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DEC. 2, 1998
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Seattle Mourns
John Stanford
Two Arrested For Series Of
Local Area Robberies
O n N o v e m b e r 2 5 , 1998,
W ednesday, tw o m en w ere ar­
rested in separate incidents for a
string o f reported arm ed robber­
ies w hich o ccurred in Portland
and C lackam as betw een N ovem ­
ber 8 and November 24,1998. Both
w ere c h a rg e d w ith sev en (7)
counts o f First D egree Robbery
and lodged in the Justice Center
Jail by P ortland Robbery D etec­
tives w ho developed suspect in­
form ation and a suspect vehicle
description rising from the rash o f
gro cery sto re ro b b eries. Both
suspects w ere also w anted for
outstanding arrest w arrant at the
tim e o f their arrests.
M ichael John O h an esian , a
white male, age 32, was arrested at
SW Fourth A ve and SW College
St. at approxim ately 3:30 P.M. by
Portland Police Robbery D etec­
tives who had been surveilling a
vehicle they believed to be in­
volved in a series o f robberies.
O h a n e sia n w as k n o w n to be
wanted for an outstanding Proba­
tion V iolation arrest w arrant from
Jackson County, O regon, and was
transported to the nearby Justice
C enter w here the investigation
continued and he was charged with
seven counts o f First Degree Rob­
bery in addition to the outstanding
arrest warrant.
Michael Kelly Me Cluen, a white
m ale, age 26, was taken into cus­
tody at the V alue Inn M otel lo­
cated at 415 SW M ontgom ery in
dow ntow n Portland at 7:30 P.M .,
Portland Police Bureau Special
Emergency Response Team, SERT,
officers and m em ber o f the H os­
tage N egotiation Team , HN T,
were called upon to assist detec­
tives in arresting Me C luen who
was believed to be in one o f the
rooms at the m otel. Due to the
tactical disadvantage the inves­
tigators faced in locating a safe
place to rem ove Me Cluen, SERT
and HNT personnel w ere called
to assist. H ostage neg o tiato rs
talked Me Cluen into opening the
door at 7:30 P.M. w hereupon he
was arrested and lodged at the
Justice C enter Jail.
Safew ay and K ienow s grocery
stores located in southeast P ort­
land were the targets for six o f the
robberies under investigation.
O hanesian and Me C luen w ere
also charged for the recent rob­
bery o f the C hevy’s R estaurant
located in C lackam as, O regon.
Study Finds Legalized Loan
Sharking On The Rise In Oregon
Groups Call On State To Curb High-Cost “Payday Loans” Targeted At
Cash-Strapped Consumers
H ig h - c o s t p a y d a y le n d in g
is s p re a d in g r a p id ly in O re g o n
a n d a c r o s s th e n a tio n , a c c o r d ­
in g to a n ew s tu d y r e le a s e d b y
O S P 1 R G a n d th e C o n s u m e r
F e d e r a tio n o f A m e ric a (C F A ).
T h e s tu d y fo u n d th a t th e e x ­
p lo s iv e g r o w th o f s o - c a lle d "
p a y d a y lo a n s " h a s b e e n a id e d
by th e a d o p tio n o f w e a k s ta te
la w s th a t le g a liz e tr ip le d ig it
in te r e s t r a te s fo r s h o r t te rm
lo a n s , w h ic h a re b e in g t a r ­
g e te d a t th e m o s t c a s h -
s tra p p e d c o n s u m e rs . T he
g ro u p s c a lle d on s ta te l e g i s ­
la to rs to e lim in a te o r s e v e r e ly
r e s t r i c t th e p r a c t i c e , a n d c a u ­
tio n e d c o n s u m e r s a b o u t th e
h i g h - r a t e l o a n s , w h ic h a re
n o w b e in g a d v e r tis e d on t e l e ­
1 v is io n .
