Committed to Cultural Diversity
www.portlandobserver.com
luly 21. 2004
Local Little
Leaguers District
Champs
M etro
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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.
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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