Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 2003)
(Elje Jlortlanò (ßbserUer August 27,2003___________________________________ Page A3 Scathing Report Blasts Police Bureau Review Humbolt Festival C oordinator B ridget Bayer, who h elp ed o rg a n iz e the ev en t for the H u m b o ld t N e ig h b o rh o o d A sso c ia tio n . T he A frican rhythm group com es from G hana. Their rhythm music style is strongly influenced by jazz. “ I th in k w e had a rea lly good tu rn o u t,” B a y er said. She e s ti m ated ab o u t 500 p eo p le tu rn ed o u t for the festiv al th ro u g h o u t th e sun n y , S un d ay aftern o o n . In addition to gospel groups, o rg a n iz a tio n s su ch as W rite A round Portland also appeared. The group offers free creative w riting w orksh o p s, ex p lain ed W RA P volunteer and outreach coordinator Rhea Wols. The Portland Fire D epartm ent arrived w ith Engine N um ber 14 from the fire station at N ortheast 19th and K illingsw orth. “ We w ere invited to com e. W e’re also here to show o ff our rig ,” Lt. Bob W oolins said refer ring to the fire engine. A nother interesting part o f the festival w as a dunk tank, o p erat ing as a fundraiser for Yaweh Drill M im e and Sign. Participants had a blast chucking balls at the tank sitter in this good-natured gam e ending in a splash. The ev e n t’s sponsors include Gospel music party at neighborhood back to school event by S ean P. N elson , T he P ortland O bseryer T he air rang o u t w ith the sound o f gospel c h o ir Ju n io rs Ja m m in 4 J e s u s d u rin g the H um boldt Back to S chool C e l eb ra tio n S unday. B eautiful voices o f children gave thanks from the M om ingstar Baptist Church in N ortheast Port land. M any other gospel choirs also brightened the celebration with their joy o u s music. O ne notable perform ance was by the St. Jam es Pentecostal Step pers. U s in g w h a t th e y c a lle d a ffirm a tio n s, the gro u p danced to g e th e r and c h e e re d a love o f G od to a m u sical tune. “ Because he loves me, and I love him too,” the team cheered. H eadlining the event was the w orld class A frican rhythm band led by O bo Addy. “ W ow , w e w ere so lucky to get w o rld cla ss m u sicia n s to play in ou r n eig h b o rh o o d fe s ti v a l , ” s a id N o r t h /N o r th e a s t B usin ess A sso c iatio n D istrict continued But the center’s experts found numerous problems in the way homicide detectives investigated the cases. Among the problems were a typical three-day delay in the in terviewing o f officers involved, untaped interviews o f officers before their taped interviews, lead ing questions in taped interviews o f officers and witnesses, and no order prohibiting officers in volved from meeting or discuss ing the cases. Some current and former Port land hom icide detectives d e fended the three-day waiting period as reasonable and even preferable, because it gave offic from Front relationship with the Police Bureau, it did not receive the necessary support from the city’s Independent Police Review Division. The division, she said, shunned dissenting opinions and withheld access to police internal affairs reports on cases the citizens com mittee chose to review. The citizens committee also had no pow er to review officer-involved shooting, including those o f Kendra Jam es, the unarm ed 21-year-old woman killed by police at a traffic stop in north Portland and Mejia Poot, who was shot by police while in a psychi atric hospital. New members will be selected to photo by M ark W ashincton /T he P ortland O bserver Area kid s s o r t through free sch o o l s u p p lie s a t th e H um boldt B ack to Sch o o l celebration S u n d a y on th e Portland C om m unity College c a m p u s on N orth Killingsworth S treet. the North Star Ballroom, B igC ity Produce, the B lindO nion, theten- ants o f Falcon Arm s A partm ents, replace those who have stepped down. Blackmer said he is disappointed that the resigning members failed to recognize the good work the commit tee accomplished in the last two years. “The issue is trying to improve police services and w e’ve done a lot o f things to improve interactions be tween police and citizens,” Blackmer said. “W e’ve brought the timeliness for handling complaints from mea surements in years to measurements in weeks, with more satisfied com plainants and more mediation be tween complainants and police offic ers. W e’ve spotted patterns o f com plaints so we can change pol ice policy and avoid complaints from happen ing.” I------ N E W the Bureau o f H ousing and Corn- m unity D evelopm ent, and Im- press Printing. Walk to memorialize woman killed