A ugust 2 4 , 1994 » T he P ortland O bserver
P age B 2
The Gathering
The Merry-Go-Round at Jantzen Beach Shopping Center
First Meeting To Be Recreated
On 50th Wedding Anniversary
Once again it’s time for "The
Gathering!” August 26 and 27,1994
will mark the eighth year o f people
coming from all over to celebrate
friendship.
“The Gathering,” an annual
"reunion” o f friends who grew up
together in the 50’s and 6 0 ’s. Many
o f us went to di fferent schools, lived
in different neighborhoods, and
moved in different social circles,
but had one common bond linking
us together: friendship. We were
bonded in a way not present in the
postwar years o f the 4 0 ’s nor the
urban turbulence o f the -7 0 ’s and
80’s. Parents and other adults were
role models, and the community
followed that ancient adage... “ it
takes a whole village to raise a
child” .
T h is y e a r “ T he G a th e rin g "
w ill c e le b ra te its e ig h th y ear. A
re c e p tio n on F rid ay , A u g u st 26,
1994 at th e H o lid ay In n /A irp o rt
k ick s o f f the w eek en d a c tiv itie s,
c o n tin u in g w ith the a n n u a l fam ­
ily and frie n d s p icn ic S a tu rd a y ,
A u g u st 2 7 , 1994 at C o lu m b ia
Park, and e n d in g w ith a w e ste rn -
th em e d an ce S atu rd ay n ig h t back
at th e H o lid ay In n /A irp o rt. We
a n tic ip a te 500 -6 0 0 at the F riday
n ig h t g a la and close to 1,000 at
th e S a tu rd a y p icn ic.
We extend an invitation to you
to attend, and provide press cover­
age, on one or all o f the weekend
events. Our committee and the 600
plus friends who attend this annual
event feel that it is worthy o f media
coverage, especially considering the
m any negative things...violence,
drugs, gangs...that capture the head­
lines in our communities today. We
want to spotlight this very positive
event and share with others the rea­
sons why these friendships have en­
dured for more than forty years
and are as strong as ever. “The
Gathering” has a com m on legacy
that we hope to pass on to the next
generation.
E x p e r ie n c e a n d w itn e s s
firsth a n d w hy “ T he G a th e rin g ”
is so sp ecial! It has b e c o m e the
m ost ta lk e d a b o u t and a n tic i­
p ated w e ek en d w ith in the b lack
c o m m u n ity , w ith frie n d s c o m ­
ing from all o v e r...T e x a s , H a­
w a ii,
A tla n ta ,
D e n v e r,
C a l i f o r n i a . . . f o r A u ld L a n g
Syne! “ T he G a th e rin g ” is a te s ­
ta m e n t to th e “ good o le ’ d a y s”
and la stin g frie n d sh ip s.
If you need further inform a­
tion, please do not hesitate to con­
tact us, call Lynda Grice, The G ath­
ering C om m ittee at (503) 281-
4263. We look forward to seeing
you at the Eighth Annual G ather­
ing o f friends!
It was a chance meeting on a
park bench in front o f the Jantzen
Beach Amusement Park M erry-Go-
round 50 years ago when John W all­
ing strolled past Blanche Kopkie and
hertw o sisters. Tw o weeks later John
and Blanche were married!
N o w , 50 y e a r s la te r , th e
W allin g c h ild re n are p la n n in g a
su rp rise re -e n a c tm e n t o f th e ir
p a r e n ts f ir s t m e e tin g a t th e
J ames L. P osey
The people at the Oregon Arena
project ought to write a book
on how to deceive the public.
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Never in my life have I seen
such a masterful jo b o f shoving out
the "B .S.” on m inority contracting
and jo b hiring, particularly as it re­
lates to A frican-Americans. As the
Arena project begins to take real
form and rise towards the sky, the
massive structure o f concrete and
steel becomes a monum ent to lies
and deception. While the Oregonian
new spaper and other major media
sources have not been perpetuated
the lies o f late, a recent series o f
p ro n o u n c e m e n ts in c o m m u n ity
newspapers have helped spin this
great yam.
