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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1996)
J • 1 » .* * -» b t t f , .. Tm: P ori land O ksi : rvfr • N o v im h ir 13, 1996 P agi A3 Ivory Spann Awarded $73,000.00 A Federal Court Jury awarded a P o rtla n d woman in e x c e s s o f $73,000.00 after a three day trial for violation o f her civ il rights by a Port land Police Officer. Ivory Spann, an African American, age 23, accused Portland Police O fficer, Douglas Halpin, ofusingexcessive force when he was called to the scene o f a neigh borhood disturbance on June 6 . 1093. Ms. Spann was in her home when a bottle was thrown through her win dow and she was threatened with a stick by an intoxicated neighbor. Ms. Spann called 9 1 1 and asked for po lice assistance. While the police were in route to the scene, Ms. Spann subdued her assailant in her front Ivory Spann (left), and after a police officer struck her with his baton (above). yard by holding her on the ground When the police arrived, officer James Powell maced Ms. Spann and O fficer Halpin struck her in the head with his police baton. Ms. Spann sustained a laceration. bruising, and swelling over her right eye from the blow Testimony re vealed that she suffers from chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result o f the incident. The officer contended that his ac tions were reasonable under the cir cumstances he was facing. The all white jury, comprised o f four women and three men, found unanimously that O fficer Halpin violated Ms. Spann’s civ il rights by using exces sive force. Ms. Spann was represented by attorney Neil W Jackson o f Neil Jackson & Partners. Officer Halpin was represented by Deputy C ity A t torney, David Woboril Historic Preservations: Conclusion by P rof . M c K inley Bt r i “ Y o u can never go home” , said a principal character in that famous novel by Thom as W olfe, “ Lo o k Homeward Angel.” I find that to be the experience of many o f us who have returned to once-familiar places - only to find the anticipated memories and senti ment-drenched pleasures o f nostal gic wanderings to be an impossible dream. And for African Americans, this can be an especially exquisite pain, there often being a perception that the new urban stages that re placed their neighborhoods were deliberately designed to exclude them forever more ( by price an/or com mercial zoning). The “ Federal Plan” driven by the strategies formulated by the univer sity think tanks’ has nowhere been so accurately detailed as in Scott G reer’s 1965 book “ Urban Renewal and American Cities: the Dilemma o f Democratic Intervention” (Bobbs M errillo Co. Inc ). Greer excoriates the urban renewal mind set, ill-con ceived social planning and "extreme- ly vague language which was admin istratively translated into the work able Program’ requirements." “The program can generate two basic kinds o f leverage. First and most spectacularly, it can be used to buy land through market negotia tions or through forced purchase un der the right o f eminent domain. Sec ondly it can require that local gov ernm ents pass and e nfo rce ordinances...that would achieve the same purpose.” Well, you get the idea o f how our mid-century Urban Renewal (remov al) was contrived. And we will return in a moment to that "tum-of-the centu ry" phenomenon where African Amer icans were seen to occupy the "down town” areas o f many an American metropolis. Just now. I am wondering how many readers took note of the frequent television rerun o f that huge, St. Louis high rise housing project that was demolished in a few seconds by strategically-placed dynamite. The “ Wendell Pruitt” project was named after a high school classmate o f mine, a member o f the famous 99th Tuskegee Fighter Squadron who was shot down over Italy after 8 k ills’ ofhisown. Though many black activists with life-long, realistic so cial experience in the community fought against the implementation of this ill-conceived and dangerous so cial experiment inflicted on the ur ban poor, the think tanks’ and sub- urban-based university types won out. The failure o f these “ highrise neighborhoods” became a nation wide disgrace, incubators for crime, drug dealers and truncated lives. I'he "mean streets” were simply raised to new levels (pun intended). But more on “ Public Housing