Columbia Slough Regatta
500
years
f
Discover the nature and beauty of a
nearby waterway at Sunday s annual
Columbia Slough Regatta
•'community service
See story, Metro section inside
Oi'OtT' .(
v
¿ J L k irila n u
‘City of Roses’
www.portlandobserver.com
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXV, Number 31
Local Muslims
Call for Unity
’W eek in
TheReview
1946 Lynching Re-enacted
Civil rights activists marked the
59th anniversary of an unsolved
lynching Monday by re-enacting
the brutal slayings of two black
couples who were forced out of
their car by a mob of white men
and killed. The activists were try
ing to gain support for the pros
ecution of anyone who may have
been involved in what they called
the last mass public lynching in
the United States. See story on
page A2.
Saturday rally downtown
to condemn bombings
A Tri M et b u s transports First S te p cleaning crew m e m b e rs from s to p to sto p on its m issio n to
clea n a d ja cent sid e w a lk s an d parking lots a s th ey gain valuable skills from adult m entors.
Job Program Helps
M
Youth Take First Step’
Blistering Heat Causes Misery
Temperatures soared past 100 in
several cities and the National
W eather Service posted exces
sive heat warnings and adviso
ries from Illinois to Louisiana and
from Nebraska to the District of
Columbia. Some 200 cities in the
W est hit daily record highs last
week, including Las Vegas at 117
and Death Valley at 129.
Eminem ‘Taking a Break’
Is Eminem headed for retirem ent-
or just taking a break? Earlier this
month, reports from his hometown
of Detroit quoted sources as say
ing the 32-year-old rapper would
play his last concert at Slane Castle
in Dublin, Ireland, on Sept. 17, at
the end of “Anger Management”
tour. Eminem, whose real name is
Marshall Mathers, is quoted as
saying: “When I say I’m taking a
break. I’m taking a break from my
music to go in the studio and
produce my other artists and put
their albums out.”
Disability Timeline Revamped
People seeking disability benefits
from Social Security can expect to
spend less time waiting for a deci
sion under changes rolled out
Tuesday on the anniversary of
the Americans with Disabilities
Act. Social Security Commissioner
Jo Anne Barnhart said clearly dis
abled individuals could be ap
proved for benefits in as little as 20
days under the new procedures,
which the agency expects to start
putting into action next spring.
in a positive way,” said Haamid.
According to Haamid, there are
T he P ortland O bserver
almost
10,000 Muslims in the Port
Expressing outrage in regards
land
and
southwest Washington
to the recent terrorist bombings in
area.
He
said
their religion is often
London, local Muslims have facili
misunderstood
and has the poten
tated a rally that will take place
tial
to
turn
into
fear
and prejudice.
Saturday.
“It
shows
a
lack
of
understand
Leaders of the faith said they
ing
of
what
Islam
is,”
said
Haamid,
feel it is their duty to let the world
“We
don’t
want
to
be
silent
we
know that Muslims do not con
want
to
let
everyone
know
that
as
done violence. The rally is titled a
“Day of Condemnation, Not in My American citizens we object this
Name,” to debunk the assumption type of behavior. Muslims that do
participate in terrorist attacks don’t
that all terrorists are Muslims.
Amir (Administrator) Shaheed realize that it hurts the com m u
Haamid of the Muslim Community nity.”
The Day of Condemnation Rally
Center of Portland on Northeast
begins
at noon and will last until
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
invites people of all religious faiths 3pm and will take place at the Terry
to attend the downtown rally and Schrunk Plaza located at South
west Third Street and Madison
protest non-violently.
“Everyone that is for equal jus Avenue. For more information call
tice is invited. We hope the level of The Muslim Community Center at
attendance will be overwhelming 503-281-7691.
by N icole H ooper
Shuttle Discovery In Orbit
D isc o v e ry and
seven astronauts
blasted into orbit
T u e sd a y
on
A m e ric a ’s first
m ann ed sp ace
shot since the 2003
Columbiadisaster.
S p ace p ro g ram
e m p lo y e e s and
relatives of both
the Discovery and
C olum bia crew s
w a tc h e d
n e r
vously as the shuttle rose from its
pad. climbed into a hazy midsum
mer sky, skirted two decks of
clouds and headed out over the
ocean.
