Weekend o f Jazz
Queen of Hip Hop
Vancouver Wine and Jazz Fest
to fill Esther Short Park
Mary J. Blige will perform
with 50 Cent and other stars
at the M TV Awards
Sec Focus, Page B3
See Focus, Page B2
nrtlanh
‘City of Roses’
Established in 1970
www.purtlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXIII • Number 34
Wednesday • August 20. 2003
T,Weekin
TheReview
Lyden Abenhaim, French
director general o f health,
resigned over the deaths of
3,000 people from heat-
related causes. (AP photo)
Heat Claims 5,000 In France
A senior health o ffic ia l resigned
M onday after France’s health
m inister adm itted that up to 5 ,000
people, m any o f them elderly and
alone, m ight have died in the heat
wave - almost tw ice as m any as
previously estimated. The gov
ernment and opposition traded
accusations over w h o 's to blame.
UN Hotel Bombed in Iraq
m o t o by
A suicide truck bom b ripped
through the hotel housing the
U .N . headquarters. A t least 20
For the Taxi Camera
people were kille d , including the
c h ie f U .N . o ffic ia l in Iraq. M ore
than 40 others were injured, U .N .
o fficia ls said. A U .N . w o rker in
Baghdad, Tharer a l-T ik riti, said
that he had counted 15 body bags
taken from the building, where
about 300 people worked.
Blackout Causa A M ystery
Security surpasses
privacy in Portland taxis
G rig o riy R o gozhnikov, C ity C om m issioner Randy
A cco rd in g to data collected from Leonard’s o ffic e ,
Leonard pushed to in sta ll cameras in a ll metered cabs
licensed in the city.
b y J aymee R.
c rta u .ig a “ For H ire Transportation Safety Fund,”
N e w Y o rk , San Francisco and T oronto, Canada have
adopted m andatory cameras, and have seen drops in
crim es against drivers. In T o ro n to ’s firs t year to m an
date taxi cameras, the c ity reported 50 percent less taxi-
related robberies, w ith a 20 percent decrease the fo l
lo w in g year.
C l ti
T he P ortland O bserver
T ^e C ity C o un cil passed the ordinance last week,
R idership in P o rtla n d ’ s taxis has not co m p le te ly
supported by vehicle and d riv e r p e rm it fee increases to
fund camera installation. Cameras are slated fo r instal
recovered since the recession fo llo w in g the Sept. 11,
2001 te rro rist attacks. The last th in g cabbies w a nt to
la tion in every m etered cab in Portland by Ju ly 2004.
“ O u r prim ary concern is what drivers thin k o f it and
lines fa ile d south o f C leveland,
do is discourage riders fro m c lim b in g aboard, but
thanks to a new security measure, drivers say passen
what passengers thin k o f it... i f drivers consider it some
what o f an invasion o f privacy and i f it makes passengers
o ffic ia ls said. T his raised new
gers m ig h t rather w a lk.
nervous about getting in cabs,” said Steve Entier, general
manager fo r Radio Cab in northwest Portland.
The M id w e st pow er system re
c o rd e d
n u m e ro u s
v o lta g e
swings as early as m idday Thurs
day, long before high-voltage
M ark W ashincton /T he P ortland O bserver
questions. A n o ffic ia l o f the o r
Prom pted by the m urder o f Portland cab d rive r
ganization that manages the flo w
o f e le c tric ity across the M id
In it ia lly , the o rd in a n ce encountered m uch o p p o
s itio n . A b o u t a th ird o f cabbies signed a p e titio n
against it.
" I t ’ s a pretty dangerous profession to be in ," said
continued y f on page A3
west cautioned M o n d a y that
system “ contingencies” - v o lt
age increases and decreases -
Multicultural
Street Fair
are not unusual.
Peace Deal Signed In Liberia
The Liberian governm ent and
rebels signed a peace accord to
end a bloody three-year insur
The Inaugural Interstate
Avenue Fair enjoyed a big
turnout this weekend as
local businesses and com
munity members mingled
along the avenue's new Max
light rail line. Lesely (right)
has her face painted by Ok
Ji Radda, an Interstate
Firehouse Cultural Center
board member.
gency that toppled warlord-presi-
dentCharlesTaylor as calm settled
into the capital and shopkeepers
opened for the first tim e in a month.
