Diversity on Alberta
Artists of color promoted to
make street more inclusive
Beacons of Hope
Convention Center once again to
shine beams in memory of 9-11
S ee stori , M etro section , inside
See story, Page A2
ortlanh
‘City of Roses’
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXIII • Number 37
_Week... in
"Review
Bush Requests $87B
for Aid In Iraq
The Bush administration tried to
reassure Americans about its
larger-than-expected S87 billion
request for Iraq and Afghani
stan, saying the war against ter
rorism is the nation’s highest
priority and won ’ t wreck the fed
eral budget.
Memorial Service for
Final Fallen Firefighter
A vial holding the blood o f a
firefighter was placed in a coffin
alongside his uniform Monday,
marking the final memorial ser-
viceforthe343 firefighters killed
at the World Trade Center. The
family o f Michael Paul Ragusa,
29, had put off any funeral for
two years in the hope that his
remains might be identified. But
they never were.
, Govt. Dawdles To
Right Mistreatment
of Foreigners
The government is not moving
quickly enough to address prob
lems revealed in a report docu
menting mistreatment o f some
o f the hundreds o f foreigners
detained after the 2001 terror
attacks, according to Justice
Department investigators.
Explosion in
Central Israel Kills 7
A suicide bomber blew him self
up at a bus stop crowded with
soldiers at rush hour Tuesday.
At least six other people were
killed, a television report said.
The blast wounded at least 30
people, 15 o f them seriously,
rescue service workers said.
Endurance Artist Blaine
Begins Starvation Stunt
David Blaine, the American illu
sionist and street magician, be
gan his latest feat o f endurance
in a blaze o f publicity, entering a
plastic box where he will attempt
to live without food for more
than six weeks.
Wednesday • September 10. 2003
AMA Report'. Police Officer Lied
Leaders fault
police, allege
cover up
BY JAYMEE R . C U T I
T he P ortland O bserver
Portland Police C h ief M ark K roeker’s
resignation and the appointm ent o f Police
C hief Derrick Foxworth, an African Ameri
can native o f Portland, h asn ’t quieted
public cries for ju stice and a distrust o f
the police bureau.
The outrage over police shootings, par
ticularly in the case o f K endra Jam es, an
unarm ed black m otorist killed in a traffic
stop last May, erupted again Saturday
w hen the A lbina M inisterial A lliance re
leased its own investigation im plicating
the bureau in a cover-up and accusing
one o fficer o f lying.
The group o f esteem ed religious lead
ers suggested 34 changes w ithin the bu
reau, and then passed the torch to a newly
form ed com m ittee, the A lliance for Police
and Com m unity A ccountability. The new
com m ittee, headed by form er State Rep.
Jo Ann Bowman, was created to make sure
the bureau follow s through with reform s.
M ore th an 2 0 0 p e o p le fille d the
M aranatha C hurch o f God in northeast
Portland to hear the AMA report.
James, a 21 -year-old mother o f two chil
dren, w as shot by rookie officer Scott
M cC ollister when she tried to drive away
from a traffic stop on the 1-5 overpass on
N orth Skidm ore Street.
Rev. W .G. Hardy Jr., speaking for the
alliance, said M cC ollister lied about d e
tails regarding the shooting, and the bu
reau covered up his lies by ignoring w it
ness statem ents and physical evidence.
“Something deep within the culture o f the
Portland Police Bureau needs to be changed,”
said Bishop A. A. Wells, chairman o f the
A M A ’s investigation committee.
The committee scrutinized material about
the shooting, including a 600-page report o f
witness testimony, officer statements, and
reports from the forensics team and medical
photo by M ark
W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Rev. Roy Tate, president o f the Albina Ministerial Alliance and other community leaders gather at Maranatha Church of God
in northeast Portland to address an AMA report finding police misconduct in the May 5 shooting death of Kendra James.
" Something deep
within the culture o f
the Portland Police
Bureau needs to be
changed.
-Bishop A A Wells
examiner. The team also reenacted the shoot
ing. From the videotaped reenactment, wit
ness testimony and the trajectory o f the
bullet, the team concluded — contrary to
M cCollister's story — that he was not at risk
ofbeing dragged along with the car as James
began to drive away.
“W e w ere able to m aster this inform a
tion and found a num ber o f discrepancies
relative to the officer and the investiga
tion itself," said Wells.