Projects” at a later date. Let us look at some more o f E G. R ich in g ’s “ Evidences o f Progress Am ong Colored People” Geo. S. Ferguson Co., Philadelphia, 1902 - where African Americans “can never go home” to those long- vacated downtown areas. “ Prof. Hattie A. Gibbs o f Little Rock, Arkansas entered the Oberlin Conservatory o f Music at age 11, then during high school whose hard studies’ included Greek, Latin and P o lic e N ew s Crime Stoppers: Homicide Portland Police Bureau detec tives, in cooperation with Crim e Stoppers, are a skin g for your help in identifying the person or persons responsible for a double homicide. On Friday June 14, 1996, just before midnight, two young men died when numerous rounds ofgun- fire struck the blue Pontiac Firebird they were riding in at N K ilpatrick and N Watts. The deceased individ uals are identified as 20-year-old Dennis K. Hester o f Vancouver, W ashingto n , and 2 2 -y e a r-o ld Damon D. Johnson o f north Port land. Two other people, a 20-year- old female, and an 18-year-old male, were also in the vehicle and wound ed in the incident. This case does not appear to be a random act o f violence. Investiga- Homicide victims (I to r): Dennis K. Hester, and Damon D. Johnson. tors believe the incident may be in retaliation for an earlier shooting. Crim e Stoppers is offering a cash reward o f up to $ 1,000 for informa tion. reported to Crim e Stoppers, which leads to an arrest in this case, or any unsolved felony crime, and you can remain anonymous. C all Crim e Stoppers at (5 0 3 ) 823- H ELP. Fugitive Alert o f 1992 for failing to report. She was sentenced to one year in pris on, and was paroled on 3/24/93. Supervision Status: The Board o f Parole issued a warrant for B atdorfs arrest on August 23,1995 for failing to report to her parole officer. If you have any informa tion on her whereabouts, contact local police, or Parole O fficer John Neelands at 248-5056. Fugitive Parolee: N ikk i Batdorf Age: 32 Description: 5 ’2 121 lbs. brown hair/hazel eyes. Area o f last residence: North Portland. Crim e o f Conviction: Delivery o f a Controlled Substance, two counts. In 1987, Batdorf twice sold cocaine to undercover poi ice offic ers. She was sentenced to 5 years probation for the offenses, but pro bation was revoked in November Suspects Arrested In Asian Gang Related Extortion On Thursday evening, October 31,1996 members o f the Portland Police Bureau’sG ang Enforcement Tearn (G E T ) arrested three suspects in connection with the extortion o f a southeast Portland Asian busi ness. The three suspects are identi fied as23-year-old Jian M ingChen, 20-year-old Phat Thoi Chau, and 24-year-oldQuan Tu. Allthree sub jects were charged with Extortion, a Class B felony and lodged on $20,000 bail. This investigation was initiated approximately three weeks ago af ter a 44-year-old Asian business owner contacted members o f G E T to report an extortion threat by the arrested subjects. The suspects had been custom ers at the business and were ac- quainted with the owner. The suspects threatened the vic tim with harm and property damage if they were not paid “protection" money. Follow ing this treat the own er contacted G E T . During the investigation the vic tim cooperated with investigators. The suspects came by the business on several occasions and picked up money from the business owner Upon gathering sufficient e vi dence to make arrests, officers took Chau into custody Thursday evening after Chau left the victim ’s business where he had just picked up more “ protection” money. Chen and Tu were arrested later in the evening at N W 3rd and Everett Street. Investigators believe this to be gang related and that the suspects have gang ties. The arrests are significant be cause historically Asian business owners rarely overcome a tradi tional reluctance to cooperate with law enforcement in such matters. This is due to fear o f reprisals and retaliation, which can take the form o f vandalism to property, disrup tion o f business activity, and phys ical harm. Investigators hope the arrests demonstrate that business owners who are victim s o f extor tion do not have to capitulate to such demands Investigators believe that the sus pects may have victim ized other business owners and ask anyone with additional information to con tact Investigative