Committed to Cultural Diversity
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www.portlandobserver.com
Amtrak transports Portland youth to baseball tournament
Nibble On This!
East Portland Community College will host
a new multicultural celebration - The First
Annual East Portland Nibble - sharing
culture through music, art, and food. The
event will be held at 740 SE 106,h on
Saturday, July 22 from 1 0 am .-8 p m . All
ages welcome with free admission. The
event will feature multicultural music and
dance performances, fine art displays,
ju g g lers and food vendors offering
Moroccan, Mexican, Polish, Hawaiianand
Native American cuisine. There will be
plenty o f opportunity for neighbors to
play together with outdoor volleyball,
free craft activities, a petting zoo and a
castle bouncer for small children.
3 rd A nnual R ace Unity
Event
I Portland’s third annual race unity event
will take place on Sunday, July 23, starting
at 3 pm. at Peninsula Park. The program
I highlights the historical progress o f race
relations in Portland, with a reminder that
there is still work to be done to build and
maintain unity in diversity. Interspersed
I w ith b rie f readings w ill be artistic
expressions by people o f many ethnic
I backgrounds, including Native American
I chanting, African drumming, Persian
singing, European American dancing and
more. Activities for children available.
Sponsored by the B aha’is o f Portland.
Call289-6274.
Broadway Bridge Closes
The Broadway Bridge will be closed to
Willamette Riverboat traffic from 7 am. to
10 am. on Sunday, July 23 to accommodate
a special event, the Avon Portland
Running Portland. From 7:30 am. to 8:30
am., the two eastbound traffic lanes will
I close forthe run. Westbound traffic lanes
and bridge sidewalks will remain open.
Desert Sojourn: A
Woman’s Forty Days and
Nights Alone
I At age 3 l,DebiHolmes-Binney left behind
a stifling marriage, set o ff into the harsh
Utah desert with basic supplies and
several blank writing journals. Her plan
was to spend forty days and nights alone I
to sort out her life and find spiritual
renewal. But any romantic notions o f
I communing peacefully with nature were
I promptly shattered by a furious rainstorm
I that flooded her tent, followed by a freak
blizzard that buried her in a layer o f snow
and ice. She will be reading from her book
at In Other Words on Sunday, August 6
at 7 pm. Call 232-6003.
Talisman Gallery
During the month o f July, Talisman Gallery
will feature a group show comprised o f
the work o f 23 northwest artists. A variety
ofstyles and mediums will be presented,
with 18 painters, 2 photographers, 2
sculptors and a m etalsm ith/jew eler.
Talisman Gallery is acommunityofartists
who have come together with a vision o f
mutual empowerment and inspiration. The
show will run until July 30. Call 503/284-
8800.
July 19, 2000
C USI Riß L i t D iiU R I
Two teams o f Portland’s best boarded an
Amtrak train last week as they headed north
forthe 2000 RBI Pacific Regional Tournament
in Seattle.
The tournament, part o f M ajor League
Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in InnerCities
(RBI) Program runs Friday through Sunday at
Safeco Field. The teams will be competing in
three divisions: Junior Boys (ages 13 to 15),
Senior Boys (ages 16 to 18), and Girls Softball.
Regional tournament winners will advance to
the RBI World Series held just outside
Orlando, FL in August.
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) is a
youth outreach program sponsored by Major
League Baseball. It is designed to promote an
interest in baseball among disadvantaged
children worldwide. Created in Los Angeles
in 1989 by former Major Leaguer John Y oung,
RBI has grown from 180 kids its first season
to over 110,000 this year.
In addition to providing children w ith
organized baseball and softball leagues, the
RBI program encourages participants to stay
in school and builds self-esteem. Through
special programs, boys and girls who play in
RBI leagues can take advantage o f special
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32 o f Portland's fin est young people traveled on board Amrak to the Pacific
Regional Baseball Tournament in Seattle as part o f Major League Baseball's
RBI program
tutoring, college and SAT preparation
c o u rs e s , and goal se ttin g and tim e
management classes.
“The immense success o f this program around
Planning commision, PDC approve urban renewal
BrLEJdPEBkEMAN
o r T he P ortland O bserver
The proposed Interstate Urban Renewal
District moved closer to reality last week as
both the Portland Planning Commission and
Portland Development Commission board
approved the proposal.
The final step in the creation o f the district will
be a Portland City Council hearing scheduled
for 6 p.m. August 16 at Kaiser's Town Hall,
3704 N. Interstate Ave.
At 3700 acres and covering most o f the area
bounded by North Broadway, the Columbia
Slough, the Burlington Northern railroad
tracks and Northeast Martin Luther King Jr.
Blvd., the district would be the largest o f its
kind ever created in Portland. It would reserve
more than $300 million o f the property taxes
collected in the area over the next 20 years for
local projects and improvements aimed at
community revitalization. In contrast to other
districts, PDC would not have the authority to
condemn and acquire private property to
further revitalization goals against the owner’s
wishes.
Opponents argued that PDC’s revitalization
efforts would lead to economic displacement
o f existing residents, and prim arily aid
developers. They also objected to the
proposed Interstate MAX light rail line, and
the rezoning o f some o f the area after it is built.
