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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1994)
Volume XXIV Number 4 1 Serving the community through cultural diversity Bootsy Collins Entertainer Bootsy Collins and his rubber band will perform in Portland. October 12. 1994 Quarterback Cousins Northwest A rtist Featured One is the quarterback at Wilson High, the other leads the Jefferson Democrats. Wi'.sZ Coast See Entertainment, page B3. Black Publishers present Seattle s Mona Lake Jones. See Sports, page B2. See Metro, inside. (Ehe ffiartíanh (T Central Library Moves NAACP Sues Chavis The NAACP has sued its former ex ecutive director, Benjamin Chavis, tor the $82,400 he used in an attempt to settle a sexual discrimination claim by Mary Stansel. In acounter lawsuit filed in Wash ington, D C. Superior Court, the NAACP said Chavis “had no authority” to make the deal with the former aide without prior approval of the 64-member board of direc tors. Clinton Praised On Haiti Walter Fauntroy, former Congress man from the District of Columbia and ex- chairman of a House task force on Haiti has praised President Clinton for his leader ship and accord on Haiti. He said an inva sion would have made the job of reconcili ation and recovery enormously more diffi cult. “We must support and protect those Haitians who are committed to abiding by the Haitian Constitution while punishing those who by their actions demonstrate that they are not,” he said. U.S. Has Rental Shortage The U.S. Census Bureau says there are not enough vacant housing units avail able in the nation with rents low enough to effectively alleviate cost burdens for low- income renters. African Americans and other minorities are two to three times more likely than white residents to live in low-income households. Almost two mil lion affordable vacant units were for rent in 1991, but there were over fi ve mil I ion low- income renters with heavy housing cost burdens. Tyson’s Claim Denied A U.S. District Court has denied Mike Tyson's claim he is being wrongly held because of his conviction by a Marion County, Indianacourt. The judge dismissed Tyson’s writ claiming the selection of the i initial trial judge was wrong; the exclusion | of certain evidence; the application of Indiana’s rape shield law; and the judge’s denial of a jury instruction, was wrong. Judge Sarah Evans Barker ordered that these issues not be raised in that court again. Tyson is due to by released next j May from the Indiana Youth Center. Study Finds Higher Taxes Black hom eowners in many of the I n atio n ’s suburbs pay higher properly taxes than their counterparts, accord ing to a New York Tim es report. The Tim es reported that the survey in cluded 30 cities and 31 suburbs and found that black homeow ners are taxed more than whites on com parable homes in 58 percent o f the suburbs and 30 percent o f the cities. The report said one probable reason is the flight of business ow ners from some suburbs as blacks move in and white leave, saddling those who stay behind with a higher tax burden P o r tla n d ’s h isto ric M u ltn om ah County Central Library will close its doors in late fall for a major renovation. The 81-year-old library at 801 S.W. 10th is undergoing a face lift that will take two-and-a-half years to complete. Closure begins Nov. 26 as work crews begin moving the library’s 1.25 million books and other materials to temporary quarters. T he lib rary will then reopen as “TransCentral Library” Dec. 19at 1400S.W. Fourth Ave., with much of its collection available. Because of the size and complexity of the move, many of the books and materials will not be accessible until the move is com pleted in mid-January. “Moving will help ensure the safety of library patrons, staff and library resources,” said Ginnie Cooper, the county’s director of libraries. “We know that no time is a good time to close a library, but construction at Central begins in February and we’ve chosen December to close for the move because we know it is traditionally the slowesttime of the year for library users. We apologize for the inconvenience this will cause our patrons.” Prometheus Jones sits outside the landmark Central Library as workers inside prepare to move to temporary quarters. The library will soon undergo a major remodeling that will take almost three years to complete. Minority Contracting To Get Examined Gandhi To Discuss Nonviolence P run Gandhi, the grandson of India's legendary “Mahatma” Gandhi, will be at Portland State University Monday, Oct. 17 to discuss “Nonviolence or Nonexist ence: Options for the 21 st Century.” This free public lecture will begin at noon in the PSU Smith Ballroom. Mayor Vera Katz said the study would focus on the opportunities and barriers faced by people of color and women. "Without economic equality we cannot have true equality in our community for all of our citizens. This study will enable us to make sure those opportunities exist for people who have previously been shut out of the main stream in the construction industry," said Katz. Similar studies have been done around the county as a result of a Supreme Court decision invalidating state and local government affir mative action