St. Johns to Get Help Raising Kids -
See Metro page BI
Inner City Blues Festival Saturday -
See Focus section, inside
PRSDRT STD
USPOSTAGE
PAID
PORTLAND OR
PERMIT NO 1610
k n ig h t L ib ra ry
J 299 U n iv e rs ity o f O regon
Eugene OR 9 7 4 0 3 -J 205
Volume XXXI
Num ber 16
Wednesday
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Established in 1970
www.portlandobserver.com
5<r
April 18,2001
McVeigh
Execution
Countdown
UJ\. Searches for Possible
Slave Ship Amid Mystery
T he A ssoc iated P ress
C O T O N O U , B en in — P u z z le d a u th o ri
ties tried to d e te rm in e w h e th e r a fe rry th at
p u lle d in to p o rt w as a sh ip su s p e c te d o f
sm u g g lin g ch ild sla v e s th a t w as b e lie v e d
w a n d erin g fo r d ay s in A fric a ’s G u lf o f
G u in ea. T h e a rriv in g sh ip c a rrie d w o m e n
and c h ild re n — b u t a p p a re n tly n o t the
d o zen s o f c a p tiv e s o ffic ia ls h ad ex p ected .
T h eU .N . ch ild re n ’s fund k ep t u p a n alert for
the p o ss ib ility th at th ere w as a se c o n d ship
a c tu a lly c a rry in g th e sla v e s th at m ig h t try
to d o c k so m e w h e re a lo n g th e w e ste rn A f
T E R R E H A U T E , Ind. — In the n ext several days, T im o th y
M cV eig h w ill sit in his 8 -b y -10-foot cell at the U.S. P enitentiary and
m ak e a series o f d ecisio n s ab o u t his death.
W hat d o es he w ant for his last m eal?
W h ere d o es he w an t his b elo n g in g s sent?
W ho w ill receiv e his b o d y ?
M cV eig h , 32, has lived w ith the sp ecter o f death since he w as
sen ten ced in 1997 for the O k lah o m a C ity b o m bing, w hich killed 168
people. N ow , w ith a little m ore than a m onth to live, the form er G I faces
v ario u s p ro ced u ral steps leading up to h is ex ecution M ay 16.
“ H e ’s v ery fam iliar w ith all the p ro to co ls o f the execution, and he
d eals w ith it in the w ay he deals w ith everything, in a very m ethodical,
b u sin e sslik e m an n er,” said M cV eigh a tto rn ey N athan C ham bers.
In the tw o w eeks befo re his ex ecu tio n , M cV eigh is expected to
su b m it a w itn ess list — w h ich can include on e spiritual adviser, tw o
law y ers a n d three adult fam ily m em b ers — and settle his personal
affairs
H e also m u st subm it a last m eal req u est at least a w eek before the
ex ecu tio n . T h e m eal can co m e from the p riso n o r any restaurant in
the T erre H au te a rea b u t c an n o t cost m o re than $20.
T he b o m b e r w ill also hav e to co n sid er his last w ords. A ccording
to the recently published book “A m erican Terrorist: Tim othy M e Veigh
& the O k lah o m a C ity B o m b in g ,” M cV eig h has already ch o sen w hat
rican co ast.
Crew Disputes Chinese
Account of Incident
W A S H IN G T O N — Navy crew m em bers
returning from 11 days o f detention disputed
C hina’s account o f the collision that brought
dow n their surveillanceplane, saying aC hinese
pilot w as at fault. President B ush said “tough
questions’’ w ould be put to C hina at an inquiry.
A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condi
tion o f anonym ity, said crew m em bers told
debriefers they w ere flying level on autopilot
and w ereon a fixed course and al u tude w hen the
C hinese plane struck the U.S. aircraft, com ing
from underneath. T heN avy plane fell 8,000feet
after the collision.
Hawaii School Year
Threatens to End in Disaster
H O N O L U L U — A s children in other states
enjoy year-end field trips o r prepare for prom s
and graduation,H aw aii’s220,000public school
and college students are w atching their school
year fall apart in bitter statew ide teacherstrikes.
