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Page A6
July 27, 2005
L aw & J ustice
New Project Clean Slate Events Planned
A Project Clean Slate II to help
area residents get a fresh start from
their legal pasts is being planned
for this fall and at additional sites
in northeast, southeast and dow n
town areas o f Portland as a result
o f the successful event sponsored
/Mentis, your id
by the African Am erican C ham ber
o f Com m erce earlier this month.
More than 4,000 people were in
B LAC KO
f'i i.
attendance at Portland Com m unity
-V y
College C ascade Campus in north
Portland on July 9 for Project Clean
Slate to receive free legal help in
clearing up suspended d riv e r's li
censes or outstanding w arrants
that were preventing them from find
ing a jo b or qualifying for public
assistance. It was also a chance for
those in need to sign up for the
Oregon Health Plan, food stamps
or drug treatment.
More than 20 social service o r
ganizations provided help, along
with private attorneys, parole and
probation officers, the Portland
Police and M ultnom ah C ounty
Sheriff’s departments, juvenile ju s
tice and public defender’s offices,
faith -b ased groups and m ental African American Chamber o f Commerce President Roy Jay (center) joins chamber member Joe Nunn (from left), Portland Mayor
health and com m unity service or Tom Potter, District Attorney Michael Schrunk and Cascade Campus President Algie Gatewood during the recent Project Clean
ganizations.
Slate event at the PCC Cascade Campus.
chamber OF
JU
□Lv.
Man Admits 1997 Murder
A suspect in an 8-
evidence indicated
year-old investigation
that Keymolen was a
has been ch a rg e d
possible suspect in
with murder after go
the death of Merritt,
ing to police over the
and H am ilton was
weekend and admit
thought to have been
ting his role in the
a possible suspect in
north Portland shoot
the
d eath
of
ing death of 23-year-
K eym olen, but be
•w''‘
old Oscar Keymolen.
cause w itnesses re
Eric Hamilton. 28,
fused to cooperate, no
decided to come for
one was ever charged
Eric Hamilton
ward with information
in connection with
about a double homicide that oc this investigation. At the time, the
curred Nov. 1, 1997 at 2:56 a.m. in shooting was believed to be gang-
front of a residence at 416 North related.
Emerson St., police said. Both
Anyone with information in this
Keymolen and 30-year-old Tony investigation isaskedtocall Detec
Merritt died during the exchange of tive Brian Grose at 503-823-0757 or
gunfire.
Detective Steve Ober at 503-823-
During the original investigation. 4033.
Bus Mall
Sweep Brings
130 Arrests
Portland Police have been
sweeping the Downtown Bus
Mall since June 30, making
more than 130 arrests during
eight livability missions.
Arrests have included pos
session and distribution o f a
controlled substance and vari
ous warrants. Officers have
also excluded 47 people from
either the Drug Free Zone or
the TriMet system during the
missions.
Since beginning the mission,
several individuals and busi
nesses have told officers that
they have seen a marked im
provement in the area and an
overall reduction in the fear of
crime.
M ultnomah County Parole
and Probation has been as
sisting the Police Bureau
w ith this m ission, w hich
will continue through the
summ er.
D on’t sit still for arthritis pain.
Victim Gunned Down in Southeast
C h auntee Lam ont
Johnson, 28, was fatally
shot on Friday, July 22
at 7:54 p.m. in the park
ing lot of Sun's Market
on Southeast Division
Street.
W itnesses said the
sh o o tin g
o c c u rre d
while Johnson was talk
ing with two African
American males sitting
in an early 1990s, me
dium blue or green col-
Chauntee
Lamont Johnson
ored Ford Escort with a
spoiler on the trunk, low
profile tires and cus
tom wheels. The car
fled the area immedi
ately after the shoot
ing.
Anyone with infor
mation in this investi
gation is asked to call
Detective Barry Renna
at 503-823-0255 or De
tective Mike Geiger at
503-823-0768.
