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‘City n of f Roses’
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Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXVI, Number 27
TLWeek ¡n
The Review
New York Explosive Divorce
The gas-triggered explosion that
flattened a $9 million. New York
townhouse on Monday followed
hateful divorce-related messages
apparently from its owner. Dr.
Nicholas Bartha,66. Bartha was in
critical condition with sfecond-
and third-degree burns Tuesday,
and investigators are looking into
the possibility of his suicide at
tempt, denying his estranged wife
any claim to the buidling.
Commodores Singer Dies
Milan B. Williams, an original
member of the Commodores, died
Tuesday, July 11 at 58, after a long
battle with cancer. Prior tojoining
The Commodores, Milan played
in a rivaling band cal led The Jays.
When The Jays disbanded, Milan
joined the Commodores. He left
the Commodores in 1989, alleg
edly after refusing to perform with
them in South Africa. See inside,
page A 6.
More Charges in Iraqi Murder
Four m ore
U.S. soldiers
have been
charged with
rape
and
murder and a
fifth with der
eliction of duty, for the deaths of
an Iraqi woman and her three rela
tives, last M onth. E x-soldier
Steven D. Green was arrested last
week in North Carolina and has
pleaded not guilty to one count of
rape and four counts of murder.
See story, page A2.
Now Advocating Healthy People
terminology:
“Health and health care are not
synonym ous,” K itzhaber says.
“What we really want are healthy
people.”
by S arah B lount
He named the Archimedes Move
T he P ortland O bserver
ment after a Greek mathematician,
Though many think of it as a basic
Imagine an Oregon where every resi
famed for saying“Give me a lever
human right, healthcare has become one
dent has health care, regardless o f age or
and a place to stand, and 1 can move
of the world's largest and fastest-grow
income. To conjure up such a vision, you
the earth.”
ing industries. Since the advent of mod
must first push out images of squabbling
Kitzhaber and the ancient Greek
em medicine, the simplicity of health has
politicians and candidates with earnest
share lofty goals, but to understand
grown complicted, and expensive:
promises. You have to move past the
why the former governor and emer
1800s - Americans received health
legacy of crippled state and federal health
gency room doctor believes he can
care in their homes from midwives, phy-
care structures, and past the status quo
help the estimated 613,(XM) (about j sicians, homeopaths, and herbalists, pay
system favoring the wealthy and the “de
one in six) uninsured Oregonians,
ing out of pocket until the last quarter of
serving” poor.
look back to 1989.
the century. As science and technology
This is precisely what formerGov. John
That was the year Kitzhaber
blossomed, the number of hospitals grew
Kitzhaber has in mind, and to make the
served as president of the State
and a modern medical education system
v isio n re a lity , h e ’s lau n ch ed the
Senate, and Oregon made national
was born. The demand for health care
“Archimedes Movement.” The statewide
headlines by passing Senate Bill 27.
rose, as did the demand for increased
grass roots organization is run by thou
Refusing to accept existing federal
standards for physicians and hospitals.
sands o f volunteers, aiming to drive the
Medicaid system, Oregon rewrote
1930-1940 Blue Cross becomes the
universal health care debate past the
and enacted several provisions of
nation's first pre-paid health insurance,
gridlock o f partisan politics.
Medicaid law, extending coverage
followed by Blue Shield, a physician-
John Kitzhaber has launched the ‘Archimedes
O f course, any meaningful change must
to
Oregonians
below
the
federal
created
plan. Private health insurance is
Movement' to drive a universal health care
come from lawmakers, but Kitzhaber’s be
poverty
level.
on
its
way
to becoming well established.
initiative.
lief is that effective change comes from
The law, having required federal
1960s Federal health insurance pro
everyday people, not politicians.
will focus initially on health care reform. waivers, forced Congress to examine their
grams Medicare and Medicaid are cre
Kitzhaber organized this broad vision Without spending any extra monies, he current program. It gained national exposure
ated. Medicare covers individuals age 65
not as a detailed plan, but in response to suggests instead reallocating existing pub when Gov. Bill Clinton expressed support
and over, or who meet other special crite
agrowing population tired of the promises lic healthcare funds, (about $6.3 billion) and during the first 1992 presidential debate.
ria. Medicaid provides health insurance
found in transactional politics (vote for me redirect the spending to reflect a more sus President George H.W. Bush rejected the
for individuals and families with low in
and I’ll lower your taxes).
tainable and effective system.
Oregon Health Plan in 1992, but incoming
comes and resources.
