Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, June 17, 1998, Page 2, Image 2

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    Page A2
JUNE 17, 1998
(Cljc P o rt Lutò dW&nramnr
The “Why” is Not a Mystery
B> R ich C ohen
Twenty Year Old Charged In
Stabbing Death Of Teenager
SW 2nd Ave/SW Pine Street
Borlande “ A n d y ’ D. Robertson
has been charged w ith M urder in
connection with the stabbing death
o f 16-year-old A nthony C. Nnoli
early Saturday m orning.
Just a fte r m id n ig h t Saturday
m orning, R obertson in the com ­
pany o f another, becam e involved
in an altercation with a group o f
three black males in a dow ntow n
parking lot. Robertson and a 21-
year-old male friend began the in­
cident by engaging in an outside
verbal dispute with security m em ­
bers o f the Q uest N ightclub, lo­
cated at SW 2nd Avenue and SW
Pine Street. Security agents asked
them to m ove on and they reluc­
tantly com plied by crossing the
street to the area o f the parking lot
located on the southeast corner. In
the parking lot, R obertson e x ­
changed words with the victim s and
a fight ensued. There was a large
crowd o f people m illing around the
parking lot at the tim e o f the inci­
dent.
Police Investigate Apartment Shooting
5200 Block Of NE Irving Street
At approxim ately M idnight Sat­
urday, Portland Police w ere called
to the Imperial H eights A partm ents
in connection with a H om icide. A
resident o f the apartm ent com plex
called 9-1-1 to report that shooting
had ju st occurred at his neighbors.
The caller reported that a neighbor
had run into his apartm ent saying
that her friend had been shot.
Police arrived to find a fem ale
victim who had been shot several
times about the body.
The victim , believed to be in her
m id-tw enties, died at the scene.
The resident o f the apartm ent in
question stated that her friend was
visiting her at the time o f the inci­
dent. She had left her friend alone
in the living room while she took a
shower. She heard several gunshots
and exited the bathroom to d is­
cover her friend had been shot.
No suspect was seen in or around
the apartm ent unit a, the tim e o f the
shooting. T here w ere no obvious
signs o f forced entry. N am es are
being w ithheld pending further in­
vestigation.
I n v e s tig a tiv e - S e r g e a n ts D.
Rubey and K. Ferrell are assigned
P ortland’s 14th hom icide o f the
year.
UPDATE: Police Identify Victim
Of Car Homicide
NW Everett/NW "homicide Vic­
tim" Portland has been identified as
33-year-old (DOB 09-30-64) Jeffrey
Steven Lange.
Lange, who resided at the Victorian
Apartments 2255 W. Burnside, was
shot multiple times as he drove his
1987 Ford Mustange. His vehicle
ended up against a concrete wall on
the entrance to southbound Inter­
state 405.No suspects have yet been
identified.
Victim Panel Speaker
Recruitment
C la rk C o u n ty C o r r e c tio n s --
T h e V ic tim ’s P an el is r e c r u it­
ing s p e a k e rs w h o se liv e s h av e
b een a ffe c te d p h y s ic a lly , fin a n ­
c ia lly , o r e m o tio n a lly fro m the
e f f e c ts o f a D riv in g U n d e r In ­
flu e n c e ( DU I ) c ra sh . T h is is an
o p p o r tu n ity fo r in te re s te d c o m ­
m u n ity m e m b e rs to te ll th e ir
s to r y on h o w t h e ir lif e h as
c h a n g e d from s o m e o n e ’s c h o ic e
w
o f d r in k in g o r ta k in g d ru g s and
d riv in g .
T he V ic tim ’s Panel is a court
m andated in terv en tio n program
for D U I, dom estic v io le n c e , and
n eg lig en t d riv in g o ffe n d e rs. It is
also an e d u catio n al program for
tra ffic safety stu d en ts; the v o l­
unteers discu ss the consequences
and risks related to im paired d riv ­
ing. A d d itio n a lly , this program
p ro v id es in fo rm a tio n to ad u lts
and youth about tre a tm e n t and
su p p o rt se rv ic e s to c re a te so lu ­
tio n s to in d iv id u a l p ro b lem s re­
lated to the use o f alco h o l and
o th e r drugs.
