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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2002)
Detroit Lions Pick Joey Harrington TW Former Oregon quarterback and Central Catholic standout drafted No, 3 See story, page A8. iSurtlanh ©bse "Tho iti, D ncnc" T h e C P ity Of Roses Volume XXXII Number 16 www.portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity Established in 1970 4 Wednesday ApriT2472OO2 Ron Herndon Speaks 2 Dead, Hundreds Hurt In Train Collision PLACENTIA, Calif. — A Metrolink commuter train and mile-long freight train collided in Orange County, killing two and injuring hundreds when two cars full o f passengers buckled and derailed. Firefighters carried the most seriously injured to triage areas. Northeast Portland leader tackles issues ‘unfiltered’ in exclusive interviews Sharon: War's Latest Phase Over BETHLEHEM, W est Bank — Israeli tanks and troops pulled out o f two W est Bank cities after a three-week occupation. But troops remained in Ramallah to confine Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to his compound and held positions in Bethlehem, where Palestinian gunmen are holed up in the Church o f the Nativity. Criticism of Bush Increases In Volume National unity shielded President Bush from criticism after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but his immunity is fading. Bush is under fire from some friends, foes and pundits for his handling o f the Middle East and the adm inistration’s confusing response to upheaval in Ven ezuela. Blake Charged with Murder LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors por trayed a murder long-planned by TV actor Robert Blake and his bodyguard. The Baretta star, 68, was formally charged in Los Angeles Municipal Court, Van Nuys Division, with the shooting death on M ay 4 o f his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, 44. Girls Softball League Takes Oregon City to Court GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Six girls, all members o f a softball team called the Blaze, sued in federal court on claims that the city is violating federal and state laws that require equal access by males and females to government facili ties. Democratic candidate for governor Jim Hill speaks with audience members Friday after a debate In Salem. The former state treasurer and lawmaker says, as governor, he would be accessible to north and northeast Portlanders. photo by D avid P lechl /T he P ortland O bserver Jim Hill Makes Governorship Run African American is a top candidate for Oregon's highest governmental office D avid P lechl T he P ortland O bserver te st its co m p a tib ility w ith the O re g o n eco n o m y . by H e a lso stresses d iv e rsific a tio n o f th e e c o n o m y , G ro w in g up in G e o rg ia , O re g o n D e m o c ra tic an d n o te s O r e g o n ’s o v e rd e p e n d e n c e on the c a n d id a te fo r g o v e rn o r Jim H ill atte n d e d sch o o ls h ig h te c h in d u stry , w h ic h h a s su ffe re d in r e th a t w e re " s e c o n d c la s s by la w .” c e n t y e a rs. Community leader and activist Ron Herndon. The Portland Observer is proud to publish a series o f interviews featuring community leader and activist Ron D. Herndon. Herndon is no stranger to our readers. His long H e h a d th e c a rd s sta c k e d a g a in s t h im e a rly , H e p la n s to su p p o rt m o re p ro g ra m s lik e th e history o f service to this community is well docu b u t h e h a s p ro v e n h im s e lf tim e a n d tim e a g a in . “ O re g o n G ro w th A c c o u n t” h e c re a te d w h ile mented. For more than 30years, he has taken part in issues that include school desegregation and reform, police T h e A fric a n A m e ric a n p o litic ia n is c o n s id se rv in g as tre a su re r. T h e in v e stm e n t p ro g ra m e re d a to p ru n n e r fo r th e s ta te ’s h ig h e s t o ffic e . p ro v id e s seed m o n e y a n d in v e s tm e n t c a p ita l to H ill h a s th e c re d e n tia ls to le a d . H e h a s sm a ll and e m e rg in g b u sin e sse s. misconduct, and social and political activism. He is the cofounder o f the Black United Front, the BlackUnitedFund, the Rainbow Coalition, and serves s e rv e d 18 y e a rs in sta te g o v e rn m e n t fro m h is H ill favors allocating resources to schools w ith h o m e in S a le m . D u rin g h is 8 y e a rs as sta te sig n ifican t achievem ent gaps betw een w hite and as board chair o f the National Head Start Associa tr e a s u r e r , O re g o n in c re a s e d its in v e s tm e n t m in o rity students. H e calls the gaps “u n a c c e p t Pentagon: Iraq Threatens U.S. pilots p o rtfo lio fro m $23 b illio n to $32 b illio n d o lla rs. a b le .” W ASHINGTON— Saddam Hussein is m oving surface-to-air m issiles into Iraq’s northern and southern no-fly zones at the fastest pace in at least two years, the nation’s top general said. m a jo r is s u e s fa c in g O re g o n ia n s. tion. Currently, Herndon leads a group o f community