Sergeant Brian Grose at (503) 823-2079 mathematics, she graduated with honors before her 15th birthday. At Oberlin College she finished the stud ies o f piano, pipe organ and harmony and after graduation she founded the Eckstein Norton Conservatory o f Music o f which she is now director, 1895" (PP. 227-229). "Dr. John R Francis his private Francis Sanatorium’ at 2112 Penn sylvania Ave., N.W ., Washington, D.C. he has a corp, o f trained nurses on hand day and night. Dr. Francis is a obstetrician to Freedman's hospital and demonstrator and clinical lectur er at Howard University. A member ofthe D C . School Board he has been aggressive in strengthening educa tion in the high schools. A graduate o f the University o f Michigan, he had accomplished much by I895"(P.429 to 435). “Mr. J.E.Dixon.afteracareeratsea and rounding the globe at least seven times, he secured a position as chief officer o f one o f the finest ships under the English flag--though an American citizen bom in New Bedford, Mass. After losing an arm in an accident in Calcutta, India in 1884 he returned home and mastered telegraphy: the Western Union Telegraph Co. in rec ognition o f services at the main office appointed him manager at the Parker House Signal Towers. Here he han dled thecritical signals of34,284 trains in the year 1894” (P.327,328). There are hundreds more citations and photographs o f African Am eri can enterprises and professional ac tivities conducted in major metro politan areas a hundred years go. What could have implemented the earlier ‘urban removal’? European immigration’’ We w ill explore this at a later date while you develop your own opinions. Next week, “New light on Light R ail.” I had a thought; “why not let the auto and oil companies pay to replace the Light Rail they took away? DOUGH & Second- Chance Drawing for §1,000 and other prizes! Just send in four nonwinning Megabucks tickets from four drawings in a row for a chance to win these great prizes each month: I st prize - $ 1,000 plus jacket (1 prize awarded, 2nd prize - $500 plus jacket 11 prize awarded, 3rd prize - $ 100 plus jacket (5 prizes awarded, 4th prize - Megabucks Dough denim baseball jacket (25 prizes awarded, November 13,1996 through June 14,1997 Charge against hunger Reaffirming its strong commit ment to fighting hunger in the United States, American Express on N o vember I started into the fourth year o f its Charge Against Hunger cam paign. Each time any American E x press Card is used to make a pur chase from November I through December 3 1, American Express w ill donate three cents from every trans action to Share Our Strength, one o f the nation’s leading anti-hunger or ganizations, up to $5 million. The expanded 1996 efforts also comprises new elements for partici pating merchants and for consumers to learn about hunger relief and how to get more involved. In Portland, many American E x press merchants will be participating in in-store promotions including matching donations and offering a Charge Against Hunger holiday com pact disc gift with purchases. Th is year’s American Express Charge Hunger program includes a way for Cardmembers to become more active in the fight against hun ger. American Express has estab lished a toll-free number to provide general information on the program and how individuals may participate. B yca llin g I-8 8 8 -8 T O G IV E ,co n sumers can find out about Charge Against Hunger. A ll funds raised go back to the local commun it ies through anti-hunger agencies. * American Express and its mar keting partners will donate up to $5,000,000 to Share Our Strength based on 3 cents per Cardpurcha.se, and other transactions and contri butions. between I //1/96 and 12/31/ 96. This donation is not tax deduct ible for Cardmembers X T Soo brorhuro availablo at Oregon lot,erg fiorvieo Centers for details. MEGABUCK2 DOUGH S e c o n d -C h a n c e D ra w in g Send four consecutive nonwinning Megabucks tickets for drawings dated I I / 13/96 through 61 14/97 w ith this entry fo r a chant e to win! Enter as many times as you like. Name Address City State Zip Phone Name & location of store where you bought your ticket(s); This e n try is good for one draw ing only Send e n try in a plain w hite envelope no larger than 4 ." x 9 " to: MEGABUCKS D O U G H Second-Chance Drawing, PO Box 14280. Salem. OR. 97309
