Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2005)
E M B R A C IN G years Of I •'community service I a n g ri Multicultural Pursuit Students explore explore Students medicine at at OHSU OHSU medicine < “ .... IW story, See See story, page page A7 A7 > ffiortlanb (Obs eruin- lx p -» » . rx t r ‘City of Roses’ , I I. I » • fl H n h S C TVC w w w .portlandobserver.com in " 7 < A IAAAAA/ H A f t I Established in 1970 Wednesday • August 3, 2005 Committed to Cultural Diversity Volume XXXV, Number 32 Victory, Defeat in Salem AA/eekin Celebrating1 TheReview Fire Threatens 140 Homes A wildfire is threatening about 140 homes near Lake Wenatchee in central Washington, fire offi cials said. Seventy-five homes already had been evacuated and residents of 70 other homes scat tered in the area had been warned they also might have to leave. O’Neal Signs for $100 Million S h a q u ille O ’Neal and the M iam i H eat agreed T ues day on a $100 million, five- year contract, one that pre sum ably will keep the 12-time All-Star center playing past his 38th birthday. “W e wanted to make sure that Shaquille was being compensated well into his career,” said Perry Rogers, O 'N eal’s agent. Unprecedented Shuttle Task Discovery ’ s astronauts took a call from President Bush on Tuesday as they prepared for a task that's never before been attem pted: Sending a spacewalker beneath the shuttle to remove filler stick ing out between the tiles on the ship's belly. NASA says the pro truding material could cause dan gerous overheating during re-en try and lead to another Columbia type disaster. Embattled Bolton Sent to U.N. President Bush installed em battled nominee John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations on Monday, bypassing the Sen ate after a testy five-month stand off with Democrats who argued that the tough-talking conserva tive was unfit for the job. Bolton went directly from the W hite House to the State Department where he was sworn in. Within five hours of his appointment. Community Baltazar Ortize Center anniversary Local youth engaged in posi tive self-expression by identify ing and promoting elements of their culture in painting a mural to celebrate the fifth year anniver sary of the Baltazar Ortiz Commu nity C e n te r at 6 7 3 6 N .E. Killingsworth St. The team of around 25 young people joined adult mentors in doing something positive for their neighborhoods. The students in the Multnomah County Department of School and Community Partnerships Touch stone program designed and pro duced a 50-foot by 10-foot mural on the west side of the nearby Hacienda Community Develop m ent C o rp ., at 6 8 5 6 N .E. Killingsworth St. L ocal a r tis t H a m p to n Rodríguez led the artistic design o f the m ural, com pleted on Sat urday. The effort added to other com m unity revitalization efforts photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver already underw ay, including the Latino youth celebrate the fifth anniversary o f th e Baltazar Ortize C om m unity C enter at addition of several new apart 6 8 5 6 N.E. Killingsworth by painting a mural on th e o u tsid e wall o f th e nearby H acienda ment com plexes. C om m unity D evelopm ent Corp, office serving local neighborhoods. This project was in partnership with Northwest Family Services counter negative media coverage dents showcased artistic talent, a continued on page A l2 and Hacienda. Youth in the com of teens and Latino youth in gen- strong work ethic and the power munity identified the project to eral. Through this work, the stu- of working together. Tobacco Linked to Belly Fat Exposure to cigarette smoke in teens can cause excess belly fat that increases the chances ot heart disease, stroke and diabetes, ac cording to a new study. Research ers found that 6 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds had the fatty condi tion called metabolic syndrome, and that the prevalence increased with exposure to tobacco smoke. DNA Test Frees Man During his nearly two decades in prison on a rape conviction, Tho mas A. Doswell was denied parole four times because he refused to accept responsibility forthe crime. But DNA evidence has finally proved what he’s been saying all along: He didn’ t do it. Doswel1,46, was convicted in the 1986 rape of a 48-year-old woman at a hospital in Pittsburgh. P hoto by M ichael L eighton /T he P ortland O bserver , u Sw im m in g pool patrons are under the watchful ey e o f lifeguard Cam eron Kreuz a t th e Pier Park Pool in th e S t. Johns co m m u n ity o f north Portland. Kids, Families Face Loss of Pool M ichael L eighton T he P ortland O bserver by M o g D Ô - ’ c on O © <L> r i - g - S S : 2 o 0 2 S •s u J - u _c > M O' a. 