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The Eyes and Ears of the Community’
V olum n XXII, Num ber 4 7
Pr, ,
timber IS. 1992
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Smokers
Urged To
Quit For A
Day!
Join the Great American Smokeout
on Thursday, November 19. Millions of
smokers across the country will prove
that they can kick the habit for 24 hours.
How about you? O r if you don’t smoke,
adopt a smoker for the day and promise
to help that friend get through the day
w ithout a cigarette.
There are a variety o f local activi­
ties planned to help make it easier to
quit for the day. Volunteers from the
A m e ric a n C a n c e r S o c ie ty an d
M cKenzie-W illamette Hospital have
teemed up with A lbertson’s to reward
“quitters.” Smokers can trade in a pack
ofcigarettesfo ra sliceo f turkey subm a­
rine sandwich if they can go “cold
turkey.” The A lbertsons stores on
Coburg Road, Eugene, and 58th and
Main, Springfield, are participating.
Sacred H eart Hospital is offering the
opportunity to win a Thanksgiving tur­
key to smokers willing to quit for a day
(see ad in R-G) and babies bom that day
at both hospitals will receive an “I am
a bom non-sm oker” t-shirt.
The annual anti-smoking campaign
is sponsored by the American Cancer
Society which has made the fight against
tobacco use a priority. Tobacco use is
the single greatest cause o f premature
death in the United States, and lung
cancer is the num ber one cause o f death
from cancer.
Tips for quitting:
Hide all ashtrays and matches
Get a big supply o f gum, carrot
sticks, etc.
Pacific
Power
J efferso n H igh S ch o o l Urges Customers
S tu d en ts liu k A bout To Help Neighbors
M alcolm X
Theatre Arts students from Jefferson High School met informally Tuesday afternoon with actresses Phyllis
Stickney and Ruby Dee to talk about the movie Malcolm X. Both actresses were in town for the Urban League
premiere o f Malcolm X Tuesday evening at the Fox Theatre.
phofo Vgronica
Continued on page 7
Volunteer Lawyers Project
M u ltn o m ah C o u n ty h as o v e r
20,000 outstanding arrest warrants:
warrants issued as recently as ten day
ago or as long as ten years ago. Last
May Multnomah County held its first
Settlem ent Day, allowing people with
these warrants toclear them upw ithout
fear of being taken into custody. Over
200 individuals took advantage of that
opportunity to successfully clear up
their records.
To continue its efforts to reduce
the backing of outstanding arrest war­
rants, Multnomah County will hold
Settlement Day 11 on Friday, N ovem ­
ber 20, and Saturday, N ovem ber 21,
1992. Individuals who w ant to check
on, discussorclcar up their outstanding
warrants can do so on Settlem ent Day
Il without fear of being arrested. They
can come to the second floor o f the
Justice Center, 1120 SW Third A v­
enue, and m eet with representatives
from the M ultnomah County District
A ttom ey ’ s o f f ice and the Metropol itan
Public D efender’s office to discuss
their problem and possible solutions.
There will be no cost to the person for
these legal services. If an agreement
can be made with the District Attorney’s
office the matter will be disposed of
that day. The only m atters that can be
processed on Settlement Day are M ult­
nomah County w arrants for misde­
meanors, warrants for traffic crimes,
possession o f lesser amounts o f con­
trolled substances, felony property
crimes, failure to com plete a DUII
Diversion Program and failure to make
child support. It will not be possible to
process warrants from counties other
than M ultnomah County. O ther m at­
ters that cannot be handled on Settle­
ment Day are probation violations, traf­
fic infractions ( ie: running a red light),
parking tickets, class A or B felonies,
or felonies involving assaultive behav­
ior.
Anyone with questions about how
Settlement Day II will work should call
the Metropolitan Public D efender’s of­
fice at 273-1351 between 9:00 am and
5:00 pm during the week of November
16 through November 20.
Settlement Day II has the support
o f -the Portland Police and the District
A ttorney’s office. “ We were pleased
with the results of the Settlement Day
last spring and hope this time will be
even m ore su ccessful,” said Fred
L enzserofthe Multnomah County D is­
trict Attorney’s Office.
Settlement Day II is coordinated
by the MB A Volunteer Lawyers Project,
a non-profit organization that links low-
income people who have civil legal
problems with volunteer attorneys who
handle the case at no c o st The MBA
Volunteer Lawyers Project also has spe­
cial programs for the homeless, people
with AIDS, hom eless veterans and
people who speak Spanish.