leaders in an effort to eliminate the achievement gap in education among minority and poor white children H ill c ite s e c o n o m y a n d e d u c a tio n a s th e tw o Jo h n K itz h a b e r’s p ro p o sa l to in c re a se to b a c c o , “T h e ec o n o m y to m e is alw ays th e m o st im p o r tan t issue, b e c a u se it’s the m ach in e that g e n e r Three Winning Tickets for $32SM Jackpot ATLANTA — Three lucky people are holding winning tickets for the $325 million Big Game jackpot, lottery offi cials announced. A Georgia Lottery spokesman said winning tickets were purchased in Dacula, Ga., Illinois and New Jersey. c u ts. H is c o n c e rn fo r O r e g o n ’s a g in g p o p u la tio n y o u r tax sy stem so w h en the eco n o m y slow s h a s led him to c h a ir th e O re g o n R e tire m e n t d o w n th e w h o le rev en u e system d o e s n ’t go dow n T a sk F o rce. T he ta sk fo rc e h e lp s O re g o n ia n s as fast and as h ard as it d o e s.” p la n an d in v e st fo r re tire m e n t. H ill h a s c ritic iz e d O r e g o n ’s o v e rre lia n c e on H e h a s a lso s tre s s e d th e im p o rta n c e o f th e in c o m e ta x , w h ic h d u rin g slo w tim e s can a ffo rd a b le h o u sin g fo r e v e ry o n e an d e n c o u r le a v e sc h o o ls b e g g in g fo r cash. a g e s c re a tin g m o re o p p o rtu n itie s fo r p e o p le to o w n th e ir ow n h o m e s. H ill w ill b e a t Bethel A frican M ethodist E pisco r e f o r m ,” h e said. More full-time college students are working longer hours than five years ago, and nearly half o f those who work more than 25 hours a week report that it is interfering with their academic achievement, a report says. b e e r a n d w in e ta x e s to a v o id fu rth e r e d u c a tio n ates th e rev enues. Y ou n eed to h av e b alance in “ S ta b le fu n d in g fo r o u r sc h o o ls w ill ta k e tax College Students Feeling Crunch of Longer Work Hours H e is the on ly c a n d id a te w h o su p p o rte d G o v . T h e fo rm e r le g is la to r re c o m m e n d s th e fo r pal C hurch, 5828 N .E. 8th. S unday, A pril 28 at 11 m a tio n o f a ta s k fo rc e w h ic h w o u ld stu d y a.m . as part o f a c o m m u n ity ce le b ra tio n o f sta te s th a t a c h ie v e th is k in d o f sta b ility an d to “W o m en s D ay.” enrolled in Portland Pubic Schools. This exclusive series reveals Herndon's candor and thoughts on a range o f topics. We asked Yugen Fardan Rashad, a past contribu tor and correspondent fo r the Portland Observer, to conduct the interviews. Y ugen: Why did you choose the Portland Observer to share your thoughts? H erndon: The Portland Observer has a legacy o f advocating for Portland’s black community well over 60 years. This paper has been a voice speaking out against injustice and inequities, since the Second World War. And, one o f the most influential human beings in my life was Bill McClendon, a co-founder o f the Portland Observer. And so I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to speak on some issues, unfiltered. Kroeker Pushes for Job in LA Portland Police C hief Mark Kroeker on M onday said he w ould like to re turn to his Los A ngeles roots to lead one o f the n a tio n 's largest police forces. K roeker said he w ill apply for the jo b o f Los A ngeles Police Chief. The announcem ent cam e ju st hours after Bernard Parks, the current chief for the city o f A ngels announced he will resign. K roeker, 58, served a 32-year law enforcem ent career in Los Angeles before com ing to Portland. “T his is a jo b I am equipped for, m ade for," K roeker said. "1 have a c Portland Police Chief Mark Kroeker good shot at this." Kroeker will stay on the job in Portland as Los A ngeles conducts a national search, a process that could take three to four months. In the meantim e, M ayor Vera Katz ac cepted K roeker's prom ise to stay fo cused on the day-to-day operation o f the Portland Police Bureau. "In the w eeks and m onths ahead we have critical public safety issues to deal with including the budget, staying vigi lant in our com m unity policing to keep the crime rate low. and m aintaining the necessary num ber o f officers on the street," Katz said. Yugen: What do you mean unfiltered? H erndon: I don’t believe that most people in the press purposely set out to distort a story. But I have found that a number o f individuals in the media are uncomfortable with black people who aggressively confront and challenge the pervasive racism in Port land. All o f us approach circumstances in life with our own history, culture, and personal experiences. Most mem bers o f the mainstream media are white, and the status quo in America has worked fairly well for them. They, nor their ancestors, had to protest, demonstrate, boy cott or risk death to get the right to vote, fair housing, access to public education, drink water from a public fountain, or eat in a restaurant. T hey d o n 't u n d e rsta n d continued at a v isc e ra l on page A6 J À I I