'J c 4Z E 5 E r l 3 —I iZ —■ LU Members of the north Portland St. Johns community were surprised to learn that Portland is giving up on the popular Pier Park pool. The outdoor facility, a resource for gen erations of Portland families, is scheduled to close for good at the end of its current summer season on Sept. 5. City budget cuts are blamed. Neighbors are outraged that no public meetings or notifications were held on the issue. The pool serves some of Portland's most diverse and economically-challenged neighborhoods. Monday, the office of City Commisioner Dan Saltzman said it will try to find replace ment monies to put the pool back in the budget for next summer, but said it's no easy task because there are so many other de serving programs in the city. Saltzman spokesman Matt Grumm said the closure stands right now. The axe fell from general budget talks and the need to cut $7 million in total city expenditures. The parks bureau listed Pier Park Pool as one of the lowest used in attendance and lacking the facilities upgrades of other city pools It estimates it could save $70.000 by clos ing the pool Grumm said Saltzman was not the com missioner of parks until jus, three weeks ago “He hopes to find money to keep all pools open,” Grumm said. Mayor Tom Potter was ou, of town and could not be reached for comment His office said the pool could be saved with additional monies approved by the City Council, bu, meetings with the neigh borhood were needed to sc, priorities. Mental health equity passes, lethal force bill stumbles by M ichael L eighton T he P ortland O bserver Portland’s senior African-American law maker in the Oregon Senate is poised for both a huge victory and disappointment as the Oregon Legislature in Salem moves toward adjournment. S en . A vel G o rd ly , w ho serves northeast and so u th e a st Portland, saw the realization of one of her top priori ties for more than a decade when a bill was passed by both houses last w eek to giv e S e n . A ve I Gordly equality to m en tal health care patients by requiring insur ers to cover m ental health care and drug an d a lc o h o l tr e a tm e n ts . G o v . T e d K ulongoski says he will sign the Mental H ealth Care Parity law. The disappointment comes over a long sought bill to bring police accountability and transparency in the use of deadly force. B acked by the A fric a n -A m e ric a n A lbina M inisterial A lliance, O regon A t torney G eneral H ardy M yers and John M innis, a form er Portland police officer and O regon’s director o f Public Safety and Training, the deadly force law would also pay for better police training. The legislation passed the Senate last w eek but was torpedoed Saturday in the House by another form er police officer. Rep. Jeff Barker, D -A loha, a retired police officer and longtim e Portland po lice union executive, introduced an am end ment that strips the professions that al low grand jury procedures to becom e p u b lic re c o rd s in o f f ic e r - in v o lv e d sh o o tin g s. B arker did not return a call to the Port land O bserver asking for com m ent. His legislation retains the added police training provisions but takes away both the options o f transparency in grand jury panels and another option o f a public inquest. G ordly said the changes m ake the bill totally unacceptable and breaks faith with the com m unity. “ W e're going to try to salvage the intent o f the bill,” G ordly said. The Dem ocrat said she has spent 14 years thinking and praying about bring ing accountability and better training to police statew ide. She said passage on the Senate bill on a bipartisan basis would not have hap pened if not for the support o f A ttorney G eneral M yers and the pow er and influ ence of his office. She said the A lbina M inisterial A lli ance and M innis, a form er R epublican law m aker also played a huge role in bring ing the issue forw ard. The law, as first proposed in 1995 and in proposals she. M innis and Sen. M arga ret C arter, another A frican A m erican Dem ocrat from Portland made last ses sion, would “m ove us tow ard a justice system tha, is fair and ju st,” G ordly said. "The adm inistration of ju stice must a l w ays be accessible to all ot its citizens. She said the proposal em erged as the result of enorm ous pain suffered by vic tim s, by fam ilies o f victim s and by law enforcem ent officers and their fam ilies and the com m unity itself. G ordly said its possible the H ouse and Senate can work through conflicts in a conference com m ittee, bu, “W e may have to com e back next L egislative session.”