Arthritis hurts. Physical activity can help. Studies show that 30 minutes of moderate
physical activity three or more days a week can help you move more easily. You can
break it up, too. Start with a walk. Later, rake leaves or wash the car. Keep it up, and
in four to six weeks you could be hurting less and enjoying life more.
Physical Activity. T he Arthritis Pain Reliever.
H elp is Just a Call Away
continued
from Front
individuals, emergency response
teams and mental health programs.
"W e really encourage everyone
and everyone to call us if there’s
any question whatsoever. There’s
never a wrong or stupid question.
As long as it has something to do
with mental health, we welcome the
call," Kang said.
With a constantly updated data
base of information, the center acts
works with a bilingual counseling
and referral service, a mobile out
reach team, and emergency trans
portation by communicating with
other local public agencies.
G etting the word out about u ti
lizing the hotline is im portant to
the departm ent, because w hile
everyone knows an em ergency
num ber like 9 - 1 -1, the fact th ere’s
also a c e n tra liz ed em erg en cy
mental health hotline to call isn 't
as prevalent.
“ It’s a little more obscure,”
Kang said. “T here's often a stigma
that can be attached to having
mental health issues, so that can
also be a deterrent. Som etim es
people d o n 't realize they need
mental health assistance. It’s ju st
not as obvious as a bone sticking
out o f your leg.”
David Hidalgo, program man
ager for the program, said that rea
sons for calling run the gamut from
being upset with an employer, be
ing out of food, being beaten by a
spouse, or being worried about
o ne's own ability to keep them
selves safe.
Hidalgo said being able to talk to
a trained counselor anonymously
about one’s issues helps when the
caller is in the midst of a problem,
because an objective viewpoint
allows the issue to be worked on
without biased opinion.
“ If som eone is depressed and
uncertain, th ere’s certainly al
ways help available. It’s som e
times hard to see that if you d o n ’t
feel great. The treatm ents have
been researched, but the only way
to ge, that is to speak to someone
and seek support. People taking
that first step is the m ajor thing,”
H idalgo said.
The Mental Health Call Center
can be reached at 503-988-4888 or
tol I free at 1-800-716-9769. For more
information on the program, visit
w w w .co.m ultnom ah.or.us/dchs/
mhas.
Call 1-800-283-7800 to learn more.
Physical activity helps manage your arthritis pain. Take it slow. I ake it easy. Come and try one of the classes below. Classes are free fc
qualified participants. Please contact the African American Health Coalition for more information at: 503-413-1850 or visit www.aahc
portland.org .
Tai Chi (Contact the AAHC)
St. John's Community C enter- 8427 N. Central
Tue,6:3O-7:3Opm
Ix»w Im pact Aerobics
Tue,7:3O-8:3Opm
Seniors Physical Activity
Allen Fremont Plaza - 221 NE Fremont
Mon, 10:30-11:30am, Tue,Thu, 10:30-1 1:30am
Multicultural SeniorC enter-5325 NE MLK
Mon, Wed. 10:30-11:30am
Irvington Village - 420 NE Mason St.
503-546-9292x121
W ater A erobics (Contact the AAHC)
Columbia P o o l-7701 N Chautauqua
Matt Dishman - 77 NE Knott
WalkingGroup
Peninsula Park - 700 N Portland
(Saturday group will resume in the summer)
Lloyd C tr. 1 st FI. in front of Sears
Tue, Thu, 6:30pm
3rd Annual Wellness Within REACH Walk. Saturday, September I Oth at Dawson Park, located at N. Vancouve
and Stanton in Portland, OR. To register or volunteer, please contact the African American Health Coalition, Inc. a
503-413-1850 or ninan@aahc-portland.org.
A MESSAGE FROM TH E
CENTERS FOR DlSEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION • TH E ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION
T he D epartment of H ealth & H uman S ervices • A frican A merican H ealth C oalition , I nc
A ARTHRITIS ■
■ VL/V
C R C
•
*' HO
t i o t 'N U A i r »\
Take Control. ;ie Can Help "