October 19, 2005
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Fortiani» (Observer
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o m m u n ity
C a l e n d a r
Trillium Community
Garden Fair
Featuring free family fun through
live music, sculpture, children’s
activities and crafts, and delicious
food, the Trillium Community
Garden Fair will be held on Sun­
day, Oct. 23 from 2 to 5p.m. at the
comer of Northeast Thompson
and North Williams. For more
information, call 503-285-3833.
Haunted House
F rig h t T o w n , one o f the
n o rth w e st’s larg est haunted
houses, will feature fun frights
until Halloween. The fair takes
place inside the Rose Quarter
Exhibit Hall until Oct. 31, Sun­
days through Thursdays from 7
to 10 p.m. and Fridays and Satur­
days from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets are
$20 and can be purchased at the
door. $5 off coupons and more
in fo rm a tio n is a v a ila b le at
www.frighttown.com. Some ma­
terial may not be appropriate for
children under 15.
Homeownership Fair
The African American Alliance
for Homeownership will hold its
6lh annual Home Buying Fair on
Saturday, Oct. 22 from 10a.m .to
2:30 p.m. at Emanuel Hospital
Atrium on 501 N. Gresham St. The
fair is free and open to the public.
For more information, call 971-
506-8565.
NAACP Meeting
The October general meeting of
the NAACP will be held at Terrell
Hall on the PCC Cascade Campus
at 705 N. Killingsworth Ave. on
Saturday, Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to
noon. For more information, call
503-288-37 lOor send an email to
naacpl 120@aol.com.
Employees and directors o f the housing program Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives (PCRI) take joy in their new, expanded offices, located at 6329 N. E.
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. during an Oct. 12 grand opening celebration.
Housing Program E xpands V ision
PCRI Celebrates
Grand Opening
Like the many fam ilies th ey ’ve helped
to find a better home, Portland C om m u­
nity Reinvestm ent Initiatives (PCRI) re­
cently celebrated moving them selves -
to better offices.
The non-profit affordable housing pro­
vided celebrated a grand opening gather­
ing last W ednesday at 6329 N.E. Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd., highlighting the
success it has had over the last year, in
addition to presenting the annual Barbara
B. Smith Com m unity Award.
For 14 years, PCRI has realized its vi­
sion o f helping and em pow ering the low-
income com m unity in Portland by find
viable housing, both in rentals and pur­
chases.
Through preserving and managing high
quality, single-fam ily homes, as well as
continually acquiring new developm ents,
the program allow s household stability
and self-sufficiency. Especially in north
and northeast Portland, the rising costs
o f property and gentrification make it im ­
portant to keep houses open for low-
income residents who want to hold on to
and stay in their neighborhood.
D uring the last y ear, PCRI m ade
progress tow ard doubling the size o f its
portfolio, partly with the help o f Kate
Allen, director o f the Enterprise Founda­
tion in Portland and recipient o f the Bar­
bara B. Smith aw ard, which is given to
professionals in the com m unity w h o ’ve
furthered PC R Fs m ission.
A llen helped garner support from the
A lbina Com m unity D evelopm ent Corp,
and the Urban League Plaza, allowing PCRI
to preserve over 340 vital, affordable hous­
ing units in Portland.
T h e p ro g ra m a ls o la u n c h e d T he
continued
y^
on page H5
Free CPR Training
The Interstate Firehouse Cultural
Center in north Portland is able to
offer free training and certifica­
tion in CPR to 15 area residents.
N ic G ran u m , a v o lu n te e r
fire fig h te r and e x c e p tio n a l
teacher, will lead the class with
equipment donated by the Port­
land Fire Bureau. Call 503-823-
4322 to register or send an email
to office@ ifcc-arts.org.
Catlin Gabel Rummage Sale
Celebrating its 6L ' annual rum­
mage sale, Catlin Gabel School
will hold a massive fund-raiser
from Thursday, Nov. 3 to Sun­
day, Nov. 6 at the Portland Expo
Center. The fair features literally
tons of cheap buys spanning over
88,(XM) square feet. Hours are 5 to
9 p.m. on Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6
p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and
10a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Ad­
mission is free.
Women in Community
Service Seek Mentors
V olunteer m entors are being
sought by Women in Commu­
nity Service to work with incar­
cerated women at the Coffee
Creek Correctional Facility. Men­
tors provide support and encour­
agement for women transitioning
from prison back intothecommu­
nity. Volunteers must be females,
age 24 and up. For more informa­
tion, call 503-570-6614.
