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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
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through 61 14/97 w ith this entry fo r a chant e to win! Enter as many times as you like.
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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