Volume XXV Number 12
Serving the community through cultural diversity
Join In Celebrating Our
Schrunk Puts
DA’s Into
Neighborhoods
March 22, 1995 .
Famous
Dancers
The Alvin Ailey dancers perform
at Portland 's Schnitzer Hall.
Multnomah County's District
Attorney Michael Schrunk wins
praise for community policing
effort.
See Metro, inside.
See Entertainment, page B3.
A N N IV E R S A R Y
® lie Htnr tí aitò C
e i*
Leaders Stand By
Foster
1
With hearings coming up later this
month for his confirmation as U.S. Sur
geon General, Dr. Henry Foster is gaining
broad support among black organizations
and their leaders. The leader ofthe nation’s
largest Baptist denomination recently gave
a fiery defense o f Foster suggesting that
opposition to him may be rooted in race.
Portland Hosts
Affirmative Action
Group
«
Portland Police make a stop at the Portland Observer, 4747 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., after finishing a training session for bicycle patrols at the nearby
Northeast Precinct. Authorities said bike patrols will be used in every precinct of the city this spring and summer to ensure public safety.
(Photo by Charles Washington)
The American Association for Affir
mative Action has selected Portland for its
21st annual conference, April 5-8 at the
Portland Hilton Hotel. The event is ex
pected to attract over 500 delegates from
throughout the country . Roy Jay, president
ofth e Oregon Convention and Visitor Ser
vices Network, said because affirmative
action is such a hot topic right now, atten
dance may exceed expectations.
Jackson Talks
Presidency Again
Accusing President Clinton o f not put
ting up much o f a fight against Republican
attacks on civil rights, Jesse Jackson re
cently indicated that he was considering a
third run for President ofthe United States.
"W e will not stand idly by and watch the
gains o f the last 30 years be lost,” Jackson
said, during a press conference called to
demonstrate support o f feminists groups
for affirmative action.
“The Stones” Tour Gets
Snub
The Rolling Stones’ recently per
formed two concerts in South Africa, at
tracting nearly 100,000 people. But very
few o f the country's black population at
tended. “They’re too white,” said one black
journalist. Winnie Mandela, South Afri
ca’s deputy minister o f arts and culture,
called the group racist for using a white
promoter. Group leader Mick Jagger, who
has gained fame for re-recording black’s
rhythm and blues songs, said he doesn't
consider the group racist.
Governor Supports Toran In CSD Tiff
m P romise K ixg
ov. John Kitzhaber has come
out strongly in support of Kay
Toran, O regon's Childrens
Services Division (CSD) administrator
and gives her critics hard knocks for
what he describes as unfair criticism .
G
The governor told the Portland Observ
er in an exclusive interview in his office last
week, that he w on't fire Toran because he has
full faith in her ability to perform her duties.
“Kay is an experienced and dedicated
adm inistrator,” Kitzhaber said. “She has had
problems at CSD as you have in other agen
cies and she is trying to identify those prob
lems and correct them.”
Toran has come under recent criticism
since the state agency took away six children
from a Portland area family after a spanking,
accusing the parents o f child abuse. The
children have since been returned.
Rep. Bob Tieman, a Republican from
Lake Oswego, has led the charge.
Tiernan even stormed a press confer
ence organized by CSD and spewed attacks
on the social agency administrator. This be
havior has angered the governor and infuriat
ed leaders in the black community.
“Quite frankly, I'm upset with the tone
o f the criticism, which is inappropriate,”
Gov. John Kitzhaber
Kitzhaber said.
Tiernan told the Portland O bserver
Monday, he would not apologize to Toran
“ for anything apart from interrupting her
press conference."
He admitted it was bad manners.
But Tiernan said h e's waiting for Toran
to apologize to the family involved in the
alleged child abuse case.
in E ric N oox
Hundreds o f blacks and other sup
porters o f civil rights recently commemo
rated the historic Selma to Montgomery
March with a reenactment. The March 7,
1065 protest for voting and civil rights for
blacks became known as "Bloody Sun
day" because o f the brutal manner in which
Alabama lawmen attempted to stop it. The
march was designed to go the 50 miles to
the state capitol. But the marchers barely
made it out o f downtown Selma when they
were met at the foot o fth e Edmund Pettus
Bridge by a posse o f lawmen who used bill
clubs and tear gas to turn back the group.
A2
ft
She previously served as CSD Metro
Region A dm inistrator. C lackam as CSD
Branch Manager and purchasing division
administrator at the Department o f General
Services.
She served as director o f affirmative
action for former Gov. Vic Atiyeh and was an
assistant professor of social work at Portland
State University.
She has a master’s degree in social work
and bachelor degree in sociology, psycholo
gy and philosophy.
She sits on many board and advisory
committees.
Toran told the Portland Observer, that
the criticism w on't stampede her into aban
doning her priorities for the agency.
H er agenda includes a co n tin u ed em
phasis on fam ily p re se rv a tio n and r e a d i
ness to im plem ent a plan to en h an ce
com m unity p a rtic ip a tio n and e ffe c tiv e
p a rtn e rsh ip s.
She said she wants to ensure a smooth
transition from CSD to a new office for
services to children and families.
Her top priorities also are to play a key
role in new laws in O regon's juvenile justice
system and to advocate for a balanced ap
proach in juvenile corrections, while expand
ing county partnerships and community-based
programs.
Michael Jordan
Soars Again
Selma March
Anniversary Noted
EDITORIAL
H e's demanding a frill investigation o f
the case workers involved and said those
responsible for the childrens' removal should
be fired, even if it includes Toran.
Mean whi le, support is pi ling up for Toran
from both from in and outside the African
American community.
Some leaders want Tiernan to offer an
immediate public apology and a commitment
to change his behavior
"His immature, disrespectful and insult
ing behavior, in breaking in on the CSD press
conference and publicly calling for the firing
o f Ms. Toran, was unbefitting o f a member
ofthe House o f Representatives and it brings
shame to other responsible legislators,” said
Macceo PettisoftheC oalition ofBlack Men.
The incident made some question wheth
er Tieman has some special problem with
people o f color or with w omen.
The A frican A m erican L egislative
Roundtable has also expressed concern over
Tiernan's behavior.
Toran said over the weekend that she has
not faced this kind o f criticism since she
jo in e d the agency as adm inistrator and
stressed that these incidents were very upset
ting.
Before coming to CSD four years ago.
Toran had garnered incredible credentials as
an administrator.
t's been along tim e since
Michael Jordan was cut from
his high school basketball
team and it's been 17 months since he
walked away from the NBA at the very
pinnacle of his career.
I
Congratulations to the 108 honor roll students at Martin Luther King Jr.
Elementary School. Two students, Comara Thomas and Shania Price-Hale
had a perfect 4.0 grade point average. The others had a grade point of 3.0 or
higher.
(Photo By Donn Thomas)
With three world championships in a
row (9I-93). seven scoring titles and three
league most valuable player awards. Jordan
was the best player the world has seen But
what brought Jordan back to tryout again for
varsitv in high school, brought him back to
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Continued to page A3
HOUSING
HEALTH
SPORTS
RELIGION
A4
A5
A7
A8
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Michael Jordan
ENTERTAINMENT
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CLASSIFIEDS
B5
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