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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 1997)
Page A2 DEC. 24, 1997 (Ei|t Jlortbmò <Olbam»nr « America ts Not A Big Pretty “Coffee Table’’ Book (©tseruìno Procedures Followed By The City of Vancouver In The Liberty Court Incident The City of Vancouver’s O perat ing Principles provide that, "W em ust do the right thing even when it is painful and difficult." This principle was tested when the City decided to discipline two police officers and the Chief of Police for actions which led to the injury of a 13-year-old girl. This decision was made after con ducting an investigation and com pleting an established disciplinary procedure. The disciplinary proce dure included an opportunity for the officers to provide written statements anil participate in a hearing. The following information pro vides a chronology of the events and the investigation of police personnel to date: 1. On Aug. I , a Special Weapons and Tactics (SW AT) training ses sion was conducted at the vacated Liberty Court Apartments 2. On Aug 12, an explosive diver sionary device left behind in the build ing caused a serious injury to a child. 3. An internal investigation was initiated as allowed by the process o u tlin e in both the V anco u v er O fficer’s Police Guild Agreement and the V a n c o u v e r P o lice Department’s Inquires. Allegations and Commendations Procedures The investigation included interviews of witnesses, collection of applicable policies, review of the training site, and review of the officers’ training backgrounds. The investigation also provided an opportunity for the two officers, who were subsequently dis ciplined, to be interviewed by the internal investigator, with both legal and Guild representation present. 4. Following completion of the internal investigation and a review of the investigation reports, as well as job performance information relat ing to each officer, a letter was sent to the officers notifying them of poten tial disciplinary action. The officers were also provided copies of the in vestigative reports, and a list of nu merous alleged violations o f stan dards of police conduct. The officers were provided an opportunity to re spond to the allegations in writing. Only one of the officers provided a written response. 5. Following the officers’ response deadline, a hearing was scheduled and the officers were given a second opportunity to respond orally to the investigation. The officers were al lowed to have Guild representation, as well as legal counsel, present at the Dec. 2 hearing. 6. Subsequent to the Dec. 2 hear ing, the Police Chief, the City Man- ager, the Deputy City M anager, the Human Resources and Risk Services Director, and legal counsel consulted and made a decision to impose disci pline. This decision was based on factors including, but not limited to, the officers’ past job performance information, the internal investiga tion reports and the severity o f the injuries to the victim. A decision to issue a joint disciplinary letter, by both the C hief and the City Manager, was made in light of the disciplinary action imposed upon the chief re garding the incident. 7. On December 8, 1997, a letter imposing discipline was presented to each officer separately. The SW AT officer in charge of the training was terminated from City employment. A second officer, who was assigned to bring the devices to the training site, received a 45-day suspension without pay. Chief Doug Maas re ceived a decrease in salary of 5 per cent. Both officers have appealed this decision through the grievance pro cedure set forth in the collective bargaining agreem ent betw een the city and the G uild. A ttorneys for the G uild and the City are w orking together to schedule the m atters for arbitration. New Vendor Jury Hours Vendors wishing to sell their hand crafted items in the Elderberry C or ner gift shop at Luepke Center can bring pieces to the selection jury Tuesday and Thursday f rom I to 4 p in. Luepke Center is at 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd. E ld e rb e rry C o rn e r gift shop fe a tu r e s q u a lity han d c ra fte d item s by peo p le 50 and o ld er. A w ide se le c tio n of g ifts from lin ens to bonsai p lants and je w e lry are a v a ila b le . G ift shop hours are 10 a.m . to 2 p.m . M onday th ro u g h F rid a y . P ro ceed s b e n efit sen io r p ro g ram s for the c o m m unity. The program is sponsored through the Vancouver-Clark Parks and Rec reation Department. Call 696-8202 with questions. Bv P rof . M c K inley B urt But it is huge, expensive, dy namic and profitable for those prop erly equipped and/or permitted