NASA will employ Crawford
each sum m er until graduation from
college.
News
2 & 3, 5 & 6
Arkansas Club Easter
4
Entertainment
7
Blazer Prediction
8
Religion
9
Campaign '92
10
Homes Wanted
11 & 12
Classifieds
Page 13 & 14
Page
Page
Page
Page
Page
Page
Page
Center for Community Mental Health
BY D. BELL
The Center for Community Mental
Health was the outgrowth of one m an’s
effort to pro v ide fam ily services to mem
bers of N orth/N ortheast Portland. In
1972 O cieTrotter received funding un
der the auspices o f the Lutheran Family
Counseling Services. Lutheran Family
Counseling Services had contracted to
meet the needs of both southeast and
northeast Portland. The funding awarded
to Trotter was an effort to fulfill that
com m itm ent.
The original arrangem ent included
Trotter and a half-time secretary in a
little house on Stanton and Rodney. In
1974 the agency m oved to its present
location on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
and Holman.
In 1974 the agency also began con
tracting with the state/county mental
health system for children and family
services. Also, it was during 1974 that
the agency, with the help o f corporate
and private donors, began the purchase
of the house on M artin Luther King Jr.
Blvd., which now serves as its adm inis
tration office. O cie Trotter resigned in
August o f 1979 and the present director
Nate Nickerson started in O ctober o f
the same year.
The Center for Com m unity Mental
Health operates four m ental health ori
ented programs. The Child and Family
Services has two com ponents, each spe
cifically designed to accom m odate its
clients. Regarding children the Center
for Community Mental Health is re
quired by state guidelines to address the
needs o f seriously m entally ill children
who are homic idal, suicidal, or at threat
o f leaving home or in a slate o f crisis.
Consultation occurs with family, or
significant others in the child’s life,
including casew orkers, teachers and
juvenile services.
T heagency’sadultprogram serves
those who are self-referred or referred
by a num ber o f other agencies and
facilities in the com m unity. The refer
ral sources may include N/N.E. C om
munity M ental H ealth Center, and the
State Hospital System ,Corrections Di
vision, Dept. o f Vocational R ehabili
tation, or through the private sector
such as physicians and hospitals.
The single largest reason for adult
referrals is depression, followed by
major psychiatric disorders such as
schizophrenia and manic depressive
illness. O ther problem s include sig
nificant behavior disorders, liL crises,
and social problem s such as separa
tion, divorce, violence in the home,
battering, and other forms o f conflict.
Clients are helped through a variety of
modes such as individual treatment,
group therapy, family therapy, skill
building groups, etc.
The Conquest Center is an adult
outpatient program which was the first
day treatm ent program for the m en
tally ill in Multnomah County. The
present site for Conquest is Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Emerson.
C lients are referred by a variety o f
means, including state hospital or other
m ental health agencies and self refer
rals. Conquest C enter’s goals are to
maintain the chronically m entally ill
adults in the com m unity and enhance
their daily living skills through a struc
tured program.
Project for Community Recovery
(PCR) evolved as a result of the House
o f Exodus no longer being m a position
to provide drug and alcohol ueatm ent.
The demise o f the House o f Exodus
left a vacuum in N/NE Portland in
Continued on page 6
Settlement Day Helps People Clear Up
Outstanding Warrants
Tom Grant Back
at Grant
Whats Inside...
250
Community Fair
Saturday, May 23,1992
G ood things do happen in North/
N ortheast Portland, and we feel the
com m unity at large should hear about
them. To make this happen, we, Mallory
Avenue Christian Church, arc sponsor
ing a C om m u n ity F a ir, Saturday, May
23 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Groups and organizations that are
working to make things better will set
up displays and tell about their pro
grams.
Be sure to put this on your calen
dar, and be looking for more inform a
tion to come!
For more information, give us a
call: Bob Nelson (287-4050) or W illie
Stoudamire (288-5173).
Multnomah County has 21,000out
standing arrest warrants: warrants is
sued as recently as ten days ago or as
long as ten years ago.
