Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, May 27, 1998, Page 2, Image 2

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Page A2
MAY 27, 1998
(Tlje p o r tla n ò < 0ihsm trr
Springfield, Oregon High
School Violence
"We at Bradley-Angle House are
deeply saddened by tins latest vio­
lent school tragedy at Thurston High
School in Springfield. Oregon this
morning. We wish to pass along our
condolences to the students, families
and community of Springfield and
nearby 1 ugene. Oregon. We grieve
along with you for the lives lost and
the injuries inflicted during this hor­
rible. senseless tragedy. We find these
murders and attempted murders very
disturbing and unfortunately feel we
must address several related issues
as we did at the time of the tragedy in
Jonesboro, Arkansas,” said Erika
Silver, Executive Director.
Another apparent suicide attempt
by another young boy in Onalaska,
Washington who met his school bus
with a gun. took his girlfriend off the
bus and to his home, and then shot
himself in the head, is additionally
disconcerting and tragic.
As individuals and communities,
we must look closely at these trag­
edies. We must question how and
why these boys had access to lethal
weapons. We must realize that this
violence was not random but pre­
meditated.
It is important to examine these
boys’ motives. Early unconfirmed
reports from students indicate that
the boy in Springfield often talked
about guns, told students that he was
going to commit this act of violence,
and was upset over a recent breakup.
He was expelled just the day before
for attempting to bring a handgun to
school. It appears clear there were
warning signs. The youth in Onalaska
is reported to have been upset after
discussing the possibility of a breakup
with his girlfriend.
Although Kipland Kinkel was ex­
pelled from school, were his threats
ever conveyed to school teachers or
administrators o f Thurston High
School, and if so, were they taken
seriously? Have the students, par­
ents, and/or school personnel been
given appropriate information to sup­
port them in dealing with such a
threat?
Although shocking, these murders
are not random, isolated incidents.
These murders are part of a larger
pattern in our society of male vio­
lence often perpetrated against fe­
males, in a workplace, or in school,
often in response to the end of a
dating relationship.
Clearly there is no community,
race, class, or culture immune to this
violence. Until each and every seg­
ment of our society demonstrates
clear boundaries and consequences
for perpetrators of violence, this epi­
demic will continue. Until weeollec-
tively send the message of zero toler­
ance for \ iolenceespecially by young
men and all too often against women
and girls, this violence w ill continue.
As violence more frequently
touches our nation’s schools, we wish
to stress the importance of domestic
and dating violence education, not
only for students, but also for teach­
ers, counselors, parents, and admin­
istrative staff. Bradley-Angle House,
C ommunity Advocates forSafety and
SelfReliance, and Portland Women’s
Crisis Line, offer school based cur­
riculums and presentations.
These curriculums teach students
how to recognize the signs of domes­
tic and dating violence, support
schools in their response to violence
or the threat of violence, and most
importantly, help to increase safety
and support for victims of such vio­
lence. Education programs such as
there must be funded, and must be
offered each year to every student
and staff member in all schools.
Several domestic and dating vio­
lence education curriculum are to be
presented to Congress for nation­
wide implementation in schools. We
urge Congress to pass a nationwide
curriculum as soon as possible. We
urge you to demand implementation
of such a curriculum to help save
lives.
Unti I each of us examines what we
can do personally and as a commu­
nity to stop violence, at home, at
w ork, in our social and religious or­
ganizations, and at school — even
The Violent Child-What
Can You Do?
co m m u n ities like S p rin g field ,
O re., or Jo n esb o ro , A rk. They
have “ b eh av io r p ro b lem s” they
w o n ’t outgrow .
W hen this group o f id e n tifi­
ab le a n tiso c ia l c h ild re n g ets
o ld er, w hen they have had no
e ffe c tiv e in terv en tio n , we then
begin to read th eir nam es in the
p ap er-in arrest rep o rts for b u r­
g lary , van d alism , a ssa u lt, h o ­
m icid e-ev en sh o ck in g k illin g
r a m p a g e s on t h e i r s c h o o l
g rounds.
I ’ve been w orking w ith a n ti­
so cial ch ild ren for m ore than
30 years. As d ire c to r o f the
C en ter on H um an D evelopm ent
at the U n iv ersity o f O regon,
I ’ve seen h u n d re d s o f v ery
y o ung ch ild ren like Jason. Any
child on the playground can re c­
o g n ize them . So can you.
R esearch has id en tified these
c le a r w a rn in g sig n a ls th at a
ch ild is out o f co n tro l:
this kind of violence from happening
again.
Founded in 1975 to provide emer­
gency shelter for women and their
children escaping domestic abuse,
Bradley-Angle House is the oldest
dom estic violence intervention
agency on the west coast and one of
the oldest in the United States. To­
day, Bradley-Angle house provides
a variety of integrated programs at
three different sites and throughout
the community, including a 24-hour
crisis line, emergency shelter, youth
programs, transitional program, as
well as domestic, sexual and dating
violence education, curriculum and
support groups.
