Page A2
DEC. 24, 1997
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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