Septem ber 2 9 ,1 9 9 9 ______________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- — 3 r If ■ I' „ - > | 1 — Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily Reflect Or Represent The Views Of (T h e ^ o r t l a n h © b s e ru e r Gates Move For The Millennium •JJJürtlanit (©bsertwr USPS 959-680 Established 1970 STAFF P u b l is h e r C harles W ashington E B ill G a te s , th e f o u n d e r o f M ic r o s o f t a n d th e w e a lth ie s t m an o n p la n e t E a rth , is a v is i o n ­ a ry . H e p ro v e d th a t by s ta rtin g a c o m p a n y w h ic h c h a n g e d h u ­ m a n h is to ry an d no w h e ’s p r o v ­ in g th a t h e u n d e r s ta n d s th e c h a n g e s the new m ille n n iu m w ill b r in g a b o u t an d th e r e s p o n s i­ b ili tie s th a t th e p r iv ile g e d h a v e to e n s u re a fu tu re in w h ic h a ll h a v e e q u a l o p p o r tu n ity to p a r ­ tic ip a te . B ill G a te s sh o w e d th a t h e is a v is io n a r y in w h ic h a ll h a v e an e q u a l o p p o rtu n ity to p a r ­ tic ip a te . B ill G a te s sh o w e d th a t h e is a v is io n a r y fo r th e 2 1 s1 c e n tu r y as w e ll as fo r th e c u r ­ re n t o n e w h e n he a n n o u n c e d th a t G a te s M ille n n iu m S c h o la rs h ip p ro g ra m , w h ic h w ill m a k e a v a il­ a b le $ 1 b illio n to A fric a n A m e r i­ c a n , L a tin o an d L a tin a a n d n a ­ tiv e A m e ric a n s tu d e n ts o v e r th e a v a ila b le a n d w a s c a lle d “ e a r th - sh a tte rin g , la n d s c a p e - c h a n g in g ” by W illia m G ra y , th e h e a d o f n e x t 20 y e a rs. T h e G a te s M ille n n iu m S c h o l­ a rs h ip p ro g ra m is o n e o f th e la rg ­ e s t p h ila n th ro p ic g ifts e v e r m a d e a n d w ill b e a d m in is te r e d b y th e U n ite d N e g r o C o l l e g e F u n d (U N C F ). It w ill g u a r a n te e fu ll f in a n c in g fo r o u ts ta n d in g s tu ­ d e n ts o f c o lo r w h o c o m e fro m p o o r fa m ilie s . U n d e r g ra d u a te s tu d e n ts w ill b e a b le to s tu d y a n y s u b je c t, b u t g r a d u a te s tu ­ d e n t s m u s t b e c o m m itt e d to s tu d y in g s c ie n c e , m a th , e n g i ­ n e e r in g , c o m p u te r te c h n o lo g y , e d u c a tio n a n d lib r a r y s c ie n c e . B y i t s e l f it w ill n e a r ly d o u b le th e n u m b e r o f s c h o l a r s h i p s the U N C F . M r. G a te s h im s e lf n o te d th a t p eo p le o f c o lo r a re v a s tly u n ­ d e r - r e p r e s e n t e d in s c i e n c e , h ig h e r e d u c a tio n an d in h is o w n co m p u te r in d u s try . T h e s e s c h o l­ a rsh ip s , o f w h ic h 1 ,0 0 0 a re e x ­ p e c te d to b e a v a ila b le e v e r y y e a r, a re d e s ig n e d to r e c tif y th o se n u m b e rs . O v e r th e p a s t tw o y e a r s th e B ill an d M e lin d a G a te s F o u n d a ­ tio n h a d m a d e la rg e c o n t r i b u ­ tio n s to e d u c a tio n , h e a lth a n d lib ra ry s c ie n c e s . It h a s a s s is te d in w irin g th e c o u n t y ’s p u b lic l i ­ b ra rie s fo r th e I n te r n e t a n d h a s m ad e so m e $ 2 0 0 m illio n in c o n ­ trib u tio n s to r e s e a r c h a n d d i s ­ tr ib u tio n o f v a c c in e s fo r A ID S , M a la ria a n d o th e r d is e a s e s . B u t p rio r to th a t M r. G a te s fo u n d h im s e lf b e in g c r itic iz e d fo r h is Reporters Use d it o r Larry J. Jack son , Sr. C E opy Tabloid Tactic To d it o r Joy R am os B u s in e s s M anager G ary A nn T aylor A A d m in is t r a t iv e s s is t a n t T alun aka W ashington D ir e c t o r of A d v e r t is in g Tony W ashington G r a p h ic D e s ig n e r H eather Fairchild D is t r ib u t io n M anag er M ark W ashington C o n t r ib u t in g W r it e r R ichard Luccetti 47 4 7 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, OR 97211 503-288-0033 Fax 503-288-0015 e-mail pdxobaerveaol.com P ostmaster : Send address changes to Portland Observer PO Box 31 3 7 Portland, OR 9 7 2 0 8 D E A D L IN E S FOR ALL SUBMITTED MATERIALS: ARTICLES: Friday by S p . m . ADS: Monday by noon Mislead Voters B y T im H all ________________________ As a candidate for an elective position, there ’ s an expectation for a m easure o f fairness from the press. In m y recent run for com m issioner for the Hazel Dell Sew er District (HDSD) in V ancouver, I received none from the Columbian. Tw o Colum bian reporters took on the role