They bog down the court system,
cost tax payers money and interfere
with people’s ability to get jobs. Many
o f the arrest warrants can be cleared up
easily if the individual with the out
standing warrant would come forward.
But individuals have not come forward
for a variety o f reasons. Some fear
going to jail, some have forgotten about
the warrants and some just don’t know
the w arrants exist.
In an effort to reduce the backlog of
outstanding arrest warrants, Multnomah
County is holding a Settlement Day on
Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2,
1992. Individuals who want to check
on, discuss or clear up their outstanding
warrants can do so on Settlement Day
without fear of being arrested. They can
come to the second floor o f the Justice
Center, at 1120 S. W. Third Avenue,
and meet with representatives from the
M ultnomah County D istrict A ttorney’s
office and the M etropolitan Public
D efender’s office to discuss their prob
lem and possible solutions. There will
be no cost to the person for these legal
services. If an agreem ent can be made
with the D istrict A ttorney’s office the
m atter will be disposed o f that day. If
not, the individual can still make an
appearance before the court that day
and have the warrant withdrawn. The
m atter will then be scheduled for a
regular court hearing. The person will
remain free until that hearing, but if he
or she fails to appear at that hearing
another warrant may be issued. If the
person is not satisfied with the D A ’s
offer, he or she is free to leave and will
not be taken into custody.
M atters that can be processed on
Settlement day are M ultnomah County
warrants for m isdem eanors, warrants
for traffic crim es, possession o f lesser
am ounts o f co n trolled substances,
felony property crim es, failure to com
plete a DU1I Diversion Program and
failure to make child support. M atters
that cannot be handled on Settlem ent
Day are probation violations, traffic
infractions, (running a red light), park
ing tickets, class A or B felonies, or
felonies involving assaultive behavior.
Nor will it be possible to process w ar
rants from outside of M ultnom ah
County.
Anyone interested in taking ad
vantage o f this program is encouraged
to call the Public D efender’s office at
273-1351 to register. This is a 24 hour
phone number, which will be used dur
ing the week of April 27 through May
1, for the exclusive purpose o f Settle
ment Day.
The Portland Police Bureau has
agreed to participate in SettlementDay.
“We support this effort. There is a
‘w in’ for everyone. We would rather
have people with warrants com e in
voluntarily than arrest them on the
streets or at their hom es or places of
business,” says Portland Police Bureau
spokesperson Sgt. Derrick Foxworth.
Settlement Day is coordinated by
the Volunteer Law yers Project, a non
profit organization that links low-in-
com e people who have civil legal prob
lems with volunteer attorneys who take
on the cases at no cost. Volunteer Law
yers Project also has special programs
for the homeless, people with HIV
disease, homeless veterans, people who
speak Spanish and people with family
law problems. Settlement Day is one of
the events taking place during com m u
nity Law Week, sponsored by the M ult
nomah Bar Association Young Law
yers Section.
Hunters Set Record At Oregon State
Pageant 1992
Kids are greaL but when you sec
them excel at the rate these youth have
you will be am azed by the desire and
w illingness to be the best they can be.
On April 26, 1992, the Oregon
State Pagcantat the Sheraton Airport
Hotel got on the way. It saw 11 young
ladies compete for U.S. A. National Miss
in four divisions: Petite, Pre-Teen, Teen
and Miss.
The highlight o f the night saw last
year’s National Pre-teen Cham pion,
Nikesha Breeze Hunter crown her sister
A ry a n n a H u n te r, ag e n in e , from
Sherwood, Oregon. It’s the first time
sisters have won the division three
straight years. It’s also the first time in
the Pageant’s history. I guess they join
the likes of Pittsburgh Steelers, 49ers,
and Lakers in dom inating this division.
The Hunter girls are definitely a force
and their parents should be proud of
them all.
The pageant had the girls express
their talents in essay, evening wear, and
a host of other categories. More in
volvem ent is needed, how ever, as I
only saw 11 contestants. “ It’s a great
le a rn in g e x p e r ie n c e ," e x c la im s
V ivienne LaCour, National Director. “ I
want to see a lot more kids involved and
show the talents. I ’m here for a service
to them, and I enjoy my line of w ork.”