King Liquor Store
Replacement on Agenda
agency likes to maintain a separa­
Other local
tion of “three miles or greater”
between stores, but that this was
enforcement
not iron-clad in urban areas.
He said there were concerns
issues reviewed about
the former MI.K store due
to its small size and because it was
"counter store” in which the prod­
T he P ortland O bserver
Should there be a new state ucts were kept behind the counter.
liquor store to replace a former Williams said the agency is “mov­
outlet in Northeast Portland and if ing toward” self-service stores in
which patrons find their purchases
so, what should it be like?
The Oregon Liquor Control themselves.
At a public forum Oct. 12 at the
Commission isseeking public com­
Queen
of Sheba restaurant, other
ments on alcohol related issues
community
concerns were raised.
following the closure of store No.
C
hris
Y
eagers
o f the Eliot
198 at 3636 N.E. Martin Luther
Neighborhood
Association
com­
King Jr. Blvd. The store’s former
plained
of
drinking
in
Dawson
Park
operator, Robert Larry closed the
that
seems
to
defy
enforcement
outlet after alleged violations.
OLCC Assistant Director Rudy efforts.
“We were told we would have
Williams said that in considering
the locations of liquor stores, the to document where the liquor was
commission looks at the availabil­ coming from,” Yeagers said.
Sean Cruz, assistant to state Sen.
ity of suitable retai 1 space, whether
there is a sufficient population Avel Gordly, criticized liquor con­
within easy travel distance to sup­ trol agents for not taking action
port the store and whether other sooner to impose sanctions against
stores will compete.
continued 'y^ on page H5
Williams said that statew ide the
LIQUOR
store
Spaghetti Dinner
Those looking to help out a cause
by eating some yummy Italian food
can visit a spaghetti dinner being
held by St. Charles Church at 42nd
and Northeast Emerson Streets on
Sunday, Nov. 6 from noon to 6:30
p.m. Spaghetti and meatballs, salad,
garlic bread, a beverage and pie
will be served, and wine will be
available. For more information,
call 503-281-6461.
photo by
years -,
•Scom m unity service
<
by L ee P erlman
M ark W ashington /T iie P ortland O bserver
State liquor control officials haven "t decided whether it will
award a new license to someone wishing to replace the out-
of-business King Liquor store on Northeast Martin Luther
King Jr. Boulevard.
Portland Police
Officer Tracy
Bertalot is
honored for
her work
solving
problems at
low-income
housing sites.
Making Community Connections
and tenants were able to play a
more active role to im prove the
safety for all residents. The ac­
tions included help on identify­
ing problem tenants and evicting
them, and how to make more edu­
cated decisions when it came to
Helping people living in Hous­ selecting potential tenants.
“ I connected them with the re­
ing Authority of Portland proper­
ties has earned Portland Police sources needed to help them help
Bureau O fficer Tracy Bertalot them selves,” said Bertalot. “Resi­
special recognition from the O f­ dents som etim es feel pow erless
fice of N eighborhood Involve­ to do anything about their neigh­
borhoods. In com m unity polic­
ment.
The 12-year police veteran cre­ ing, the residents take part ow n­
ated partnerships between HAP ership in making their neighbor­
and city and county agencies, hoods safe.”
including the police b u re a u 's
Eric King, Office of N eighbor­
n e ig h b o rh o o d r e s p o n s e and hood Involvem ent's crim e pre­
drugs and vice team s and the v e n tio n
m a n a g e r, p ra is e d
Multnomah County D istrict A t­ B ertalot' s responsiveness to re si-
dents like those at N orthw est
torney.
Officials said because o f her T ow ers where there was drug
efforts, HAP and its m anagers activity and prostitution.
Officer helps
neighbors help
themselves
He said Bertalot connected the
appropriate police resources with
the apartm ent m anagem ent. This
team helped create an active ten­
ant association to address these
crim e problems.
“Officer Bertalot was a key part­
ner in reducing crime in this com ­
plex,” said King.
B ertalot is grateful for the
c o n n e c tio n s th at w ere m ade
w hile she w as the H A P liaison.
O ne p a rtic u la r p a rtn e rsh ip was
w ith the H AP Section 8 in v e sti­
gator. W orking to g e th e r, they
w ere able to in v e stig a te and
term inate vouchers w here h o u s­
ing fraud o r crim in al activ ity
w as found.
Bertalot currently w orks as a
patrol officer in southeast Port­
land and uses her problem solv­
ing skills to help southeast re si­
dents in her district.