Pa&eAfe _____________________ il!C}4ortlanb ©bseruer Shootings Exhaust Police Resources continued fro m Front students, teachers, parents and the com munity to give at-risk youth an alterna tive. Hendricks said that having the com munity cooperate with the unit by bring ing forth any information they have is a vital key o f piecing together gang activ ity in particular areas. “W e’ve had more success solving gang shootings in the last year because people who have seen things have been more willing to come forward with the information they ’ ve had,” Hendricks said. “The citizens are the eyes and ears of the police. W hen these shootings occur, there’s not an officer on every com er to witness a gang shooting. W hen they work with us, we have much greater luck in solving the gang shooting and putting the persons responsible in jail.” A c c o rd in g to th e w e b site Gangsandkids.com, there are steps you can take in figuring out whether your child is prone to gang activity. “If you are afraid that your kid is in a gang, he or she probably is. It is better to try to protect a kid who doesn’t need it, than to bury a kid who tried to hide the truth from his parents," the site says. Look for tattoos of possible gang names or insignias, question extra money that can 't be explained, as well as changes in wardrobe, attitude, music and cars, col ored bandanas, and examine why your child is having trouble with school or getting into fights. March 9 .200s Gang Violence Intensifies continued from Front else,” Baker said, describing gang members as people who are hurting inside and looking for companions in the same state of affairs. Like some people crave material goods such as cars, clothing or houses, gang members strive for a territory, he said, “Something to have control over and to call your own. “Gangs are not a problem in them selves - they are a result o f a much bigger problem,” Baker said. ‘T he family environment, the structure and resources. The gang is a result of a whole bunch of things that are wrong with our system.” Being in a group allows gang members to feel like they have a place in the world, often something they can’t find at home or in school. “Everyone’s looking for a sense o f belonging. Your child is going to get your attention one way or another, if you don’t respond to your child with positive atten tion, they’ll go somewhere else for nega tive attention. They want to be loved and * Gangs are not a What a large part of gang life comes down to is a family structure that is neglectful, careless and unmindful of w hat’s going on in a child's life. “If I’m hurting and I have some issues, I can’t be good to anyone else unless I take care of myself. Reinsti tuting the family focus and union is what we have to do. That wont be the cure-all, but that’s a real positive start with community involvement and ac \ countability,” Baker said. With recent public shootings, it’s obvious that gang violence doesn’t just affect those in the gang. “You throw a rock in the water and the ripples go beyond sight,” Baker said. “It impacts families, communities. I can’t count the number o f funerals I’ve done eulogies for over the past 9 or 10 years. You have children losing parents, parents losing children. The overarching affect of gang violence itself is horrifically tremendous.” For more information in getting in volved with the House of Umoja, located at Northeast 17th and Alberta Street, call 503-282-3296. problem in themselves - they are result of a much bigger problem, - Or. Vernon Baker —-4———-----.....— ■ some of them have come from environ ments where that doesn’t happen,” Baker said. Beyond lack of attention, a gang mem ber may find it’s much easier to make money selling drugs than it is to work nine to five at a minimum wage job. “A lot o f it has to do with economics. The drug trafficking and involvement can be lucrative depending on who you are,” Baker said. “A lot of times people just see the glamour and the pretty things on the surface but don’t factor in all the things below the surface.” School Closures Pick Up Steam continued from Front M o st o b je c te d to m o v in g sev en th and eig h th g ra d e rs into Je ffe rso n . V esia L oving, a long tim e A f rican -A m erican resident, parent and co m m u n ity lead er, c a lle d it an insane id ea and a n o th e r in a long list o f ill-a d v ise d ch an g es to sch o o ls serv in g n o rth and n o rth e a s t P o rtla n d o v e r th e p ast 30 y ears. M any w ere w o rrie d a b o u t stu d e n ts being in a p p ro p ria te ly ex p o sed to o ld e r stu d e n ts at Je ffe rso n . A large g ro u p o f stu d e n ts from Sisters in A ction for Pow er spoke e lo q u e n tly in o p p o sitio n to the p ro p o sa ls, lik e n in g the p lan s to racial d isc rim in a tio n and red lin in g . T h e ir com m ents drew loud cheers from the a u d i e n ce. E lish a W illiam s, 17, said the d istric t w as c o n tin u in g a p a t tern o f g e n trific a tio n , forcing a high p ro p o rtio n o f stu d en ts o f c o lo r and low -incom e students in to a very sm all area. P a re n ts in A p p le g a te and K enton E lem entary pleaded for th e c o n t i n u a t i o n o f t h e ir sc h o o ls, arg uing