The B radley-A ngle House
"Chance for Change” domestic and
dating violence curriculum, other
materials and presentations are avail­
able by calling 232-7805. School
presentations are scheduled for to­
day and tomorrow in the greater Port­
land area. Please call 232-1528 for
information on attendance of those
presentations.
C ollege o f E ducation and d i­
recto r o f its C en ter on Human
D evelopm ent. He is also d i­
recto r o f the UO In stitu te on
v io len ce and D estru ctiv e B e­
h av io r and an in tern atio n ally
re c o g n iz e d e x p e rt on youth
v io len ce and co -au th o r o f with
G e o ff C o lv in and E lizab eth
R am sey o f “ A ntiso cial B ehav­
ior in S chools: S trateg ies and
Best P ra c tic e s” pu b lish ed by
B rooks C ole, Inc. in 1995
Even o ld er kids stay away
from six -y ea r old Jason. He
pushes them around w henever
the teach er is n ’t looking. He
taunts them and hits anyone
who gets in his way. At least
once, teach ers pulled Jason o ff
a younger boy he was choking.
T here are v io len t kid s in
schools all o v er A m erica-in
w ell-funded suburban schools,
in tro u b led in n er-city n eig h ­
borhoods, even in qu iet rural
In Wake of Springfield Shooting, Public
Ponders Safety, Deterrence
* C onsistently bullies
younger, weaker children
* Constantly steals
* C onsistently tells lies
* C an't manage anger
* Sets fires
* Tortures small animals
T hese problem kids can be
help ed , but only if we reach
them very ea rly --u su a lly before
they are nine years old.
When you see a young child with
these symptoms, you can step in. If
it’s your child, get some help. A
child psychologist can se, up a coun­
seling program and the school dis­
trict may be able to help. If the
family with the out-of-control child
doesn’t have the money to pay a
counselor, talk to social service
agencies. They’ll help you find low­
cost or free counseling programs.
Look for a program th at w ill
include the w hole fam ily. M ost
bad kids d o n ’t start out that way,
but they may not be g etting clear
signals from th eir parents about
how to be good kids.
M any p aren ts need to learn
to send c le a re r m essag es to
th eir ch ild ren . Look for p ro ­
gram s that can teach the w hole
fam ily to:
* Use discipline in a fair
and consistent way
* Keep track of w hat
their children are doing
* Resolve conflicts
without hitting
* Become involved in
their children’s lives
* Provide opportunities
for healthy and fun pas­
times *
I t ’s n early as im p o rtan t to
m ake sure y o u r local sch o o ls
are places w here fam ilies are
w elcom e. F ind out if p aren ts
feel co m fortable there. Do they
sh are re sp o n sib ility for w hat
is happening? If not, w ork w ith
teac h ers and a d m in istra to rs to
tu rn sch o o ls into p laces w here
ch ildren and th eir fam ilies feel
at hom e.
D o n ’t fo rg et to in v o lv e the
c h ild re n . E v en v e ry y o u n g
ch ild ren can learn how to c o n ­
trol and m anage an g er and to
n eg o tiate d isp u tes with oth ers
in n o n -v io len t ways. S everal
sch o o ls in O regon are te a c h ­
ing six- and sev en -y ear-o ld s
how to m ed iate p lay g ro u n d
p ro b lem s them selv es. It has
been q u ite successfu l.
In my research, I found many
su cc essfu l program s that can
head o ff vio len t b eh av io r in
A m e ric a ’s kids. If you d o n ’t
h av e such a program in y o u r
sch o o l, you can help get one
started .
O ne o f the biggest lesson
I ’ve learned in my work is this:
P arents and teachers must work
to g e th e r if we are to cure the
v io len ce th at is creep in g into
e v e ry
n e ig h b o r h o o d
in
A m erica.
Public Notice of Oregon Pacific Power
Price Increase Application
Self Enhancement, Inc. is a model of youth violence prevention
Self Enhancement, Inc.
As youth violence becomes a dominating issue following the devastating shooting in Springfield, Ore., Self
Enhancement, Inc. would like to share with the nation the key it's found to curbing youth violence.
Statistics
* SEI recognized as a national model of violence prevention by US Centers for Disease Control.
* SEI kids were in 26% fewer tights after being an SI I members for three years while nearly 20% fewer
kids carried weapons on a regular basis (RMC Research Corporation)
* SEI named one of America’s fop 20 Community-based programs by William Bennett, former National
Drug Control Policy Director
* More than two-thirds ol SET kids improve school attendance, grades and behavior, which is twice the
national average for similar national programs.
* SI I ranked in the top 100 of President George Bush’s Thousand Points of Eight.
* SIT currently helps more than 1,200 at-risk children and family members with a one-on-one academic
mentoring program unlike any other in the United States.