“ P a y d a y lo a n s a re h a n d c u f f ­
in g c a s h - s tr a p p e d c o n s u m e r s
to a d e b t tr e a d m ill from w h ic h
th e y m a y n e v e r e s c a p e , ” sa id
E ric h L u d w ig , C a m p u s O r g a ­
n iz e r fo r O S P IN G . “ T h e p a y ­
d a y le n d e r s p r e te n d to b e o f ­
fe rin g h e lp to th o s e in n e e d
b u t a re a c tu a lly s u c k e r in g v ic ­
tim s to fe e d th e ir g r e e d ."
In a ty p ic a l p a y d a y lo a n , a
c o n s u m e r w r ite s a p e r s o n a l
c h e c k fo r $ 115 to b o rro w $ 100
fo r 14 d a y s . T h e c h e c k c a s h e r
o r p a y d a y le n d e r a g r e e s to
h o ld th e c h e c k u n til th e n e x t
p a y d a y , at w h ic h tim e th e c o n ­
s u m e r c a n e i t h e r a llo w th e
c h e c k to b e s e n t to th e b a n k ,
“ r e d e e m ” it b y b r in g in g in
$ 115 in c a s h , o r a llo w th e lo a n
to r o ll o v e r b y p a y in g a n ew
fe e to e x te n d th e lo a n fo r a n ­
o th e r tw o w e e k s. T h e c o s t o f
th e in itia l $ 1 0 0 lo a n is a $15
fin a n c e c h a rg e and a 391% A n ­
n u a l P e rc e n ta g e I n te r e s t R a te
(A P R ). I f th e c o n s u m e r ro lls
th e lo a n o v e r 3 tim e s , w h ic h
m a n y d o , th e fin a n c e c h a rg e
w o u ld be $ 6 0 fo r a $ 1 0 0 lo a n .
* T h e g r o w th o f p a y d a y
lo a n s h as e x p lo d e d . N o n e x is t­
e n t 10 y e a rs a g o , p a y d a y lo a n s
a re now b e in g p u s h e d in at
le a s t 21 s ta te s . P a y d a y lo a n s
a re b e in g p ro m o te d by c h e c k
c a s h in g s to r e s lik e A ce C ash
E x p r e s s , w h ic h d o u b le d its
a n n u a l p a y d a y lo a n v o lu m e in
1997 to $ 10.1 m illio n . P a y d a y
lo a n - o n ly c o m p a n ie s a re a lso
q u ic k ly e x p a n d in g , w ith in d u s ­
try le a d e r A d v a n c e A m e ric a
o p e n in g its f ir s t s to re in N o ­
v e m b e r, 1997 a n d e x p e c tin g to
h a v e 50 0 o u tle ts by th e e n d o f
1998 in at le a st 16 sta te s. Som e
n a tio n a l b a n k s , su c h as E a g le
N a tio n a l B ank in U p p er D arby,
P A , a re a ls o u s in g th e ir f e d e r ­
a lly c h a r te d s ta tu s to s e ll p a y ­
d a y lo a n s in m a rk e ts a ro u n d
th e n a tio n , w h ile c la im in g e x ­
e m p tio n fro m s ta te la w s th a t
r e s tr ic t o r p r o h ib it th e lo a n s.
“ M a k in g s m a ll lo a n s b a se d
on p e r s o n a l c h e c k s is a g im ­
m ic k th a t b e n e f its le n d e rs and
h a rm s c o n s u m e r s ,” sa id Je a n
A n n F o x , D ir e c to r o f C o n ­
s u m e r P r o te c tio n f o r C F A .
“ T h e p a y d a y lo a n in d u s tr y is
th e m o d e rn d a y e q u iv a le n t o f
lo a n - s h a r k in g .”
A m o n g th e r e c o m m e n d a ­
tio n s to c o n s u m e rs :
-S h o p fo r th e lo w e s t c o s t
c r e d it a v a ila b le . W hen in n e e d
o f a s h o rt te rm , e m e r g e n c y
s m a ll lo a n , c o n s id e r a c a s h
a d v a n c e on y o u r c r e d it c a r d s ,
a sm a ll lo a n fro m y o u r b a n k o r
c r e d it u n io n , o r an a d v a n c e
on y o u r p a y c h e c k .