th e ir n e ig h b o rh o o d s w ere g ro w in g w ith new re sid e n ts and p ro sp erity fu eled in p art by its new light- rail tra n sp o rta tio n link. P h illip s said se v e ra l m o d ifi c a tio n s w ere m ade to her o rig i nal p ro p o sa ls b a se d on s u g g e stio n s from the com m unity and school board m em bers. One exam ple is that W hitaker s e v e n th a n d e ig h th g ra d e rs | would relocate toTubm an Middle School next year, before both schools m erge into Jefferson in tw o years. S chool d istric t o ffic ia ls said all the p ro p o sa ls are d e sig n ed to im p ro v e e d u c a tio n a l s e r v ices and clo se the a c h ie v e m ent gap, sta b iliz in g sch o o ls im p acted by d e c lin in g e n ro ll m ent, and m axim ize the use o f staff. T he b o ard w ill vote on the recom m endations at th e ir reg u larly sc h e d u le d m eetin g s on photo by M ark W ashington /T hf . P ortland O bserver M onday, M arch 14 and M on The New Seasons Market on North Interstate Avenue between Holman Street and Portland day, M arch 28. Boulevard is in the early stages of construction. New Seasons Market Builds C onstruction has begun for opening a new location o f New Seasons Market on North Portland Boulevard and Interstate Avenue. The store is scheduled to open this fall with more than 33,000square feet and employing approximately 120 to 130 staff members for this location. “ W e ’ve had w o n d erfu l re sponses from the neighborhood. People in the community have been very supportive,” said C laudia Knotek, community relations man ager for New Seasons. “The biggest reason for the new store is that we had gotten so many requests from customers,” Knotek said. “We had so many people say ing ‘We love your store but it’s too far to drive.’ We thought this would be a great location because it’s on the brand new MAX line. What a nice way to use public transporta tion to do grocery shopping.” The independently and locally owned store chain celebrated its fifth anniversary last weekend, noting five store openings in five years. Senate Shoots Down Minimum Wage Increase The game is just a game... it’s how you play that makes it fun, or frustrating, or dangerous. It’s true for all types of games - including gambling. Less than three percent of Oregonians may have a gambling problem - but when they play, it’s more than a game. The way they play puts them and their families at financial and emotional risk. If playing isn’t fun anymore, call: 1-877-2-ST0P-N0W Licensed treatment providers are there to listen, help and make referrals to local treatment centers 24 hours a day. Or visit www.oregonlotteryhelp.org for: • • • • Warning Signs Treatment Centers How to Get Help Reaching Out ►► When gambling is more than a game, no one wins. (AP) — The last increase in the minimum wage was in 1996. And if Republicans now in control of Con gress have their way, don ’ t look for another one anytime soon. The GOP-controlled Senate de feated a labor-backed increase in the $5.15 wage floor on Monday, saying it would only hurt the entry- level workers it was designed to help. Democrats then helped kill a Republican alternative, arguing it would have weakened existing worker protections. “I believe that anyone who works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year should not live in poverty in the richest country in the world,” said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass„ arguing for the Democratic proposal to increase the minimum wage by $2.10 over the next 26 months. Republicans countered with a smaller increase, $ 1.10 in two steps over 18 months, they said would help workers without hampering the creation of jobs needed to help those with low skills. But the Republican bill would have also gutted minimum wage provisions for restaurant woik- ers, even in states like Oregon who have passed a higher minimum wage for all workers. The Democratic amendment was defeated, with 46 votes for and 49 against. The GOP alternative fell by awidermargin,38forand6I against. Kennedy accused Republicans o f advancing a “deeper poverty agenda” for the poor by includ ing several p ro v isio n s to cut long-standing wage and overtim e protections for mi 1 lions o f Ameri - cans. He took particular aim at Sen. Rick Santorum, R -P a.,acon- servative who is atop the D em o cratic target list for 2006 and the lead supporter o f the G O P m ini mum wage alternative. Chimney Fall Kills Student (AP) — A University o f Oregon student died when he fell down a chimney shaft at the Ione Plaza, a 14-story apartment building next to Portland State University. Firefighters found the man bur ied under burning ash at the bottom of the shaft early Sunday, said A.J. Jackson, a spokeswoman with the Portland Fire Bureau. The victim , Tim othy D. Buras o f Palatine, 111., was visiting Port land for the weekend with a friend, w ho said he had w atched Buras fall into the shaft on the roof o f the building. It was the second death in a decade involving the chim ney shaft. In August 1994, police found the body of Michael Louis Hall, 20, at the bottom of the ventilation shaft a month after he was reported missing. Hall had been attending a party in the apartment building. l