The accord calls fo r a two-year
p o w e r-s h a rin g g o v e rn m e n t,
meant to lead Libe ria in to elec
tions and out o f 14 years o f con
flic t brought on b y Taylor.
Tap« Urges Muslims to Fight
A n audiotape, p u rp o rte d ly fro m
an al-Q aida m ilita n t, calls on
M u slim s around the w o rld to
travel to Iraq and fig h t the U.S.-
photo by M ark W ashington /
T he P ortland O bserver
led occupation. The speaker on
the audiotape, obtained by The
Associated Press and aired on
A l-A ra b iy a television, claim ed
to be A b d u r Rahman a l-N a jd i, a
Saudi-bom m ilita n t sought by
the U n ited States.
Pledge is Best Minority Contractors Get
Affirmative action in South
Waterfront project falls short
$109 m illio n w orth o f pu blic w o rks projects paid fo r by
urban renewal ftinds.
A n o th e r c o a litio n o f labor unions, churches and non
p ro fit agencies, The M etropolitan A llia n ce fo r the C om
Another Sniper Brings
Terror to East Coast
Shootings could be drug-related
by L ee P erlman
T he P ortland O bserver
m on G ood, had asked the council to provide fo r “ p re vail
in g wages” and “ affordable” housing" as part o f the
(A P ) — A t least tw o o f last w eek's three fatal shootings
M in o rity contractors have w o n a pledge fro m the C ity
C o u n cil on the need fo r a ffirm a tiv e action in the massive
project. Com m issioners E rik Sten and Randy Leonard,
w orked to place these provisions from in the c ity ’ s
outside a W est V irg in ia convenience stores cou ld be drug-
South W aterfron t developm ent, but it m ay fa ll short o f
agreement w ith the developers.
B u t the alliance went ftirther, asking fo r “ aspirational
expectations.
Representatives o f the C o m m u n ity A llia n ce , a n e w ly
form ed group that includes the C o a litio n o f B la ck M en;
related, authorities said Tuesday.
The shootings echoed the k illin g s that terrorized V irg in ia ,
goals” o f 35 percent participation by m in o rity and wom en
M a ryland and W ashington, D C , last fa ll. M a n y were single
shots from far distances that felled people as they stopped at gas
A frican-A m erican, Hispanic and N ative Am erican Cham
in jo b s and contracting.
The Portland Development Commission andC ity Coun
C h ie f D eputy P hil M o rris sent a group o f s h e riff's deputies to
Cam pbells Creek, W . Va. on M onday to in te rv ie w residents, and
bers ofC om m erce and the A frican -A m erica n Confedera
c il declined to alter plans to meet that number, but did pledge
they learned o f concerns about m etham phetam ine use in the
tion ofC ontractors, appeared before the C ity C o un cil last
unincorporated area where the tw o o f the v ic tim s live d and where
tractors get some o f the jo b s in a the 30-acre $1.9 b illio n
venture by the O regon Health and Sciences U n iv e rs ity
to w o rk toward a 20-percent m in ority participation.
“ T here 's acom m itm ent to w o rk on this b y a ll parties,”
A llia n c e spokeperson Andre Baugh told C o un cil. “ T his
is a great start.”
The result was disappointing fo r those w ho consider
and a group o f private investors to develop fo rm e rly
industrial land east o f Southwest Macadam Avenue, t h e
requirem ents fo r “ prevailing wages” a means that bars
sm all m in o rity contractors who are not “ connected.”
Thursday.
The group wants to make sure disadvantaged con
project w o u ld pro vid e 1,000 construction jo b s, create
upwards o f 2,200 housing units and be supported by
continued
on page A3
one shooting occurred.
A ll three shootings occurred at nigh t fro m distances o f 30
yards to 60 yards Each v ic tim was shot in the neck o r head by
a sm all caliber rifle . Police have not released the calibe r o f the
weapon, o r i f the shots were fire d fro m the same weapon
N o arrests have been made, nor is anyone in custody but
continued
on page A3