American Friends Service Committee
To Grandparents,
I am Sherrian Haggar, Education
Program Director with the A merican
Friends Service Committee in P o rt­
land, Oregon. AFSC is a Q uaker-based,
non-profit, 75 year-old organization
working for peace and justice in the
world. The Education Program was
started 1979, to address the dispropor­
tionate suspension and expulsion rates
o f youth of color and to work tow ards a
just system for all young people and
their families.
The Education Program began in
1979, when studies in Portland revealed
that black students were being sus­
pended three times as often as white
students, often for the same alleged
offenses. In the mean lime, it has be­
come apparent that native American
we
youth and Hispanic youth are also at
risk. Caucasian youth are at risk also if
they are bom into poorer than average
families. The Education Program has
identified classism as another problem
needing community response. The pro­
gram has since worked closely with
students, com m unity groups, parents,
and the School District on discipline
issues and has become a respected com ­
munity and organizational resource.
Staff works with all families to train
them about their rights within the school
system and helps advocate for the re­
turn o f young people to school when
they have been suspended or expelled.
The program provides advocacy and
referral services for individuals and
organizations. Based on this experi­
ence, the Education Program is able to
THE
ESSENCE
OF
I
• • f • <•
•.
u
identify needed institutional change
and organize effectively to bring these
changes about.
At this time we have undertaken a
study o f grandparents and their needs.
W e have come to the conclusion that
there are far too many grandparents
raising their children’s children who
are not receiving help from their chil­
dren or stipends from children’s ser­
vices or social security to help them
stay out o f poverty. Some agencies of
the government d o n ’t recognize grand­
parents’ roles, like children’s services
say grandparents should not receive
m onies as a child’s care giver because
they are family and are seen as no
different than the child’s parents. A
neighbor taking in children would re­
ceive pats on the back and funds, how-
ever small, to help raise that child.
The Portland Education Program
o f the American Friends Service Com ­
mittee is inviting grandparents to be­
come involved in our research concern­
ing your rights within the school system
and elsewhere. In the last ten years we
have seen a rise in the numbers of
grandparents rearing their children’s
children. We are asking grandparents,
who are raising their grandchildren, for
whatever reason, please phone for our
questionnaire and to help organize and
generate information for a booklet con­
cerning grandparents’ needs. All people
are welcome to participate. Please phone
Sherrian Haggar, Education Program
Director at (503) 230-9429 or visit the
office at 2249 E. Burnside in Portland,
Oregon.
Envelopes urging Pacific Power
customers to lend a hand to help their
neighbors stay warm this winter will
soon be arriving in monthly electricity
bills. Pacific Power is a participating
member in Oregon HEAT’s home en­
ergy assistance program, which helps
local low-income and unemployed resi­
dents pay their heating bill.
“This winter, there will be many
individuals and families trying to deal
with sickness, unemployment or other
crises, who w on’t be able to pay their
home heating bill,” said Pacific Pow er
Columbia area m anager Carl Talton.
“Fortunately, there is a way all O rego­
nians can help - Oregon HEAT.
Oregon HEAT is a state-wide fuel
fund that provides those in need with
emergency fuel assistance and offers
energy counseling to help them manage
their energy use more efficiently. The
program is available to all Pacific Power
customers, regardless o f how they heat
their home.
Each year since 1982, Pacific Power
shareholders have contributed up to
$100,000, which is added to contribu­
tions from the public and employees to
provide the assistance. Contributions
are tax-deductible.
“This is a community-based pro­
gram, which means that all donations
collected from this community help
local families pay their heating bills,”
explained Talton. “It’s neighbor help­
ing neighbor and it’s something our
customers have supported enthusiasti­
cally.”
All funds are dispersed by local
social service agencies, which deter­
mine eligibility on a case by case basis
and ensure that those in need receive
assistance.
“I hope customers will be generous
again this year .’’Talton said. “There are
many families in our com m unity to
whom a little assistance from O regon
HEAT would make a lot o f difference."
Fall is with us. Tem peratures are
cooler and days are shorter. Both heat­
ing systems and lights are used more.
All this means increases in energy bills.
Talton suggest that electric cu s­
tomers might want to consider leveling
out their monthly energy bills with the
com pany’s Equal Payment Plan.
