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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 1995)
M B dr* -, BL.» Volume X X V Number 25 •?"* * < V ' « - C A J a * « - '■ ■ Committed to cultural diversity. Schools Focus On Inventions (une 21, 1995 Join In Celebrating Our Area children test their imagine and ingenuity. Apprentices Graduate Portland sees the largest graduating class o f electricians in the country’. s xJ ' See Metro inside. S A R Y <Xlu' ^ n rtlan h Se? Careers, inside. rer 250 H i l l W a lk e r U n i v e r s i t y o f O re g o n t u a e n <■ 9740^ i o' THE VS Junctccnth REVIEW McMenamins Welcomed To Kennedy The 79th anniversary of the dedication of Kennedy School and the beginning o f its redevelopment by McMenamins Pubs and Breweries was observed in a special cere mony. Mayor Vera Katz join over 300 neigh bors. Kennedy alumni and friends last week for the opening of a time capsule and ringing ofthe old school bell. Neighborhood restau rants served food, while the McMenamin b ro th e r’s provided beverages. The McMenamins plan to remodel the vacant building into a brew pub, theater and inn. Juneteenth was celebrated Saturday at Alberta Park with a community ,picnic, music and special events. The day pays tribute to the anniversary of freedom for African American slaves. See additional photos on page A5 inside. Drug Dealers Arrested Thirteen street drug dealers were ar rested for distribution o f crack cocaine last week by Portland police. Officials said the arrests were the latest in a series of enforce ment efforts that target areas affected by drug trafficking and focused on northeast Portland. Offices posing as would be buyers were solicited by the dealers, who were then arrested. One suspect had 14 grams of co caine in his possession, police said. Rights Panel Gets New Members Anita Ball o f northeast Portland and Norma Trimble, editor o f American Indi an News, have been appointed to the Met ropolitan Human Rights Commission. Ball has been involved in labor organization, health care and welfare reform. Trimble has a long history o f involvement with the Bow and Arrow Club which has enabled Portland’s Indian community to partici pate in cultural activities since 1968. Simpson Says Gloves Don’t Fit O.J. Simpson grimaced as he stood be- I fore jurors last week and tugged on the bloody leather gloves prosecutors say were wore the night his ex-wife and her friend were murdered. “T hey’re too sm all,” Simpson told jurors as he struggled to get them on. Simpson pulled the gloves over a pair o f latex gloves he had to wear to protect the evidence. The gloves seemed far too small, but after Simpson persevered and I nulled harder he was able to get them on. Batman Movie Sets Record ‘Batman Forever" earned $52 million in its debut weekend, beating the record set I by “Jurassic Park,” according to film in dustry estimates. The motion picture stars Val Kilmer in the title role, replacing Michael Keaton; Jim Carry plays his nem esis, The Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones as I Two-Face, Carrey’s cohort. Safe Summer Promised To City Kids P roject Safe Summer is kicking off its fifth year at three inner- north Portland schools. The four to six week enrichment pro gram, at no cost to the student, gives instruc tion in the arts, computers, language and physical education in the safe environment of a neighborhood school. Programs are held at Beach, Applegate and Ockley Green schools. Beach Principal Mike Verbout said it will pay o ff when school resumes in the fall with better school attendance and improved academic performance. “ Without a program like this, many of the kids would have few positive experiences during the summer,” Verbout said. I wo years ago, Amy Sparkes’ parents were concerned that her transition to a new school and neighborhood would be difficult. "Amy has a learning disability which can be a barrier to making fiends and adapt ing to change,” said her father. Bob Sparkes. Io help Amy adjust to Beach school, Verbout suggested enrolling her in Project Safe Summer. Amy rotated through math, reading and drama classes directed by teachers and older students who serve as mentors and role mod els. I feel it has helped my daughter strength en her academic skills,” said Sparks. “But most o f all, she’s engaged in fun activities and is learning to build and keep relation ships with kids she’s met during the school year. She s looking forward to going again this summer Project Safe Summe. l.’egin in 1991 as a com m unity partnership between K aiser I ermanente, Nabisco foods, the Portland Police and Parks bureaus, Piedmont Neigh borhood Association and parents. Portland Police Officer Len Braithwait has helped since its inception Sometimes kids have few constructive activities available to them during the sum mer months and too often this leads to van dalism, misbehavior or involvement with gauges,” said Braithwait. "Project Safe Sum mer gives these kids and their parents a worthwhile alternative.” Virginia Feldman, chief doctor o f pedi atrics at Kaiser, believes these programs con tribute to the total health o f the child. “ Even though kids may look fo r w ard to sum m er vacation, three m onths o f in activ ity , m entally and so cially, can really take a toll on school p rogress the follow ing fall,” Feldman said. “ Program s like P ro je c t Safe Sum m er keep the m o m entum of the school year going and th e y ’re really needed. M any fam ilies, w hose kids m ight benef it m ost from such program s, may not have the resources to send a child to a private program or sum m er c a m p .” I he effo rt is funded through d o n a tions and req u ires $35,000 for teacher sa la rie s, learning supplies and incentive aw ards. Tax d ed u ctib le do n atio n s can be sent to P roject Safe Sum m er 1995, care o f the P ortland Police B ureau, 7 2 12 N. B urlington, P ortland, OR 97203, A t tention: O ffic e r Len B raithw ait. Thomas Votes Against Affirm ative Action by In an opinion issued last week. Su preme Court Justice Clarence Thomas com plained that much o f school desegregation law is “based on a theory o f black inferior ity,” one that insists black children can learn only if they are mixed with a proper proportion o f white pupils. “ It is a type of racial paternalism," he said. Thomas cast the deciding vote in cases to cut back on school desegregation and federal affirma tive action programs. “ In my mind, gov ernment-sponsored racial discrimination based on benign prejudice is just as nox ious as discrimination based on malicious prejudice," Thomas wrote. EDITORIAL A2 P romise K ing D Gov. Kitzhaber (center) in northeast Portland M o n d a y t o s f o w ^ p ^ f o ^ r ^ prevention and the House o f Umoja. Joining the governor ware Marcus Branch (left) and Johnny A. Gage. METRO Bl SPORTS B2 wayne Jerkinson, 16, needs a job and a GED and he won’t worry about the law created by Measure 11. Even as young Jerkinson listens to Gov. John Kitzhaber rap about the need to keep kids like him from the clutches o f crime, he doesn’t think society really cares about at- risk youth like him. “We need jobs and love, not intimida tion,” Jerkinson said. Ballot Measure I Loverwhelmingpassed by voters last November, gave legal muscle to authorities to prosecute youths involved in violent crimes as adults. “ Its going to slow crime some, but it ain’t going to stop it,” the unemployed teen said. However, K itzhaber reiterated his com- mitment to help in the fight againstjuvenile crime. He was at the House o f Umoja in northeast Portland Monday to deliver a $70,000 check in this regard. 7he money comes from Oregon’s share o f the Edward Byrne Memorial grand, which is part of the federal government’s crime package. House o f Umoja is a program targeting at-risk youth and it provides an alternative to gang involvement. ▼ Continued to page ENTERTAINMENT HEALTH RELIGION CLASSIFIEDS B3 B5 B6 C4 b