Attorney Richard Vial, representing some o f
th e se o p p o n e n ts, told the P lan n in g
Commission that the district was improperly
created to finance the MAX line. “This is not
urban renew al’s purpose,” he said. “I don’t
see the public need being adequately
addressed.” PDC’s John Southgate said that
the $30 mil lion allocated for light rail accounted
for only 15 percent o f the district’s budget.
Gary Bethurem said he feared displacement
through both redevelopment and increased
economic pressure on the remaining property.
“One more rent increase and I ’m out o f here,”
he said.
Supporters ofthe proposal said that economic
problems already exist in the area now, and
that urban renewal could be used to address
them. Lenny Anderson said that creating new
family wagejobson Swan Island andproviding
ways for local residents to get them “would
give people money to buy the houses they’re
renting.”
A llan H olzapfel o f the A rbor Lodge
Neighborhood Association said that PDC
had been “very responsive” in drafting
guidelines for the district. “What we came up
with is very appropriate,” he said. “If there
were errors, they are of omission rather than
commission." Paul M ortimerof Arbor Lodge
made similar comments, but did acknowledge
public concerns about plans to upzone all the
area between North Interstate Avenue and
the 1-5 Freeway.
T he Planning C om m ission u ltim a te ly
Power Wheelchairs
Available
The Senior Wheels USA Program makes
available Power(clectric) Wheelchairs to
Senior Citizens (65 yrs.old & up) and
others permanently disabled, at no out o f
pocket cost, if they qualify. The Power
Wheelchairs are provided to those who
are in a wheelchair (can not walk), and can
not self-propel a manual wheelchair, and
who meet the additional guidelines o f the
program. No deposit is required. Call Tom
Thurlow at 1-8OO-36O-8765.
r
accepted proponents’ arguments in voting
five to nothing for the district. Member Rick
Holt, addressing V ial’s point, said, “Where
this all started - 1 don’t really care as long as
e v ery th in g ’s included.” T ogether with
commission vice-chair Rick Michaelson, he
said the community would experience far worse
problems if nothing is done in its behalf.
The commission did acknowledge concerns
about upzoning, and urged a more cautious
approach. Ruth Scott said that blanket
rezoning o f large blocks o f land, “doing it the
way w e’ve always done it, is not going to be
acceptable.”
Holt agreed, and called for “an equitable
process that will be a win-win. Not that no
one’s knuckles will be scraped, but make it as
good as possible.” The PDC board, and
especially N oell W ebb, had lingering
concerns about not providing condemnation
powers for the district. Ultimately, they voted
to endorse the district as proposed.
Ford Motor Company brings it's award winning show to Portland
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2nd Annual “Dog Days of
Summer”
Dogs will have their day at the second
annual “Dog Days O f Summer” Sidewalk
Sale & Doggie Activities. Sponsored by
th e
N o rth -N o rth e a st
B u sin ess
Association, in conjunction with the MLK
Goode Olde Days Merchant Society, the
“Dog Days ofSum m er” Sidewalk Sale &
D oggie A ctivities is scheduled for
Saturday, July 29, from 10 am. 6 pm. Call
284-3093.
the w orld show s that, w hen given the
opportunity, young people can succeed -
athletically as well as academically. ’ said Tom
Brasuell, National Program Manager.
The Portland teams will be traveling to their
regional tournament on board Amtrak. This
trip is part o f an initiative to provide support
to the local communities and to reach out to
audiences, such as minorities and women,
who may not be familiar with Amtrak’s
services. A m trak 's corporate diversity
initiatives include community support for
groups such as the Foundation for Ethnic
U nderstanding, and the Ronald Brown
Foundation, to name a few.
“Being a part ofMajor League Baseball’s RBI
program has provided Am trak with an
opportunity to reach out to new audiences,
especially children, to show them that Amtrak
is both a viable transportation alternative and
a responsible corporate citizen,” said Rodney
Ruffin, Director o f Corporate Diversity at
Amtrak “This is the first opportunity many o f
these chi ldren have had to travel by train. We
hope it’s the first o f many journeys with us.”
Amtrak operates a 22,000-mile intercity
passenger rail system, serving more than 500
communities in45 states. Formore information
about Amtrak, visit Am trak’s Web site at
www.amtrak.com
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Ford Motor Company sponsor o fth e National Association o f Minority Dealers
national conference, brought a dog and pony show to Portland that left many
pondering what was all the fuss about. They are proud o f their record o f being the
only auto maker in Fortune's " Top 50 Best Companies for Minorities". So
Portland's where they came to woo them. Ford has more minority dealers than any
other auto maker in the world and they're proud of. "what that business decision
has done for the company," states Elliot HalRpictured right), vice president o f
dealer development. He have an executive council that makes sure diversity is
factored into every business initiative we create."
Ford hosted a golf tournament at pumpkin Ridge Golf Course. Followed by a trip
up the Willamette River aboard the 'Willamette Star', followed by dinner at
Atwaters. At which lime, Ford briefed dealers and the media on it's Minority
Consumer initiatives.
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