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March 9, 2005
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Prison Fire Kills 133 in Dominican Republic
(A P ) - Rival gangs fighting for
control o f a provincial D om inican
Republic prison set pillow s and
sheets ablaze M onday, starting a
fire that killed at least 133 people
after rescuers w ere thw arted by a
jam m ed entrance, officials said.
O nly 26 inm ates w ere rescued
from the public ja il in H iguey, 75
m iles northeast o f the capital on the
island’s eastern tip, said N ational
Police C h ief M anuel de Jesus Perez
Sanchez.
F our inm ates suffered bullet
w ounds, but he had no details.
G uards could not rescue prison­
ers from the blazing cell block be­
cause the entrance w as jam m ed.
N ational Police spokesm an Gen.
Sim on Diaz said. He did not know
why the entrance w as jam m ed.
By late M onday m orning, rescu­
ers had pulled 133 bodies from the
cell block, Perez Sanchez said.
H iguey fire ch ief N estor V era
said, "M ost o f the prisoners w e’re
Two prisoners show relief for having survived a fire at a ja il in
Higuey, Dominican Republic on Monday. (AP photo)
seeing are dead or badly w ounded."
He said bodies w ere "piled up on
top o f each other.”
T he dead included tw o inm ates
from Puerto Rico, he said.
Arm y helicopters w ere ferrying
the w ounded to hospitals in the
capital, Santo D om ingo, he said
Gen. Ram on de la C ruz M artinez,
the national director o f prisons.
The toll o f dead and injured was
159, although officials said earlier
there were 148 prisoners in the jail.
Dominican Republicjails are notori­
ous for being overcrow ded, as the
U.S. State D epartment reported last
week.
The Dominican Republic’s35 pris­
ons were built to hold 9,(XX) prison­
ers but last year held more than 13,500,
the State D epartm ent said in its an­
nual report on human rights.
“ Som e prisons were totally out
o f the authorities’ control and were,
in effect, operated by arm ed in­
m ates,” the departm ent said.
T he violence began Sunday night
when one inmate shot and wounded
a m em ber o f a rival gang, and dozens
o f prisoners began fighting over
which gang would control the pris­
oners, de la Cruz Martinez said. The
gang that controls the prison sells
food, cigarettes and drugs to the
other prisoners.
T he fight w as broken up by
guards, but at about 12:30a.m. many
prisoners began rioting, setting fire
to pillow s and sheets in their cells,
D iaz said.
Latin American Art Featured
“ E ig h t V ie w s o f L a tin
A m erica,” will be featured at Onda
A rte Latina and C ross C urrents
G allery at 2215 N.E. A lberta St.
through M arch 29.
T he exhibit will feature photo­
graphs from C hery le Easter, Larry
Easter, M ichael Feely, Bruce Hall,
Latin America Plagued With Deadly Prison Riots
(A P ) - D eadly priso n riots have
plagued several cou n tries in Latin
A m e ric a , w h ere c rim in a ls are
c ro w d e d in to u n d e r-e q u ip p e d
p r is o n s w ith p o o r ly tr a in e d
gu ard s. H ere are so m e rec en t e x ­
am p les o f priso n rio ts in L atin
A m erica:
- F eb. 8: G angs b attle in a P eru ­
vian p riso n , leaving five inm ates
dead. T he prison is d esig n ed for
1.800 inm ates but holds m ore than
7,000.
- Jan. 21: Prisoners seize control
o f a prison colony in central Brazil,
killing tw o inm ates and holding
Local A frican A m erican pastor Rev. Dr. LeR oy H aynes Jr. and
C ongressm an Earl B lum enauer will speak at an interfaith m em orial
service will honor those w ho have died during the w ar in Iraq.
“A rlington N orthw est: T he C ost o f S ecurity” w ill be held on Sunday,
M arch 20 at 2 p.m. at the First C ongregational U nited C hurch o f C hrist
at 1137 SW Broadway.
T hose in attendance will be given the opportunity to honor and
grieve the lives that have been lost in Iraq. A tem porary m em orial will
be set up w ith a list o f nam es. For m ore inform ation, to volunteer o r to
donate, call 503-650-4447.
G o s p e l r e c o r d in g
a rtis t M ic a h S ta m p le y
is se t to d e b u t “ T h e
S o n g b o o k o f M ic a h "
on M a rc h 2 9, f e a tu r ­
in g h is f i r s t s in g l e
“ W ar C r y ,” a c a ll fo r C h ris tia n
“ s o ld ie r s ” to g o o u t in to th e
ALBINA MINISTERIAL ALLIANCE
Cascade
B a
G i LAD
,
Delta Si^rpa Tbeta
( A P) - The H om e D epot Inc., the n a tio n ’s largest hom e
AIDS
Project
Tbe Portland Chapter
LinRs, Inc
Healing Worship Celebration
i mprovem ent store chai n, is launchi ng a partnership with four
national H ispanic o rganizations to recruit m ore S pan ish ­
speaking em ployees - a strategy that proponents say can
help retailers find talented w orkers and boost sales at the
sam e time.
Industry observers say the m ove - like the c o m p a n y ’s
previous hiring partnerships with senior citizen and military
groups - will help A tlanta-based H om e D epot tap into a
valuable cu sto m er niche. By 2008, the com pany says,
Hispanics are expected to have roughly $ 1 trillion in annual
purchasing power.
