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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2005)
50< ■I Emancipation through Song y cars of •'community service Established in 1970 Graduate Killed in Attack A University o f Oregon student died from injuries suffered in an attack that happened a day be fore he was to take part in com mencement ceremonies. Three men confronted Phillip Gillins in an alley about a block from a campus-area bar he had just left. One of the men punched Gillins in the face. He fell to the ground and hit his head on concrete, never regaining consciousness. Police are looking for his attackers. Portland Police Cleared in Sex Prank Lawsuit A federal jury determined that the sexually charged antics of the Portland Police Bureau’s elite tac tical team did not create a hostile work environment for its first fe male member. Officer Liani Reyna, 36, who joined the team in 1999, accused the police bureau of al lowing the team 's rituals to go unchecked for years, then retali ating against her when she com plained. The jury heard about the team’s nude hot-tubbing, pornog raphy-viewing, strip club outings and explicit skits in which team members simulated having sex and masturbating. Boy, 4, Dies After Epcot Ride A four-year-old boy died after passing out aboard Walt Disney World’s “Mission: Space,” a ride so intense that it has motion sick ness bags and several riders have been treated for chest pain. Daudi Bamuwamye passed out Monday afternoon on the attraction, which simulates a rocket launch and trip to Mars. Paramedics and a theme park worker tried to revive him. but he died at a local hospital. a EPS 3 30 U A i O Q — 6" O' û£ o c § h > ■ - * J TS 3 'S) O' • - O' 5 2 o 'J c a a« LU Wednesday • lune 15, 2005 Free on All Counts Jackson website hails verdict as ‘historic’ Memo Tied to Kofi Annan Investigators oftheU.N.oil- for-food pro gram said Tu esday they are “urgently re viewing” new in fo rm a tio n that suggests U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan may have known more than he revealed about a contract that was awarded to the company that employed his son. www.portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity Volume XXXV, Number 24 A man wearing a belt packed with explosives blew himself up out side a bank in northern Iraq on Tuesday, killing 23 people and wounding nearly 100, including child street vendors and pension ers waiting for their checks. ,n Baghdad, the bodies o f 24 men killed in ambushes were brought to a hospital. A suicide car bomber also rammed his vehicle into an Iraqi army checkpoint in Kan’an, killing five soldiers and wound ing two others. See Focus section, inside See Metro section, inside ‘City of Roses’ Suicide Bombings Kill Many Award-winning j 'Street Fight ’ to air on PBS Black Pioneers welcome author, historian (¿lie in T1Week... The Review Political Heat Michael Jackson waves as he leaves court Monday in Santa Maria, Calif. Jackson was found not guilty on all counts against him. (AP photo) ( AP) — Michael Jackson’s Web site trumpeted his court room vindication Tuesday, linking it with such historic events as the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., while his lawyer vowed his client wouldn’t be sharing his bed with boys anymore. “H e’s not going to do that anymore,” attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. said. “He’s not going to make himself vulnerable to this anymore.” Jackson was acquitted Monday of child molestation, conspiracy and other counts by jurors who said the accusa tions of a young boy and his family were not credible - a legal victory that triggered jubilation among the pop star’s fans and embarrassment for the district attorney’s office. The Jackson Web site mjjsource.com featured graphics declaring “ Innocent” and showing a hand giving a victory sign as a fanfare plays. A scrolling calendar highlights historic events such as “Martin Luther King is bom ,” “The Berlin Wall falls,” “Nelson Mandela is freed,” and finally, “June 13,2005, R em em berthisdateforitisapart of HIStory." The reference was to Jackson’s 1995 album "HIStory: Past, Present, and Future Book I.” Mesereau said Jackson didn’t eat during the trial, didn’t sleep and lost weight. “It was a terrible ordeal for him,” Mesereau said. “H e’s going to take it one day at a time. It’s been a terrible, terrible process for him ,” Mesereau said Tuesday. A raucous welcome greeted Jackson as he returned to his Neverland Ranch on Monday afternoon. As a convoy of black SUVs carrying him and his entourage pulled through the gates, his sister LaToya rolled down a window, smiled widely and waved. The crowd responded with a euphoric cheer. The acquittals marked a stinging defeat for Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon, who displayed open hostility for Jackson and had pursued him for more than a decade, trying to prove the rumors that swirled around Jackson about his fondness for children. Sneddon sat with his head in his hands after the verdicts were read. Some jurors noted they were troubled by Jackson’s ad mission that he allowed boys into his bed for what he characterized as innocent sleepovers. “We would hope first o f all that he doesn’t sleep with children anymore and that he learns that they have to stay with their families or stay in the guest rooms or the houses or whatever they’re called down there,” jury foreman Paul Rodriguez said. “And he just has to be careful how he conducts him self around children.” Som e ju ro rs acknow ledged they flatly disliked the accuser’s mother, portrayed by the defense as a w elfare continued on page A5 Popular African-American Nightclub Forced Closed Helena’s calls treatment unjust by M ichael L eighton T he P ortland O bserver Helena’s Place, a northeast Port land restaurant and lounge popu