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.