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Weighty Words
Workplace Diversity
Champion boxer encourages local
kids to fight for their dreams
MedStars experience health
careers up close
See M etro section, inside,
‘City of Roses’
See special coverage, pages B4-B5.
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www .portlandobserver.com
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Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXIII • Number 32
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Wednesday • August 06. 2003
T.Weekin
TheReview
First Out of the Gate in Mayor’s Race
Oprah Goes Home
Jim Francesconi
could run city or
leave politics
completely
She has advised m illions ofloyal
fans on what to read, how to
manage relationships and how
to lose weight. Next, Oprah
W infrey w ill be serving up ad
vice on furniture and bedspreads
Encouraged by the popularity
o f a previous issue devoted to
home decorating, O, The Oprah
Magazine w ill publish a48-page
home-design supplement next
month, magazine spokeswoman
, Elizabeth Dye said Monday.
Tents Answer
Housing Crisis?
In budget-strapped Oregon
camping is the latest solution to
the thorny issue o f housing ex-
cons - particularly registered sex
offenders - that has vexed o ffi­
cials for years as they struggle
w ith nervous neighbors and re­
luctant landlords.
Davis' Lawyers to
Sue for Recall Delay
Gov. Gray Davis w ill ask the
C alifornia Supreme Court to de­
lay his Oct. 7 recall election until
March and make him a candidate
to, in effect, replace himself, his
attorneys said.
Deputy Down In Desert
Police and volunteers searched
the Mojave Desert for the per­
son who killed a Los Angles
County sheriff’s deputy and for
a possible witness to the shoot­
ing. Deputy Stephen Sorensen,
46, was killed Saturday while
fo llo w in g up on a trespassing
call in Llano, about 40 miles
northeast o f dow ntow n Los
Angeles. His patrol car was
found along w ith bloodstains
and other signs o f a struggle,
authorities said. Sorensen’ s
body was discovered less than
a quarter-mile away, shot in the
upper torso. His handgun was
missing, officials said.
Rescue Troops Warmly
Received In Liberia
. W estA ffica’sfirsttroopslanded
Monday on an international res­
cue mission for Liberia, greeted
‘ by overjoyed c iv ilia n s who
spilled onto the airfield by the
hundreds, screaming, "W e want
peace!"
Cameras in Kobe’s Court
The judge in the Kobe Bryant
case Monday rejected the N BA
star’ s request to keep cameras
out o f the courtroom during his
first court appearance on a sexual
assault charge. Bryant’ s attor­
neys argued against allow ing
cameras during the hearing
scheduled Wednesday, saying
they could jeopardize Bryant’ s
right to a fair trial.
by J aymee R. C lti
T he P ortland O bserver
Commissioner Jim Francesconi has no
interest in Salem and doesn’t have an eye for
Washington, D.C. In fact, his plan is to leave
politics altogether ifh e 's defeated in his run
for mayor o f Portland.
Francesconi’ s all or nothing approach
may be the jo lt that Portland needs to offer
jobs, education and equal opportunities for
all o f its residents. His short “ to do” list
packs a punch, especially w ith African
American and low-income residents.
A lifelong Democrat, pro-social mantras
flo w flu id ly from Francesconi’ s lips.
“ African Americans already know that
they need to be part o f the solution, but they
also need to benefit from our city,” he said.
By diversifying city commissions, spe­
cifica lly the planning commission, pressur­
ing big businesses to hire minorities for
both entry level and high-paying jobs, sup­
porting m inority-owned businesses and
making it easier for minorities to buy homes
in Portland proper, Francesconi said he
hopes everyone w ill enjoy the high quality
o f life that the city provides.
“ O ur whole community, including A fri­
can Americans, has to feel safe and feel the
police are here to protect them,” Francesconi
said.
D u rin g his run fo r com m issioner,
Francesconi was endorsed by the Portland
Police Bureau. This may not sit well with
some African Americans who feel they face
acute racial profiling, and still feel the sting
from a slap on the wrist resolution for Kendra
James’ death at the hands o f a North Pre­
cinct police officer who w ill keep his job.
W hile largely absent from public discus­
sion surrounding Kendra James’ shooting,
to be, but it ’ s a lot more diverse than the
Police Department," Francesconi said.
Francesconi oversaw the Fire Bureau from
1999 to 2002, during a strong campaign to
diversify the staff.
He past endorsements include A frican-
American state senators Margaret Carter
and Avel Gordly (D-Portland), school board
member Lolcnzo Poe, Self Enhancement, Inc.
founder Tony Hopson and Roy Jay, presi­
dent o f the African American Chamber o f
Commerce.
