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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2004)
Committed to Cultural Diversity www.portlandobserver.com luly 21. 2004 Local Little Leaguers District Champs M etro ^ a r tla n h © bserucr See Sports, page B2 section a o m m u n it y a I e n cl a r Hello Alberta Farm Market Providing healthy, affordable, high quality food, the Alberta Cooperati ve Grocery offers sea sonal produce from local grow ers, ready-to-eat food and weekly entertainment. Open from 10a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, located on 1500 NE Alberta Street. For more in formation, call 503-287-4333. He]J«lf“’ai<i4a/ f Intel Summer Camp makes learning fun Attention Bookworms! Contact the nearest public li brary near you and take advan tage o f fun summer reading pro grams open to all ages or take free com puter classes. Learn about e-m ail, web searching, spreadsheets, word processing and more. To learn more, visit o n lin e at h ttp :// www.multcolib.org. Two Wheelin’ Learn Portland’s bikeway net work with rides throughout the city with tours every Tuesday and Wednesday through Aug. 25. For information about a full schedule o f rides, call 503-823- 5266 B Justin Nath, Tajza Moree and other campers grasp the concept o f thrust by blowing up balloons at Intel's Summer Science Camp at the University Park Community Center. M aking lava lam ps, testing the absorbency o f diapers and grasping the co n cep t o f rocket propulsion with balloons are ju st a couple o f the creative projects kids in north P ort land are doing this sum m er that makes learning fun. A group o f fifth to eighth graders are le arn in g ab o u t ea rth and health science, chem istry, technology and physics at the second annual S u m m e r S c ie n c e C am p sponsored by Intel at the U niver sity Park R ecre ation C enter. “ W e h o p e to build enthusiasm and interest in the s c ie n c e s , e x p lo re different areas o f sci ence and find out w hat m ight interest them most. said Karen Birt, d irecto r o f the ce n ter, a Portland Parks and Recreation facility. The special instruction is free to campers. The Network o f Intel African American Employees sponsored field trips, donated supplies and developed the teaching curriculum. Nasche Askari, age 9 Writing Seminar Free your writing spirit with a free writing workshop by Write Around Portland through Aug. 12 at locations in and around north Portland. To register or contribute, call 503-796-9224. Interest in Adoption? A free information meeting for prospective adoptive parents is held the third W ednesday of every month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Belmont Public Library, 1038 S.E. 39“’ Ave. For more inform a tion, call 503-226-4870 or visit www.openadopt.com. Health Maintenance Sankofaa Health Institute offers a free diabetes support group from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third Thursday at Alberta Simmons Plaza, 6707 N.E. Martin Luther K ing Jr. B1 vd. For more informa tion, call 503-285-2484. Work For Change Community Advocates invites those interested in protecting children from abuse to become an event volunteer, event out re a c h , te c h n o lo g y e x p e rt, graphic artists or office support team member. For more informa tion, call 503-280-1388. Home Improvement The Community Energy Project holds free workshops on water conservation and w eatheriza tion. For more information, call 503-2844962. Ya Gotta Regatta You gotta go to the 10* annual Columbia Slough Regatta small crafts show and paddling event from 9a.m .to 1 p.m. Sunday, July 26 at the lower Columbia Slough in northeast Portland. NAACP Meetings The Portland Branch o f the NAACP holds two monthly ex ecutive committee meetings, on the second T hursday o f the month and the Thursday before the fourth Saturday of the month. General membership meetings are held on the fourth Saturday o f each month. For more infor- mation.call 503-284-7722. Aquatic Fitness Providence has a full schedule o f fitness classes including w a ter exercising at the Providence Aquatic Center,4805 N.E.GIisan. Fora schedule, call 503-215-6301. Canine 101 The Oregon Humane Society explains problem pooches at Canine 101 classes on Saturday, July 17 at 11 a.m. ASlOdonation is suggested. For more inform a tion, call 503-285-7722 or visit www.oregonhumane.org. photo by J ohanna S. K ing /T he P o r u ani » O bserver Chief Derrick Foxworth conducts a news conference at the bureau s Northeast Precinct to explain how his Citizen Police Academ 's effort to improve community policing. Citizen academy offers insight by J aymee R. C u n T hf . P ortland O bserver A public outreach program designed to restore trust between police officers and the community swings back into action after budget cuts forced a four-year hiatus. The Citizen Police Academy is accepting applications for 20 people who live or work in Portland to experience police work, first hand. Upon clearance from a background check, academy members will shoot guns and get behind the wheel o f a police car at training facilities, experiencing much o f the tactics, procedures and equipment o f actual offic ers. The citizens will also see real police work on the street in special ride-alongs. “I'm really excited about the C itizen’s Academy,” said C hief Derrick Foxworth. “This is community policing.” Officers are looking forcitizens available for nine evenings beginning in September who are active in the community. The primary objective is to get the word out that many police procedures happen for a reason. One highlight o f the program popular with past participants is a “shoot/ no shoot” video game simulating split-second life and death decisions officers are likely to face. Richard Brown, a past graduate and local African-American community leader, said he thought cutting the academy was a mis take. He said the knowledge gained in the academy helped him reach out to his neigh bors after the deadly force shooting of Kendra James, an unarmed African-Ameri can woman killed by Portland police, created deep wounds between officers and the com- munity. “The training was very valuable. It transitioned me from adelractorof the police to a supporter o f the police,” said Brown. According to Mike Krebs, captain o f the training division, the academy is a way to educate the public about what an officer’s jo b really is and dispel suspicion and mis conceptions about why police do what they do. For an onli ne appl ieation or more informa tion about the Citizen Police Academy, visit h ttp ://w w w .p o rtlan d o n lin e.co m /p o lic e/ index.cfm?c=3212 1 orcall the Northeast Pre cinct at 503-823-5700. Mayor Pushes Reforms, diversity issues already on agenda by J aymee R. C u n T he P ortland O bserver M ayor Vera Katz plans to sub mit her own proposal for police reform. She and C om m issioner Jim Francesconi butted heads when he submitted a resolution to im prove police force diversity and training; a city bureau that the mayor oversees. Portland police have been under intense scrutiny after the shooting deaths o f two unarmed people o f color in less than one year. Though Francesconi takes credit for keeping the issue on public ra dar, Scott Farris, a spokesman for the mayor, says it’s “silly” for the com missioner to suggest that po lice reform has been anyw here but on the forefront o f the m ayor’s agenda. leaders working under the umbrella Francesconi is in charge o f parks, o f the Albina Ministerial Alliance transportation and urban forestry Ad Hoc Com mittee, sec a need to bureaus. get the reform in writing, and says “ E v e ry th in g C o m m issio n e r the m ayor’s resolution will ad Francesconi wants that h e’s ad dress that concern. dressed in the resolution is being F ra n c e s c o n i’s p ro p o sa l, addressed in the bureau. There was backed by Com m issioner Randy no reason for his resolution.” said I^onard, outlined training and Farris. continued on page B3 He added that faith com munity