Committed to cultural diversity. Iitlp://wv
Volume X X V II. Number 67
A pril 15, Í998
Dazzling Tap
Dancer Joins
Oregon Symphony
The Lion, The
Witch, and The
Wardrobe
Fred Strickler will
headline the Oregon
Symphony starting April
18-20.
See Entertainment, page Bi.
Children's Theater Presents
this spectacular play, April
26th - May 3rd at the
Portland Civic Auditorium. See Metro, inside.
yopexes
BULK RATE
See Popeye s
Coupon's
Inside!
ILS. POSTAGE
PAID
PORTLAND, OR
PERMIT NO. 1610
(The Jnrthxnb (Dtam nx
« ■ H i
Sheriff Adds 200 Beds To Downtown Jail
B y K elly M ott ,
C ommunity I nformation S pecialist
M ultnomah C ounty S heriff ’ s
O ffice
Ford To Have Side Air
Bags
In a first fo r a m a jo r A m e ric a n
automaker. Ford said it plans to offer side
air bags on all its cars and will start by
making them standard equipment on its
luxury models. Ford Autom otive O pera­
tions President Jac Nasser said that all
Ford car m odels will have the air bags
within three years. The side airbags would
be built into the outer side o f the driver and
front passenger seats, inflating on impact
to protect an occupant’s head and neck.
The bags inflate parallel to the rider, in­
stead o f toward him or her.
Israeli Envoy Heads to
Washington
Israel took a step forward in talks on the
country’s withdrawal from the W est Bank
by sending a senior adviser to Washington.
The United States is pressing Prime M in­
ister Benjamin Netanyahu towithdraw from
12 percent to 15 percent o f the W est Bank
in the next pullback phase, but Netanyahu
has said he cannot yield more than about 9
percent. The Palestinians have said they
expect far more than 15 percent in the next
withdrawal, but privately have signaled
they would accept the American plan.
Asian Recovery Not
Expected Until 1999
Economic recovery in Asia isn’t likely
to begin until next year, and serious re­
forms are necessary before investors re­
gain confidence in the region, a study said.
The slump has depreciated currencies and
slashed prices on share markets, shrunk
econom ies and weakened bank balance
sheets, the Organization for Economic Co­
operation and Development said. Credit is
tight, inflation is rising and investors are
unw illing to com m it money despite an
apparent easing o f the crisis, O ECD said.
Earlier today, Indonesia and the Interna­
tional M onetary Fund appeared to have
reached a com prom ise on the $43 billion
bailout package.
he Multnomah County Detention
Center (MCDC) in downtown
Portland serves as the county’s
prim aryjail and intakecenter. Beginning in
1987 and culminating in a Modified Final
Order in 1990, the federal court has man­
dated many o f the operating conditions at
MCDC, including maximum inmate popu­
lation limits. This is a big headache because
we, like most every jail in the country, have
more crooks than beds.
The impact o f the inmate population re­
striction is felt throughout the community.
When the jail is full, it’s full; the booking
counter closes and the doors literally get
locked. With the exception o f the first few
months aft er opening, the jail has been filled
to capacity. In fact, each o f our five jails,
with a total capacity o f 1,953, is full. As a
result, hundreds o f inmates are released
every month before they’ve completed their
sentences. Locally w e’ve given the popula­
tion release process a formal name: “Matrix
Release,” but it’s really just a “get out o f jail
free” card for the inmate. In 1997 an aver­
age o f 530 inmates were matrix released
each month-a number Multnomah County
Sheriff Dan Noelle finds completely unac­
ceptable. Early releases create public dis­
trust in the system, frustration for the arrest­
ing om cers, and remove the penalty of
incarceration for breaking the law.
The Federal Court Order was establ ished
to protect the county from inmate lawsuits
over Constitutional rights. However, since
the entry o f the Modified final Order, no
MCDC encompasses ten floors o f the Justice Center in downtown Portland. In
inmate has ever brought forth a valid claim
February 2 0 0 ja il beds were added, raising the inmate capacity to 676.
that the requirements o f the O rder were
(Photo
by Rick Schwarz)
being violated. Nor has anyone brought a
successful challenge to the conditions o f
changes have on the jail system.
respond to the changing needs ofthe com m u­
confinement at the County jails in general.
nity (what type o f criminal stays in jail),
W hen Dan N oelle becam e S heriff in
Thus, the primary effect ofthe Order, in this
1995, it was im m ediately apparent to him
changes in the law, and the effect that those
case, was to restrict the SheriflFs ability to
T
that the jail system was in overload. T he
em ergency population release plan was
being used alm ost daily and the detention
center w as increasingly in gridlock. On
o c c a sio n , c o rre c tio n s d e p u tie s w ere
forced to close the ja il’s booking counter
and lock the reception doors. Plans to
expand one o f the county’s five jails were
in action, how ever, to achieve his im m e­
diate goal o f reducing the num ber o f
early releases, N oelle would need even
m ore beds than w ere under construction.
V oters had approved a levy giving us
m oney to build a new ja il, but that was a
few years aw ay.
D ouble b u n k in g M CD C w ould give
som e im m ed iate re lie f, bu, the federal
co u rt o rd e r w as b lo c k in g our ab ility to
sq u eeze m ore inm ates into the facility.
It w ould tak e an act o f co n g re ss, lite r ­
ally , to allow m ore in m ates into the
ja il.
High School Proposed for Rosemont Site
Bono Wins California
House Seat
With memories o f Sonny Bono still fresh,
voters chose the Republ ican ’s young widow
to finish his term in C alifornia’s44th C on­
gressional District seat. Mary Bono de­
feated Democrat Ralph Waite, the actor
who portrayed the father on television’s
“The W altons.” The post becam e vacant
when Bonodied Jan. 5 in a skiing accident.
