Volume XX VI I. Number 5 I
Committed to cultural diversity.
ZjT n nt nt u n i t o
Grandparents Given a Chance
V X a I r tt h a r
Kwanzaa Art
A Kwanzaa display of various art works
wi 11 be presented at the Interstate Firehouse
Cultural Center. Gallery hours will be
front Monday through Friday until Dee.
31. IFCC is located at 5340 N. Interstate
Ave. For more information, call 823-2000.
Late night comedy
Stark Raving Theatre will present the
triumphant return of “The Gun Happy
Teenage Reform School Girl A Go-Go.”
A fiercely funny parody of propaganda
comic books of the 4 0 ’s and 5 0 ’s. Opens
Fridays and Saturdays through Jan. 3rd.
Performances are at 10:30 p.m. All per­
formances are at 3430 SE Belmont, Port­
land. Call 239-8087.
Carousel Christmas
Antiqued carousel animals enliven the
holiday season at Pittock Mansion. The
very best carousel animals o f top national
collectors will be brought to life. See
dozens of animals prancing throughout
the elegant rooms of the Mansion. Opens
daily, 12-4 p.m. through Dec.31. The pub­
lic is encouraged to call 823-3624 for
information and directions.
Learn First Aid
The Red Cross is offering a nine-hour
course on First Aid and Safety. They will
teach you how to respond to emergency
situations, perform CPR, reduce the risk
of heart attack, control bleeding, and pro­
vide care in other emergencies. Course
fees may vary. For information or to reg­
ister, call 280-1440.
Stars on Ice
Discover Stars on Ice presented by
Smucker’s on Jan. 2. Professional skater,
Scott Hamilton will join other talented
skaters like Kristi Yamaguchi, Katarina
Witt, Ekatari na Gordeeva and others. Tick­
ets are available at all Ticketm aster out­
lets and the Rose Garden box office. Call
224-4400.
B y J oy R amos
enator Ron Wyden arrived on Fri
day, Dec. 19, at the Multicultural
Senior Center. He met with sev­
eral grandparents who offered their heart­
felt appreciation for changing child cus­
tody standards. This was done in favor of
relatives wanting to adopt the children in
their family whose parents are not able to
care for them.
Senator Wyden recognized the concerns
of the elderly wanting to adopt their grand­
children instead of these kids being left in
S
“/( is only common sense to
utilize love, talent and family
first. Grandparents are no
longer an after-thought,”
foster care.
There are many children neglected or
abused by their biological parents. Instead
of placing kids with foster parents, the
government now allows extended family
first priority to adopt these children.
T he new national law , c alled PA SS
was en a c te d on N ov em b er 19 o f this
y ear in C o n g ress. S tates now have a
new form o f fo ster care, called k inship
care. S everal p ro v isio n s to this law
o ffe r adult re la tiv e s p re fe rre d p la c e ­
m ent o p tio n s, fin a n c ia l a ssista n c e and
su p p o rt se rv ic e s. T he ex ten d ed fa m i­
lies m ust m eet child c u sto d y sta n d a rd s
to be e lig ib le for the p rogram .
K inship care le g isla tio n is a m arked
im p ro v em en t to the c o u n try ’s child
p ro te c tio n system . “ As our c o u n try is
ravaged by teen p re g n a n c y , drug abuse
and urban decay , g ra n d p a re n ts and
Ella Mae Gay is shown with her grandson, Q.T. at the Multicultural Senior Center to meet with Senator Ron Wyden on the
Kinship Care program.
(Photo Joy Ramos)
and co n cern that m ust be tapped if we
are to help turn these young lives around.
Yet w hen these re la tiv e s try to help,
they find they are e n te rin g a system o f
law s and social se rv ic e s that is stacked
ag ain st th e m ,” says W yden.