to sit at the table - native born, immi grant or with an acceptable alloca tion of genetic material. One can reach this conclusion through his own observations and experiences or by study ing the works of implacable enemies of the racists like the gifted scientist and historian, Stephen Jay Gould. His award-win ning little jewel ofa book isone of the most rewarding ‘reads’ you’ll ever have, “The Mismeasure of Man ", Norton ph., 1981. As I detailed in that three-part series last November - “Space the Hidden Dimension” - the very cre ation of the great American space was inextricably woven into the bloody cloth of "massive successful slave revolts.’’The African fathers of JosephCinque, leader of the “Amistad Revolt” (1839), had only a genera tion earlier defeated the best armies Napoleon could muster in the Carib bean - France sold the Louisiana ter ritory to Thomas Jefferson, and "Made In America ' was born. I am afraid that it is still incom prehensible to many blacks, and whites as well, that there could be such glaring and blatant omissions of critical American history in text and media. The kind of knowledge that a more revolutionary Bill Cosby de scribed in a 1960s film: "Black His tory, Lost, Strayed or Stolen." However, this institutionalized mind-set and the rigid socio-economic caste system it deploys can be under stood in the frame of reference brought to the matter by an evolutionary biolo gist like Stephen Gould. The total ‘gam e’ of "who sits at the table" is the oldest in the world - attaining and holding fast toa survival niche’ in the scheme of things. “The dinosaurs are gone" as 1 have often said in allegorical fashion. And many cultures have vanished for vari ous and sundry reasons, but the Afri can American society may be first to lose its way because of a lack of knowledge of self, o f its own history. Given this in a "communications age” as it is described, some blacks are asking, "how can that be? how can many o f youth not know who they arc, what the genius of their lathers and mothers accomplished over the centuries, over millenniums in fact? That is far from sufficient reason to explain entirely the fearful homi- Buyer Beware! It's Holiday Scam Time With the holiday shopping season swinging into full gear, fraudulent telemarketers are gearing up to take- advantage of your good will. During the holiday season, requests for chart table contributions increase signifi cantly. While most are legitimate, fraudulent telemarketers lake advan tage of people’s generosity to ripilleni off. American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is taking an active- stand against seam artists. "The tele phone can be a weapon in the hands of aeon artist. Although most of us want to help those less fortunate than our selves, we need to be careful," said AARP President Margaret Dixon. What can you do? AARP has some tips for dealing with telemarketers. Followingthem should keepyou from turning your holidays into "hollow- days" with empty bank accounts! 1. Make a charitable donations list at the beginning of the year and know which charities you want to send your money. 2. Just because a caller claims to be raising money fora local organization doesn't mean the caller or organiza tion is legitimate. Insist on seeing a statement that describes how and where the funds raised will be used. 3. Don’t respond to high pressure tactics. Give yourself time to investi gate the charity or sweepstakes. Think about your personal charitable dona tions list and whether or not the Youthbuilders Recruitment for Enrollment Portland YouthBuildcrs has be gun outreach and recruitment for the upcoming enrollment period begin ning February 98. Portland Y outhB uilders is a not- for-profit organization providing education, vocational training, and leadership developm ent to low and very low income young men and women from Portland who are 16- 24 years old and have dropped out o f high sc h o o l. T h e P o rtla n d Y outhB uilders’ program is based on a highly successful model that began in New York C ity in 1979 and was so effective in changing the lives of high risk young people that it was replicated throughout the country. There are now over 100 Y outhBuild program s operat ing in dif ferent parts o f the coun try. Portland YouthBuildcrs began in 1993 when a 22 member coalition, consisting of community organiza tions, government agencies, repre sentatives from the private sector, and interested citizens, came together to advocate for a YouthBuild pro gram in Portland. After two years of collaboration and intensive planning, Portland YouthBuildcrs began its program in 1995 with funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Portland