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Novem ber 25. 1998
C om m itted to cultural diversity, http:/ ww w.poillandobserver.net
Volu me X X V 11, Nu mber 98
A Place Where You
Belong
"Christmas With
Babyface"
Neighborhood Foster Care,
what does your
neighborhood mean to
you?
See Family, page A 5
10-time grammy winner
Kenneth "Babyface"
Edmonds records his first
Christmas ablum
See Entertainment, page B4
From your friends at
(Ebe JJortlanb
©bseruer.
We wish you a
Happy Thanksgiving!
BULK RATE
L.S. HOSTAGE
PAID
PO
POR
RTLA N D, O R
PE R M II NO.
1610
L
T u i v e r s i of Oregon
Knight Library
Newspaper Section
Eugene OR 97403
(The
(Ohser t U T
250
r:.
REVIEW
Dow Soars to 9 ,3 7 4
S to c k s s u r g e d to r e c o r d le v e ls
a g a in th is y e a r . T h e D o w J o n e s
I n d u s tr ia ls ro s e to 9 ,3 7 4 .2 7 , th e
fifth b ig g e s t p o in t g a in o f th e y ear.
I n v e s to r s c r e d ite d th e r e c e n t O c ­
to b e r 1 5 ,h i n t e r e s t r a te c u t fo r
c a u s in g th e m a r k e t to s o a r . The
D ow J o n e s s e t its p r e v io u s r e c o r d
on J u ly 1 7 ,h, c lo s in g a t 9 ,3 3 7 .9 7 .
Im p each m en t Inquiry
B eg in s
Im p e a c h m e n t p r o c e e d in g s b e ­
gan, o p en ed by In d e p e n d e n t
C o u n s e l K e n n e t h S t a r r . T h is
w o u ld m a k e it th e th ir d im p e a c h ­
m e n t in q u ir y in th e n a t i o n 's h i s ­
to ry . D e m o c ra ts w e re s tr o n g ly o p ­
p o s e d to th e p r o s e c u t o r ’s m o tiv e s
a n d ta c tic s w h e re he c h a r g e d th a t
th e p r e s id e n t m is u s e d h is a u th o r ­
ity a n d p o w e r.
European M o n etary
Union
G e r m a n y , F r a n c e a n d I ta ly a re
th e th r e e k e y p la y e r s in th e m o n ­
e ta r y u n io n to c r e a te a u n if ie d
E u ro p e a n c u r r e n c y o n J a n u a r y 1*',
1999. T h e y p la n o n c r e a tin g a new
c e n tr a l b a n k a n d o f f e r lo w e r in te r ­
e s t r a te s to o f f s e t E u r o p e ’s c r i t i ­
c a l u n e m p lo y m e n t p ro b le m .
M ic ro s o ft Law suit
A f e d e r a l j u d g e o r d e r e d B ill
G a te s to r e m o v e a ll m o d if ie d v e r ­
s io n s o f th e th e p r o g r a m m in g la n ­
g u a g e J a v a fro m its W in d o w s 98
p ro g ra m o r s to p s e llin g it. S un
M ic r o s y s te m s I n c ., o r ig in a l d e ­
s ig n e r s o f J a v a a re s e e k in g th e
c h a n g e s a n d $ 3 5 m illio n in d a m ­
a g e s . T h e r e c e n t c o u r t r u lin g h a s
f in a lly s e ttle d th e o n g o in g a n t i ­
tr u s t b a ttle b e tw e e n b o th c o m p a ­
n ie s .
Juvenile Crime
Drops
A c c o r d in g to A tto r n e y G e n e r a l
Ja n e t R en o , a rre s ts o f young
p e o p le fo r m u r d e r a n d v io le n t
c r im e s a re d o w n fo r th e th ir d y e a r
in a ro w . S in c e 1997, ju v e n ile m u r­
d e r a r r e s ts h a v e d r o p p e d b y 16%
a n d ju v e n i l e v io le n t c rim e f e ll by
4 % . T h e g o v e r n m e n t p la n s on
sp e n d in g $95 m illio n for c rim e p r e ­
v e n tio n a c t i v i t i e s fo r c h ild r e n at
risk .
Power O utage
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fe
T h e f ir s t w in te r s to rm h it th e
O r e g o n c o a s t a n d i n l a n d th a t
k n o c k e d o u t p o w e r to 100,000 P o rt­
la n d G e n e r a l E le c tr ic c u s to m e r s .
P o w e r lin e s w e re d o w n , tr e e s fe ll
a n d t r a f f i c s ig n a l f a i l u r e s o c ­
c u r r e d th r o u g h o u t th e P o r tla n d
M e tro p o lita n a re a . T he g re a t
w in d s to r m o f 1995 w as m o re s e ­
v e re in c a u s in g w id e s p r e a d p o w e r
f a ilu r e to 3 0 0 ,0 0 0 h o m e s.
Drug Free Zone May Expand
T
town By contrast, there were 121 arrests in
he Portland Police Bureau and
central North Portland
M u ltn o m ah C o u n ty D istric t
Those arrested for posessing or selling
Attorney’s Office want to banish
illegal
suspected drug dealers from inner north and drugs could be ordered “excluded”
from the area for 90 days, or until trial, and for
northeast Portland.
a year if convicted. Ifthose excluded are later
The two agencies want to institute a North-
Northeast Drug Free zone. The proposed
zone would be bounded by Northeast 33rd
and North Concord avenues on the east and
west, and North and Northeast Dekum Street,
on the north. The southern boundary would
be Northeast Prescott Street between 33rd
and 15th Avenues. North and Northeast
Russell Street between 15th and North Inter­
state Avenue. The territory would encom­
pass two existing drug free zones near North­
east Beech and Alberta streets.