Ella Mae Gay, 74, was one of the grand­
parents who attended the meeting with the
Afternoon rides
Sib shops
Walk for the Peace
Sisters of the Road Cafe will sponsor a
Peace walk in commemoration of Dr. Mar­
tin Luther King Jr. The Peace walk will
take place on Monday, Jan. 19 starting at
5 p.m. The march will begin at the cafe,
133 NW. Sixth Avenue in Portland.
SU BM ISSIO N S: ( 'ninnilinits
( alendar in liirination siili he gisen
prim its if dated Isso sseeks
helore the esent date.
he U rban L eague o f P ortland
w orked for the com pany fo r 22 years
board o f d ire c to rs has elected
and m ost recen tly w as re sp o n sib le for
tw o new m em bers: Paul K nauls
the c o m p a n y ’s governm ent re la tio n s and
and C heryl P errin. The an n o u n cem
t
lo b en
bying,
new s m edia re la tio n s, c o m ­
w as m a d e by b o a rd c h a i r D u a n e
m unity relatio n s, and environm ental p ro ­
B osw orth.
gram s. She w ill co n tin u e to serve the
Paul K nauls is ow n er o f G e n e v a ’s
com pany as a c o n su lta n t. M s. P errin is a
S hear P erfectio n , a p o p u la r h air salon
fo rm er m em ber o f the U rban L e a g u e 's
and barber shop in N o rth east P ortland.
board.
He operated nigh clu b s in N o rth east
T he U rban L eague o f P o rtla n d is a
P ortland for 19 years and has been a c ­
local a ffilia te o f the N atio n al U rban
tive in efforts to rev italize M artin L uther
league The n o n -p ro fit a g e n c y ’s m is­
King Jr. B lvd., in clu d in g the W alnut
sion is to “stren g th en A frican A m e ri­
Park P roject and the MLK Jr Blvd.
cans and all w ho strive tow ard econom ic
A ction C om m ittee.
se lf-re lia n c e and social e q u a lity .” T he
C heryl Perrin recen tly re tire d as se ­
U rban L e a g u e p ro v id e s s e rv ic e s fo r
nior vice p re sid e n t o f public a ffa irs for
fam ilies, stu d e n ts, jo b se e k e rs, and se ­
Fred M eyer, one o f the la rg e st retail
niors and o p erates M ultnom ah C o u n ty ’s
chains in the P acific N orthw est. She
N o rth east F am ily C enter.
T
Learn practical physical and verbal self-
defense skills taught by certified w om en’s
self-defense instructors. This is for women
and teen girls. Located at One W ith Heart
in Southeast Portland, Saturday workshops
are held 1 lam-4pm and full six-week
courses meet Mondays and Wednesdays
from 7:30-9pm. The next 6 week course
begins Jan. 5.
A recreational program designed tocel-
ebrate the contributions made by brothers
and sisters of kids with special needs. The
next meeting will take place on Saturday,
Jan. 17 at Tabor Heights United M ethod­
ist Church. The cost of each session is $5,
which includes refreshments and m ateri­
als. Scholarships are also available for Sib
shops. For more information, call The Arc
of Multnomah County at 223-7279.
Ella is devoted to these children even
though it entails many hardships. Both grand­
children have behavioral problems from at­
tention deficit hyperactive disorder.
"It is only com m on se n se to u tiliz e
love, talen t and fam ily first. G ra n d p a r­
ents are no lo n g e r an a fte r-th o u g h t,”
says S enator W yden.
Portland Chamber welcomes Knauls and Perrin
Self-Defense for every
Woman
Volunteer Opportunity
Senator on Friday. She was given much en­
couragement by Wyden for choosing legal
guardianship of her grandchildren. It took
her two long years to be able to adopt them.
Ella was not given that privilege easily. She
was discriminated against when going for
adoption due to old age and financial insta­
bility.
Urban League Elects Two
To Board
Ride a bike with others and go climb­
ing. Meet at Southwest Corner of Pioneer
Courthouse Square between noon and
12:10 p.m every Monday and Thursday.