o f candidate hit squad as they attem pted to ridicule me and m islead voters by sensationalizing my private disputes over property taxes and past problem s with my sewer. They w ithheld from readers (voters) important information, made quotes from w ords I never said, and selectively used facts to distort the full truth. As a public relations professional, I’ve been quoted in the W all Street Journal, Los A ngeles Times, and Denver Post to m ention a few new s­ papers. For the first tim e in m y 20 years talking with the press, two reporters actually altered m y w ords and the facts to create front-page news. I chose to run for the position o f sewer com m issioner because I have experience w orking with organiza­ tions to improve their image and efficiency. A s I heard people com ­ plain about the sewer district, I took into account m y ow n experience o f poor service, and decided I could m ake ch an g es. M y w o rk w ith Portland’s highly effective waste- water m anagem ent group gave me an inside track to inform ation to accomplish this goal. C olumbian reporter Frik Robinson told me that m y desire to serve ratepayers was not an interesting story. It would be better ifl “was angry at the sewer district’ ’ and out to get someone fired. He wanted to write this story even though I said it was false. In the two articles w ritten by Robinson, there was m uch m isinfor­ mation. For exam ple, I told him my PTA Board shared w ith m e their sewer complaints. Robinson w anted to write: “PTA urges Hall to run.” Not true and I told him to change it. He retaliated by printing H all' backs aw ay from PTA involvem ent’ and now says the conversation never took place.’ In criticizing me for m y dispute with the sewer district, Robinson sus­ piciously w ithheld the fact that the sewer district refused to answ er my num erous co m p lain ts ab o u t the backflow o f sewage into my hom e for m ore than four years. He kept secret from voters w hy it took them so long to respond. W hen I com plained the source o f the misinformation was a HDSD em ­ ployee, in a phone conversation, re­ porter Gregg H errington got angry that I reported the involvem ent to the State Public Disclosure Commission. H e retaliated with a sensationalized story on m y property tax dispute with Clark County, a dispute I m ade pub­ lic weeks earlier. The newspaper used a large headline as ifl had com mitted a terrible crime. Herrington to chose to withhold key information. W hen I personally presented him with important facts from my attorney and the State Board o f Equalization prior to the release o f his story, he openly ignored them. “ I’m asked m y attorney’s name, I gave it, but added, "I could not re­ m em ber how to spell it.” In his ar­ ticle, he wrote: Hall “co u ld n 't re­ m em ber his attorney’s nam e.” By now you can see the pattern o f m edia abuse. As the only m inority to run for office in Clark County this election season and the first African-A m eri­ can in m ore than 10 years, I w as told to expect the Colum bian to focus th eir“special attention” on m e and to scrutinize m y every deed. I disregarded this advice after an editorial noted my being the most * ‘energetic’ ’ candidate in the race. How­ ever, when I met with several mem­ bers o f the C olum bian’s editorial board. I was forced to recognize the disrespect as one editor opened and read his mail while I talked. I knew then that it would be foolish to expect any fairness and objectivity from them. A fte r th e e le c tio n , re p o rte r Robinson tried several times to reach me. 1 issued a w ritten statement. It was the only w ay I believe I could avoid being m isquoted again. But even then I had serious doubts. la c k o f p h ila n th r o p y d e s p ite h is in c re d ib le w e a lth . It is c le a r th a t B ill G a te s u n ­ d e r s ta n d s th a t u n le s s a ll A m e r i­ c a n s a re e q u ip p e d to e n te r th e 2 1 s' c e n tu r y a n d its in f o rm a tio n a g e , th a t o u r n a tio n c a n n o t r e ­ a lly flo u ris h . H e u n d e r s ta n d s th a t w e m u s t e ith e r p u t m o n e y in e d u c a tio n n o w o r in im p r is o n ­ m e n t la te r. H e u n d e r s ta n d s th a t w e c a n e x p a n d th e s lic e s o f th e e c o n o m ic p ie th ro u g h e d u c a tio n a n d tru e e q u a l o p p o r tu n ity . A n d h e ’s p u ttin g h is m o n e y o n 2 0 ,0 0 0 y o u n g p e o p le o f c o lo r liv in g in o u r