Francesconi is serving his seventh year
as city commissioner, in charge o f transpor­
tation and parks and recreation.
W ith a strong interest in parks, he pledges
to improve and maintain public green space
African Americans
already know that
they need to be part
o f the solution, but
they also need to
benefit from our city.
-M ayoral Candidate Jim Francesconi
photo bv T ony
W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Portland City Commissioner Jim Francesconi looks to replace Mayor Vera Katz at
City Hall. Katz recently announced that she won't seek re-election.
Francesconi said he met with African Am eri­
can ministers and police to discuss a narrow­
ing o f deadly force policy
"M y goal is to prevent something like this
from ever happening again,” he told the
Portland Observer at the time.
Francesconi hopes to w in the police
endorsement again, but also plans to in ­
stitute an apprenticeship program to d i­
ve rsify the force, as he did in the Fire
Department.
“ The Fire Department is not where it needs
and community centers. Fixing potholes in
city streets also is a pet cause.
Francesconi has a plan to cut the c ity ’ s
u tility b ills and tighten the belt on the city
budget through efficient spending. He prom­
ises to hold every city agency accountable
to performance measures.
A resident o f northeast P o rtla n d ’ s
Alameda neighborhood, Francesconi said
he would return to his 20-year career as a trial
attorney i f he loses the mayoral race.
A fte r graduating from the University o f
Oregon, Francesconi served as a full-tim e
volunteer in inner northeast Portland w ith
continued
on page AS
Legacy Summer Jobs Promote Medical Careers
by J aymee R .C vti
T he P ortland O bserver
Statistics show that Latino and African-
American students have lower high school
graduation rates than whites. Coupled with
a shortage o f m inority workers in health
care, m inority students might feel a struggle
or at least a lack o f role models when break­
ing into the medical field.
Legacy Health System is trying to com­
bat those statistics w ith its Youth Employ­
ment in Summers program, encouraging
Latino and African-American students to
graduate from high school, get a college
education and acquaint themselves to
healthcare as a career choice.
The goal is to diversify the medical indus­
try and give m inority kids the experience to
compete in the medical field.
This year, 17 students were recommended
by their schools or mentors to participate in
the 10-week paid internship program at area-
hospitals, including Legacy Emanuel and
Good Samaritan Hospitals. Students assist
in a variety o f real-life medical situations,
sometimes observing surgeries, learning to
use equipment and interacting w ith patients.
Melissa Garcia, a 21 -year-old immigrant
from Honduras, is working with nurses in the
trauma ward. She currently attends Portland
Community College and aspires to be a trauma
nurse. A t Legacy, she often helps to trans­
late fo r her Spanish-speaking patients.
“ This is for me a dream. W ith m y English
level and education level, I never thought I ’d
be able to see patients in a hospital," she
said.
Garcia describes he rse lf as a bom
caregiver, often volunteering to help sick
neighbors and her older sister, who has
polio.
Hakin Hasan, a Benson High School
graduate attending Howard University in
Washington, DC, is in his third year w ith the
program.
He works w ith children in the pediatric
rehabilitation unit at Emanuel and says he
values his role in calming families during a
traumatic situation.
“ It helped me deal w ith people on another
Hakin Hasan works with Maddie Hayes at Legacy Emanuel H ospital's Pediatric
Rehabilitation Clinic.
P hoto by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
continued
on page A 6
Donations for Park Staff
Portland Parks and Recreations hired five full-tim e coordinators to its
Summer Playgrounds Program in local parks, with the help o f a $25,000
donation from Nike.
The sta ff leads unstructured games such as ultimate Frisbee, table tennis
and kickball at Alberta, Irving, Argay, Essex and Pier Parks. Specialized
activities promote the joys o f movement and combat early obesity and the
diseases that go along w ith a sedentary lifestyle.
"N ike and Portland Parks and Recreations share the goal o f helping
children develop healthy habits at an early age. Together, through the
generosity o fN ike, we w ill be able to reach more neighborhood chi Idren this
year," said Commissioner Jim Francesconi.
The Summer Playground Program, which typically runs from 10 a.m. to
Richard Owens
and Demetri
Jackson enjoy
a game o f
ping-pong at
Alberta Park.
6 p.m., has provided fun and safe activities for 75,000 youngsters this
summer
In addition to providing free activities, including arts and crafts, the
playground program provides free lunches to participants.
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