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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 2003)
Remember to turn Supporting Local Kids your clocks back on i Leaders win generous support to Sunday, October 26. ! break ground on a new Head Start See story, Page AX ‘Citv of Roses' Established in 1970 Committed to Cultural Diversity Volume XXXIII • Number 43 TIWeek... in Tht Review Wednesday • October 22. 2003 Sniper Suspect Pleads Case Before Jury Muhammad represents himself as trial begins Student Shows Airport Security Flaws A college student told federal authorities he placed box cu t ters and o th er banned item s aboard tw o Southw est A irlines planes nearly five w eeks before they w ere found, according to an FBI affidavit. The affidavit said Nathaniel Heatwole, 20. told agents he w ent through norm al security procedures at airports in B a ltim o re an d R a le ig h - D urham , N .C., and was able to carry the forbidden item s onto the plane. www.portlandobserver.com John Allen Muhammad represents himself at trial. (A P) — By choosing to defend him self, W ash in g to n sn ip er suspect John A llen M uham m ad has alm ost guaranteed he will be convicted, legal experts say. But the opportunity to talk with ju ro rs face-to-face may w ork in his favor if he has to ask later for a m erciful sentence. “ If h e’s at all articulate, he can redeem him self to the ju ry ,” said Laurie Levenson, a L oyola U niversity law professor w ho spe cializes in crim inal procedure. "They can say, 'H e d id n 't look all that ro tten .” ’ M uham m ad, 42, on M onday persuaded C ircuit Judge LeRoy F. M illette to allow him to defend him self on capital m urder charges i n the slay i ng o f Dean Harold Meyers, 53. the seventh victim in the three-w eek shooting spree that left 10 people dead in V irginia, M aryland and W ashington. D.C., last O cto ber. H is co u rt-ap p o in ted attorneys, Peter G reenspun and Jonathan Shapiro, will re m ain to assist M uham m ad if needed during the trial. “ My heart s a n k .... 1 instantly thought he must be irrational. It must be a death wish on his part.” U niversity o f V irginia law profes sor A nne C oughlin said. “The justice sys tem isn't there to help people com m it sui cide. It’s a search for truth." M uham m ad joins a small fraternity o f high-profile defendants, including suicide doctor Jack K evorkian, serial killer Ted B undy, Long Island Rail Road killer Colin continued on pane A2 Church Work is Her Calling Kobe Could Face Life Sentence in Rape Trial N BA star Kobe B ryant m ust stand trial on a charge o f raping a 19-year-old C olorado resort w orker, a ju d g e ruled, clearing the w ay for a celebrity trial the likes o f w hich hav en 't been seen since O J . Sim pson w as in court. The Los A ngeles Lakers guard could face a life sentence if con victed. Francesca Gabriel touches hundreds of lives W om en like Francesca G abriel d o n 't do what they do to win aw ards. They do it because serving G od is theircalling. Gabriel has dedicated much of her life to the smooth runnings of St. Andrews Catholic Church on Northeast Alberta Street, touching hundreds o f lives. Saturday her peers took notice by honoring her for decades of service to G od and the community. Gabriel, origi nai ly from St. Lucia, left the Caribbean in her 20s to travel through Europe and the United States, pledging to devote her live to God as a mem ber o f the 3rd order o f the D om inicans. At St. A ndrew , she volunteers as a sacristan, doing num erous behind-the-scenes duties for Mass, such as ordering candles, cleaning linens and stocking sacra mental wine. She also brings com m union and cares for the sick and hom ebound. "She is truly a w om an w ho has lived her faith all her life," said Joy Ruplinger, youth m inistry coordinator at St. Andrew. Among C atholic com m unity members coming out to greet, thank and congratulate G abriel, was City C om m issio n e r an d n o rth e a st P o rtla n d re sid e n t Jim Francesconi, longtim e com m unity m em ber M aggie G ibson and Portland A rchbishop John G. Vlazny. who spoke at the event. Mother Teresa, A Step Away from Sainthood The poor and the pow erful had V IP seats in St. P eter's Square w hen Pope John Paul II led a long cerem ony to beatify M other Teresa, further testing his frail health to honor the nun he so greatly adm ired. Bin Laden Tapes Likely Authentic The Central Intelligence Agency has determ ined the new audio- tape purportedly from O sam a bin L