on her front porch Market, 909 N. Killingsworth St. and ending at Alberta Park, at North east 20lh Avenue and K i 11 ingsworth Street. Bell, a wife and mother o f four, was fatally shot in a walk-by shoot Family and friends o f Asia ing. Her killer is still at large. Bell James, a woman who was A reward fund was set up to help killed on the front porch ofher catch the persons responsible for North M ississippi Avenue her death. Donations can be made home last year, have orga to the Asia Bell fund at any US nized a march to stop violence Bank. The anti-violence march will in in the city. The Senseless Violence clude a barbeque dinner, games, Leads to Silence March, in gospekchoirs, jazz, family photos ’ honor o f Bel I and at I victims of anJm W e To volunteer or make a dona violence, will be held Satur day, Sept. 20 beginning at 10 tion, contact Pastor Leroy Hayes at a.m. at the former Renaissance 503-249-5844. M A R K E T Sum/rver B E N E F IT ___ The-menu ■ . $5°° B e n to w ith L e m o n P e s to C h ic k e n o r O rg a n ic Tofu o v e r g rille d v e g e ta b le a n d o r g a n ic rice . W ith fru it a n d le m o n a d e o r ic e d tea. s u p p o rtin g c o m m u n ity o rg a n iz a tio n s Ptenefiffor Cascade AIDS Project- S a tu r d a y & S u n d a y • 1 1 a m - 5 p m Y o u r $ 5 w ill h e lp C a s c a d e A ID S P ro je c t (C A P ) s u p p o r t m e n , w o m e n , a n d y o u th w ith HIV, p re v e n t th e s p r e a d o f H IV in p o p u la tio n s a t h ig h e s t r is k o f in fe c tio n , a n d a d v o c a te fo r a n e ffe c tiv e c o m m u n it y r e s p o n s e to th e e p id e m ic . C a sca d e AIDS Project / rke & F U N C O N C O R D IA N E 3 3 r d & K illin g s w o r th P o r tla n d OR 972 1 1 503 288 3838 O p e n 8 a m 10 p m sto p at N orth S k id m o re an d the 1-5 ov erp ass. T ate said the AM A w ould fo r w ard the results o f investigation to a new alliance, currently being formed. Some o f the m em bers o f the original m inisterial review team , including Tate, will take BY JAYMEE R . C V Tl seats pn the new board. T he P ortland O bseryer “W e’ve taken this as far as we An independent in v estig a want to go,” said Tate. “ I ’m going tion into the police shooting o f to continue because I think we Kendra Jam es conducted by the need to co n tin u e voicin g our A lbina M inisterial A lliance is concerns because we w ant to see finished, but details w on’t be changes take place.” made public until Sept. 6. The A lliance plans to present H ow ever, AMA P resident its findings to M ayor V era K atz Roy Tate said M onday that he and Portland Police C h ief M ark expects the A frican A m erican K roeker on T hursday, Sept. 4, ministerial group’s findings will and will hold a com m unity m eet be “shocking.” ing to present the study to the “ We w ant people to know public from noon to 3 p.m. on w h at's really going on and what Saturday, Sept. 6 at M aranatha w e’ve com e up w ith,” T ate aid. Church, 4222 N.E. 12,hAve. T he A llia n ce co n d u c te d its “ I think th ey ’re going to be study b ased on ree n actm en ts surprised to see this isn ’t ju st and a d isse c tio n o f th e 600- from the A frican A m erican co m p a g e p o lic e re c o rd o f th e m unity, from the north/northeast. d ea d ly sh o o tin g w h ic h o c It’s from a broader com m unity,” cu rred M ay 5 d u rin g a traffic said Tate. Black religious leaders finish Kendra James’ shooting report NEW S E A S O N S J I M A R K E T S E A S O N S E A S Y ers time to decompress. But the center's experts said there is no significant research that officers’ perceptions will be re stored as time goes on. D elaying the interview , they said, increases the possibility o f o fficer collusion and is unfair, considering police im m ediately interview similarly traumatized ci vilians. Other inadequacies cited were the failure to keep extraneous offic ers out o f crime scenes, failure to locate critical pieces o f evidence, failure to conduct relevant gun powder residue tests or trace bullet trajectory paths for all police shootings, and failure to properly canvass scenes and interview all witnesses. AMA Police Review Called ‘Shocking’ Police Watchdogs Resign March Against Violence continued from Front TO friendliest1 store, in fowi. S H O P ORENCO • C A L L Y O R 9 7 1 2 4 K H IL L S 7 3 0 0 S W B e a v e r t o n H i ll s d a l e H w y P o r tla n d O R 9 7 2 2 5 503 648 6968 O pen 8am O W N E D R A L E IG H S T A T IO N N E 6 1 s t & C o r n e ll R d H ills b o r o LO 503 292 6838 lO p m O p e n 8 a m -9 p m h & O P E R A T E D SELLW OOD 1214 SE T a co m a P o r tla n d OR 97202 503 230 4949 O pen 8am lO p m I