It’s pretty incredible. From day
one, Mayor Katz, Rep Ron Wyden
and most other public officials lauded
the accomplishments o f the project
before it even broke ground. And
you’ve got to hand it to them, from
to several days. N orthw est Natural
Gas customers can call 585-661 1 or
1-800-523-7661 to activate a ser­
vice, to ask questions about natural
gas equipment, or to establish an
account.
Customers can prepare now for
the cold w eather by ensuring that
their furnace is in good w orking or­
der: 1) Remove lint and dust from
around the burner com partm ent; 2)
Make sure that the fan turns easily
and works properly. During the heat­
ing season, clean or replace filters
monthly. A N orthw est N atural Gas
City to lay out a full scale accounting
o f who has w orked on the Oregon
Arena project and identify in spe­
cific detail w here the m oney has
gone. In other words, N A M CO was
trying get the City to seriously m oni­
tor the project for com pliance and to
determine factually w hether or not
resources spent on the building o f
th is m a g n itu d e is m a te ria lly
benefitted the residents o f Northeast
Portland. There were particular con­
cerns about the utilization o f Afri­
can-Am ericans who are believed to
be unemployed at around 15%. Simi­
larly, African-Americans contractors
are historically absent or used pri­
marily as “ fronts” on such major
construction projects.
As it turns out, until just re­
cently, the City had no real mecha­
nism for m onitoring com pliance on
this or any other project. The City
had to take the Arena project’s word
for its accom plishm ents. And since
the City had already endorsed the
project, I assume there was a less-
than-real interest in uncovering defi-
ciencies in perform ance on the
project.
Nevertheless, the City is m ak­
ing progress and moving ahead to
complete a disparity study to assess
discrimination in the contracting in­
dustry. Crucial to that is the fact that
the c ity attorney has also h ¡red a fu 11 -
time com pliance counsel. All this is
good, but m ost assuredly is too late
to reign in the Arena project. Conse­
quently the A rena project will un­
doubtedly feel free to make up fanci­
ful tales about their accomplishments
in the absence o f any real scrutiny.
And in all likelihood when the project
is completed, the story will be the
same. No m atter how many games
the 15 or so Black athletes stain their
uniforms to win in the new arena, as
far as this project is concerned, once
again Black people in this city will
be the big losers, courtesy o f the
“Tale Blazers” .
James Posey is a small busi­
ness owner with a background in
social work and community ac­
tivism
Oregonians Warned To Beware Of Insurance Scam
r
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The Oregon Insurance Commis­
sioner and New York Life Insurance
Com pany are warning Oregonians
o f an insurance scam targeting pri­
m arily elderly residents.
In se v e ra l in sta n c e s a con
a rtist has co n tacted the clo se re la ­
tiv e s o f re c e n tly d e c e a se d p eo p le
an d e n c o u ra g e d th e m to sen d
m o n e y th a t w ill e n title th em to a
d e a th b e n e fit p a y m e n t from N ew
Y o rk L ife. T he m an is n o t a f f ili­
ated w ith N ew Y o rk L ife , and
th e c o m p a n y has m ad e it cle a r
th at the p a y m en t d o e s not e n title
th e c o n su m e r to any d e a th b e n ­
efits.
“This scam targets consumers
when they may be m ost vulnerable -
- while they’re grieving for a loved
one,” said Kerry Barnett, Oregon
Insurance Commissioner. “ Insurance
com panies usually com m unicate di-
rectly with their custom ers in writ-
i
A n n u a l Sfub (€fW i/
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The fifth Annual Iris Court Community Fair will be Saturday August
27,1994 from I lam to 4pm.
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This event is in celebration of five years of positive community
interaction in Community Policing.
■
This day will host fun for the entire family community; informational
booths, great entertainment and motivational speakers.
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Groups who will be performing include the gospel group Heaven
Bound, the soul R & B group Unison, Deverse and Doc Rock.
Come and help to celebrate five years of positive Community Policing
at Iris Court 315 N. Sumner Street, the fun starts at 11am Saturday
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August 27, 1994
For more information or to host a community informational booth
please contact J.W . Friday at 823-5790.