L aos pe l lin g e r
Micah
Stampley
Service Honors War Victims to Debut
Album
'.1
Spanish-speaking Workers Wanted
three guards hostage for 12 hours. aside for gang m em b ers are k illed
-Septem ber 2002: Prisoners at La
A ug. 18: R ival inm ates at a S al­ in a p riso n rio t in San P ed ro Sula, V ega in the D ominican Republic set
vad o ran priso n fig h t w ith k n iv es H onduras. O ffic ials b lam e it on a fire to m attresses, starting a blaze
an d stic k s, k illin g at le a st 31 short circ u it. G an g s alleg e that that kills 30 inm ates. The prison is
people. P rison o ffic ia ls say m ore rival in m a te s th rew g aso lin e into built for 50 but holds about 4(X) men
than 3 ,0 0 0 p riso n ers are b eing the ce lls and set th em ab laze as in nine cells. D om inican prisons at
h eld in a fac ility m ean t fo r 800.
o ffic ia ls sto o d by.
the tim e w ere built to hold up to
- M ay 2004: A three-day upris­
- April 5 ,2 0 0 3 : Prisoners battle 7,000 inm ates but had a population
ing at a prison in Rio de Janeiro, gang m em bers at the El Porvenir o f som e 16,500.
Brazil, leaves 30 inmates dead - some prison farm in northern H onduras,
-D ec. 15,2001: Rioting inm ates
beheaded and dism em bered. It is leaving 69 people dead. O fficials sta rt a fire th at sw eeps th ro u g h a
B razil’s bloodiest prison riot since initially blam e inm ates, but a g o v ­ p riso n in P a ra g u a y ’s C iu d ad del
1992, w hen 111 inm ates died at the ernm ent report says guards co m ­ E ste, k illin g at least 25 p eo p le. It
now -closed C arindiru prison.
m itted m ost o f the slayings. The ap p a ren tly is to u c h ed o f f w hen a
-M a y 1 7 ,2 0 0 4 : A t least 103 o f prison is built for 150 inm ates but ja ile r sh o o ts a p riso n er w h o a t­
186 p riso n e rs in a ce ll b lo c k set holds 550.
ta ck e d him in an escap e bid.
R eligion
tzsiAcls ¿ A b s e n c e
w o rld a n d se e k th e ir m in is try
a n d m is sio n .
T h e alb u m h as so n g s o f e x ­
p lo r a tio n an d r e d e m p tio n ,
w o rs h ip a n d w h o le n e s s , th e
a r tis t sa id .
S ta m p le y r e c e n tly s h a re d
th e sta g e w ith C e C e W in a n s,
R ic k y S k a g g s , M ic h a e l W .
S m ith an d M ercy M e at a N a sh ­
v ille f u n d -r a is e r c a lle d “ A n
E v e n in g fo r R e s to ra tio n : M u ­
sic C ity C o m e s T o g e th e r fo r
T su n a m i R e lie f.”
A fter releasing five chart­
topping album s, glorious g o s­
pel singer LaShun Pace was
silenced by grief and illness.
A fter four years, sh e’s back
with the trium phant album “ It’s
My Tim e.” Her first single from
the w ork, “For M y G ood,” was
num ber one on the C hristian
Singles chart for a total o f ten
w eeks, rem aining at num ber
o n e f o r tw o c o n s e c u tiv e
weeks.
P ace’s latest release p rim a­
rily w as a healing tool for the
m usician, as in the last ten
years, she has endured seri­
o u s h e a lth p r o b le m s , th e
LaShun Pace
breakup o f her m arriage and
the death o f her oldest daughter. song “T h ro u g h H er E y es.” It’s
The album is m ade up for tears and through her faith and her m usic that
prayer, and includes the voice o f she has been able to overcom e
P ace’s 11-year-old daughter for the these hardships.
Lane College Concert Choir
From
Join us in our war against HIV/AIDS,
Albina Ministerial Alliance (AMA) has broken the silence on HIV/AIDS in
the African American communities by educating Christian churches in the
North and Northeast community and fighting against the spread of
HIV/AIDS. AMA invites community members, pastors, ministers and
missionaries to the annual local observance of the national Balm in
Gilead’s Black Church Week of Prayer.
Jackson, Tennessee
(O ne o f the 100 H istorical A frican-A m erican C olleges)
Perform s In C oncert
Please join us in our war against HIV/AIDS with
Keynote Speaker, Rev. George Merriweather,
Northeast Community Fellowship
Foursquare Church
Friday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.
Allen Temple C.M.E. Church
4236 NE Eighth Ave.
Portland, Oregon
Contact: Dr. LeRoy Haynes, (503) 287-0261 or
Bishop Grace Osborne (503) 281-5850
Susan L ynch, G ustavo Rapoport,
Bryan W o lf and Richard W olfson.
T he show includes w orks from
Argentina, Chile, Cuba, G uatem ala,
M exico and Puerto Rico.
For m ore inform ation, call 503-
4 9 3 -1 9 0 9
or
v is it
w w w .ondagallery.com .
W hen
W here
W ednesday
M arch 23, 2005
7:00 pm
M aranatha Church
4222 N E 12th Avenue
Portland OR
Cost: Free Will O ffering
Sponsored By: Allen Tem ple C M E C hurch
C o-S p on sored By:
Albina Ministerial Alliance (AM A)
For more inform ation, please contact
Allen Tem ple C M E C hurch at (503) 287-0261
Graceful Performance
“P o rtra its o f G ra c e ,” a p e rfo r­
m an ce m ad e up o f m o re th an 250
p eo p le, in c lu d in g m u ltip le ch o irs
and a 3 0 -p iec e o rc h e stra w ill take
p la ce M arch 16 th ro u g h M arch
19 at 7 :3 0 p.m . ea ch n ig h t at
B e a v e rto n C h r is tia n C h u r c h ,
13600 S.W . A llen BI vd.
C h ild c a re w ill be p ro v id ed for
c h ild re n u n d e r five. T ic k e ts are
free. F or m o re in fo rm atio n , call
503-646-2151.
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