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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2003)
m . poi rllaixlobserv er.com Committed to Cultural Diversity October 01. 2003 (The |.ìoi‘thurò (Dhscruvr C o m in u n i t y a l e n cl a r Don’t Lego of the Fun Lego m aster bui Ider visits Port land to challenge kids and learn tips and tricks with Legos. Help build the Portland skyline with Legos from 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 3,11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 4 and noon to 5 p.m. O ct. 5 at Pioneer Court h o u s e S q u a re , 71 5 SW Morrison St. For more inform a tion, call 800-422-5346. Black Poetry Week Celebrate Black Poetry Week with the N orthw est A frican American Writers Workshop at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 and join the new book discussion group featuring fiction by A frican American at 1 p.m. Oct. 12 and the second Sunday o f every month at Barnes & Noble, Lloyd Center. 1317 Lloyd Center. SECTION Réclamant str /T^cluimiug Our rif»nn Origins Though Struggi, a ; <h 371 w w w , r o o t a p Chimps Gone Wild Lakita Logan (left) and Terenie Fairson are ROOTS organizers, working to build unity between people o f color. Jane Goodall brings enthusiasts closer to nature with "Wi Id Chim panzees,” from Oct. 17 through ( May at the Omnimax Theater. 1945 Se Water Ave. Tickets are $8.50. Formore information, visit P hoto by M ark W ashington T he P ortland O bserver www.wiidchunpanzees.org. Doors of Creativity Northwest Medical Teams spon sons the multi-media exhibit“Win- dows o f Need, Doors o f Hope from Nov. 12 through 18 at the Doubletree Inn, LloydCentcr. For m o re in fo rm a tio n , v isit www mwniedicalteams.org or call 503-624-1000. Spin-doctors Unspun Radical Women hosts a work sh o p d isc u ssin g th e B ush adm inistration's latest call for funding in the war on terrorism and the strain it will put on work ing women, at 7 p.m. Oct. 8 .8 19 N. Killingsworth. Formore infonna tion,cal!503-240-4462. * High Energy The Community Energy Project holds a series o f free workshops to help make consumers energy conscious. W orkshops on water conservation are at 12:30 p.m Oct. 3and 10a.m.Oct.6atOHSU, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd and at 6:30 p.m. at Peninsula Park Community Center, 700 N . Port land Blvd. The project also in eludes weatherizing workshops throughout September and O c tober. For more information, cal I 503-284-6827. C om m on T h rea d s People of color build unity through shared experiences by J aymee R .C uti T he P ortland O bserver Amid a racially charged climate, with gentrification, racial profiling and bias on the tongues o f many community leaders, cries for unity echo throughout the city. And whi le many organizations are meant to bring people o f color together, one dis tinctly identifies that minorities are divided by different backgrounds. “People assume because w e’re people o f color, w e’re unified, and that’sa misconcep- tion,” said Lakita Logan.directorofReclaim- NMWNMMMMMI ing Our Origins Through Struggle ( ROOTS). “To build a strong movement, we need to address what has separated us.” ROOTS, which celebrated its one-year anniversary in July, is a community based organization that aims to bring together people o f color to learn about each others’ diverse backgrounds, discuss factors that divide minority communities and bui Id unity through the common experience o f being Americans o f color. The group o f 50 members is laying the groundwork for a campaign addressing gentrification and forced displacement. Volunteers gather information by hitting the streets o f north and northeast Port land neigh borhoods, surveying residents about po lice presence, rising housing costs, and experiences within a neighborhood affected by gentrification. “If we don't lobby to keep people in this community, one community will be forced out, a new community wil I be here to replace them and the community that once existed here will be gone,” said Logan, speaking about rising housing costs in the northeast. This displacement, Logan said, primarily affects elderly people o f color that have lived in north and northeast Portland for decades. ROOTS members have successfully lob bied the city for $ 150,000 to help residents stay in their homes. The contract extends through January, and money is still avail able, Logan said. ROOTS is also creating an arts education program, beginning with a film series. The first viewing is “All Power to the People” on Natural Gas Bills Go Up Impact Hurts Most as Winter Approaches « Customers o f Northwest Natural Gas, serving the Portland area, will experience higher natural gas bills in the coming months due to ! more expensive wholesale natural gas prices. The Oregon Public Utility Commission approved the new rates last week to take effect Oct. I . The commission adjusts rates once a year to reflect changes in the wholesale price o f natural gas. The company makes no additional profit from these rate adjustments, D isc o v e r P o r tla n d 's g ree n space from 10 to 11 a.m. S atur days with guided tours by park Volunteers. On Oct. 4, m eet at the G lobal G arden at H arold O liver S chool'sparking lot. On Oct. 11. meet at Peninsula Park, next to sunken rose garden. On Nov. 1, m eet at the W hitaker Ponds visitor center. officials said. Pounding Pavement Fitness fanatics will lace up their tennies for the 32nd An nual P ortland M arathon on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 7 a.m. The event starts in front o f C ity Hall, 1221 SW 4lh Ave. and fin ishes at the Justice Center, 1120 SW 3rd Ave. Registration is $125. Formore information,call 5 0 3 -2 2 6 -1 1 1 1 or visit w w w .portlandm arathon.org. Moving Moments « Tuesday, Oct. 14. “W e’re exposing people to history o f communities o f color and how movements have been built in this country,” Logan said. Educated in Portland, and a graduate o f Roosevelt 11 igh School, Logan says she had very little exposure to American civil rights movements and the history o f American minorities. ROOTS organizers are recruiting volun teers and collaborating with charter schools and alternative education programs to iden tify the kind o f material lacking in public education. Their plan is to build a curricu lum, supplementing public education, which educates kids about their backgrounds and connects them with their roots. Formore in formation, or to volunteer, call 5O3-288-4O2I. MMNMMMMIMmiMMnnMaM Green Walks The IFCC offers Life Movement dance classes and workshops. Our Breathing Body is on Oct. 11 and Touch Stones is on Nov. I and 8. All workshops are between 10 a.m. and I p.m. at the dance studio. 5340 N. Interstate Ave. W orkshop prices range between $45 and $60. To register, call 503- 284-1908. B photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Villa Homes Come Crashing Down In one o f the biggest rehabilitation projects of its kind, demolition work begins at Columbia Villa in north Portland. The Housing Authority of Portland is tearing down 462 units of World War II era housing to make room for New Columbia, a full-service neighborhood that 's being built from the ground up. Current and recent Villa families are guaranteed first access to the new subsidized housing that will be built on the site over the next two years. New Columbia will also feature owner-occupied homes. > “We know that any increase can be difficult for households and businesses to absorb. However, although Yvholesale prices are higher due to variety o f market forces, fortunately they are not as high as we previously expected,” Commission Chairman Lee Beyer ! said. The monthly bill for a typical residential customer who uses 61.5 therms will increase by 4.5 percent. The typical custom er’s bill will go from $60.04 to $62.71, an increase o f $2.67. In January, a typical residential customer’s consumption o f 13 1 therms would result in a billing increase from $121.11 to $ 126.80. Commercial and industrial customers will see an increase ofbetween 4.9 to 5.6 percent. The boost in prices is on top o f a 1.1 percent general rate increase Northwest Naniral received just four weeks ago. Beyer said there are things customers can do to reduce the impact o f these increases, especially during the upcoming winter months, when the effect on their bills will be more noticeable. Residents can set up an equal payment plan to spread high winter bills over a 12-month period, turn the thermostat down, install a programmable thermostat that automatically reduce heat at night or while the house is unoccupied, and ask for an energy audit. Utilities are required to provide free energy audits. They also provide incentives such as rebates or loans for recommended conservation measures. For example, sealing cracks, gaps and other places where air leaks can generally result in a 10 percent heating and cooling savings, and fully insulating a residence generally results in up to 30 percent j savings on a heating bill. I