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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 2004)
Daylight 2 3 AM Savings 50tf T.D. Jakes Crusade Set clocks forward at at 2 2 a.m. a.m. Sunday Sunday \ |£j_ “America s Best Preacher, ” brings his Portland Crusade s« Reilun. ba msM « «rl , - 1 (Olisærüer „ fr » . ‘City of Roses’ J l_ O 7 Í1 Established in I 1970 www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • March 31. 2004 Committed to Cultural Diversity Volume XXXIII • Number II Another Deadly Traffic Stop Kenyan Activist Wins Environmental Prize Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement in Africa, has been selected as the w innerof the 2004 S ophie Prize. The $100,0tX)prizewascreatedin 1997 by N orw egian author Jostein G a a rd e r and his w ife, Siri Dannevig. The prize is intended to foster work aimed at improving the environment and sustainable development. Statue of Liberty to Reopen L W r *1 V flH H H fl« H * • Hf I -Northeast Portland Resident NickyTaylor The Statue of Liberty, closed im mediately after the Sept. 11 terror ist attacks, will reopen to the pub lic this summer. Pledgesof$7 mil lion in donations, including a $ 100,000gift from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, will finance upgrades that were necessary at the na tional monument before it could , be reopened. ____ » Lela Barnett pauses in disbelief at the site of Sunday's deadly traffic stop that resulted in the death of an unarmed black motorist in the St. Johns neighborhood o f north Portland. Mayor Vera Katz said the shooting raises legitimate questions and has called for a public inquest in addition to a grand jury investigation. Rice to Testify in t Public Under Oath Bowing to pressure, the White House will allow National Secu rity Adviser Condoleezza Rice to testify in public under oath before the commission investigating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Presi dent Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney also agreed to speak with the full panel privately. Man Confesses After Seeing ‘The Passion’ A 20-year-old Arizona man con fessed to a half dozen burglaries, saying he felt guilty after seeing tjie movie “The Passion of the Christ.” Same-Sex Marriage Loses Steam in Mass. W ith o n ech ap terclo sed in M as sach u setts’ gay m arriage de bate, several new ones now open, as gay couples look ahead to what may be a short-lived chance to tie the knot and law m akers prepare for crucial N o vem ber elections. Legislators a p p ro v e d a c o n s titu tio n a l am endm ent Monday that would ban gay marriages while legaliz ing civil unions. If passed dur ing the next tw o-year L egisla tive session, the measure would go before voters in N ovem ber 2006. Michigan Town Facing Racial Tensions When a 13-year-old black student was accused of bringing a loaded gun to school, his apparent rea son shocked residents: he wanted to fend off racial harassment. The incident las, month, followed by a similar one less than two weeks later involving a knife, has pro voked soul-searching about how this bedroom community just out side the city of Saginaw has dealt with diversity. c o OD <u c o SD it O o f S © r«1 SO m m Oä O u > 0D<3\ c <u ‘5 '5 ?j 3 OD 23 — w It’s a war right now. This needs to end right now. photo by M ark W ashington / T he P ortland O bserve Outrage again follows police shooting BY JAYMEE R . C l'TI T he P ortland O bserver Before deep wounds have healed between the African-American community and the Portland Police Bureau over the death of Kendra James, another unarmed black mo torist has been shot and killed by police during a routine traffic stop. Again, cries of public outrage and de mands for justice are echoing through north and northeast Portland. James Jahar Perez, 28, died Sunday after bei ng shot by a police officer in the St. Johns neighborhood of north Portland. Perez had been pulled over for not signaling a turn. His death follows the May 5 shooting of James, an unarmed black woman, who was killed while trying to escape a traffic stop on the North Skidmore Street 1-5 overpass. Police Chief Derrick Foxworth and Mayor Vera Katz are asking the community to remain patient while it demands an swers. Tuesday, Katz asked District Attorney Mike Schrunk to conduct both a public inquest and a grand jury investigation. She also asked Foxworth to include citizens in the police review of the shooting. A homi cide investigation is already underway. Police said North Precinct Officer Jason Sery shot Perez three times in the chest during a struggle with a second officer, Sean Macomber, after being pulled over for the traffic violation shortly after 5 p.tn. Sunday. Foxworth said a preliminary investiga tion of Perez and his vehicle yielded no weapons. Perez was driving a Mitsubishi Diamante Careers on the Line The backlash from allowing gay couples to marry has been especially fierce for County Chair Diane Linn and Commissioner Lisa Naito, who have been targeted fora recall. Naito faces reelection along with Rojode Steffey, with a primary election just by J aymee R . C u n six weeks away. T he P ortland O bserver Jo h n n y B elg ard e, a M ultn o m ah C ounty C hristian Coalition em Commissioners say they ployee, filed the recall peti followed the letter of the tion underthe organization. Oregon Constitution when Committee to Recall Diane they granted marriage li Linn and Lisa Naito. He did censes to same-sex couples not return calls for com earl ier th i s month. They say ment. their action was sparked by According to Cruz, the threats o f discrimination recall has no teeth. lawsuits by both gay rights “I think they’re going to organizations and individu a ls. have a hard time collecting the signatures required,” Since then, critics have she said, in support of her been as loud and severe as colleagues. supporters. About the recall and Commissioners say they upcoming reelection she see same-sex marriage li faces in May, Rojo de censes as an issue of civil Steffey said, “I stand on my rights, and that withhold record. I have many accom ing them is unlawful dis plishments that have sup crimination. photo by J aymee R . C i ti / ported our economy, our “We should all be af T he P ortland O bsery er children and seniorcitizens, forded equal rights. It's as Multnomah County Commissioner Maria Rojo and 1 think that’s going to sim p le as th a t,” said de Steffey upholds her support for equality in carry me.” Multnomah County Com the treatment of gay couples who want the Cruz was rattled, how missioner Maria Rojo de protections and benefits o f marriage. Steffey, a, a fundraiser for ever, by threatening phone her upcoming reelection campaign. messages. Both Cruz and Naito received death threats on their Commissioner Serena Cruz added, “Why should my husband and I have access to privileges, rights and voicemails on March 10, seven days after gay couples responsibilities that other families in this community continued on page AS don't have access to?” Commissioners brave recall, death threats over gay marriage i when he was pulled over outside of City Food Market on North Fessenden Street at Burr Avenue. Police said he failed to produce a driver’s license or identification. At a news briefing on Monday afternoon, few questions were answered about events leading up to his death, including what prompted Sery to use deadly force. Police officers in Oregon can legally use deadly force if they reasonably believe their life is in danger. Foxworth met separately with Perez's fam ily, the mayor, leaders in the religious com munity and the media, but said few details continued on page A2 Sticker Shock at the Pump This Chevron station on Martin Luther King Boulevard featured one of the highest prices in north east Portland, with supreme unleaded gas priced at well above $2 per gallon. Analysts say there is little chance that gas prices, which have reached a record high, will fall significantly in the near future because of higher de mand and tighter supplies. M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O b photo by server