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R lunrh’c
twn tw o sis­
complete
without
B lanch’s
ters, who will be flying in from M in­
nesota for the event. A fter a m em o­
rable spin on the historic M erry-Go-
Round, which has been preserved so
moments in time like this can be
relived, the family will gather to
complete the celebration.
Jantzen Beach C enter is located
on Hayden Island, on the Colum bia
River, o ff Interstate 5, Exit 308.
Prepare Now For Winter Heating
Oregon Arena Minority Contracting:
Of The “Tale Blazers”
A
the very beginning, the Arena folks
did a splendid job o f neutralizing
com m unity-based organizations.
Another excellent strategy was
to employ a local negro “front m an,”
who already had plenty o f experi­
ence selling over-rated and over­
priced cars. And w hile we are not
talking about automotive retail sales,
we are talking about making the pub­
lic believe they are getting som e­
thing that they are really not.
Speaking o f negroes, a few
weeks ago D rake/Tum er brought to
town their national company negro,
Hilton Smith. While it is obvious
that Smith is getting paid by Turner
to keep the m inority contracting thing
in line, they also tried to use his
association with the National Asso­
ciation o f Minority Contractors to
rebuff the efforts o f the Portland
chapter, the National Association o f
M inority C ontractors o f O regon
(N AMCO) to expose the real partici­
pation o f African-American contrac­
tors and workers on the project.
NAM CO attempted to get the
Ja n tz e n B each S h o p p in g C en ter
M e r r y - G o - R o u n d , th e sa m e
m e rry -G o -R o u n d th at w as in the
h i s t o r i c a m u s e m e n t p a rk on
H ayden Isla n d the day they met.
I f a ll g o e s as p la n n e d , th is
M errill, O regon couple w ill again
m eet on a bench in front o f the
M e r r y - G o - R o u n d on F rid a y ,
A u g u st 26, 1994 at 7:30 p.m .
The re-enactm ent would not be
ing or through licensed agents. We
are warning people to treat any offer
like this with great suspicion.”
The com m issioner is urging
Oregonians to make certain they are
dealing with a licensed insurance
agent before giving that person any
money or a credit card number. Al-
though the individual has used New
York Life in the past, consumers
should watch for similar ruses using
other insurance companies, as well.
Any person receiving a contact like
this should call the Consum er Ser­
vices section o f the Insurance Divi­
sion at 378-4636, extension 600.
PEGGY JOSEPH - Officer
Travel Consultant
(503)288-9590 ~
EW
It may be warm and sunny now,
but cool w eather is just around the
com er. Northwest Natural Gas cus­
tom ers can avoid the fall rush by
calling now to have their gas service
activated.
“ People who have moved to a
new house or who have had their gas
service turned o ff for the summer
should call now to restore service,”
said Will Auran, manager o f the
Lower W illamette Valley District
Office o f Northwest Natural Gas Co.
“ The first hint o f cold weather pro­
duces a rush o f service requests, and
we do n ’t want anyone to have to wait
for heat when the temperature drops."
Auran said the volume o f ser­
vice requests doubles during the fall
rush resulting in service delays o f up
Project
CHOICES
Increasing community' opportunities
Providing education and support for
youth and young adults ages 15-25
with disabilities and their families.
Contact: James B. Smith Jr.
Minority Outreach Specialist
503-282-2963
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M a h fine o f a M in d
'd fo - M n ic d c a n fiondi
(fo n
EARLY BIRD DAYCARE
• USDA Licensed
• Days/Evenings Available
• In Chief Joseph School District
Will baby-sit at my N. Portland house
285-1667
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DVENTURE
TRAVEL SERVICE
custom er service technician will
make a briefinspectionofthe natural
gas equipment in your home at no
charge.
When the cold w eather arrives,
close crawl space vents on all but one
side to reduce drafts in the home.
The vents on the protected side o f the
house should be left open to prevent
moisture buildup.
Northwest Natural Gas also pro­
vides free energy audits to its cus­
tomers. The com pany’s conserva­
tion consultants inspect insulation
levels and provide advice on how
homeowners can reduce energy us­
age and save money. Call Northwest
Natural Gas to make an appointment
for a free energy audit.
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