There were more than 1200 drug-related
arrests in this area last year, more than for any
comparable-sized area o f the city except down-
“He have a lot o f drug dealing here, we have shootings, we
have at-risk youth who are getting caught up in these things,
and we 're tired o f it. ”
found in the zone, they can be arrested for
criminal trespass. Those living, working or
having legitimate business in the zone can get
variances to travel to those destinations - but
not to go anywhere else, visit friends, shop or
even stop to chat.
“We see the same people dealing out there
over and over,”
to be “double jeopardy.” The case is on
appeal. In the meantime, the D A. s office
uses exclusions only as part of negotiated
conditions ofpre-trial release or plea bargain­
ing.
The new zone, expected to go to City
Council in January, has received unanimous
votes o f approval from the Boise, Piedmont
L'
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C ontinued T o P age A3
A Northeast Portland Building Under Investigation
For Illegally Storing Hazardous Chemicals
hen the owner o f a warehouse
building in the 3300 block o f
Northeast Martin Luther King
r. contacted police on October 11,h for a
property theft in his estate, authorities didn’t
expect what was to follow. While inquiring
the complaint, the Portland police discovered
what seemed to be a hazardous chemical
spills and illegal chemical storage. Police im­
mediately contacted the Fire Department to
investigate the situation further. The depart­
ment noticed a substantial amount o f toxic
chemicals in and around the building. Soon
the situation involved the Environmental Pro­
tection Agency and On Scene Coordinators
from Denver and Seattle to search for evi­
dence o f toxic chemicals.
According to Due Nguyen, an On Scene
Coordinator from Denver, there were both
labeled and unlabeled hazardous chemical
containers everywhere. “The building is full ot
what appears to be a 20-year collections of
garbage and debris,” said Nguyen, “once we
went in we couldn’t find our way back.” How­
ever, the Fire Department overlooked the dan­
ger o f the amassing Erwin Franklin Grant, the
owner o f the 70-year old building, and resi­
dents in the compound were evacuated imme­
diately following the discovery o f possible
IM V W W
hazardous chemicals. According to housing
authorities, the building is not legally qualified
to accommodate residents. The building is
unsafe for residents not only because it is
contaminated with chemical substances but
also is equipped with unsafe wiring and unap­
proved wood stoves.
According to officials. Grant used the
chemicals to extract gold from compounds of
metals for which he did not have a permit.
Deanna Cox, who was residing in a school
bus inside the building, told reporters that
not to go into some ofthe rooms, said Cox, and
Grant would not allow tenants to enter some
we didn’t bother to see what was in there.
ports o f the building at any time. He told us
W
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Photo by Mark Washington
Cox also mentioned that Grant was kind
others into his building with a rate they all
enough to take her, her two children and a tew
"The Dream "
Physic I a n -A ss is te d
S uicide
O re g o n H e a lth P la n o f f ic ia ls
w ill d e c id e o n D e c e m b e r 1” on
w h e th e r to c o v e r p h y s i c i a n - a s ­
s is te d s u ic id e fo r te r m in a lly ill
lo w -in c o m e O re g o n ia n s w ho
q u a lif y . O b ta in in g su c h in s u ra n c e
c o v e r a g e is a lm o s t c e r ta in . T h e
O re g o n H e a lth S e r v ic e s C o m m is ­
s io n p r o p o s e d a r u lin g to h a v e
th e O re g o n H e a lth P la n c o v e r
m e d ic a tio n a n d r e q u ir e d m e d ic a l
ca re e x p e n se s.
and Woodlawn neighborhood associations,
with the last two calling for the northern
boundary to be extended to N ortheast
Lombard Street. “We have some problem
pockets north of Dekum,” Woodlawn chair
Tony Radmilivich told the Observer, “and it
didn't seem fair or equitable to do this in just
part of the neighborhood."
In the Eliot and Irvington neighborhoods,
however, some people expressed concerns
that the law interferes with civil liberties, and
can be abused by the police. The Eliot board
supported the zone by a thin seven to five
vote (although its general membership gave
it a m uch stronger endorsem ent), and
Irvington took no position.
“I don’t give up my civil liberties so easily,”
Irvington board member Michael O ’Malley
told deputy D.A. Jim Hayden last month.
lieutenant Mike Bell told the Piedmont
Association. "This allows us to make one
good arrest, then banish these people from
your community for a year. 1 hey’re subject to
arrest every time an officer sees them here.
In a trial last year, the ordinance was ruled
77?/s Maquette is a rare collector's item. It is a replica ofthe 8 '
monument that stands outside ofthe Oregon Covention Center.
"The Dream" is a limited edition o f200. After the edition is
sold out the mold will be cut up by the artist and a piece will be
sent to every owner. The price is $3,500.00. Please contact
Michael Florin Dente' at 503 283-1638.
Please visit the web site: artbydente.com
IF
C ontinued T o P age A6
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