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Calls for Healing Follow Michigan Riots
¿STOPPERS
Help Sought in Murder
Portland Police Bureau Homi­
cide Investigators, in cooperation
with Crime Stoppers, are asking
for your help in solving a murder.
On Tuesday, June 10, at about
4:20 a.m., a security guard found
the body o f 43-year-old Christine
"Chris” lone Lawson on the side­
walk o f Northwest Second Av­
enue b etw een B u rn sid e and
Couch. An autopsy determined
she died from strangulation.
Authorities said Lawson lived
a transient lifestyle and frequented
the downtown area.
At the time o f her death, she
was wearing a black leather waist-
length jacket, purple sweater and
Christine lone Lawson
blue jeans. She may have also
been carrying a black purse, black
wallet and miscellaneous identifi­
cation that were not found at the
crime scene.
Crime Stoppers is offering u cash rewurd o f up to SI.000 for
information, reported to Crime Stoppers, that leads to un arrestili
this ease, or any unsolved felony crime, and you need not give your
name. Call Crime Stoppers at 503-823-4357.
Loved Ones Help
Transition to Freedom
The Multnomah County Depart­
ment o f Community Justice and
Citizens United for Rehabilitation
o f Errants are sponsoring a series
oforientations for fami ly and friends
o f inmates who will be released
within six months to post-prison
supervision in Multnomah County.
The sessions cover conditions
for release and supervision, success­
ful transition and how friends and
family can help someone recently
released from prison. They are de­
signed to help friends and family
members understand the goals and
requirements o f post-prison super­
vision so that their loved ones will
have a better chance o f succeeding
after they are released.
“We know that having positive
social relationships can help re­
duce the risk that an offender will
commit new crimes, said Joanne
Fuller, director for the Department
ofCommunity Justice "The Friends
and Family group gives inmates a
firm footing back home and the
chance to get support as they start
their lives over."
The orientations will be held on
Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on
June 26, July 24, Aug. 28, Sept. 25,
Oct. 23, Nov. 13, and Dec. 11 at 5 0 1
S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. For more in­
formation, call 503-988-3081. exten­
sion 22103.
Tim Buels (left), Patrice Allen, Patrick Drake, Kirk Ward, and Brian McKinney talk about the mood o f the community in Benton
Harbor, Mich., Thursday, after two nights o f rioting. The death o f a black motorcyclist during a police chase ignited the violence in
this city that for years has struggled with poverty, high unemployment and racial tensions. (AP photo)
stance. Those w ho are torching
the buildings, they, too, need
help.”
Jack so n 's visit cam e after the
second relatively peaceful night
in this southw estern M ichigan
city o f 12,000, follow ing two
nights o f riots and high tensions.
(A P) — The Rev. Jesse Jack-
He spoke later at a Benton H ar­
son said resid en ts o f B enton bor com m unity center, telling
H arbor, M ich. - even those re­ about 200 people that they should
sponsible for nighttim e rioting “turn tragedy into trium ph.”
last week - need to com e together
“W e’ll turn this crisis into an
for a period o f healing.
opportunity,” Jackson said.
“ People need healing. They
A pparent arson fires burned
need hope, and they need faith,” five buildings Friday m orning
the civil rights activist said F ri­ near the site o f the riots that
day m orning after a closed-door erupted earlier this week after a
m eeting with police and com m u­ m otorcyclist was killed in a crash
nity officials. "F aith has sub­ w hile fleeing police.
On T hursday, the city began
Fata, police
chase touched
off racial
unrest
dem olishing 40 vacant buildings,
including som e that w ere burned
during the riots, s h e r iff s spokes­
man Deputy Chris C orteville said.
Several hundred officers p a­
trolled streets for the third night
in a row. Some local officers were
given a break after officials de­
cided it w ould be safe and state
tr o o p e r s s ta y e d on d u ty ,
C orteville said.
Benton Harbor, a city o f 12,000
people about 100 miles northeast o f
Chicago, is 92 percent black. Since
the rioting, many residents have
said they distrust police officers,
particularly white officers.
The m otorcyclist w ho died,
T errance Shurn, 28, w as black.