News Orgs. Seek
Lewinsky Access
W hile the W hitewater grand jury probes
deeper into an alleged presidential affair
and cover-up, news organizations are ask­
ing an appellate court for access to pro­
ceedings and records related to the Monica
Lewinsky investigation. An emergency
appeal by a dozen media com panies, seeks
to open hearings on legal challenges to
Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr’s in­
vestigation . The news organizations said a
lower court’s denial o f access makes "a
mockery o f the First A m endm ent.”
Frazier Calls Arrest
Misunderstanding
Form er bo x in g cham pion Jo e Frazier
sa y s his a rre st on d ru n k e n d riv in g
c h a rg e s w as a " m is u n d e rs ta n d in g .”
P o lice p u lled o v er F ra z ie r fo r d riv in g
e rra tic a lly . “ T hey th o u g h t I w as d rin k ­
in g ,” he to ld the P h ila d e lp h ia D aily
N ew s. “ I m ay h av e had a d rin k e a rlie r
in th e e v e n in g . But th ey ran te sts. I
have a p ro b lem w ith my b lo o d p re s­
s u re .” F ra z ie r’s d a u g h te r, an a tto rn e y ,
said the B re a th a ly z e r test p o lic e gave
her fath er w as skew ed by his h y p e rte n ­
sion.
Single cell conveted to double
occupancy rooms.
(Photo by Rick Schwarz)
Jean-Baptiste De La Salle.
Catholic girls school a Catholic high school'.’
The idea has been broached by officials of
ere’s a novel new idea for reuse
La Salle High School o f Milwaukie, and by
o f the Rosemont School prop­
members o f the Piedmont Neighborhood
erty: instead o f making it high
City officials, who are negotiat­
density housing, why not make the Association.
former
B y L ef P erlman
H
ing to buy the vacant 7.6 acre property at 597
w ould o b v io u sly be b e n e fic ia l to have
N. Dekum St. and develop a master plan for
fa c ilitie s th a t c o n trib u te to the high
its future use, say they will consider the idea,
school e x p e rie n c e ,” such as an a th le tic
field.
but without much enthusiasm.
G reg V anderZ andcn, a president o f
The Portland Development Commission
I aSalle, says the school would like to open a
gave its approval for city appropriation o f
“satellite campus" with a beginning enroll­
$1.5 million for acquiring the Rosemont site
at a March 18 hearing. According to Tom
ment o f 200 students, and the Rosemont
property “has a lot to offer.” It is close to
Markgraf, former Piedmont Neighborhood
both Holy Redeemer grade school and the
Association president, the commission also
University o f Portland, allowing three Catho­
support an “open" planning process that would
lic educational institutions to have easy ac­
consider alternatives that didn’t include hous­
cess to each other’s facilities, it is also at “the
ing on the site. Rudman says, “Tom heard
what he wanted to hear.”
poor end ofthe city,” which would “allow us
to live out our mission
Rudman says he
and have more diver­
w as u n a w a re o f
“Funding would he a chal­ L a S a lle 's in terest
sity "
Founded in the 17th lenge, hut we feel we have the until a week or two
century by the priest John support to overcome it. ”
before the hearing.
Baptiste De LaSalle, the
M arkgraf says the
col leges are dedicated to
school made inquir­
providing “education for everyone and ser­
ies about the site three months before.
vice to the poor,” VanderZanden says. It
The debate continual at a Piedmont Associa­
attempts to provide scholarships for deserv­
tion meeting last week. Robin Boyce of BHCD
ing poor students. However, he concedes,
told about 50 neighborhixxl residents that while
“W e’re younger and don’t have a large en­
the planning process would not "preclude" any
dowment. To the extent that w e’re tuition-
ideas, “We need to balance Piedmont’s interests
driven, it’s hard to serve the poor.”
with thoseof the rest ofthecity. rhecity’sagenda
As to purchasing the property from the
includes (developing) rental housing. Some por­
Sisters ofthe Good Shepherd, VanderZandcn
tion has to be low -income (housing), or there's no
says, “ Funding would be a challenge, but we
reason for us to be involved.”
feel we have the support to overcome it.”
Rudman cautioned that the city has yet to
T hey w ould also have to get it from
officially complete the purchase. “We can ’t
the P ortland B ureau o f H o using and
divert money the rest o fthe city is depending
C om m u n ity D ev elo p m en t. T he bureau
on to buy that property,” he said. “We
has o b ta in e d an op tio n to p u rc h a se the
haven’t identified money even to buy it, let
p ro p e rty , and w hile it is c o m m itted to a
alone develop it."
p la n n in g pro cess to d e te rm in e its best
Piedmont land use chair Betsy Radigan
fu tu re use, it m akes c le a r its ow n agenda
said she was reassured by the master plan­
ning process, based on the C oncordia
is to build lo w -in c o m e h o u sin g there.
B ureau d ire c to r Steve R udm an says
neighborhood's experience with the former
he “w o u ld n ’t rule o u t” at least partial
Kennedy School.
use o f th e p ro p e rty by L aS alle but adds,
“They kept the neighborhood informed
“ I ’d c o n sid e r it a long sh o t.”
so that a, the end there were no surprises, and
V an d erZ an d en in turn says it w ould
people understood the choices and tradeoffs.
be “ p o ssib le " to o p e ra te a school on ju st
It makes you confident you're making the
part o f the site , alth o u g h he adds, “ It
best choice for your community."