lar with local African Americans, shut its doors last week in the wake of severe law enforcement action against it. “We were treated unfairly,” said Helena’sownerandmanagerCindy Davison-Harmsen. The establishment at 535 N.E. Columbia BI vd. was known to pack in crowds on weekends for danc- ing. But it has been in a fight for survival because of some violent history in and. outside, the club, hi - eluding fighting, a shooting and a stabbing death. Davison-Harmsen claims that a good club has been maligned by local law enforcement that twisted facts to make false accusations against the bar. She feels there was racism behind the actions. The Oregon Liquor Control Com- mission cancelled Helena’s license to serve alcohol, under the premise that there was no demonstration to control the premises and patrons in its vicinity, particularly with the stab bing death of patron Aaron Crews. photo by M ark W ashington /T hf . P ortland O bserver Helena's Place, a popular club with African Americans at 535 N.E. Columbia Blvd. has closed in the wake o f OLCC enforcement against its liquor license. A stay was granted Wednesday under the petition that the order could cause irreparable financial harm to the business, that there was a colorable claim o f error in the or der, and that granting the stay would not result in substantial public harm. But Davison-Harmsen said so many restrictions were imposed on the business that she couldn’t af ford to open its doors. She has filed a tort claim against the city for falsifications and is con sidering a lawsuit against the OLCC. In early 2003, H elena’s had agreed to implement a 21 -point com- continued y ^ on page A5 Keeping an Eye Out for Predators Portland Celebrates Qwest gives Juneteenth the way people com municate, how they research topics, even how they shop. It’s an integral part o f modern life, but it’s also made it easier to find out about harm ful subjects. S o m eth in g as simple as opening an atta c h m e n t o r u n know n e-m ail can bring about an expen sive computer virus or accidental viewing of p o rn o g ra p h ic and racist websites. R ecen t stu d ie s show that 62 percent of teenagers believe th at m ost o f th eir peers do things onl i ne they' d rather not have their parents see and 63 percent of parents tools for safe web searching by K atherine B lackmorf . T he P ortland O bserver Giving your child a computer is a great tool for learning, but it can also be a haven for trouble if you're not paying attention. Exposure to inappropriate content and people can have harmful effects on youth, including abduction or victimization. T ogether with the N ational Center for M issing and Exploited Children, Q w est is worki ng on a cam paign to give parents and guardians the resources they need for safer online use in and outside their homes. An interactive quiz and tips are safety tool w ith at a new w ebsite called www.incredibleintemet.com. The site al lows instant feedback on how to protect children from internet predators. “A lot o f times, parents themselves don’t know about the risks,” said Bob Gravely, public relations manager for Qwest in Oregon. . Gravely noted that with adults growing up in a different time than their children, technology has far surpassed what they had to deal with as youth. But having a basic understanding of how to be safe on the internet is essential for children and their parents, said Judy Peppier, Qwest president for Oregon. “If you're going to have a computer in your home, take time toeducate yourself," Peppier said. The information highway has changed photo by K atherine B lackmore V T he P ortland O bserver agree. “When I started talking to my kids, my rule was if I come up and you close down the screens, you're obviously doing some thing you’re not supposed to do,” Peppier said. Sure, teens want their pri vacy, but at what cost? Beyond sexual predators, web surfers also need to look out for fraud and identity theft. All the right information in the wrong hands could lead to damaged credit or a lack of money next ti me Internet chat rooms are a haven for sexual preda tors looking for vulnerable victims. / started talking to my kids, my rule was if I come up and you close down the screens, you 're obviously doing something you 're not supposed to do. - Judy Peppier, Qwest president for Oregon k « continued yf on page AS Festivities at Yam Yam’s Considered to be the African American Independence Day, this year's Juneteenth marks the 140th anniversary of freedom for many when on June 19, 1865, word of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the en slaved in Galvaston, Texas. This is the oldest nationally celebrated commemora tion o f the ending of slavery in the United States. “It reminds Americans o f the human spirit and the cruelty o f slavery,” said Kandie Berry, event coordinator. “It’s not just for African Americans - it's for everybody. It represents the joy and freedom and a chance for a new beginning. I really hope that the community supports the cause.” Local celebrations will span the week end in the parking lot of Yam Yam' s at 7339 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., primarily hosted by Women of Successful Choices and other volunteers. Festivities will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 17, with a brief introduction and his tory of Juneteenth by Reflections and Talk ing Drum Bookstores, as well as the Multnomah County Library. An ice cream social and live music will follow the opening ceremony. A parade, beginning a, 1 p.m . will be held on Saturday, June 18, with entertainment and a Yam Yam feast. Several bands and musi cians are scheduled to perform. Suggested donation is $3 adults. $2 children. Finally, on Sunday. June 19, gospel m usic w ith a variety o f choirs w ill begin continued y^ on page A3