N egotiations to settle the separate w alkouts by
public schoolteachers and University ofH aw aii
professors have dragged on 13 days. Teachers
and professors are dem anding pay raises that
m eet H aw aii’s cost o f living, som ething the
governor says the state can ’t afford.
h e w ill say:
“ I am the m a ste r o f m y fate
I am the cap ta in o f m y so u l.”
It is an ex c e rp t from W illiam E rnest H en ley ’s 19 th -cen tu ry poem
Airport Max Inaugural Run
The new Airport Max light rail line took its first ride to Portland International Airport last week as
part o f a test run fo r transportation officials, business people and other governmental officials.
The 5.5 mile track is about 96 percent complete and will begin ferrying passengers in September.
“ In v ic tu s.”
R o b ert Ja y L ifton, co -a u th o r o f the b o o k “ W ho O w ns D eath ?,”
an e x a m in a tio n o f th e p sy ch o lo g y o f cap ital pu n ish m en t, said
M cV eig h m ay try to “create a k in d o f m y th o lo g y " about h im se lf in
his final w eeks.
“ W ith M cV eig h , it’s v ery hard to k n o w h o w h e w ill beh av e
S tory C ontinues on P age B5
A Cautious
Cincinnati
Lifts Curfew
G a s M ay A p p r o a c h $3 a
G a llo n in S u m m er
G as prices couldjum p to $2 a gallon in som e
cities over the next tw o w eeks and m ight clim b
higher and faster than the governm ent’s predic
By J ames H annah
T he A ssociated P ress
tions w hen sum m er arrives, industry analysts
said. M otorists m ay even be * ’ looking at close
to $3 a gallon” in som e places, one observer
C IN C IN N A T I— Prom ising to m ake police
m o re acco u n tab le, the m ay o r lifted a cityw ide
c u rfew M o n d a y that h elp ed end d ay s o f
rio tin g o v e r th e p o lice sh o o tin g o f an u n
predicts.
W A S H IN G T O N — The debate over the
abortion pill on college cam puses is not ju st an
academic exercise Seven months after the Food
arm ed b la c k m an.
“ N o w that the d istu rb an ce s h av e su b
sid ed , th ey m u st n e v er o ccur a g a in ," M ayor
C h a rle s L uken said. “W e hav e an o p p o rtu
n ity fo r a new C in c in n a ti.”
H o w ev er, the m a y o r did n o t lift a state o f
and D rug Adm inistration approved the abor
e m e rg e n c y , w h ich allo w s him to im p o se c u r
tion pill R U -486 (m ifepristone) for use in the
U nited States, m any universities have decided
not to offer it, saying conditions for dispensing
it are too onerous. Som e students say the
few s an d o th er restrictions.
T h e 8 p .m .-to -6 a m. curfew w as im posed
T h u rsd a y a fter three nights o f arson, lo o tin g ,
attack s on w h ite m o to rists and clash es w ith
hands-off policy violates their nghts.
police.
D o zen s o f p eo p le w ere injured, m o re than
RU -486 Debate R eplaying
on C ollege C am puses
J u d g e: F e lo n s H ave
R ig h t to D N A T e stin g
A L E X A N D R IA , V a. — A federal ju d g e
ruled th at felons h av e a co n stitu tio n al right
to D N A testing and ord ered V irginia authori
ties to allow the tests for a co n v icted rapist
w ho claim s h e 's innocent. U .S. D istrict Judge
A lb ert V . B ryan Jr. said the F airfax C o u n ty
p ro secu to r v io lated the civil rig h ts o f Jam es
H arvey b y refu sin g to allow tests o n ev i
den ce left from H a rv e y ’» 1990 rap e an d so d
o m y trial. T h e decisio n , w h ich o ffers felons
an o th er av en u e into federal courts through
civil rights litigation, is believ ed to b e the first
o f its k in d in the country.
