whe jgortlawì» ffibgeruer celebrates Black History Month
Februay26.2003
B lo ck
H is to ry
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Northeast Displacement Stirs Passion
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f
4
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Page A3
4 1960s photo o f
Black Panther
chairman Bobby
Seale (left),
wearing a Colt .45
pistol, and Huey
Newton, the
militant
organization's
defense minister,
with a bandoleer
and shotgun.
----------------
Ex-Panthers Work to
Preserve Legacy
v' (A P)— The sleek leather jacket, o f his projects.
black beret and ,45-caliber pistol
If young people “really took a
fiobby Seale packed in the 1960s close look” at the Panthers’ record,
•re gone now.
Seale says, “they’ll be able to un
- In their place, the former Black derstand how they have to stand
'Panther Party chairman sports a against all forms of discrimination.”
dbniin shirt and, over his graying
The Panthers, founded by Seale
fitiir, a baseball capemblazoncd with and Huey Newton amid the turmoil
*?Bobbyquescale.eom" — the Web o f the 1960s, were a dramatic coun
address forhis barbecue cookbook. terpoint to nonviolent civil rights
•. Now 66 and back in thecity where leaders such as Martin Luther King
the Panthers got their start, Seale Jr. The rifle-toting group sparked
still speaks passionately about the fear and controversy when it began
Social revolution the group es monitoring police brutality in mostly
poused.
black neighborhoods by “patrol
And he's trying hard to influ ling the pigs.”
ence how the Panthers — who cap
The Panthers are often remem
tured the imagination o f young bered for their gun fights with po
blacks and scared many white lice, resulting in casualties among
A m ericans— are remembered by a
continued
on page A 6
new generation. But that's just one
photus by D avid P lechl /T he P ortland O bserver
A Town Hall meeting follows the screening o f “Northwest Passage, ’ a story about housing
issues in north and northeast Portland.
co n tin u ed
fr o m F ront
But during the 90s the gang
scare cooled down and rising
co sts elsew h e re in P o rtlan d
pushed first-time homeowners
and young professionals into in
ner north and northeast neigh
borhoods.
"Gentrification is a reasonable
and logical economic process,”
M illner said.
City Councilman Erik Sten reit
erated the point that while the
precess may cause costs to rise,
the negative effect of multiple va
cancies and abandoned houses
will wreak havoc on any neigh
borhood.
“You need people to move in
and live in those houses,” Sten
said.
But as homeowners moved in
and slumlords were pushed out.
the cost o f housing rose.
Neighborhood groups like the
Boise Neighborhood Association
realized the importance o f estab
lishing low income and affordable
housing.
The group was an advocate for
renters and supported housing for
the low-income market. But the
policy presented another kind of
problem. Some o f the new housing
developments led to increased drug
dealing and gang activity.
The neighborhood association
then changed direction, deciding
to favor home ownership.
Panelist Sheila Holden said it
was clear in the 80s that northeast
Portland was ‘a diamond in the
rough.’
“It just needed to be polished as
one o f the gems of the city,” she
said.
Holden said displacement could
be offset by home ownership.
“T hat’s where we need to get
to," she said.
But Holden added that a lack of
understanding or appreciation for
the people that have called this
community home for decades is
undermining the potential for de
velopment without forced removal.
“We need to find the language
and tools to manage development
effectively,” she said.
Audience members took it one
step further to say that even before
ownership in the community can be
considered jobs must be secure.
Don Strong was laid off from his
school district position as a custo
dian. He also came to the event to
speak up in defense o f secure em
ployment as a means to home ow n
ership.
“Where are our living wage jobs
going?" he asked.
Michael Broussard says good
jobs is key to keeping local
residents from being displaced
by high housing costs.
Strong had to sell his home in St.
Johns after being laid off. He now
rents in an area notorious for gang
and drug activity.
L ocal
re s id e n t
M ic h ae l
Broussard also showed up to say
that without jobs home ownership
is downright impossible.
"We need shelter," Broussard
said. "It’s up to the people o f this
city.”
Even filmmakerComelius Swart
said when he started making the
film he thought the simple answer
was to build more affordable hous
ing.
“I soon realized that it’s a lot
more complicated than that,” he
said.
‘Northeast Passage’ will be re
played on Portland Cable Access
Channel 30 on Thursday, Feb. 27 at
5 p.m. and on Monday, March 3 at
5:30p.m.
MMMMMMN
Budget Ax May Chop Commissions on Women, Minorities
continued
fr o m F ront
co-chairman of the Joint Ways
and M eans Committee.
H is co m m ittee w ill be the
first h u rd le the c o m m issio n s
w ill face in next m o n th ’s budget
p ro c e ss.
Sen. Avel G ordly, one o f the
com mittee’s 20 members, is a long-
tim e supporter o f the four co m said sh e’s prepared to dism antle
m issions. An A frican-A m erican, the com m issions if it com es down
she sa id the groups are largely to choosing betw een them and
m isunderstood.
m edicine o r housing for the very
But even G ordly, D -P ortland, needy.
Dr. Ben Carson is the world-renoumed director o f pediatric neurosurgery at The Johns Hopkins
Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland. He has pioneered techniques fo r separating
conjoined twins and fo r stopping intractable seizures. • Ay NASA's first African American female
astronaut, Dr. M ae Jem ison helped conduct life science experiments aboard the Space Shuttle
Endeavour that were designed to help prepare hum ans fo r long-term space ventures. • In 1998,
Dr, D avid Satcher became only the second person in history to hold simultaneously
the positions o f U.S. Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary fo r Health. • Dr. Samuel L.
K ountz, Jr., developed a crucial technique fo r detecting and treating the body’s rejection o f
transplanted kidneys. • A pioneer in cardiac surgery, Dr. D aniel Hale W illia m s performed
the first open-heart surgery in 1893 when he removed a knife from the heart oj a stabbing victim.
He also helped fo u n d a training school fo r nurses.» Dr. Louis T. W rig h t gained national
acclaim as both a premier surgeon a nd a champion o f equal rights. In 1919, he became the
BLACK HISTORY
MONTH
We salute the countless contributions
that African Americans have made
toward healthier lives for us all.
first African American doctor appointed to the s ta ff o f a m unicipal hospital in New York City.
• Dr. Charles R. D re w ’v pioneering work in blood plasma research a n d in blood banking was
responsible fo r saving innumerable lives during World War II. • Dr. A lexia Irene Canada
became the first African American woman to be certified by the American Board o f Neurological
Surgery. She has taught at several distinguished institutions. • One o f America's most eminent
P rovidence Health System
biologists o f the 2 0 ^ century, Dr. Ernest E. Just wrote a book titled “The Biology o f the Cell
Surface" that contributed important insights into germ cells....
A c a r in g d i f f e r e n c e y o u c a n f e e l
Providence Portland Medical Center • Providence St. Vincent Medical Center • Providence Milwaukie Hospital
Providence Newberg Hospital • Providence Seaside Hospital • Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital
Providence Medford Medical Center • Providence Health Plans • www.providence.org/oregon
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