Sources Available Today
SEI Vice President Marshall I laskins is currently available to discuss SEI’s key to youth violence preven­
tion and how schools across the nation can help alleviate this problem. President and Founder Tony Hopson
will also be available next week.
On May 5, 1998, the Oregon Public Utility Commission approved a request by Pacific Power to
adopt a new alternative form of regulation that links customer prices more to company performance
than to changes in costs.
The new form of regulation streamlines the regulatory process by permitting prices to change
under the plan according to increases in designated price indexes reduced by a productivity
adjustment. The proposal also includes service quality standards and penalties if the company fails
to meet the standards, and incentives to continue Pacific Power’s investment in renewable forms of
energy (such as wind, solar and geothermal).
The company's alternative form of regulation demonstrates a commitment to moderate the
impact of cost increases on customer prices while retaining high quality service.
Details of this Application:
As a result of the timing of the approval of the alternative form of regulation, two small price
increases are being requested. If approved by the OPUC:
1.
( (intact Information:
Marshall Haskins and Tony Hopson
Sel f Enhancement, Inc.
(503)249-1721
Suzanne Bell or Chris Bartell
KVO Public Relations
(503)221-1551
Springfield, Oregon: 15 Y ear Old Goes On Shooting Rampage
1
itself. P rev en tio n e ffo rts are
doomed in this “general level of
atmospheric toxicity" as William
Raspberry so eloquently put it, of
adults waging multiple "wars" o f
double standards and double mes­
sages. The kids remind us we can’t
have it both ways.
“Cognitive dissonance is the or­
der o f the day. Many kids are con­
fused, scared and depressed because
our government, its institutions, the
press and media are sending them
the worse possible messages: w ar is
normal, violence acceptable, a fas­
cist police state inevitable.” noted
League director Floyd Landrath.
“ Feed that kind o f crap along
with prozac to an already d e­
pressed, neglected, abused and or
desensitized kid ... and w e’ve got
a walking tim e-bom b like Kip
Kinkel." Landrath said "Given
June 3, 1998, the following increases will go into effect:
Residential Service
0.6 percent
General Service Schedule 25
0.7 percent
Large General Service Schedules 27 and 48T
0.3 percent
Agricultural Pumping Schedule 41
0.7 percent
This translates into a monthly increase of $0.39 for a typical residential customer using 1,000
kilowatt hours of electricity a month. This will increase overall annual revenue by $3.5 million or
0.51 percent.
Oregon’s Bloody Thursday
A drawn and distraught G over­
nor John K itzh ab er pondered
aloud, “We must ask ourselves
what this implies for our future?”
A question that now strikes fear
into the hearts o f every parent with
a kid in public school.
Gov. Kitzhaber went on to say:
“This society owes it to itself, to
its children, and to its future to
make a commitment to prevention
that is equally as serious as the
commitment we have made to pun­
ishment."
These are tine, but empty words.
The same election year rhetoric
we heard from Kitzhaber in 1994.
Meanwhile the business o f pun­
ishment is booming. Kitzhaber is
not building classrooms, h e ’s too
busy building and filling prisons
cells. Let's not forgot we are a
state and a country at “war" with
On
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•
•
•
recent events around the country it
almost seems deliberate, like a
secret government experiment or
a conspiracy designed to de-stabi-
lize and terrorize society,” he
added.
While it’s more often than not
impossible to predict or control
individual acts o f violence, we can
and must control our government
and the “messages" it sends to kids.
G overnm ent’s drug war - regard­
less its proverbial good intentions’
- is rooted in violence and too
often these days the children are
poisoned by its forbidden, yet
nonetheless abundant and easy to
get fruits o f guns and drugs.
How we respond at this jun c­
ture is crucial and we adults would
be w ise to remember the old say­
ing. ‘War is not healthy for chil­
dren and other living things."
2.
On
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•
•
•
July I, 1998, the following increases go into effect:
Residential Service
General Service Schedule 25
Large General Service Schedules 27 and 48T
Agricultural Pumping Schedule 41
0.7
0.5
0.3
0.5
percent
percent
percent
percent
This translates into a monthly increase of $0.40 for a typical residential customer using I,(MM)
kilowatt hours of electricity a month. This will increase overall annual revenue by $3.3 million or
0.47 percent.
Customers may review copies of Pacific Power's application at the com pany’s
main office, 920 S.W. Sixth Ave., Portland, Ore.. 97204. For further information,
they may also write to Pacific Power at that same address or call toll-free
(888) 221-7070. This information is also posted on the PacifiCorp's internet website a,
http://www.pacificorp.com. Customers may call or write the commission at 550 Capital Street N.E.,
Salem. Ore., 97310, or contact them at (800) 522-2404 to receive additional information on this
proposal.
The purpose of this announcement is to provide customers with general information regarding
Pacific Power's proposed price changes under its new alternative form of regulation plan.
Calculations and statements contained in this notice are not binding on the Oregon Public Utility
Commission
#
PACIFIC POW ER
A PKifiCorp Comptny