Committed to Cultural Diversity
www.portlandobserver.com
January 25. 2006
Nuevo Ballet Espanol
M etro
Dazzling flamenco dancers to perform
See El Observador, page B3
ÆIh' ^ Jo rtta n ò ffibscrucr
____________________________________ SECTION
om m unity
C a l e n d a r
Abortion Documentary
The Bread and Roses Center, 8 19
N. Killingworth St., commemo­
rates the Woe V. Wade decision
legalizing abortion on Wednes­
day, Jan. 25 with the 6 p.m. show­
ing of the Last Abortion Clinic, a
documentary film based on the
decline in the number of physi­
cians and clinics carrying out
abortions, focusing on the state
of Mississippi where only asingle
clinic performs the operation.
Stress Management
Providence Portland Medical
Center is hosting Heart Wise Liv­
ing Class for Medication and
Stress Management on W ednes­
day, Feb. 1, at 4805 N.E. Glisan.
For more information call 503-
215-8039.
Business Meeting
North/Northeast Business As­
sociation meetings are on the first
Monday of each month from 6 to
8 p.m. at AlbinaCommunity Bank,
2002 N.E. Martin Luther King
Blvd. Morning networking meet­
ings are the third Wednesday
each month from 7:30 to 9a.m. at
B lazers Boys and Girls Club, 5250
N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd.
Work Against Abuse
Community Advocates invites
those interested in protecting
children from abuse to become
an event volunteer, event out­
reach, technology expert, graphic-
artists or office support team
member. For more information,
call 503-280-1388.
Free College Outreach
The first Saturday of each month,
from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., high school
studehts can get free help from
Oregon State University on pre­
paring for any college at the Matt
Dishman Community Center, 77
N.E. Knott St.
Aquatic Fitness
Providence has a full schedule of
fitness classes including water
exercising at the Providence
Aquatic Center, 4805 N.E. Glisan.
Fora schedule, call 503-215-6301.
African Drumming, Dance
The North Star Ballroom. 635 N.
Killingsworth Ct., hosts begin­
ning drumming and Ghanaian
rhythm classes on Tuesdays at 6
p.m. On Wednesdays, intermedi­
ate drumming is offered in addi­
tion to an African aerobics and
dance. Chata Addy teaches all
classes. For more information call
503-6324)411.
Red Cross Teaches Safety
The American Red Cross offers a
range of safety classes for crisis
situations, from learning how to
baby sit to performing CPR. The
courses are intended for children
aged 8 through adult. For more
information visit www.redcross-
pdx.org.
Shoes For The Shoeless
NEW SHOES a Professional
Shoe Recrafters & Pedorthic
C enter will be launching their
15lh “Shoes For The Shoeless"
program to acquire shoes for
the needy on Saturday, Jan. 28.
All donations are handled by
the Portland Rescue Mission
for distribution. Please shoes
and b o o ts m ust be p a ire d ,
bound together by rubber bands
or tied, tagged with shoe size
and be clean and in wearable
condition. For more inform a­
tion call 503-684-2497 or visit
w w w .new shoes.com .
years*
* community service
k
B
Police Shooting Survivor Heals
Looks to better days ahead
by J i Dv N omakhaya D arko
T he P ortland O bserver
Tyrone W aters, a local man who
served a year in jail and four years
in a mental hospital after a near
fatal confrontation with police says
he is finally off supervision and is
making progress in gaining back
his independence.
The son of Sen. Avel Gordly, a
longtime African American leader
who re p re se n ts n o rth e a st and
southeast Portland, he encourages
other mentally ill people in the com ­
munity to not be ashamed to seek
help.
W aters, 40, survived a confron­
tation with police in Septem ber
2001. He was hit with bean bag
bullets when he refused to drop a
BB pellet pistol gun outside a fam ­
ily home. Five real bullets missed
him.
Today he is able to support him­
self and is working on improving
his skills and education.
“ I feel good to have my freedom
back." he says, grateful to be living
in his own house and paying his
own bills.
W aters was sitting in a local
cafe enjoying his breakfast d u r­
ing the interview for this story
when two police officers w alked
in to enjoy their own early m orn­
ing b rea k fa st. He ad m its that
police in uniform s m ake him un­
com fortable.
W aters has also taken a v o lu n ­
teer position with C ascade B e­
havioral H ealth assisting others
that are going through sim ilar
m ental illness. He also w ants to
see im provem ent in how m en­
tally ill p atients are treated in
hospitals.
He currently is on medication
and feels pretty good about him self
and is optim istic about the future
and even imagines the prospects of
PHOTO BY K HAYA D a RKO/T h E PORTLAND OBSERVER
having a family, and is thankful to Tyrone Waters who survived a confrontation with police 5 years ago, says he's pleased
his religion that has kept him going. with his progress in battling mental illness.
Dedication to Community Recognized
George Passadore
earns DePreist award
Volunteersof America Oregon will honor George
Passadore for his outstanding leadership and
community service as the 5th recipient of the
DePreist Award for Excellence.
The annual award to people who have been
outstanding leaders in our community will be
presented during a special ceremony on Feb. 2.
Passadore is the retired chairm an of W ells
Fargo in O regon and Southw est W ashington.