Some, including City Com m issioner
Randy Leonard, questioned the objectiv
ity o f the report. Leonard said he was
concerned that no responsibility was laid
on Jam es for refusing to cooperate with
police.
“The advantage o f this report is we
used their inform ation,” W ells said, d e
fending the rep o rt’s balance. The inves
tigation, he said, is based on material
provided by the district attorney and police
bureau.
Alliance members met with M ayor Vera
Katz and Foxworth last w eek, and said
their response to the report was “posi
tiv e .” The group plans to m eet with
Foxworth again in the com ing days to
discuss bureau changes.
O f those changes, alliance m em bers
suggest extended training with a m entor
officer for one year after a rookie begins
active duty, practice in “de-escalating”
tense situations, training to provide em er
gency m edical care for suspects follow
ing a shooting and an end to the practice
o f police shooting into m oving vehicles
unless officers are under fire.
New Seasons Doubles Coverage
Locally-owned
grocery chain to
build on Interstate
Promising Athlete
Pitches Fitness Program
Top-draft pick LeBron James o f
th e C le v e la n d C a v a lie rs
launched a youth fitness pro
gram . Jam es and N ike an
nounced the PE2GO program to
encourage physical education
im p ro v e m e n ts in sc h o o ls
through teacher training, spe
cial gym classes and equipment
donations. The program will
begin in Akron, Ohio, and ex
pand to Portland, Chicago, Los
Angeles, Memphis, New York
and Washington.
Walking for Wellness
The African American Health Coalition ener
gized Portlanders on Saturday morning
during a four-mile Wellness Walk, raising
money to help bridge the health disparity for
people of color. The walk through scenic
north and northeast neighborhoods began
and ended in Dawson Park with games,
music and food.
photo by
*
www.portlandobserver.com
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
A
Kent Hoddick, president o f the Ar
bor Lodge Neighborhood Associa
tion shares Rohter’s excitement say
ing, “We welcome New Seasons Mar
ket with open arms and are looking
forward to the new store.”
The site is a former Safeway loca
tion, now occupied by a private busi
ness. The current tenant previously
announced their intention to relocate.
Rohter believes in the need for
neighborhood-focused stores.
“W e’re Portland people. Our own
essential groceries for everyday living
and will feature organic produce, natu
ral meats and chicken, fresh seafood,
imported olives and cheeses, and an
extensive wine and beer selection. New
Seasons Market is an active and com
mitted supporter o f the regional food
economy and is dedicated to purchas
ing from small local farms, ranches,
dairies and fisheries.
The north Portland New Seasons
wi 11 have a hot wok and ful 1-service del i
with an in-store dining area, a certified
N ew Seasons M arket has a n
nounced plans to build a second store
serving north and northeast Portland
when it opens an outlet at the com er o f
North Interstate Avenue and Portland
Boulevard in 2005.
It’s the second major economic
development for the new Interstate
Max corridor in the past few weeks.
Fred Meyer will completely rebuild its
store at Interstate and Lombard in 2004.
The latest New Seasons store will
create approximately 140 new jobs,
provide grocery services to area resi
dents and support local vendors from
the region, officials o f the locally-
owned grocery chain said. New Sea
sons opened a much-needed grocery
in the Concordia neighborhood o f
northeast Portland just a couple o f
years ago. It has other markets in Ra
leigh Hills, Sellwood and Orenco Sta
photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
tion in Hillsboro.
New Seasons Market will open its second store serving north and
“O ver the past few years, every
northeast Portland when it transforms property along side the future
week w e’ve received e-mails, calls and
Max
light rail station at North Interstate and Portland Boulevard into a
letters asking us to open a store in
new
store.
The locally-owned grocery chain plans to have the store
north Portland," says Brian Rohter,
operating
in
2005.
president o f New Seasons Market.
“W e’re excited to have found such a ers live here and our team includes organic bakery featuring artisan breads,
great spot and are proud to be part o f experienced veterans o f the Portland and a store chef available to provide
the new Interstate Corridor. The prop grocery business. As much as pos great menu ideas or help customers
erty is at a well traveled intersection sible we'll hire neighborhood residents turn an everyday meal into something
and the Interstate MAX will stop right for positions in this store,” Rohter spectacular. For specialized custom er
outside our front door, making grocery said.
nutritional needs, a nutritionist will be
shopping very convenient for local
Like al I New Seasons Market stores,
continued y f on page A3
residents.”
the north Portland location will carry
I