Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2005)
50ft Shelled by Budget Cuts t years King Facility loses community advocate 4 r A See Metro, page A 9 of •'community service (Lite w ‘City of Roses’ Established in 1970 w w w .portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity Volume XXXV, Number 28 Wednesday • July 6. 2005 Saving Jeff: Clothing label supports school Activists Pressure Leaders Activists kept up pressure on leaders o f the w orld’s richest nations Tuesday to lift Africa out o f poverty, but Britain’s treasury chief said those who believe hu man misery can be eliminated “with the stroke o f a pen” may be disappointed by the results of this week ’ s G-8 summit. The Make P o v e rty H isto ry c a m p a ig n launched has been endorsed by the Dalai Lama, Pope Benedict XVI and Nelson Mandela. Airstrike Deaths Condemned A fg h a n is ta n ’s g o v e rn m e n t sharply criticized the U.S. military Tuesday for killing up to 17civil- ians in an air strike and ordered an immediate inquiry. The U. S. called it a “very unfortunate situation” and said it also would investi gate. The air strike in eastern Afghanistan targeted a known terrorist base, but an Afghan government spokesman said the deaths of the civilians, including women and children, could not be justified. Venus Takes Wimbledon Venus Williams jumped back into the top 10 in the WTA Tour rankings Monday by winning Wimbledon, ris ing from No. 16 to No. 8. The w o m an she edged 9-7 in the th ird set o f Saturday’s epic final, L indsay Davenport, in c re a se d h er hold on No. 1, w hile W illiam s’ sister Serena dropped from No. 4 to No. 6 because she was upset in the third round at the All England Club. by N icole H ooper T he P ortland O bserver Makano Makano, Freddy Hamilton Jr. and Jake Feuer are the local faces behind a new clothing line called Audacity. Launched in 2003, the fashions have re ceived much praise from area youth and the media. But after two years of designing clothing for the skate boarder, they are now using their talent to save a school that many have given up on. This month. Audacity releases a new T-shirt with all proceeds going to help Jefferson High School, the north Portland landmark facing declining enrollments, the loss o f a third of its staff and possibly its long term future. All three men have varying reasons for supporting Jefferson. “I believe in education, bottom line,” said Feuer. “I don’t support budget cuts that take away education.” With north and northeast Portland schools being restructured, the young entrepreneurs fear that Jefferson is headed the wrong direction and could someday close. They see the loss o f teachers at Jefferson as putting local students at a disadvantage and affecting the school’s surrounding neighborhoods in a negative way. “One of the most talented people I know is a Jefferson graduate,” said Makano, who is home schooled. “If their education isn't up to standards then they may be overlooking other talented students.” Feuer is a recent graduate from Lake Oswego High School. Even though both Feuer and Makano live on another side of town, and have no personal ties to Jefferson, their motives are sincere. The two met Hamilton, the designer of their clothing line and a Jefferson high school graduate, through a mutual friendship with Charles McGee, the 19-year-old African American graduate o f Franklin High School who recently ran for the Portland school board. When he was 15, Hamilton received an internship with Nike and received much support from fellow stu dents and teachers. Now he feels it is duty to give back to the community and to use his talent to do so. This is not a school project for a grade but instead for making a statement," Makano said. “Portland Public continued on page A.2 Slow Walking Benefits Obese R esearch ers at th e U n iv e rsity o f C o lo rad o at B o u ld er have better new s for w alkers: S tro ll ing can help o b ese a d u lts burn m ore c a lo rie s p er m ile than b risk w alk in g and m ight even low er the risk o f a rth ritis and inju ries to the jo in ts than p ic k ing up the pace. photo by N icole H ooper /T he P ortland O bserver Freddy Hamilton Jr., Jake Feuer and Makano Makano sit on the steps in front o f Jefferson High School in north Portland. Each is wearing a shirt from their clothing line, Audacity. ■MMHM MMMM Making Changes One Step at a Time Chip Shields reaches beyond activism into politics Meth Deemed Top Drug Problem The crippling reach of metham phetamine abuse has become the nation’s leading drug problem affecting local law enforcement agencies, according to a survey o f 500 sheriff s departments in 45 states. About 90 percent of those interviewed reported increases in meth-related arrests in theircoun- ties over the last three years. The arrests also have swamped agen cies that assist with caring for children whose parents have be come addicted and with cleaning up toxic chemicals left behind by meth cookers. State Rep. Chip Shields confers with Sen. Ave! Gordly on the floor o f the House in Salem. Shields' legislative district covers parts o f north and northeast Portland. Gordly represents parts o f northeast and southeast Portland. by K atherine Bi ackmore T he P ortland O bserver P hoto by M ark W ashington /T hf . P ortland O bserver State Rep. Chip Shields gets his haircut by stylist Anthony “Brutha Luv" Blake and keeps in touch with his constituents at Geneva 's Shear Perfect Barber and Beauty Salon on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. His offices are at the capitol in Salem, bu, C hip Shields still w alks down Portland's Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard for his haircut. Beyond receiving a good trim and interesting neighborhood conversation. Shields says it keeps him in tune with what’s going on in the place he lives. T hat's important, considering he rep resents House District 43, the state legis lative district in the heart of north and northeast Portland's inner city neighbor hoods. As a Democrat in his first year in Salem, h e's already been making some changes. Shields got involved in politics from a grassroots, social work background of helping those around him. “1 never really had this great epiphany," Shields said. “One day you're signing a petition. The next day you're going to a meeting. The next day you’re involved in a march. The next day you're running for office. Sometimes the progression just gets a hold of you and you see that you want to make things better.” Shields co-founded the local non-profit group Better People, a local living-wage job placement and counseling center in northeast Portland for people trying to turn their lives around. Before his election las, year, he got politically involved in grass roots cam paigns to raise the state minimum wage, continued on page A5