“The Equal Paym ent Plan can take
the edge off those winter utility bills,"
said Talton. “It helps custom ers avoid
the seasonal peaks and valleys o f
monthly billings by breaking the an ­
nual cost o f electricity into 12 equal
installm ents.”
The program includes a built-in
review every six-months, allowing both
customer and Pacific an opportunity to
be certain the average paym ent is within
reasonable limits. For exam ple, cu s­
tomers who have recently added insula­
tion to make their home more energy
efficient can expect to use less energy
in the future. The six month review will
adjust for this savings.
“This is a good program for cu s­
tomers on a fixed income or anyone
who wishes to level out their monthly
electric charges,” Talton said. “The
program provides custom ers with a
choice of how to pay their monthly
energy bill. Above all, it helps them
control their household budget.”
In addition, Pacific Power offers
other form sof help tocustom ers in need
o f assistance - including the state wide
fuel fund - Oregon HEAT - and on -
going energy efficiency programs.
Information on all program s is
available at the local Pacific Power
office.
The Urban League And
The “X ” Controversy
l i \ ( i h ail League P resident D r. D u ri vi I iik itfu
There has been a lot of talk about
the arrival o f Spike L ee’s film “M al­
colm X,” which will premiere in Port­
land at a benefit for the Urban League
on November 17th. Many people, in­
cluding the Urban League, have criti­
cized Act III Theatres for not opening
the film at one o f its Lloyd Center
Cinemas. Some have criticized the U r­
ban League for holding the benefit at an
Act III Theatre. W e at the League ap­
preciate com m unity concerns about
where “X” and other black-oriented
films are shown in Portland. This notice
is intended to let you know where we
stand, what we have done so far, and
what limits there are to what the League
can do.
In 1991, after community com ­
plaints that “Boyz in the Hood” was not
shown at Lloyd Cinermas, the League
was asked to discuss the booking policy
for black-oriented films with Act III
management. I did so in the fall of 1991
and again in the spring o f 1992, along
with Art Alexander, executive assistant
to city com m issioner Mike Lindberg,
and Richard Brown o f the Black United
Front. Those m eetings did result in a
change in Act I l l ’s booking policy. In
1992, 94% o f all black-oriented films
have opened at Lloyd Cinemas or Lloyd
Mall Cinemas, w hile only 57% o f all
major releases have screened there.
In late O ctober, when the Urban
L eague received p erm ission from
W arner Brothers and Spike Lee to show
“ Malcolm X ” as a benefit for the Urban
League, it was still uncertain where the
film would show in Portland. On N o­
vember 2, when The Oregonian re­
ported the film would not open at either
Lloyd Cinem a, I called Act III to find
out what the problem was. Their answer
was that they offered the Fox Theatre
because it would scat more people and
because the film ’s long running time
meant it could be shown only once an
evening.
W e have since spoken with Spike
Lee, W arner Brothers, and Act III chair­
man Norman Lear to express our co n ­
cern about the film not showing at
Lloyd Cinemas. In response to com m u­
nity concerns. Act III has agreed to
open “X” at Lloyd Mall Cinem as on
December 2. Last Friday the president
o f Act III flew to Portland to apologize
for the chain’s failure to com m unicate
with Portland’s African American com ­
munity. On the last two Saturdays, the
League has opened its doors to the
community for mass meetings to d is­
cuss ways to solve the “X ” controversy.
Some have said the League has
“sold out” by deciding to go on with its
benefit at the Fox, which is an A ct III
theatre. Perhaps some o f those people
do not understand that A ct II receives
no money from our event. They are
simply letting us use their theatre for
free. A fter the controversy arose we
looked for another theatre to use, but
could find no other one large enough for
the event. All m onies raised from the
benefit showing will be used to support
Urban League programs serving youth,
seniors and job seekers in Northeast
Portland.
The Urban League provides social
services to the community and also
advocates for its constituents. We have
never been an activist organization.
Like all Urban League affiliates, we are
more moderate. We try to baring groups
together to solve community problems.
Our role has always been as a facilitator
between groups.
As far as Act III goes, we will
continue to work with the chain to make
sure that black-oriented films can be
seen easily by Portland’s African Ameri­
can community. W e will also continue
to listen to your concerns and provide
space for community members to com e
together and discuss the issue. But the
way we pursue this issue will be the
same way we pursue all issues: as an
advocate for the community that builds
bridges between groups, not walls.