Jet Skis Banned from
N ational Parks
W A S H IN G T O N — Jet Skis and other per
sonal w atercraft will be banned in all national
parks and recreation areas a tier tw o m ore sum
mers under a settlement approved by a federal
judge. The gasoline-pow ered personal water
craft are already banned from 6 6 o fth e 87 parks,
recreational areas and seashores where m otor
ized boats are allow ed throughout the nation.
T heorderby U.S. D istnctJudgeG ladys Kessler
affects the rem aining 21.
i
800 w ere arrested an d arso n dam ag e w as put
at m o re than $ 2 0 0 ,0 0 0 in the w o rst racial
u n rest in C in cin n ati since the 1968 a ssa ssin a
)r. Flora
takes kids expelled from
school and helps them overcome their difficulties. The students at work are Mercy Garcia (from left) C hris Latta and C hasity Madrid.
(P hoto by M ark W ashington /P ortland O bserver )
Getting Kids Back on Track
A Local Academy Offers an Alternative Solution
B \ Jo v R v v io s
IU £
P o r i land
O bseav jus
e x p e lle d
fr o m
K id s
g e ttin g
a ll
s o r ts
of
sch o o l
poses
p ro b le m s.
O fte n tim e s .
t h e y ’r e
n o t a llo w e d
to
re -a tte n d
o r get
p ro p e r ly
p la c e d .
W h a t ’s
a
k id
to
do
in
th e
m e a n t im e ?
A s a so lu tio n to th e p ro b lem , th e Ju d o n
L in e A c a d e m y II, lo cated at 3 8 1 6 N E . 14 th in
I
P o rtlan d w as form ed. B y d e sig n , stu d en ts
can co n tin u e th eir education b efo re they m ove
o n to an o th e r school o r get th e irG E D . "M a n y
c h ild ren w ith beh av io ral o r p sy ch o lo g ical
p ro b le m s d o n 't “ fit in a sq u are p e g ," but are
very b right kids. O ften tim es, the public school
sy stem c a n ’t find a p la c e fo r them . It tak es
w eek s o r m o n th s to do so. T h e sy stem so m e
tim es d o e s n 't react soon e n o u g h ," ex p la in e d
M ary H o ld en . E x ecu tiv e D ire c to ro fG iv e U s
T his D ay an d fo u n d er o f Ju d o n L ine A c a d
e m y II. T he a cad em y acts as a g a te w a y to
p ro v id e at-risk kids w ith an interim ed u cation
u n til the school sy stem can find o r d e sig n a
su itab le settin g for them
T he co n c e p t for the acad em y b eg an w hen
D r. F lo ra H olden d ec id e d to h om eschool
C 'hasity M ad rid , foster ch ild o f M ary H olden,
S tory C ontinues
»
on
P age B5
tio n o f M artin L u th er K in g Jr.
T h e streets w e re m o stly q u iet o v e r the
w eek en d , an d city o fficia ls h ad h o p e d to lift
the cu rfew b ecau se it w as hu rting b u sin esses.
T h e curfew w as scaled b ack to 11 p.m . S u n d ay
to allo w m ore tim e fo r E aster ce le b ra tio n s.
Jo in in g L uken at a n ew s c o n fe re n c e w ere
relig io u s, b u sin ess a n d co m m u n ity lead e rs
w h o h av e been d isc u ssin g w ays to a d d re ss
u n d erly in g cau ses o f the violence.
“ I f w e p u t o u r h e a d s b a c k in the sa n d , that
sand w ill o n ce a g a in g ro w hot w ith rage. T he
o p p o rtu n ity w ill b e lo st,” said R o ss L ove,
sp eak in g on b e h a lf o fb la c k c o m m u n ity le a d
ers.
T he R ev. D am o n L y n ch , a b lack c le rg y
m an. said the city ‘ s b la c k y o u th s d o n o t k n o w
how to ch an n el th e ir an g er. “ T h e y ju s t feel
like n o b o d y ’s liste n in g ," h e said. “ T h e ir a n
g e r is not ju s t at o ffic e rs, b u t th e ir o w n b lack
le a d e rsh ip T he feelin g is w e 'r e not listen in g ,
an d w e h a v e to tu rn that a ro u n d .”
S tory C ontinues
on
<
P age B4