He currently is the president o f the Tri-M et
Board and chairm an o f the Portland-Bologna
George Passadore
Sister City A ssociation. He also serves on the
boards o f Village Heritage Foundation, the ODS
C om panies and is an em eritus trustee at Oregon
Health Sciences University.
His past community contributions include serving
as a board member of the Portland Public Schools
Foundation, the Oregon Zoo, the Oregon Symphony,
the Oregon Business Council and Holt International
Children’s Services,
“George Passadore's dedication and long-stand­
ing commitment to the community made him an out­
standing choice to receive the award. He embodies
all the qualities that the DePreist Award for Excellence
stands for”, says Kay Toran, president and chief
executive officer of Volunteers of America Oregon.
Keeping Good Finds Out of the Trash
Freecycle group
nation’s biggest
by N icole H ooper
T iie P ortland O bserver
The saying ‘one m an's trash and an­
other m an 's treasure' should be the motto
o fF reecy cle.o rg .
The Internet forum helps people re­
cycle items to each other instead o f throw ­
ing them away. First started in A rizona by
Daron Beal in 2003, there are now more
than 3,000 Freecycle com m unities in the
world, including Portland.
With more than 20,000 members, the
local branch is the largest Freecycle com ­
munity on earth, requiring nearby W ash­
ington and Clackam as counties to start
their own chapters.
Freecycle participants can range from
lower socioeconom ic to the wealthy. The
same rules apply to anyone regardless of
income. It is the m oderators' jo b to make
sure that people not only receive goods
for free but also have items to give away.
“ It can be anything like a book, old
records that you think no one would ever
want. You might be surprised that som e­
one may be looking for it," said Letha, a
Portland Freecycle moderator.
You can find just about anything on
Freecycle. But at times users post items
that cannot be given away, like com puter
softw are due to piracy issues, w eapons or
drugs o f any kind, even over the counter
m edicines. All items must he free, legal
and appropriate for any age.
Letha is a firm believer in Karma and
that giving away something that may not
be useful to you anymore can do wonders
for someone else.
“ If you give with the expectation of
getting nothing back then good things
will com e back to you." she said.
She also sees the exchanges as good
for the environm ent.
Freecylce members are able to exercise
Freecylce members are able to exercise
who they give their items to. It is first
suggested that the user finds a non­
profit group to give items before giving
to an individual. Rarely does an item
fail to get a taker.
who they give their items to. It is first
suggested that the user finds a non-profit
group to give items before giving to an
individual. Rarely does an item fail to get
a taker.
Letha enjoys the fact that she can give
away 20 items that arc o f no use to her and
get three items for free from others that
she needs.
Since Freecycle is strictly an Internet
group, the mem bers often d o n 't person­
ally know each other. Exercising caution
is important when inviting someone to
your house. Letha suggests not posting
I
your home telephone num ber or m ention­
ing the hours when you are not going to
be at home.
Once you post an item on the website
and it's accepted, it is up to both people
to keep their promise. Freecycle is based
on trusting other individuals to keep their
word.
So next time you are cleaning house,
d o n 't fill up those yellow curbside recy­
cling bins with perfectly good items be­
fore listing them on the Freecycle website.
For more information on Freecycle visit
www.freecycle.org.
I
Young
Professionals
Aspire
Urban League
program revitalized
by E rika -L eigh G oodwin
F or the P or i land O bserver
Youth is not always wasted on the young
and Portland's Young Professionals are
proof.
The Urban League of Portland has worked
to empower African Americans since 1945
with the goals of providing for the commu­
nity and working to attain equality in educa­
tion, employment and economically.
The Young Professionals, an affiliate of
the National Urban League, has worked for
years to provide leadership development,
economic empowerment and community
volunteer opportunities for those who hold
the keys to success and chose to share.
The local group is experiencing some­
thing of a rebirth. After disbanding for a
short while in 1999, it has recently been
revitalized. Its current president. Michael
Isom, like many of the group s recent mem­
bers is not originally from Portland, but has
found stability and purpose here.
The mission is to serve the community
and develop members through mentoring,
tutoring, scholarships, economic empower­
ment. political engagement, and leadership
development programs.
Despite their small numbers, the group
plans to increase its volunteer efforts as well
as boost attendance for its financial literacy
workshops and various fundraising pro­
grams.
Group members are comprised of up and
coming professionals aged 21 to 40 who
offer guidance through real world experi­
ence. while supporting the mission of its
national entity. Currently, they are as di­
verse as the community w ith experience in a
myriad of fields including education finance,
health care, engineering, and other local
non-profit agencies. The group provides
financial literacy programs, workshops for
small business owners, and various volun­
teer efforts.
Many of these Young Professionals are
successful in their respective fields of busi­
ness, all are volunteers and many in the
group pay dues for the privilege of being a
part of such an organization.
This year the Young Professionals hopes
to sponsor monthly events to raise funds
and educate Portland's African American
community financially and promote political
participation in the upcoming gubernatorial
race. The group is also considering a col­
laborative effort with the Urban Leagues
Nulites group that works to inform, encour­
age, and challenge young people in the
community.
For more information on the Young Pro­
fessionals. call 5O3-28O-26OO.