(o m m itled lo ( nil ural Diversity
'Volume W X . Number 8
**ww.ihepoi tkmdobsei \ er.com
Auction
aids
childrens
50»
See El Observador
The Focus
centers in on
Black History
Month
See Inside
K ehruun 23. 2IMI0
Miracle
Theatre
presents Baile
Romantico
See Focus
Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage
PAID
Portland, OR
Permit No. 1610
University of Oregon
Knight Library
Newspaper Section
Eugene OR 97403
MLK Jr. Safeway struggles with possible closure
by
of
“The store is in serious jeopardy,”
Flanigan told the Northeast Coalition
board. "W e’ve never had a store that
didn’t have a basic license. It could
cost us a lot o f money and make the
store unprofitable.”
DiGregorio, while not directly
linking a liquor license to continued
operation, said, "Safeway doesn 't run
unprofitable stores. We only run
stores that are profitable or show that
they will be.” He added that of
supermarkets that used to operate in
this area, "Safeway is the only one
left."
The store is hoping to enlist
support from the community for
retaining its license. Such support
proved crucial recently when OLCC
chose not to revoke the license o f
Z u p a n ’s M arket on S outheast
Belm ont Street despite several
violations.
Several people present, including
two women from the Concordia
neighborhood to the east, said they
considered the store's continuation
essential.
Others, including King Association
leaders, were critical o f the way the
store was run. They asked why it
hadn 't received the sort of makeover
L ff P eri . eman
Tu t P ori i . a . v d O bserv eh
Safeway wants community support
to retain its package store liquor
license at its Martin Luther King store
after OLCC violations and is seeking
help from the community.
T he
K ing
N eig h b o rh o o d
A sso ciatio n and the N o rth east
C oalition o f N eighborhoods are
willing to consider it, but in return
they want a substantially different
store. Such was the substance o f two
community meetings on the issue
last week.
According to Safeway publicist
B ridget F lanigan and regio n al
manager Mark DiGregorio, the store
at 5920 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr.
Blvd. hassoldliquortoOregon Liquor
Control Commission agents.
This has occurred despite the fact
that the store has tightened its liquor
sales procedures, requiring clerks to
ask for identification from anyone
who appears to be under 40, to copy
information from identification onto
the sales slip, and summarily firing
an y o n e w ho v io la te s th ese
procedures.
The store is now threatened with
the loss of its license, they said, and
this could affect its future.
SAFEWAY
(Please see 'Safeway' Page 7)
Black History Month
Backstage at the
Apollo Theatre
during the night o f
the National
Deliverance o f
Prayer lead by
Adam Clayton
Powell, Jr on
March 28, 1956.
Clara Ward o f the
Ward Singers leads
a prayer service
while her mother,
Mrs. Gertrude
Ward, Apollo
employee Russell
Cooper and Ward
Singer Katherine
Parham, eyes
closed, join in
prayer.
Friday
Weather
Through the weekend
Today
Mostly
cloudy
Thursday
Partly
cloudy
Partly
cloudy
47°F/9°C
38°F/3°C
Saturday
51°F/10°C
41°F /5°C
Sunday
Mostly
cloudy
Showers
52°F/11°C
43°F/6°C
55°F/13°C
41°F/5°C
55°F/13°C
11°F/5°C
*
Inside-A
Week in Review................... 2
Auction helps send children to
Japan......................................... 3
Study shows spousal abuse in
Multnomah County................5
$.5 million to turn neighborhood
visions into reality.................. 7
PSU wants option to
arm security officers
A ssoc ia i FD P reüü
Portland State University is advancing a proposal to allow state universities
to arm their campus security officers, even though school leaders say they
have no plans to do so.
PSU President Dan Bemstine said Monday that the plan doesn't mean he
considers the campus unsafe. But he said universities should have the option
to arm officers if they choose
“ Portland State is a very safe campus, but times change.” he said.
The proposal would require a change in state law, which prohibits campus
security officers from bearing arms.
But the idea o f giving guns to campus cops is drawing questions from some
campus leaders.
“I’m not comfortable with it,” said Tim Young, student body president. "I m
I not convinced guns are the answer to safety."
The Oregon Board o f Higher Education is expected to discuss the issue later
] this spring.
Any change, however, is a long way off. The higher education board would
need to approve the idea, then ask the Legislature to change state law. It the
Legislature approves, a campus would need to petition the board before taking
up arms.
PSU officials say Oregon is the only state with a law prohibiting campus
officers from carrying weapons.
Police are called in some cases. PSU employs an unarmed force that has the
powerto make arrests. However, w hen there’sa potential for violence or ifother
circumstances warrant, it calls in Portland police to handle the situation.
Other campuses have their own arrangements. Oregon State University, for
example, contracts with the state police for campus security.
(Please see 'Weapons' page 7)
Correction
There was an error in the February 16 issue of The Portland
Observer. Anise Perry was the first Black Princess in 1968 and
Robin Marx was the first Black Queen of Rosaria.
Metro-B
Neighborhood lauds house
rennovations.............................1
Blazers tromp over
Celtics....................................... 3
Columbiariver wtareshed
receives attention.....................4
El O bservador....................... 5
This Week
in History v
February 23. 1954. the First mass inoculation o f
children against polio with the Salk vaccine began
in Pittsburgh
February 25. 1870. Hiram R Revels, R-M iss..
became the First black member o f the U .S. Senate
as he was sworn in to serve out the unexpired term
o f Jefferson Davis.
February 2b. 1993. a bomb exploded in the garage
o f New Y o r k ’s World Trade Center, k illin g six
people and injuring more than 1.000 others
In 1993. a gun battle erupted near W aco, Texas,
when Bureau o f Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
agents tried to sen e vs arrantson the Branch Davidians.
four agents and six Davidians were killed as a 51-
day standofTbegan