Deciding not to seek a another term as
The ground-up approach is unprec President Clinton passed it in 1993. State
1993-1994 - President Bill Clinton
governor, he launched the direct-action e d en ted and stra ig h tfo rw a rd , and
continued
on page A6
continued
on page A 6
Archimedes Movement in January - which Kitzhaber’s vision abandons even basic
Ex-go vemor backs
healthcare reform
H is to r y o f
H e a lth C a r e
A Knott Street Boxing
Champ Remembered
After two years in Portland, Trail
Blazer Sebastian T elfair was
traded to the Boston Celtics. He
says he is sorry to leave Port
land behind, but the Blazers are
hopeful that second-year player
J a r r e tt Ja c k w ill d e v e lo p ,
making Telfair the choice for the
trade.
Chappelle “Lost
Episodes” Surface
Fans of Dave Chappel le have been
in withdrawal since the comedian
abruptly left his landmark series
in April 2005. Now Comedy Cen
tral has cobbled together three
e p iso d es b ased on m aterial
Chappelle recorded before his
infam ous departure. C o-stars
Donnell Rawlings and Charlie
Murphy host "Chappelle's Show:
The Lost Episodes," premiering
this week onComedyCentral. See
story, page B3.
Eight bombs hit Bombay, India's
commuter raiI network during rush
hour Tuesday evening, killing at
least 147 people and wounding
more than 400 in what authori
ties called a w ell-coordinated
terrorist attack. There was no
immediate claim of responsibil
ity in the bombings.
Restoration is coming for the historic and crumbling Billy Webb Elk's Lodge, a 1921
structure that once served as a YWCA for black residents.
Preserving a Relic from the Past
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Halim Rahsaan, a Portland legend in and out of the ring,
died Friday, July 7 at the age of 63.
Halim Rahsaan was a man who fought many battles. In the
ring, the man who fought under the name Bill Cross was a
boxing champion. In Portland, where he made his lifelong
home, he was achampion forchange in the black community.
Rahsaan’s final battle began when he suffered a stroke on
July 3, ending when he passed away four days later on
Friday. Rahsaan leaves his wife Frances and a large family,
from his nine children to three great grandchildren. Rahsaan
also leaves many friends and an entire community, young
and old, who will remember his legacy.
When his children were young, Rahsaan was already a
prominent figure in Port
land. As a member of
several coalitions, ad
visory committees and
fronts, Rahsaan helped
organize and provoke
,k.
i N
change in the face of
>
WW '¿¿fe-
blatant and institutional
racism. In the 1970s he
converted to the Mus
lim faith, changing his
and his family' s name to
Rahsaan. which means
“the light.”
He was a true leader Halim Rahsaan
and a credit to Portland.
One of his sons, Anthony, remembers seeing his father
often in public and on television, but only halfway under
standing what he stood for. When Anthony was a high
school student, Rahsaan had successfully challenged Port
land Public Schools, introducing black studies into the
curriculum.
“W e’re very proud," said his daughter Pamela Rahsaan-
Miles, “but when we were young we took for granted that he
touched a lot o f people.”
Up until his final days, Rahsaan continued to touch the
lives of many people. His life work in youth advocacy was
extensive, and he most recently served as a drug and alcohol
counselor at LifeWorks Northwest at the Northeast 33rd
Avenue location.
But perhaps it is Rahsaan's legacy as an amateur cham
pion, fighting as the local legend Bill Cross, which will linger
in the minds of many Oregonians. Rahsaan put just as much
heart into the ring as he had in the community. His reputation
at the historic Knott Street Gym (now the Matt Dishman
Community Center) earned him and his team the 1961 Na
tional Championship, and in 1964 Rahsaan was a member of
the 1964 United States Boxing Team Trials.
In November 2001, the Knott Street Boxing Team was
inducted into the Multi C ulture Sports Hall o f Fame, and
most recently, in O ctober 2005, Rahsaan and the team
lu.
Series of Blasts in Bombay
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Wednesday • |uly 12, 2006
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Telfair Unhappy about Trade
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www.portlandobserver.com
Built in 1921. the building initially
functioned as a Y W C A for black
residents and meeting place for the
N AAC P. It still serves as a social
B illy W ebb E lk 's Lodge, hall for weddings and theater pro
Portland’ s oldest African American ductions.
establishment, w ill undergo restora
The lodge brothers have recently
tion to preserve its historical value, begun to paint the interior and re
and Lodge brothers are asking for finish the ballroom. But that’ s just
help. Lodge # 1050, at 6N . Tillamook the beginning o f the work required,
St., has been an African American and now they’ re requesting that
neighborhood landmark since 1940. local contractors and merchants
Elk’s Lodge
needs help
donate time anti any unused mate
rials fo r three m ajor areas o f con
cern: a new roof, electrical work
and exterior painting.
They also need carpenters and
plumbers to assist on some o f the
interior work. In addition, the lodge
is seeking more members. For in
formation or i f you are interested in
supporting restoration, call Joe Bean
Keller at 503-490-6837 or email
catchme@ joebeankeller.com.
continued y^r ,,n page A6
)