Sllje “P ort lattò (©baeruer
Page A6
fanuaiy 29. 2003
FBI Considers Hate Crime in Shooting Spree
continued
from Front
"The car we can replace, but if
that was one o f my loved ones, how
could I replace that?” he said.
The N A A C Pjoined Debnam in
a press conference last week in
front o f his hom e where they
pleaded with the neighborhood
and city to com e together and
deal with the tragedy as a com ­
m unity. The group asked M ayor
V e ra K atz an d G o v . T ed
K ulongoski to speak up and let
the state know that racially m oti­
vated crim es will not be tolerated.
Tw o days later, the FBI said it
had joined local police to deter­
mine whether or not a firearm was
used in a com m ission o f a federal
hate crime.
Those arrested w ere identified
as A ndrew T. Sherw ood, 15, o f
Portland; Denis P. Fahey, 18, o f
Redm ond; Joshua D. Ridley, 19,
o f Milwaukie: and Brian S. Heath,
21, o f Gresham .
The four currently face charges
of intimidation, criminal mischief
and unlawful use o f a firearm under
Oregon law. The FBI said if the
accused are convicted of a federal
hate crime, each defendant could
face a mandatory sentence o f 10
years in prison.
Detective Brian Gross with the
Portland Police Bureau said the four
photos by W ynde D yer /T he P ortland O bserver
Robert Larry, Chad Debnam and a group of NAACP members give a press conference on Jan. 21 to call for action in a
suspected racially motivated shooting spree where four young white men were accused o f driving through northeast
Portland shooting at cars, houses and at least one person.
Chad Debnam shows the damage done to
his car during a Jan. 19 shooting spree
that may have been motivated by hate.
“The car we can replace, but if that was
one o f my loved ones, how could I replace
that?" said Debnam, whose brother died
three decades ago in a racially motivated
shooting.
were childhood friends who now
During a Multnomah County grip shotgun from Ridley before to “scare him .”
live in different cities. He said the grandjury hearing Monday, police the shootings. According to court
Sherwood told investigators that
shooting spree began with some testified that Heath told them he documents, he said he shot out Ridley suggested driving to north­
target practice in an empty lot. Gross shot up several cars because he several car windows at random as east Portland to “shoot up” black
said drugs and alcohol were in­ was “drunk and upset” after being he stood through the open T-top people but when Sherwood pro­
volved. He also said the boys told harassed by an unidentified black ro o f o f R id le y ’s 1991 black tested that he didn’t want to hurt
him they specifically targeted Afri­ man on a bus in Portland.
Chevrolet Camaro, and pointed the anyone, Ridley instead suggested
can Americans.
Heath said he bought the pistol- shotgun at an unknown black man they shoot up a neighborhood
where blacks live.
According to court documents,
after police responded to reports of
shotgun blasts, Heath threatened
to shoot Ridley if he didn’t try to
outrun officers.
The Associated Press contrib­
uted to this article.
HIV Testing Urged
Free H IV Testing
in NE Portland
T u e s d a y a n d T h u r s d a y E v e n in g s
5 :0 0 -8 :0 0
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(last check in a t 7 :3 0 p .m .)
NE Health Center
MLK J r . Blvd. And NE Killingsworth
(Enter in rear door near Emerson, go to 2nd flo o r)
Se habla español fas M artes ’ “
For more information on H IV and testing
Call the Oregon A ID S Hotline 1 - 8 0 0 - 7 7 7 - A ID S
A
Multnomah County Health Department
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Community Mural Dedication
s
Who:
What:
When:
The African American Health
Coalition, Inc. and the Alberta
Cooperative Grocery
A vibrant health-promoting mural will
be dedicated to the N/NE community
in honor of Black History Month
Saturday, February 1st at 10:00 a.m.
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photo by D a vid P lechl /T he P ortland O bserver
Stephen Hererra, a community health specialist for Multnomah
County, prepares a sample for a HIV test at the county's health
clinic on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Hours extended
to reach more
African
Americans
C .A .S .C .
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In Advanced Technology
Who are Portland Community College C A S E students?
We are students who are underrepresented in technology disciplines,
Including African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Women
Where: Alberta Cooperative Grocery on
N.E. Alberta and 15th Street
Please come join us!
The C A S E program provides:
■ Referrals to advising and campus
resources:
• Internships and job-search
• CASE scholarships 4 financial
assistance
• Industry related activities and events
• Brown bag discussions
• Tutoring services
• Referrals to Industry mentors
• CASE Club - opportunities to network with other
advanced technology students
• 0 8 1 0 0 TEKnotogy Career Exploration class
Tuition waived - Eiptorss high tech care e n
2003 Winter Term CIS K M
Racial 4 Ethnic Approaches to Community Health
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For more information contact;
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2/10 to 3/20 RoomSSlOa
Contact: Patty McCoy 503-977-4293
CIS 100 Class offered Every Term!
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We want to talk with you! Call us today!
by D avid P lechl
T he P ortland O bserver
The Multnomah County Health
Department is serious about AIDS.
The departm ent’s outreach pro­
gram at 5329 N.E. Martin Luther King
Jr. Blvd. has extended testing hours
to help identify African Americans
living with AIDS and help keep those
free o f the virus safe from infection.
“W e’re trying to identify people
living with HIV that may not know it,”
said Ronnie Meyers, co manager of
the county’s HIV Community Pre­
vention Program.
Clients w ho wish to be tested can
come in on both Tuesdays and Thurs­
days between 5 and 8 p.m. Spanish
speaker workers are available Tues­
day evenings.
People whot wish to remain anony­
mous can test with number verifica­
tion. All other tests are strictly confi­
dential. Tests can be taken orally or
with a blood draw.
Though the increased testing hours
are intended to promote testing in the
African American community, every­
one is encouraged to be tested.
“W hen people are tested it gives
them the opportunity to think about
what it would be like to live with HIV,”
Smith said.
The county health office will also
be open for HIV testing on National
Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on
Friday, Feb. 7th from 3 to 6p.m. A
march will follow a short meeting at
3:30 p.m . at the U rban League
Multicultural SeniorCenter.