Go Northwest!
M etro
Murrayhill Little League
Advances to World
Series Semifinals
23,1 pottiani» (Obstruer
see Sports, page B6
SECTION
/nom mu nity
C a le n d a r
Corn Maze Challenge
The M aiZE at Sauvie Island’s
Pumpkin Patch challenges all ages
with over three miles o f intricate
pathw ays, carved into a five-acre
field o f 12-foot com . Open daily
from 1 0 a .rn .to 6 p .rn . and Friday
and Saturday evenings until 10
p.m. Cost is $6 for adults. $4 for
children and free for kids under
five. Visit portlandm aze.com .
0AME Coffee and Issues
The O regon Association o f M i­
nority Entrepreneurs will host a
“Coffee and Issues Forum " net­
w orking opportunity on Friday,
Aug. 25 from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. at the
O A M E Cascade Plaza, 4134 N.
V ancouver Ave. The event is free
and open to the public. For more
inform ation call Katina W illiams
at 503-249-7744.
Fort Vancouver Celebration
Fort V ancouver N ational Historic
Site invites you to celebrate the
90th anniversary o f the National
Park S ervice’s creation, Friday,
Aug. 25, with lots o f activities and
opportunity to learn about the
archeology and history that makes
the fort special. A dm ission is free
‘I Have a Dream'
Learn how the local “I Have a|
D ream " foundation prepares low-
incom e children for post-high]
school study or rew arding em ­
ploym ent through mentoring. tu-|
torin g and sc h o larsh ip . O pen
houses take place W ednesdays,
Aug. 23, Sept. 13 and Oct. 5 at
W oodlawn School. 72OON.E. 11th I
Ave. For more inform ation, call
5 0 3 - 2 8 7 -7 2 0 3
or
v isiti
ihadoregon.org.
Empowerment for the Next Generation
Youth activists
rally the vote
by S arah B lount
T he P ortland O bserver
2006 brings an "off presidential
year” election, but local community
organizers hope to offset low voter
turnout by registering 1,000 young
A fric a n A m e ric a n s to v o te for
O regon's next governor and state lead­
ers.
Portland activist Karanja Crews
spearheads the Community Fellows
Program as an extension o f his live
cable television show Teen Summit:
The Next Generation of Leaders.
Crews has brought together active
groups within P ortland's political
circles, including the Oregon Bus
Project, which has been mobilizing
the youth vote since 2001, and the
Youth Empowerment Institute.
Eight young African Americans par­
ticipants of the Teen Summit are un­
dergoing leadership training in gov­
ernment, politics and public policy.
The long term plan is designing a
program that is sustaining for future
election cycles, not just ones like this
year, where voter drop-off in non-
presidential elections is alarming.
“An election is an election, and it’s
crucial,” said Cyreena Boston, con­
stituency director for the Democratic
Party of Oregon. “ A statewide elec­
tion is important because that's where
it hits home, with school funding and
health initiatives.”
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Michael Caples, Gabriel Shank, Lakeisha Holloway and Chelsea Overton spend an afternoon registering
voters near a MAX station at Holladay Park. The volunteers are trying to increase voting activity and public
involvement among African American youth.
Crews will lead voter registration
events until Oct. 17, the last day vot­
ers can sign up to vote for the Nov. 8
election, and will host get-out-the vote
events until Election Day.
Participants have already registered
more than 100 voters from the first
few events, including a National Night
Out celebration at New Columbia.
Future events will target the faith
community, a gospel festival, high
schools, comm unity fairs, public fo­
rums and town hall meetings, or any
place they can find potential voters
and future leaders.
For more information or to volun­
teer, contact Crews at 971-235-5197
or Boston at 503-381-7174.
Concerts at Blue Lake
The ‘Music by Blue Lake' summer]
series wraps up with the eclectic
South African group Fools in Para |
dise, Friday, Aug. 25, from 6 p.m.
to 8 p.m. at Blue Lake Regional]
Park, located betw een M arine
Drive and Sandy Boulevard off]
Northeast 223rd Ave.
Documentary Uncovers
Neglected Elections Process
C y c le
j o r tla n d
Cancer Care Group
A free cancer support group m eet­
ing takes place Tuesday, Sept. 5
from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Provi­
dence Professional Plaza Radia
tion/O ncology Conference room.
5O5ON.E. Hoyt, Level B. Focus on
learning to live fully and maintain
hope and quality o f life while liv­
ing with cancer. Call 503-215-6015
for more information.