aden is probably authentic, officials at the agency said. Gay Episcopal Bishop- Elect Addresses Clergy The Rev. V. G ene Robinson, the Episcopal C h u rch 's first openly gay bishop-elect, told parishio ners his election is a sign o f a changing church, one that will continue even if he resigns. Illusionist Taken to Hospital A fter the eggs, the jeers and the ch eers. N ew Y ork m ag ician D avid Blaine faced the stetho scope and the intravenous drip as he recovered from 44 days dangling near the R iver Tham es with no com pany and no food. Bomb Among Potatoes at Chip Plant W orkers at a Salem . Ore. Kettle Foods potato chip plant were feeding potatoes into a m achine that sorts out stones and other debris this week when a3-pound m ilitary bom b popped out. Po lice determined they were dummy m ilitary ordnance left over from a tim e when the military used the farm as a practice bombing range. P hoto by M ark W ashington /T hk P ortland O bserver Picking A Perfect Pumpkin Fracesca Gabriel (center) is congratulated by Maggie Gibson and City Commissioner Jim Francesconi for her dedicated service and lifelong commitment to her faith at St. Andrew Catholic Church on Northeast Alberta Street. Whether they get lost in a farm field maze or find the ideal pumpkin for Halloween, local kids like Daniel, (from left), Janina and J.P. Jefferies have fun at the Trapold Farms Pump kin Patch, 521 1 N.E. 1 4 8 h Ave. J National Urban League Leader Reaches Out Locally Chapters adjust to a changing America by J aymee R. C ijti /T he P ortland O bserver Local and national leaders say it’s a tim e o f reassessm ent for the National U rban League and local supporters o f civil rights. Urban League President Marc M orial visited Portland last week to m eet with staff, realign goals and em pow er supporters o f one o f the forerunning organizations protect ing the civil rights andq u ality o f life o f African A m ericans. Since M orial’s appointm ent in M ay, new goals and strategic plans address quality o f life and civil rights issues such as education, housing and health. An im m ediate area o f focus is expanding the Urban L eag u e's traditional borders o f service. In Portland, for exam ple, African A m ericans are being displaced from inner city neighborhoods and issues surrounding the m inority com m unity are spreading beyond the c ity 's borders. That creates a need for support in the suburbs. “W e think we have to serve people w here they are," said Morial. "W e'll continue to have a foothold in innercities and also expand outw ard.” At an Equal O pportunities Day D inner and aw ards c er em ony last W ednesday. M orial aw arded form er C ity C om - I PHOTOBY M ark W a m iim . ion / T iie P or i i . an d O bslrvi r bv J aymee R. C i ti /T he P ortland O bserver National Urban League President Marc Morial meets with Urban League o f Portland Executive Director Vanessa Gaston at the Multicultural Senior Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. m issioner and form er director o f Portland Parks and R ecre ation C harles Jordan with honors for his contributions to the cause o f equal rights. Past honorees include Earvin "M agic" Johnson. Muhammad Ali Alexis Herman. Iman. Merrill Lynch t and G eneral M otors Corporation. Besides speaking at the Equal O pportunities Day event, M orial w as briefed about issues affecting A frican-A m eri can O regonians by V anessa Gaston, president o f the Urban League o f Portland, w ho also took her post in May. M orial says he is m otivated by service, an anchor in his upbringing. He follow ed his father’s footsteps as an attor ney and form er m ayor o f New O rleans. As his father w orked pro bono on many im portant civil rights cases. M orial said he learned, "this is what y o u ’re supposed to do." He is driven by a vision to see an A m erica that em braces diversity. “W e're looking to be more visible and reach out to the new generation and encourage them to be a part o f the m ovem ent for equal rights in A m erica," he said. To reach young A frican A m ericans and help close the achievem ent gap in local schools. G aston said the Urban League is launching a pilot project at O ckley G reen M iddle School with intense instructions for students perform ing poorly in reading and math. N ationally, M orial said the Urban League also is launch ing a cam paign for A frican-A m erican students, aim ed at closing the achievem ent gap. “ It encourages parents to be m uch m ore involved and continued on pane A2 ♦