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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2004)
500 The Beat They Wrote Cornered in the Dark Hip-hop inspires Urban Music Project kids Sexual betrayals weave play's tapestry See Metro section, inside See Focus section, inside ‘City of Roses’ Established in 1970 Committed to Cultural Diversity Volume XXXIV • Number 45 T, Week in TheReview _ . Condoleezza * Rice kJ Rice to Replace Powell President Bush promoted his J most trusted foreign policy ad viser to Secretary of State on | Tuesday, tapping Condoleezza j Ricetoreplace warrior-tumed-dip- lomat Colin Powell as part of a | sweeping second-term Cabinet overhaul. See story, page A2. www.portlandobserver.coni Wednesday • November 17. 2004 Cold Cases Heat Up Emphasis put on unsolved murders Few emotions can rival the pain of losing a loved one to a violent crime, save for the frustration of watching their murder go unsolved for years. Many local families feelarenewed hope with the announcement by Portland Police C hief Derrick Foxworth that a new police unit will focus on homicides in which no arrests have been made. TheColdCase Unit will be staffed by two Portland Police Bureau ho micide detectives, one FBI agent, and one investigator from the M ultnom ah C ounty D istrict Police Chief Derrick Foxworth Attorney’s Office, and supervised by a Portland police sergeant. Foxworth has wanted to make unsolved murders a priority since he was named chief last year. Nearly 300 murder cases and been left unsolved in the city over several decades, including the 2002 murder of 24-year-old mother Asia Bell, an African-American woman. Bell is one of the first cases the cold unit will investigate. She was shot and killed on her porch at her north Portland home in a shooting Stabbing at Vibe Awards A fight broke out near the stage I at the Vibe awards ceremony as rapper Snoop Dogg and pro ducer Quincy Jones were pre paring to honor Dr. Dre. One I person was stabbed, authorities and witnesses said. News video j showed chairs being thrown, punches flying and people chas ing one another. / v k — / that also left her husband and an other passerby wounded. The investigating unit will rely on re-interviewing witnesses and examining DNA evidence in solv ing old cases. The Cold Case Unit is expected to cost $2 million over three years and will be funded from the city’s budget unless a federal grant is approved. Anyone who has information about Bell’s murder or any other unsolved crimes is asked to call the police tip line at 503-865-TIPS. / -J Low-Fat Diets Last Regardless of how they shed pounds in the first place, big] losers stayed that way by limit ing fat rather than carbohy drates, according to new research that could add fuel to the back lash against low-carb diets. J . 'j ¿4 ?7 kt .a# « O il J Usher, OutKast Honored Usher's year of astonishing suc cess with the chart-topping, best-selling album “Confes sions” culminated with a clutch | of trophies at the 32nd annual American Music Awards. See | story, page A5. O.D.B’s Death Investigated Autopsy results for rapper O.D.B., whodiedataManhattan | recording studio, will not be available for several days while authorities conduct medical | tests. Male Contraceptive Shows Promise The worldof male contraception has been limited tocondoms and | vasectomies. But a shot that prompts an immune reaction toa protein produced in the male re- ] productive system shows prom ise. The method worked in ex periments on male monkeys, most of which regained their fer tility when the treatments were j stopped. HIV Fight Expands Reach The U.N. health agency said it I plans to use the Internet to help prostitutes in the global fight | against HI V/AIDS. photo by Loved Ones Devastated by Murder i Pringle, Ryan Clinton, Joe "Bean" County Racism Allegations Arise Many employees report hostile work environment Multnomah C ounty Chairwoman “ Much to my dismay, a number o f sent a clear message last week when she e-mailed county em ploy- the employees who volunteered to he interviewed perceive they expe- ees to say that racial discrim ina- tion would not be toler ated. rience a hostile work environment. T he e -m a il was prompted by a survey o f county employees last summer about their Ss U. r J c o 00 O a £ c o 2 >..-2 e ~ .ts (Z) O' Ö oi _c: 5 g .> oo £ "5 O 0 0 CM 3 3 x — ÜJ M ark W ashington /T uk P ortland O bserver ceive to be discrim ina tory or hostile,” Linn work environments, in cluding their percep tions o f diversity, c u l tural competence and discrimination. The in d e p e n d e n t consultant hired to con duct the research came Some reported conduct by peers, supervisors and managers they per Multnomah County Chair Diane Linn cording to Iris Bell, L in n ’ s recently- appointed ch ie f operating officer, accused supervisors o f d is c rim i natory behavior and stated that minorities are habitually overlooked as new hires. Every discrimination allegation is investigated, said Agnes Sowle, Multnomah County’ s chief attorney. w rote in the e-m ail. Linn s action plan fo r respond “ M u ltn o m a h C ounty ing to the allegations includes w ill not tolerate behav refram ing the affirm ative action io r that creates such an o ffic e r's chain o f command to re environm ent." port directly to her. This is not the first Linn says she w ill call fo r a time county employees form al investigation o f any w o rk were surveyed about place violation claim that appears race and diversity in the credible. Finally, she w ill begin back w ith a list o f more than l(M) workplace. A 1998 report prompted mandatory training assessments to allegations of discrim inatory be- the county to create action plans that teach employees and supervisors havior reported by 51 employees made diversity a p rio rity, how to respectfully coexist in a last summer. Some o f the new allegations, ac diverse workplace. Local Leader Appointed to SAIF Matt Hennessee, a local A frican-A m erican civic leader and business execu tive, has been nominated to serve on the board of direc tors for the State Accident Insurance Fund (SAIF). The appointment by Gov. Ted Kulongoski is effective Monday, Nov. 22, pending confirmation by the state senate. “Matt brings the expe rience and expertise nec Matt Hennessee essary toensure that SAIF is accountable to the public and responsive to O reg o n e m p lo y e rs and in ju re d w o rk e rs," Kulongoski said. Hennessee is currently the president and chief executive officer o f Quiklrak. Inc. He was the global supply-chain director for Nike in the 90s and served as director of the State of Oregon W orkers' Compensation Division from 1988 to 1990. He has served as an associate pastor at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Portland since 1989. He was formerly thecity manager of Ypsilanti. Mich, and assistant city manager for Saginaw. Mo.