For m ore in fo rm a tio n , in te r­
este d in d iv id u a ls m ay c o n ta c t
Jan et K alney, C o rre c tio n s C o u n ­
se lo r 11, at (3 60) 737-6141 press
3.
A
N
T E
D
Nicole Marie Deroche
Nicole Marie Deroehe
DOB: 5/3/73
Sex: Female
Ht. 5’7” Wt. 300
Race: Hispanic
Charges: Manu/Del Controlled Sub-
stance-SCI-Possession of Controlled Substance
In the name o f the State o f C )regon to any Peace Officer of
this State, Greetings: it appearing to the court that the above
named defendant was conv icted of the above mentioned
charges and was placed on probation to the Oregon Correc­
tions Department. Ordered the defendant’s release is
hereby revoked and the entire security amount, if any, is
hereby forfeited. It is further ordered a warrant be issued
for the arrest o f said defendant, and, upon apprehension, be
brought before this court.
“ S hoot m e, ju s t sh o o t m e !”
pleaded 15-yr old Kip Kinkel as he
was wrestled to the ground after
killing his parents and w ounding 24
fellow students (tw o fatally). The
boys who subdued him said they
looked into his eyes and saw only
emptiness. “ E verything,” they said,
“was gone inside o f him .”
Why did he do it? Are we really
serious about an answ er? Do we
have the courage to face the possi­
bility o f our own com plicity? If so,
the very best clue to the “w hy?” is
found in those empty eyes, not by
looking outside the family at guns,
media violence, etc. O ur inquiry
must begin in the homes that breed
children who kill.
Yet focusing our attention on what
goes on in the privacy o f our homes
is som ething w e tend to avoid. It
feels too personal and raises ques­
tions about our own responsibility
as parents and how we as a com m u­
nity support parenting. It’s easier to
talk about controlling guns, even
when our experience tells us that
another instrum ent o f death can al­
ways be found. It’s easier to con­
demn media violence even when we
know that w ithout a predisposition
to kill, violent images alone will not
cause som eone to kill. I believe the
best way to honor the victims and
ourselves is not to get caught up
again in our fear, by em phasizing
control and punishm ent, but instead
go to the heart o f the matter, the
place where it always begins, in the
most powerful o f all human attach­
ments, the parent-child bond—and
in the role we have as a eommunity,
as an extended family, to support
good parenting.
Why are we surprised when chil­
dren who are given no access to
care, respect, affection, and safety
becom e angry, violent, and so em o­
tionally detached that they can pull
a gun and kill som eone without re­
morse.
Sure, most kids with that history
will not kill, but even they will act
out their pain and rage in hurtful
ways against others and/or them ­
selves.
Nothing means more to a child
than to feel loved by her parents. It
is the basis for self love, self-esteem
and how we treat others. If a child is
shown love, feels respected, is care­
fully guided, and has sufficient time
with one or both parents, that child
will never intentionally kill anyone.
Show me a killer who had that kind
o f family life!
I d o n ’t know what kind o f home
Kip Kinkel grew up in. Nor does
anyone who didn’t live in that house
and witness how he was actually
treated from Day One. But I’ll ques­
tion anyone’s parenting when their
teenage child ends up on a floor
begging to be shot to death. As one
Springfield student put it, “people
just do n ’t do it for no reason.”
We can blame guns, the media,
police, schools, or liberals, and re­
Graduation Ceremony Honored Slained Youth
Students, staff o f alternative school step in as young men ’s fam ily
On Wed. June 10,1998 students
and staff members from The Gladys
McCoy A cadem y filled Bethel
A ME Church, to celebrate the hard-
won achievements o f the school’s
new graduates and to com m em o­
rate the life o f one they lost. An­
thony Nnoli, 16, a sophomore at
McCoy Academy, was slain Satur­
day night June 6, 1998 near the
Pepsi Festival Center.
The homeless youth who looked
to the staff o f Oregon Outreach
Inc.’s Northeast Portland campus
for a new beginning, a chance to
earn his high school diploma and
learn how to work toward his per-
sonal goals, was an above-average
and gregarious student. Last week,
A nthony’s peers wrote poems and
stories expressing what they liked
most about the budding rap singer
who excelled in music, dance and
photography. His fellow students
were like siblings, and his teachers
were personal role models.
