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‘City of Roses'
ndthcAmerican Experience
Established in 1970
Volume XXXVI, Number 8
www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Wednesday • February 22. 2006
■■M M M
.W eek in
Thc Review
PSU Attorney Named Judge
G ov. T ed
Kukxigowski
named Port
land State
U niversity
a tto rn e y
A d r ie n n e
N elson to '
fill a va- I
cancy on the Multnomah County
Circuit Court. Nelson has led di
versity efforts at PSU and was
the attorney in charge of student
legal and mediation services. See
story, page A3
Arab Takeovers Defended
Despite mounting opposition.
President Bush said Tuesday that
adeal allowing an Arabcompany
to takeover six major U.S. sea
ports should go forward and that !
he would veto any congressional
effort to stop it. "This transac
tion does not jeopardize in any
way the security of the country,”
Bush said.
Iraq Car Bomb Kills 22
A car bomb exploded Tuesday
on a street packed with shoppers
in aShiite area of Baghdad, killing
22 people and wounding 28, po
lice said
Louisiana Rebuilding Plan
Gov. Kathleen Blanco has out
lined a $7.5 billion plan to help
Louisiana residents rebuild, re
pair or sell their hurricane-dam-
aged homes, although uncertain
ties remain about whether Con
gress will provide the money and
which state agency will distrib
ute it. See story, page A2.
Court Takes Abortion Case
The Supreme Court said Tues
day it will consider the constitu
tionality of banning a type of
late-term abortion, teeing up a
contentious issue for a court with
two new members. See story,
page B4.
photo by I saiah
B ouie / T
he
P ortland O bserver
Brian Thomas (center), Portland Rescue Mission New Life program chaplain, says his outreach to people visiting the downtown mission ties into the
mayor's initiative to end homelessness in the next 1 0 years.
Finding Rewards in Old Town
Chaplain takes life
changing journey
by S arah B lount
T he P ortland O bserver
Another world exists on West Burnside in Portland’s
Old Tow n, where evidence of life on the street is visible
but often ignored. The Portland Rescue Mission is at
the center of that world, bridging the gap between an
itinerant community and outsiders just passing by.
Brian Thomas, chaplain and intake coordinator for
the missiori ./New Life program, reaps as much benefit
from the mission personally and spiritually as the
scores of homeless who have been given a hot meal,
shelter and another chance.
Thomas joined the Rescue Mission three years
ago, giving up a successful sales career to focus on
ministry and mentorship. He acknowledges that his
intentional downward business mobility was a tough
choice, but with the support of his family he overcame
his need fora more material lifestyle.
The son of a pro wrestler, the younger Thomas is
imposingly built with a barrel chest, with kind eyes and
an enthusiastic nature to soften his image. He pos
sesses a salesman persona and gift of gab. valuable
tools sharpened from working in sales.
Before leaving his job with Xerox, Thomas began
mentoring on the streets of Old Town. He eventually
discovered the center of homeless activity under the
Burnside Bridge, following a trail to the mission, a
regular gathering place for area homeless people.
Thomas began to mentor at the mission, establishing
himself as someone homeless guests could relate to
and trust. Soon he was invited to begin chaplainry
training, and was eventually joined as a staff chaplain.
continued
on page A 10
Do We Need A Black
History Month?
Hallucinogenic Tea Okay
The Supreme Court ruled unani
mously Tuesday that a small j
congregation in New M exico
may use hallucinogenic tea as
part of a four-hour ritual in
tended to connect with God.
Justices, in their first religious
freedom decision under C hief
Justice John Roberts, moved
decisively to keep the govern
ment out of a church’s religious
practice.
Actor Morgan Freeman stirred some
controversy when he suggested that there
shouldn’t be a Black History Month
because black history is American history.
We asked students at Portland Community
College’s Cascade campus their opinion.
We should celebrate it
because everybody else
has a month.
H -A lisa Jordan, 18
Property Law Upheld
The Oregon Supreme Court up
held a voter-approved property
rights law T uesday that re
quires governments to pay land-
o w n e rs fo r p ro p e rty valu e
losses caused by regulations,
or to waive the regulation and
let th e o w n e r d e v e lo p th e I
property.
photo by I saiah Bot ie /T he P ortland O bserver
An icon o f soda fountain days gone by is preserved at an Oregon Historical Society exhibit, downtown. The lunch
counter was salvaged from the former Newberry s store in the heart o f the downtown retail center. Today, visitors
to the exhibit can press a jukebox key and see a historical presentation about real Oregonians.
Where Black History Never Ends
Museum spotlights
Oregon’s diversity
by S arah B lount
T he P ortland O bsirver
Black History Month neverends at the Oregon Histori
cal Society where visitors can discover the role of African
Americans and other minorities in Oregon dating back to
19th century.
The educational journey begins at the museum along
downtown Portland's South Park Blocks or online at
www.OHS.org.
The historical society has compiled a list of resources,
cleverly mapped out and designed so as not to be exhaus
tive to museum visitors and web browsers. Oregon's
minority history is dotted throughout the both sites,
including The Oregon History Project.
Hundreds of documents make up the museum’s online
archives of digitized documents and artifacts, tracking the
change in Oregon’s landscape. The site is friendly for
researchers, teachers and casual visitors, with an online
learning center and interpretation aids.
Commerce, Climate & Community: A History of Port
land & its People focuses on commerce, immigration,
continued
on page 4 III
1
It’s kind of bummish that
we get one month and it’s
only 28 days. We should
celebrate everyday, but
maybe not as magnified,
—Shamara Stevenson, 20
It should be common for
everyone to respect other
races. It should be a
normal thing.
-M a rk Yeckel, 19
There are so many cultures to
represent. I don't think there
should be given months, it
should be whenever.
-Phaydra Mutch, 25
It’s nice to have a month set
aside to remember every
thing they’ve gone through.
-J o sh Suprana, 18