The police officers from n eigh­
boring B enton T ow nship w ho
pursued him into B enton H ar­
bor, w here he lost control o f his
bike and crashed, are white.
The subsequent rioting in­
v o lv e d h u n d re d s o f p eo p le
roam ing a six-to eight-block
area, setting fires and attacking
passers-by, police officers and
firefighters. At least 11 people
w ere hurt, and nine people were
arrested.
On Thursday afternoon, Gov.
Jennifer G ranholm had what she
called pow erful, frank meetings
w ith com m unity leaders, and
also m et separately w ith police
and S h u m ’s fam ily.
She called for reconciliation
and healing. “The state must
w rap its arm s around this com ­
m unity,” she said.
Burlingame Grocer Guilty of Arson
(AP) — A grocery store owner
has been convicted on one count
o f arson and faces seven years in
prison for torching his southwest
Portland business almost two years
ago.
The jury deadlocked on a sec­
ond arson charge against Thomas
Calkins, owner o f Burl ingame Gro­
cery.
A fuzzy store surveillance tape
was recorded shortly before the fire
broke out. Prosecutors said the vid­
eotape showed Calkins in the store.
But defense lawyers maintained the
identity o f the person was less than
certain.
Prosecutors contend C alkins
was facing financial problems and
intentionally set the blaze to collect
a $ l million insurance policy.
Fires Destroy Montavilla Businesses
( A P)— Investigators are search­
ing through the debris o f two com ­
mercial fires in the Montavilla neigh­
borhood o f east Portland that hap­
pened one day apart from each
other, within blocks from each other
— and at about the same time o f day earlier, a four-alarm fire gut­
day.
ted a toy and gift shop about six
A three-alarm fire gutted a fur­ blocks away.
niture store, an adult video store
Both fires occurred about 5 a.m.
and a night club housed on 79th and both had engulfed the build­
and G lisan streets June 18. The ings when firefighters arrived.
Teacher Charged with Sexual Misconduct
(AP)— A Skyview High tech­
nology teacher in Vancouver is
accused o f having a sexual rela­
tionship with a !6-orl7-year-old
female student.
One count o f sexual misconduct
with a minor has been filed against
2 4 -y e a r-o ld Jam es H arris o f
Vancouver.
He is scheduled to appear in Clark
County Superior Court July 24th.
Harris was placed on administra­
tive leave from the Vancouver
School District in March when the
accusation first surfaced.
Rodney King pleads innocent in PCP case
(AP) — Rodney King, whose influenceofPCP.
videotaped beating by police offic­
Police said King raced through a
ers sparked the Los Angeles riots R ialto i ntersection at more than 100
o f 1992, has pleaded innocent to mph on April 13 before losing con­
charges stemming from an Apri I car trol, striking a utility pole, careen­
crash.
ing into a fence and hitting a house.
King pleaded innocent to one King suffered a fractured pelvis
misdemeanor count each o f reck­ and cracked ribs.
less driving, driving under the in-
Authorities said tests revealed
fl uence o f PC P and being under the he had PCP in his system.
He was ordered to return to court
July 9 for a pretrial hearing.
Outside court. King acknowl­
edged he “may have been speed­
ing a bit” but denied being under
the influence o f drugs or alcohol.
He said he lost control o f the car
when he hit potholes on a poorly
maintained street in Rialto, where
he now lives.
Police Review Board Seeks Volunteers
The Independent Police Review pating in orientation and training
D ivision o f the P ortland C ity about policing, advising on com ­
Auditor's Office is seeking volun­ plaint handling, working with IPR
teers to serve on theCitizen Review staff to conduct in-depth policy
Committee.
reviews related to the Police Bu­
The principal duties will include reau and gathering community con­
making objective decisions when cerns about police policies and pro­
citizens appeal the results o f police cedures.
misconduct investigations, partici­
Applications are available at
www.ci.portland.or.us/auditor/ipr.
Call IPR Deputy Director Michael
Hess with questions at 503-823-
4126.
Officials in the auditor's office
said every attempt would be made
to select qualified persons repre­
senting the demographic and eth­
nic diversity o f Portland.