(Elfe flortlanh (Bbseruer
August 20. 2003
Page A3
S m i l e For the
Taxi Camera
continued
from Front
Ty Kovach, chiefofstaffforC om -
missioner Leonard. “It’s a different
kind o f world that they work in and
they have a natural skepticism when
it comes to the government. Hav
ing a camera driving around with
you all day has some implications
and they were nervous about it.”
One Portland cabbie is opposed
to cameras because he thinks they
will give drivers a false sense o f
security.
“Has camera placement stopped
bank robberies?” asked Joe Reney,
a cabbie that has driven in Portland
and San Francisco for 14 years.
Reney says he feels very safe
driving in Portland, but emphasized,
“it’s still a judgm ent call and you
have to be alert and perceptive.
Another concern for drivers is
being spied on by their supervi
sors, the police or the city.
“A cabbie considers the interior
o fa cab to be their office space and
the thought o f a camera would be
invasive. I don’t think passengers
would like to be under surv eillance,
either,” Reney said.
Entler is a proponent o f very
limited access to cameras.
“W e’re working very hard to
make sure the images cannot be
accessed by anyone other than
the police in a felony situation,” he
said. “Conveying that to the pas
senger, who may be deterred from
riding if they think big brother is
watching, is going to be another
story.”
Pledge is Best Minority
Contractors Get
continued
from Front
Wally Mehrens o f the Columbia
Pacific Building Trades Council
disputed charges that unions use
such requirements to exclude mi
norities. He said minority hiring
goals on such projects as the Rose
Garden, Oregon Convention Cen
ter and MAX had been met or ex
ceeded.
Leonard, a former state repre
sentative and Portland firefighter,
defended agreements that get work
ers prevailing wages.
“I’ll do anything I can do to help
recruit women and m inori ty workers
and contractors with one exception:
I have no sympathy for any contrac
tor, o f any race, that doesn’t pay
prevailing wages,” Leonard said.
W hen told o f Leonard’s re
marks, Joanne Bowman, vice-chair
ofthe African-American Chamber
o f Commerce, told the Portland
Observer, “I can see where he
would say that. As a union mem
ber, he’s benefited from this sys
tem all his life.”
Bowman said such require
ments tend to screen out new as
pirants to city contracts.
“All w e’re looking for is a level
playing field," she said.
Baugh had a somewhat more
reserved view.
“W e found some interests in
common, but there was a lot o f
distrust and suspicion,” he said.
“We have a long way to go.”
Marcia Wertz (left)
and Sunshine Dixon
have made a busi
ness o f displaying
unknown and diverse
artists with New
World Avenue, a
traveling art show.
P hoto by .M ark
W ashincton /T he
P ortland O bserver
New World o f Art on the Avenue
C ulturally diverse and fairly
unknow n artists are finding a fo
rum to show their work with a
traveling art show called New
W orld Avenue.
The street gallery, ju st a few
w eeks old, show s art in front o f
re ta il v en d o rs on S o u th w est
M orrison between 10 ,h and I l lh
A venues during the First Thurs-
continued
from Front
tioning several suspects.
Police are looking foradark color
Ford F - 150 extended cap pickup.
The truck may be black, dark blue,
selves on hand, se llin g th cirw o rk
at the first Thursday.
For information about display
ing work with New World Avenue,
call 503-248-9970.
Lights Out in the Modern World
East Coast officials say blackout caused by antiquated technology
(A P)— The blackout that turned
to require national stan
r n
~
—
i Congress
out the lights for millions o f Ameri i
dards for the reliability o f the elec
cans and Canadians on Thursday
once again showed how the inter
connected engines ofmodem I i fe are
vulnerable to massive disruptions.
Nuclear plants stopped running.
People were trapped in subways
an d e le v a to rs . P lan e s w ere
grounded. Traffic lights went out.
And, until they learned other
wise, those caught in the steam o f
summer asked whether America had
been attacked again.
“ It shows us we have tied to
gether so many systems to build a
high quality life, and that creates its
own vulnerabilities,” said James
Gilmore, the former govemorofVir-
ginia.
The electric grid is perhaps the
tric power system.
“ In my view w e’re the w orld’s
greatest superpower but we have a
Third W orld electricity g rid ,”
Richardson said. "W e have anti
quated transmission lines. We have
an overloaded system that has not
had any new investments and we
don't have mandatory reliability
Manhattan after a blackout shut down the city. (AP photo)
sta n d ard s on u tilitie s, w hich
most vulnerable o f the country’s too much demand and too little caused this problem."
systems. Grids are interconnected su p p ly ,” said Tony A nthony,
In a post-Sept. 11 environment,
and, unlike natural gas that can be spokesman for the Edison Electric there clearly was a psychological
stored, electricity must be produced Institute, an organization o f share effect.
in real time, when it's needed.
holder owned electric utilities.
"When something like this hap
“With electricity, if there’s a loss
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richard pens and you have to come down
ofa major transmission line or gen son, energy secretary during the from the 37th floor it makes you
erator, the system can come under Clinton administration, said the w onder, was this terrorism or
an unstable situation where there’s blackout underscored the need for what?” said John Meehan, 56.
A nother Sniper Brings Terror to East Coast
Kanawha County Sheriff David
Tucker said authorities received
more than 100 leads and were ques
day arts walk event.
The show continues through
O ctober with the artists’ work on
display on the first W ednesday
o f the month, and the artists them
dark green, or maroon. Tticker back scured eyewitness views.
tracked from previous descrip.ions
Tucker cautioned r$>idqntsj|p
o f the driver as a large white male, be vigilant and take precautions
saying darkness may have ob when out late at night.
C O R R E C T IO N R o sy Foster was misidentified
in a photograph accompanying the story “Activ
ists Work for a Better Tomorrow, ” in our Aus. ¡3
issue. Foster is an Oregon Action leader.
W E LL S
FARGO
The Next Stage*
VtelpiriQ schools gei to the if next
Sign up for Wells Fargo Checking and add direct deposit and we'll donate to local school districts.
Open any Wells Fargo Consumer Checking account and add direct deposit and we'll donate $10 to local school districts.* Sign up for Online Bill Pay
and after you make the first payment, we'll donate another $10. Add other products and services and we'll donate up to a total of $30 to help local
schools reach their Next Stage. We'll help you get to your Next Stage, too. Because with Wells Fargo 24-hour telephone bankers and free access to online
banking, it's easier than ever to organize your finances. Plus, you'll get perks like discounted loan rates. Talk to one of our knowledgeable bankers and
see how, together, we can help local schools.
* ° ? r " Pi T 9 / ’ y L 003^
^ , ^
. COrnb' ^ T ' ? any ° ’ he' ^ er
^ c o u n t m u lt » m a in open thro ugh and receive at teas, one
and one b i must be paid by 1W12/2003 to quaMy. Donations wWI be pajd to the public school district where the Wells Fargo office a tw h n h itm i ■
bank s discretion. Donations w ill be made in the name o f the local Wells Fargo Bank, and customers may not claim any portion as a charitable
Advertise in
Me, - Deposrt by 12/12/2001 to qualrfy Bill Pay must be established through wellsfarqospecal com. enter keyword 'Schools.-
.............,.r,t.«rr.»d is k< ated, or If the account is no t assigned to a specific Wells fargo office, to a public school district at th e
' n tax pi up- ises See banker for details © 2003 Wells fargo Banks All rights reserved Members FDK
|liu tlauìi (Plism w eall 503.28S.0033 or email: ads^portlandobserver.eom
. iS
t