Free to join along. Contact Ray Thomas at
228-5222 or meet at start.
Parents Anonymous o f Oregon is look­
ing for a few good volunteers to make a
difference in the lives o f O regon’s fami­
lies. Be a Children’s Group Specialist,
Facilitator or Parent helpline advocate.
Education, on-going training and excel­
lent volunteer support are an integral part
of the program. Contact Lynette at 238-
8819.
DEC. 24, 1997
Martin Luther King Jr. school students practice for their annual school
Christmas play.
(Photo by M. Washington)
Community Group Steps Out To Address Landlord/Tenant Concerns
B y L ee P eari . man
in various parts of the city.
borhood groups.
teven Weiss and Anita Rogers are
They have also organized tenants in apart­
For the long term, Weiss says, the group
trying to upgrade the living condi
ment complexes and buildings and helped
has a five-point program:
dons of “the other h a lf’in Portland.
them negotiate local issues. In one case, the
♦Pass a just-cause eviction law, making
As president and staff, respectively, of the
at Park Terrace Apartments in northeast Port­
owners state a reason forevicting a tenant. (In
Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT), they
land, they persuaded the owner to extend
other states, plans to demolish, convert or use
are representatives of and for the approxi­
Section Eight contracts for 39 families that
the dwelling for the landlord or his family are
mately 50 percent of Portlanders who rent
he was planning to terminate for one year.
valid reasons to evict, as is tenant miscon­
their homes. This percentage is likely to rise
in the future, as city planners encourage
“How cun we afford to move, we can hardly afford to stay.
higher-density housing development, and ris­
We have to fight to keep our homes, there's no other way.”
ing costs put home ownership increasingly
— "W e’re Gonna Stay,” - Mike Rawson
out of reach of many residents.
CAT grew out of discussions generated by
the Oregon Housing Now Coalition, a non­
They are still negotiating on behalf of 38
duct.)
profit advocacy group. Officially two years
more households.
♦Force owners to replace “affordable"
old, it has been active and operating for
CAT representatives have spoken out on
housing units lost to demolition, conversion
slightly less than a year. Within that time it
citywide issues as well Last July they per­
of housing to other uses, or “extreme" rent
has attracted 250 members paying $ 10 to $40
suaded City Council to increase fines for
increases. (There is yet no exact definition of
a year in membership dues, or doing volun­
housing code violations in rental properties,
“affordable" or “extreme ”)
teer work as an alternative to dues. They
and to automatically double the fines if re­
♦End discrimination against Section 8 ten­
operate a renter's rights hotline, providing
pairs aren’t made in six months. Last month
ants.
advice on landlord-tenant issues from 3 to 7
Weiss urged Council to allow owners to
♦Force owners to make needed repairs.
p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at
build "granny flat" accessory rental units as
CAT considers the city’s new code violation
288-0130. They have conducted periodic
part of homes or garages without an on-site
fine schedule a big step in this direction
“speak outs” to dicuss tenant-related issues
owner, a change opposed by most city neigh­
♦Give priorities in city development ef­
S
t
forts to housing for the poorest tenants.
Rent control, an issue in m any other
states, is not on the C A T list, in part be­
cause a state law ennacted in the early
1980s outlaw s local ordinances. It would
have to be passed statew ide, an alm ost
im possible undertaking, because eviction
is high on the list, and a frequent problem
raised in hot line calls. Right now tenants
in O regon can be evicted on 30 days w rit­
ten notice for any reason. A te n a n ts’ only
defense is to claim that they w ere evicted
in retaliation for protecting their rights
under state law. Even then, they m ust prove
their case in court, which is beyond the
m eans of many tenants.
CAT is concerned about city priorities
because of a proposed budget for use of $43
million in federal and local matching funds
slated for housing development. The city
proposes to build 567 new housing units for
people earning 30 to 60 percent o f median
income, but only 28 units for people earning
30 percent of median or less even though
there is a greater housing shortage in the
lower income range.