programs relating to construc tion bids. The studies explore whether there is a need for employment oriented programs for people who are traditionally discriminated against, primarily people of color and women. Subsequent programs attempt to remedy past discrimination proven by the disparity studies. The study is expected to help fend off legal challenges to programs local govern ments institute in the future and assist minority and women owned businesses in the metro politan area. A Arun Gandhi, the grandson of India's legendary “Mahatma'' Gandhi. sters to keep a diary of anger, an “angry book” to chronicle, understand and per haps purge their anger. Anger, of itself, is not a bad thing, he said, but it should be used effectively and positively, to solve an issue or conflict. He also promotes his grandfather's principle of "trusteeship," the belief that we are trustees for one another, so what we have and are should benefit not only ourselves but society as a whole. In keeping with his philosophies, Gandhi presented workshops on nonvio lent conflict resolution and management to rival youth gangs in South Africa this past Like his grandfather, whose non violent civil disobedience led to In d ia's eventual em ancipation from Great B rit ain, Arun G andhi had dedicated his life to the achievem ent of peace through nonviolence. “Hundreds of institutions teach com bat,” he said. “I believe in providing people the means to discuss and learn about the power of non-violent philosophies.” Cities mus, address the causes of vio lence rather than its results, he maintains. And we must begin early, teaching our children to resolve conflict in ways other than with violence. Offering conflict reso lution and peer mediation in schools in one thing he advocates. Another is for young- ortland has called for a study of minority hiring by contrac to rs w ho re c e iv e public contracts. ▼ Continued to page B4 The Portland effort has been designed to provide information regarding apprenticeship and employment systems which have histori cally operated in the construction trades. “Workforce data and other evidence we have reviewed indicated that there have been significant barriers to equal opportunity,” said Madelyn Wessel, a city attorney who is head ing up the study. Wessel said many local governments have seen their minority and women-owned busi ness participation drop off considerably since they lost the legal basis for establishing en forceable contracting goals in 1989. Some indirect obstacles to minority and women-owned businesses and workers have been identified as lack of credit, bonding and technical education. Officials expect the study will examine such barriers in detail, providing valuable in sights into problem-solving strategies. “The city's public works projects must be a vehicle of opportunity for all the citizens of this community,” said Katz. “I am committed to doing everything possible to ensure that they are. Katz said a fair, rigorous and detailed study has been a high priority. She welcomed the participation in the study which includes Multnomah and Washington counties, Tri-Met, Gresham, Metro and the state of Oregon. Leary Resigns From Self Enhancement Portland organization provid Tony Hopson, S E I's president and ing in n e r-c ity youth w ith founder, will assume Leary 's duties to com constructive alternatives to plete a capital campaign for a proposed Cen drugs, gangs and violence is losing ter for Self Enhancement, scheduled for one of its managers. groundbreaking at Unthank Park in North east Portland in m id-1995. Ray Leary, the executive vice president “It is with a full heart and warm wishes of Self Enhancement, Inc., has resigned to that I leave SEI after working with a very join Adidas America, the international manu special group of people, in a very special facturer of sports footwear and apparel. He city,” Leary said. “I look forward to continu will oversee the company’s national urban ing to serve young people and families in business efforts from their headquarters in North/Northeast Portland and in communi Portland. ties across the country.” A Hopson said while Leary was leaving his official capacity at SEI, the organization was counting on his continued support because of his dedication to children and the commu nity. Over the last 13 years, SEI has grown from a week-long summer basketball camp to a year-round, in-school program that serves over 12,000 students in seven elementary, middle and high schools in North and North east Portland. SEI has raised $5 million of the $8.5 million needed to build the proposed center Completion of the building will allow SEI to triple the number of young people currently served. The center will be a 60,000 square-foot facility containing classrooms, computer and music laboratories, a multi-cultural library, athletic facilities, a dance studio, auditorium and administrative offices. Programs would include self esteem and social development, career and special talent development, academic enhancement, cultural development, health and athletic development and community and family involvement. 31 EDITORIAL NATIONAL METRO SPORTS ~ ». n • « ."'i T *** * ENTERTAINMENT RELIGION CLASSIFIEDS