Sneak peak of ‘By the People’ at Cinema 21 The Curse of the
Courteous Driver
By the People, a new behind-the-
scenes documentary that exposes who
and what it really takes to put on an
American election, will screen Wednes­
day, Sept. 5 and Thursday, Sept. 7 at 5
p.m. at Cinema 21, as part of a nation­
wide theatrical release and in advance
of the film’s national television broad­
Women’s Caregiving
cast
on PBS stations in October.
A free health forum ‘When is it
The
Portland screenings will give au­
Time toT ake Charge? W omen and
diences
and critics alike an early look at
Caregiving' will help participants
recognize red Hags, cope with care­ this important film and a chance to take
taking and provide com m unity re­ action prior to the 2006 elections. At
sources every woman can use. It screening across the country, the film­
takes place Thursday, Sept. 7 at 7
makers has been partnering with local
p.m. at Providence St. Vincent
election boards, who are providing in­
Medical Center's Souther Audito­
formation and registering people as poll
rium. 9205 S.W. Barnes Rd. For
workers
and to vote on site at each
more information.call 5( )3-513-84( ri
theater.
Family Fun at Irving Park
In By the People, first-time director
Portland Parks and Recreation and Malindi Fickle provides an inside view
First Steps Sports A cadem y wel-|
of the challenges facing election offi­
com e all to Family FunDay. on
cials across the country, revealing a
Friday, Aug. 25 from 4 p.m. to 8
p.m. at Irv ing Park. 7 N.E. Fremont fragile and neglected elections process
St. There will be food and enter­ with far-reaching and potentially cata­
tainm ent. health screenings and] strophic consequences.
more.
Published reports during the 2004
Presidential election estimated a short­
Hoyt Arboretum Trees
D iscover the w onder o f Hoyt Ar-| age of approximately 500,(XX) poll work­
boretum during “Meet the T rees” | ers nationwide and put the average age
events through Sept. 30 from 11 of volunteer poll workers at 72. If the
a.m. to3 p.m. This free family expe­ poll worker crisis is not alleviated in the
rience includes tour maps and kids coming years, if average citizens do not
activity maps toexplore more than get involved, our democracy will be at
12 miles o f trails through trees risk.
from all over the world, including.
The answer, says Fickle, is raising
Visit hoytarboretum .org or call
awareness about the process itself and
illustrating how each citizen is relevant
to the system.
“Everyone, including myself, thinks
they know what it takes to put on an
election. The truth is, the most important
part of the political process— not our
right to vote, but our ability to cast a
v o te- is also the most often taken for
•^community service granted." said Fickle.
years*
I
by
A behind-the-scenes documentary revealing a fragile and neglected
elections process show an elections worker dressed up as Uncle Sam.
By The People unfolds over the 1 I
days leading up to the 2004 Presiden­
tial election, following a youngCounty
Clerk in Marion County, Indianapolis,
her small crew of government em ­
ployees, and the dedicated volunteer
poll workers. Unflinchingly honest and
unexpectedly funny, the film captures
average Am ericans o f all political
stripes working side by side to insure
that everyone—including quadriplegics
and prisoners awaiting trial—
are allowed to exercise their
fundamental right to vote.
By the People is not about
political scandal, media hype,
election slogans, or partisan divi­
sion. It is the story’of real people,
from all ages and political back­
grounds. struggling to hold one
of America's most basic free­
doms together.
S arah B lount
My bike and I almost caused a wreck the
other day, at a crosswalk on Martin Luther
King Boulevard. My brush with danger was no
biggie since I ride daily and I'm aware of the
dangers lurking on MLK. What was significant
this time was the real­
ization that drivers are
getting friendlier to
cyclists, but they're still
a minority.
As I waited for my
chance to cross this )
busy street during (
rush hour, along came
the bane of my biking
existence - the courteous driver.
On one hand, the "courteous driver" is the
cyclist’s friend; as an ambassador of drivers
everywhere, they strive to bring harmony to the
shared roadways. On the other hand, cyclists
can’t always appreciate them. This is because
no matter how friendly a driver is, cyclists and
other drivers sometimes misunderstand their
concessions. Another reality is that most cars
will not join them in letting= cyclists use a
crosswalk.
In my case, one (very courteous) car decided
to yield, but the driver behind him wasn't so
patient. As this car tried to pass, it cut off a
driver in the other lane. I stood back and watch
the honking and tire screeching from the side­
lines. I know better.
Portland bike lawyer Ray Thomas writes:
"While the laws in Oregon's vehicle code
clearly provide non-motorists w ith the right of
way in crosswalks, the laws of physics require
careful assertion of pedestrian legal rights on
the street”.
Careful assertion should be used sparingly
during rush hour, because physics triumph over
any law or concept humans invent.
continued
on page 115