-M a k e a c c u r a te c o m p a r i ­
so n s. W hen c o n s id e rin g a p a y ­
day lo a n , do n o t c o m p a re the
c o st w ith th e fe e s o r in te r e s t
ra te o f b o u n c e d c h e c k s o r o th e r
c h e c k c h a rg e s. A p a y d a y lo an
is a lo a n , an d c o st c o m p a ris o n s
sh o u ld be w ith sm all lo an s ra te s
o r c re d it c a rd ra te s , w h ic h are
ty p ic a lly in the 2 0 -4 0 % ra n g e ,
w h ile p a y d a y lo a n ra te s a ré
300% -7 0 0 % o r h ig h er.
- M in im iz e th e d a m a g e . I f
y o u do u se a p a y d a y lo a n ,
b o rro w o n ly as m u c h a s y o u
c a n a f f o r d to p a y w ith in 2
w e e k s, an d n e v e r c o n s id e r
r o llin g th e lo a n o v e r fo r th e
f u tu r e . T h e c o s t is to o h ig h .
“ P a y d a y lo a n s a re b e in g
so ld as sa fe fo r c o n s u m e r u se ,
w h e n in fa c t th e y a re to o ls fo r
c o n s u m e r a b u s e ,” c o n c lu d e d
O S P I N G ’s L u d w in g . “ U n til
s ta te le g is la to r s e n d th is a n ti­
c o n s u m e r p r a c tic e , w e a d v is e
c o n s u m e rs to k e e p t h e ir w a l­
le ts s a fe fro m th e ja w s o f th e
p a y d a y lo a n s h a r k s .”
m ander in V ietnam , pro p elled
Stanford to the m ilitary’s highest
echelons. During his 30-year career,
he served as executive assistant to
two defense secretaries and over­
saw transportation planning for Op­
eration Desert Storm — all while
raising two sons, Steven and Scott,
with his wife, Patricia.
Retiring in 1991, he hired on as
manager o f Georgia’s Fulton C ounty,
where he was lauded as a bureau­
cracy buster who restored public
confidence in county government.
He started work as Seattle school
superintendent in August 1995, re­
cruited by a school board anxious
for change. Test scores were low. So
was teacher morale. Parents feared
for their children’s safety. “White
flight” to private schools was drain­
ing the public system o f both stu­
dents and hope.
“We needed a spark,” Schaad-
Lamphere said. “We didn’t know we
were getting a blow torch.”
Stanford declared h im self “the
children’s czar” and became one o f
S eattle’s m ost visible civic lead­
ers. The motto at school district
headquarters, “All C hildren Can
L earn,” was replaced by "A ll C hil­
dren W ill Learn." Stanford led a
citywide reading campaign, exhort­
ing every adult to read for 30 m in­
utes a day to a child. He raised
perform ance standards and tight­
ened cam pus security.
Results soon started showing:
The dropout rate declined. SAT
scores rose. Enrollment increased.
Less quantifiable but undeniable, a
sense o f hope crept back into
Seattle’s schools.
P arents sta rte d vo lu n teerin g
more. Businesses donated more time
and money. Seattle residents started
describing Stanford as a visionary.
“Such quasi-religious admiration
gets to be a little much,” a Seattle
Times editorial complained, then de­
livered its own tribute:
“Stanford.seizes ownership ofold
truths and forces people to hush up
B> DAVID FOSTER
John Stanford loved to shake
up the status quo, and when he
signed on three years ago as su­
perintendent o f Seattle schools, he
found he could do it with just a
hallway greeting.
This week Seattle mourned the
loss o f a civic leader who exempli­
fied the power o f positive thinking.
Stanford died o f leukemia on Satur­
day.