“For some students whose fami­
lies are going through crises or are
absent altogether," said Oregon O ut­
reach Executive D irector Becky
Black, “the staff become a surrogate
family.” And as any family would,
McCoy Academy students and staff
members^vereraisingmoney^^^ro-
and bells, were active at the time o f
the accident. Upon impact, the car
was dragged 50 feet and sustained
damage to all four sides including the
Real people.
Fast, helpful answers.
Six days a week.
wetlands and environmen­
tal protection. He served 34
years with the US Forest
Service, including 11 years
as regional director o f engi­
neering in the San Francisco
office.
Deleissegues has also been
an officer for the US Army
Corps o f Engineers, earning
the rank o f Colonel in the
Army Reserve.
I
Call M etro Recycling Inform ation
when you need inform ation about:
•
•
•
•
•
•
roof and undercarriage.
The driver was life-flighted to
OHSU. The driver o f the vehicle has
been identified as Jacob Joseph Shaw.
C o m m is s io n e r s a p p o in t
D e l e is s e g u e s to C l a r k C o u n t y
P l a n n in g C o m m is s io n
A Hockinson area resi­
dent has been appointed by
the Board o f Clark County
Commissioners to serve a
six year term on the county’s
seven m em ber Planning
Commission.
Dick Deleissegues has
extensive experience with
civil engineering, land use
planning, transportation
systems, public facilities,
vide Anthony with a proper memo­
rial ceremony and burial, that was
on Saturday June 13,1998 at 11:00
am at Allen Temple.
Anthony exemplified the type o f
young people who seek out Oregon
Outreach every year—those who
have left the city’s middle schools
and high schools, but who under­
stand the importance o f education
to future opportunity. Oregon Out­
reach serves 250 students on five
campuses. For more information
a b o u t th e o r g a n iz a tio n s , or
Anthony’s memorial service, please
call 281 -9597. We are still accept-
ing donations.
Metro Recycling Information
234-3000
“Dick has experience on
planning commissions and
citizen task forces, and will
be quickly up to speed,”
said Commissioner Betty
Sue Morris. “He is pre­
pared to listen to the com­
munity, evaluate all sides
of the issues, and develop
sound conclusions in the
interest o f serving the en­
tire county.”
recycling and reuse options
garbage disposal
ways to prevent waste
com posting and natural gardening
safer alternatives for home and garden
hazardous waste disposal
M etro Recycling Inform ation is open
8:30 a.m . to 5 p.m. M onday through
Saturday. Call us for a free refrigerator
magnet so you’ll always have our
num ber handy.
Car Crashes Into Moving Train
At 2:30 A.M. on May 28. 1998 a
vehicle driving southbound on 244th
A venue drove into a train as it crossed
NE 244th. All warning devices, lights
main lost in frustration, or we can
recognize the prime influence o f
parenting on child developm ent and
accept our responsibility as a com ­
munity to support good parenting.
In a culture increasingly antagonis­
tic to parenting, parents need all the
help they can get!
The way to stop the killing is to
love our children by show ing affec­
tion, listening well to them, taking
their ideas seriously, show ing that
their feelings are important to us
and that their anger at us is som e­
times allow able and worthy o f our
attention and concern. Let them
make more o f their own choices,
even when we disagree or are incon­
venienced by them, guide and in­
spire them by our exam ple, and give
them our time especially in the home
after school, at dinner, and at bed­
time. Any solution focus not di­
rectly on the parent-child bond, bor­
ders on negligence.
Kip Kinkel deserves the appro­
priate punishm ent, help, and for­
giveness. The victim s deserve our
support and prayers, our children
deserve to feel safe and to believe
that life is to be celebrated, not
feared. And parents deserve to feel
less isolated and part o f a com m u­
nity that truly values parenting.
Rich Cohen is a senior m anager
with Excel Com m unications and the
founder and form er D irector o f A c­
tion for Children, a Portland O r­
egon-based child advocacy organi­
zation.
Tip o f the week:
Grasscycling
Leave grass clippings on your
lawn. You’ll use less fertilizer
and spend less time mowing.
Call 234-3000 for
a grasscycling
brochure.
4z W *
n L
4f i 'k
Visit M etro’s web site at:
w w w .m etro-region.org
Metro Regional Services
Creating livable communities
Metro is working to ensure that we have access to nature, clean air and water and resources for future
generations. Waste prevention and safe disposal are ways you can create a more livable community.
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