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www.portlandobserver.com
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXV, Number 23
Wednesday • lune 8, 2005
Project
Clean
Slate
r .Week in
TheReview
Five Bombings Kill 18,
Wound 67 in Iraq
F o u r a p p a re n tly c o o rd in a te d
bom bings in seven m inutes T ues­
day killed 18 people and w ounded
39 in northern Iraq, w hile a car
bom b in Baghdad injured 28, end­
ing a relative lull in violence.
H undreds o f U.S. and Iraqi sol­
diers descended on the rem ote
northern city o f Tai A far near the
Syrian border, launching a m ajor
operation against insurgents fol­
low ing w eeks o f attacks against
Iraqi security services there, m ili­
tary officials said.
Goal is fresh start
from legal past
Prosecutions
Unlikely of
Medical Pot
Users
A n yone w ho
lights up ajoint
for m edicinal
purposes isn’t
lik e ly to be
p u r s u e d by
federal authorities, despite a Su­
prem e C ourt ruling that these
m arijuana users could face fed­
eral charges, people on both sides
o f the issue say. In a 6-3 decision,
the court on M onday said those
w ho sm oke m arijuana because
their doctors recom m end it to
ease pain can be prosecuted for
violating federal drug laws, over­
riding m edical m arijuana statutes
in 10 states.
Jackson Trial Jury
Resumes Deliberations
The jury resum ed deliberations
T uesday in the child m olestation
case against pop star M ichael
Jackson. T he jury, w hich put in
about tw o hours after getting the
case Friday afternoon, com pleted
its first full day o f deliberation on
M onday. T he ju ry has follow ed
the trial schedule o f a six-hour
day, including three 10-minute
breaks but no lunch break. If con­
victed on the m olestation counts,
Jackson could get several years
in prison.
General Motors Plans to
Cut 25,000 U.S. Jobs
G eneral M otors Corp, plans to
elim inate 25,000 m anufacturing
jo b s in the U nited States by 2008
and close plants as part o f a strat­
egy to revive North A m erican
business at the w orld’s largest
autom aker, its chairm an said on
T uesday. C hairm an and C h ief
Executive R ick W agoner said the
capacity and jo b cu ts should
g e n e r a te a n n u a l s a v in g s o f
roughly $2.5 billion. G M now
em ploys 111,000 hourly w orkers
in the United States.
Y ear E nd T u g (' Fun
Students from Boise-Eliot Elementary in north Portland find sw eetness in victory after a tug-of-war competition on Friday at the
Nike campus in Beaverton. The entire school was invited to the NikeGo Field Day to commemorate the end o f the school
year and the completion o f nearly 100 physical education classes taught by Nike volunteers. See additional photo in Sports,
ppge B6.
Queen
Crowned
Gardens
Bloom
photo by I saiah
B oi h TT hf . P ortland O bserver
Roses are finally in bloom all over Portland, with a variety o f
styles and colors to be admired.
$1 Trillion Military Spending
For the first tim e since the Cold
W ar, global m ilitary spending
exceeded $ 1 trillion in 2004, nearly
h alf o f it by the United States.
photo by P rints C harming P hotography
Central Catholic High School
Senior Katelyn Callaghan was
crowned Rose Festival Queen
during a coronation ceremony
Thursday. She was chosen from
a group o f 14 Rose Festival
Ambassadors from 14 Portland
high schools.
photo by I saiah B oi te TT he P orti , and O bserver
Portland's Rose Festival Finds a p e t’s shiny coat matching the bril­
liance o f the roses at the International Test Rose Garden in Washing­
ton Park. The garden is considered to be the oldest official, continu­
ally operated public rose test garden in the United States.
by N icole H< x > per
T he P ortland O bserver
Area residents who are attempt­
ing to get a fresh start from legal
problems can find help from Project
Clean Slate, a program launched by
the African-American Chamber of
Commerce.
The mission
is to help those
w ith
past
crim inal and
civil records
start over and
become pro­
ductive mem­
bers o f the
community.
C ham ber
President Roy Roy Jay
Jay said the
project has won overwhelming sup­
port since it was announced two
months ago, including from the dis­
trict attorney’s office, circuit court
judges, public defenders, private at­
torneys and social services agen­
cies.
Project Clean Slate is going to do
their best at breaking the cycle for
Portland’s former inmates.
People in the criminal justice sys­
tem who have been paroled and paid
their debt to society face major
hurdles, including the stigma of be­
ing a convicted felon. It’s a definite
catch 22, because they are expected
to get a job and rejoin society but
finding resources for help is null. In
times o f stress, this can lead to a
cycle of imprisonment.
A resource fair has been sched­
uled on Saturday, July 9 at the north
Portland Cascade Campus of Port­
land Community College to provide
help to those who want to clean up
their past for a promising future.
The chamber decided to forgo its
annual awards banquet to put re­
sources into helping those in a legal
morass.
“There will be counselors and
resources on site for every thing from
credit, housing, education, drug
abuse and employment, “said Jay.
Those attending the event should
also feel confident that they can
seek help without worrying if they
are going to be arrested, according
to JoAnn Bowman of Oregon Ac­
tion, a past state lawmaker who is
helping coordinate the event.
Even if a person has outstanding
warrants, they can still attend. Bow­
man said. This is also a chance for
those who have a criminal record to
make a fresh start without paying
legal fees.
“We don’t want money to be a
factor for people getting their lives
back in order," said Bowman. “O f­
ten traffic fees can double while a
person is in prison and makes it
difficult to pay them off."
Bowman added that PCC has
been very helpful in supporting
Project Clean Slate and is a partner
in the effort. Safeway Foods is also
a major sponsor.