Wednesday • Iuly 27, 2005
by K atherine B lackmorf .
T he P ortland O bserver
They move quickly and quietly
from bus stop to bus stop, picking
up trash and keeping the towns
and neighborhoods along TriMet
bus routes beautiful. They’re the
youth involved in First Step, a
summer job and mentorship pro
gram based out of north Portland’s
University Park Community C en
ter.
“It’s the first step into the real
world." said Robert Harding, First
Step assistant director. “It gives
them a chance to see things other
than the ‘hood to broaden their
horizons.”
The decade-old program not
only allows them a chance to give
back to the community, but to gain
skills needed later in life.
“The main thing we stress is
teamwork, honesty and being real
- not just with your friends, but
with yourself - to find out what
photos by K atherine B i . ai kmore /T he P ortland O bserver
shortcomings you have and how
First S te p workers beautify Portland by cleaning up trash around
you can deal with them,” Harding
local b u s sto p s.
said.
com
e into the program w ith a them, I want to be able to help
About 20 teens from local high
w
eak
work ethic that is shaped them,” Jones said.
schools are involved. Their day
Through mentoring and activi
up
th
ro
u g h stric t d isc ip lin e .
begins at 7 a.m. exactly (no excep
ties
like basketball, kickball and
Learning
to
respect
others
helps
tions are made for being late) and
soccer,
those involved also get the
ends at 3:30p.m „ Monday through the teens respect them selves.
opportunity
to be productive with
Friday. They exercise in the morn This is especially im portant, she
their
summer.atimeoflull
for many
ing, have meaningful discussions said, considering the ages o f 14
high
school
students.
They'
re stay
to 18 can be confusing and im
and work hard.
ing
on
track.
“If you can get through this pressionable, with problem s at
“W e’ve got northeast kids that
program, you can get through life,” home or am ong friends. M aking
are
hardly ever out of the city li mits
said Marsha Jones, safety coordi sure grades stay up is also a
that
are working together as a team.
nator and youth supervisor for requirem ent.
It
s
incredible the way all these
“They need to show improve
First Step.
kids
come together,” Jones said.
Jones said that many youth ment over the years. If I can catch
photo by N u ole H ooper /T he P ortland O bserver
Amir S h a h e e d Haamid, o u tsid e th e M uslim C om m unity C enter
on N ortheast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, enco u ra g es
M uslim s and o thers to co n d em n terrorism.
Mental Health Hotline Help is Just a Call Away
K atherine B i . ackmore
T he P ortland O bserver
It’s usually easy to notice and take
care o f a person if th ey 're physically
harm ed. If a som eone is in an accident,
for exam ple, they might bleed, 9-1-1 is
called to transport them to a hospital,
and th ey ’re taken care of.
But when som ething is out of whack
with a perso n ’s thoughts or well-being,
it's not alw ays so apparent. Not being
aware o f m ental health warning signs
can lead to self-inflicted harm orharm to
others. N o th in g 's w orse than a life-
threatening conflict that co uld've been
prevented with a little attention, care
and support.
photo ry K atherine B i . ackmorf / T hf . P ortland O bserver
O f f e r in g th a t s u p p o rt is th e
R otating s ta ff a t th e M ultnom ah County M ental H ealth a n d Addictions Services
M ultnom ah County Mental Health and
Crisis H otline a n sw e r calls 2 4 hours a day, se v e n d a ys a w eek.
A ddictions Services D ivision, with a
by
I
I
hotline to call that 's basically a one-stop
shop for m ental health resources and
counseling.
“ If y o u 're feeling at your wits end and
a re n 't sure if yo u 're going to harm your
self, you can really get lost in the system
if you d o n 't know who to call,” said
Heeseung Kang, a supervisor with the
county’s Mental Health Crisis Hotline.
Open 24-hours a day, seven days a
week, the call center is set up to assist
those with issues such as severe anxi
ety, depression or thoughts o f suicide.
Beyond urgent care, the center also helps
family m em bers and friends access re
sources for supportive help.
In the last fiscal year alone, the center
had accepted more than 50,000 calls from
continued
on page A6