His indomitable spirit worked
for him all his 60 years, helping
Stanford win one improbable vic­
tory after another. His parents never
finished grade school, but Stanford
earned a m aster’s degree and be­
came a two-star Army general. As
a retired military man with no back­
ground in school administration,
he bro u g h t hope to S e a ttle ’s
troubled school system.
Last spring, when doctors told
him that the odds o f surviving his
cancer were slim, he knew immedi­
ately what to do: Fight.
Ultimately, the cancer won. But
in waging his final battle, Stanford
achieved his m ost improbable vic­
tory yet. W eakened by disease,
turned bald and gaunt from chemo­
therapy, he discovered an even
wider audience for the message
he’d always preached to Seattle’s
children: Dream big. W ork hard.
Above all, never give up.
John Henry Stanford grew up in
the Philadelphia suburb o f Yeadon.
His father worked in a steel mill and
his m other was a restaurant cook,
but they nurtured loftier dreams
for young John and his two sisters.
Stanford quickly met their ex­
pectations. One o f just a few black
students in a m ostly white high
school, he was voted class presi­
dent. He earned a bachelor’s de­
gree in political sc ience from Penn­
sylvania State U niversity and then
joined the Army.
His “love ‘ em and lead ‘em” phi­
losophy, along with distinguished
service as a pilot and battalion com-
and remember them. That skill en­
ables him to stand on a balcony
and say we should never, ever give
up on a child, and several hundred
people will hear it as Stanford’s
latest brilliant idea. It is the genius
o f charisma, steeled by sincerity.”
By last winter, Stanford was at
the top o f his game — except for
that troublesome cough and fever.
The diagnosis came in early
April: acute myelogenous leuke­
mia, a form ofblood cancer in which
abnormal white blood cells crowd
out healthy cells. Untreated, the
disease could kill him in just three
months, doctors said. With che­
motherapy, there was a 70 percent
possibility o f knocking the cancer
into remission, but only a l-in-4
chance o f complete recovery.
Stanford responded, as usual,
with defiant optimism.
“ I’m not angry, I’m not bitter,
I’m not saying, ‘Why me, God?’”
Stanford told the Seattle Post-
Intelligencer. “I ’m saying, I have
this illness and I can defeat it.”
If his can-do attitude had been
a public facade, he could now
safely drop it. But he did no such
thing, even when maintaining it
grew more painful. Carolyn said
she would call the hospital one day
and hear her brother's strong, spir­
ited voice. The next day, he’d be
too tired to answer.
Two weeks ago, he called dis­
trict spokesman Trevor Neilson to
his hospital room to discuss school
business, including a January
ev e n t for sch o o l su p p o rte rs.
Stanford talked about it as if he
planned to be there.
In a way, he will be.
“ Read On For John" declares
a sign in the w indow o f a W est
Seattle home. Parents, teachers
and children this week em braced
and w ept and shared sto rie s
about Stanford. And they vow ed
to rem em ber a man who died as
he had lived: Perfect and im prov­
ing.
H it an d R u n
The Portland Police Bureau’s Traf­
fic Investigation Unit, in cooperation
with Crime Stoppers, is asking for
your help in solving a felony hit and
run to a pedestrian.
On Thursday, October 8,1998. at
about 2:30 in the morning, a 26-year-
old Portland man was walking in the
bicycle lane on S W Multnomah Bou­
levard, near 45th Avenue, when he
was struck and injured by a vehicle
that was driving westbound in the
bike lane on Multnomah. The force of
the impact hurled the man into the
hood and windshield area o f the car.
The vehicle fled the scene with out
stopping, and was last seen north­
bound on 45th from Multnomah at a
high rate of speed. The force o f the
impact may have caused damage to
the hood and/or windshield area o f the
car. The vehicle is described as a white,
1980’s, 2-door foreign compact.
Crime Stoppers is offering a cash
reward o f up to $ 1,000 for informa­
tion, reported to Crime Stoppers,
which leads to an arrest in this case or
any unsolved felony crime, and you
need not give your name. Call Crime
Stoppers at 823-HELP.
Joseph McClendon III
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