n a tio n s p o o r e s t c o m m u n i­ tie s w h o c a n m a k e a d if fe r e n c e i f g iv e n a c h a n c e . B e g in n in g in th e fa ll o f 2 0 0 0 , th o s e h ig h s c h o o l s e n io rs w h o h a v e 3.3 g ra d e a v e ra g e s o r ab o v e a n d a re n o m in a te d b y a te a c h e r o r p r in c ip a l w ill b e e lig ib le fo r th e G a te s s c h o la r s h ip s . T h e y w ill a ls o h a v e to w rite an e s sa y o n th e ir lif e g o a ls a n d w ill be re q u ir e d to c o m m it th e m s e lv e s to so m e fo rm o f c o m m u n ity s e r ­ v ic e . B ill G a te s is a v is io n a r y an d a m u lti-b illio n a ire w ho u n d e r­ sta n d s th a t y o u n g p e o p le o f c o lo r are a k ey to th e fu tu re o f o u r n a tio n . M a y b e y o u a n d I d o n ’t h av e th a t k in d o f m o n e y , b u t w e, to o , ca n h a v e th a t k in d o f v isio n . W e c a n c o m m it o u r s e lv e s to e n ­ su rin g th a t y o u n g p e o p le o f c o lo r are p re p a re d a n d re a d y to ap p ly fo r th o se G ate s s c h o la rs h ip s . W e c a n be m e n to rs a n d ro le m o d e ls. W e ca n p ro v id e s u m m e r jo b s . W e c a n tu to r an d w e ca n g iv e w h a t d o lla rs w e h av e . W h o k n o w s w h a t fu tu re M ae Je m iso n o r C h a rle s D re w o r G a r­ re t M o rg a n is o u t th e re w a itin g fo r a c h a n c e . T h a n k s, M r. G a te s, f o r b e l i e v i n g in th e f u tu r e . T h a n k s fo r c h a lle n g in g us to do th e sam e. The Newspaper Scandal H ave you ever been c h e a te d ? H a v e y o u e v e r b e e n g iv e n le s s th e a m o u n t o f m o n ey fo r y o u r s e rv ic e s r e n ­ d e re d ? H a v e y o u e v e r fe lt lik e s o m e o n e w a s t a k i n g a d ­ v a n ta g e o f y o u b e c a u s e th e ir p o s itio n o r r e s p o n s ib ilitie s in c lu d e d o v e r s e e in g y o u r p o ­ s itio n an d r e s p o n s ib ilitie s ? W e ll, I h a v e . F o r m o n t h s I d e liv e re d n e w sp a p e rs fo r a lo c a l n e w s p a p e r c a r rie r w h ic h s e l l s a n d d i s t r i b u t e s th e O r e g o n i a n . I w a k e u p a n d d e liv e r n e w sp a p e rs e v e ry d ay at 3 :0 0 a m . I am a s e n io r c i t i ­ zen a n d e n jo y h e lp in g a n y ­ one an d e v e r y o n e ,r e g a r d le s s if I am b e in g c o m p e n s a te d . H o w e v e r , t h i s is o n e j o b w h e re th e e m p lo y e r a n d I a re v e r y a w a r e o f m y e m p lo y m e n t a n d m y d u ty to b e p a i d f o r a l l s e rv ic e s re n d e re d . H e r e it is o n e y e a r l a t e r , a n d I h a v e y e t to b e p a i d in f u ll f o r a l l o f m y d e l i v e r y s e r ­ v i c e s . O n e m a y a s k , “ W e ll, w h y d id y o u w a it f o r a w h o le y e a r to g e t p a i d ? " M y r e ­ s p o n s e , “ I w a s to l d I ’ d b e p a i d , m o n th a f t e r m o n th , a n d I a c t u a l l y b e l i e v e d th e p e r s o n w h o to l d m e t h i s , in w h ic h w a s th e s a m e p e r s o n w h o w a s s u p p o s e to p a y m e f o r m y s e r ­ v i c e s r e n d e r e d .: W h a t s h o u ld I d o , I th i n k to m y s e lf . I te ll m y c lo s e s t frie n d s a b o u t th e s i t u a t i o n a n d th e y b e c o m e d i s g u s t e d a t th e th o u g h t o f a n y o n e m is u s in g o r c h e a tin g a n y o n e , e s p e ­ c i a l l y w h e n th e y a r e r e p r e ­ s e n tin g an o r g a n iz a tio n , T h e O re g o n ia n . M y d a u g h te r g e ts h e a te d e v e r y tim e 1 m e n t i o n I h a v e y e t to b e p a i d th e r e m a i n d e r o f w h a t ’ s r i g h t f u l l y o w n e d to m e . In a d d i t i o n , to m y s u r ­ p r i s e , M r. P i p e r r e c e i v e s a l l tip s in w h ic h c u s t o m e r s g iv e s to n e w s p a p e r c a r r i e r s f o r th e ir s e rv ic e s , h o w e v e r, w e th e d e l i v e r e r s n e v e r s e e th e s e tip s , o n ly th a n k - y o u c a rd s c r e a t e d b y M r. P i p e r h i m s e l f . In c o n c l u s i o n , I e n d e d u p ta k in g M r. R o n P i p e r to S m a ll C l a im s C o u r t. N o w , 1 w a it f o r ju s tic e . S ig n e d M rs. D is g u s te d and S hocked! Just think: Your son is b rig h t, h e a lth y a n d h e a d e d fo r college one day You love the direction your career has taken. You're doing a lot of the things you planned and even a few you didn't. 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