Pub lic Schools, and Meyer Memorial Trust. Young People acquire the edu cation and skills to lead self-suffi cient and productive lives while they help to revitalize their community by building affordable housing. Portland YouthBuilders is cur rently preparing to enter its third program year. We are now accepting applications tortile upcoming school year which begins February 1998, with limited space available. Any one applying must be prepared to commit to an intensive program of education, training and service. This is a strict alcohol and drug free pro gram. Applicants must submit the result ol a clean urinalysis to be ad mitted to the program. Based on the data collected dur ing our first two years of operation, we have found that to be successful in this program an applicant needs to fit the following profile: * A stable living situation * Alcohol and drug free * Test at 8th grade academic level or above * Recognize the value of educa tion and vocational training * Capable o f making a real com mitment; serious and responsible * Not currently engaged in gang activity * Interested in a career in con struction; capable and willing toper- form dem anding physical labor * Has taken initiative to put his/ her life in order Following is a brief program de scription: Participants: low and very low- income residents prim arily from North/Northeast Portland aged 16- 24 years who do not have a high school diploma. Project Length: 6-18 months of full-time services, depending upon individual needs and 12 months of follow-up support services. Program Structure: participants are divided into 4 crews of approxi mately 7 to 10 members each. Crews alternate between one week in the classroom to one week at one of the construction sites. Education: Classroom teaching integrates concepts from the con struction industry and includes the full range of GED preparatory and high school diploma course work. cidal conduct o f that generation. Some on both sides of the cultural fence clearly understand that the critical incubator for developing survival traits is the family and the school But what societal and edu cational strategies must be brought to bear (and quickly) if there is to be “a place at the table" for these lost ones. Read again, "Death at an Early Age”, Jonathan Kozol, 1968. Black History Month is again at hand, and tiiis February 1, again, have some gems of African genius to present. But I and many others of similar situation across the nation are searching for those "societal and edu cational strategies” which will ensure an effective delivery of the knowl edge to that generation at risk. Ensure a meaningful niche in the scheme. It is not enough that ‘w e’ think our presentations should spark the motivation, ambition and drive that would launch a new “Black Renais sance", if you will. Echoing that old cultural battle cry, "We did it before and we can do it again! “It goes without saying that it isquite appar ent that one month out of a year is not nearly enough. Nor is placing the burden of delivering the m es sage on just a few, Awaken. solicitor’s charity should be included. 4. If you are unsure about an orga nization do not send money immedi ately. Rather check it out. Ask for written information from telephone- solicitors. If it is a legal charity, they will have written materials. 5. If the telemarketer sounds suspi cious don’t hesitate to eall the national Fraud Information Center (NFIC) at 1-800-876-7060. You can also call your state Attorney General or the local Better Business Bureau. By re porting suspicious calls, you’ll get advice on what to do if you get further telephone calls. 6. Other telemarketing scams in clude phony investments and decep tive contests and sweepstakes. iVrir York Times Notable Book of the Year and Hooker Prize finalist, The Orchard on I'irCYiy Shena Mackay "celebrates love and Itih W I POWELL’S BOOKS fTiw Orchard en ffìr* friendship and the resilience of children.. .. Enthralling from the first page to the last," says the Hoslon Globe. Set in an English village, the charm of the local landscape contrasts sharply with the prejudices and Over I million vagaries of its adult inhabitants. I se d i t .Yi’ir H ooks 1005 W Burnside, downtown Portland 5 0 3 -2 2 8 -4 6 5 1 www.powells.com Wishing you a peaceful holiday season Killingsworth Plaza 1621 N.E. Killingsworth FOR RENT!! Large 800 sq. ft. 1 Bedroom Apt Large Kitchen & Living Room With Appliances $360 - $400 month Water & Garbage paid! hl Call James for more information 284-8103 It's our pleasure to offer you safe, dependable power throughout the year T h e 2,2 7 4 P o r t l a n d E m p lo y e e s of P a c if ic P ow er