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‘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
♦