March 7, 2007
il?‘^Jortlanb (Observer
PageA2
Selma March Relives Civil Rights Dream
(AP) — More than a thousand
people gathered in Selma, Ala. Sun
day to commemorate the 1965 "Bloody
Sunday" voting rights march — and
remarked how the original protest
paved the way for modern-day candi
dates to break political barriers.
With a marching band leading the
way. participants retraced the steps to
the bridge where m archers were
beaten back by state troopers as they
marched from Selma to Montgomery
in support of opening polls to blacks
across the South.
U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., one
of the leaders of the first march, de
scribed how the group marched past
jeering whites on March 6, 1965, then
were beaten with night sticks, trampled
by horses and sprayed with tear gas.
"When we left the church to walk
through the heart of downtown Selma,
it was a silent walk. There were 6(X) of
us armed with a dream,” Lewis said.
"The dream was that people of color
would have the right to vote — the
right to participate in the democratic
process.”
Martin Luther King Jr. led a sepa
rate march to the bridge two days
later. On March 21, 1965, after a
federal court intervened. King led a
five-day inarch to the capital. The
marches led to the passage of the
U.S. Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack O bam a, D -lll. (left) poses with
form er U.S. President Bill Clinton after S unday’s re-enactm ent o f the 1965 Selm a to
M ontgom ery march in Selm a, Ala.
Voting Rights Act later that year,
which removed barriers such as lit
eracy tests that were set up by segre
gationists to keep blacks from regis
tering to vote.
Sunday’s event attracted Dem o
cratic presidential candidates Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.,
and Sen. B arack O bam a, D -lll.
Speaker after speaker said that nei
ther Clinton or Obama would be
running for president if it w asn’t for
the sacrifices made on Bloody Sun
day. Clinton is seeking to become
the first woman elected president;
Obama is trying to become the first
black president.
White House Aide Found Guilty
(A P ) - V ice P resident D ick
Cheney's form er chief o f statt, I.
Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was con
victed Tuesday o f lying and ob
structing a leak investigation that
reached into the highest levels of
the Bush adm inistration.
Libby is the highest-ranking
W hite House official to be con
victed o f a felony since the Iran-
C ontra scandal of the m id -1980s.
The case brought new attention to
the Bush adm inistration's much-
criticized handling o f w eapons o f
/. Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby
mass destruction intelligence in the
run-up to the Iraq war.
The verdict cul minated a nearly
fo u r-y ear in v estig atio n into how
Cl A official V alerie Plam e's name
w as leaked to rep o rters in 2003.
T he trial rev ealed how to p m em
bers o f the ad m in istratio n w ere
eag er to d isc re d it P lam e's h u s
band, form er A m b assad o r Joseph
W ilson, w ho accu sed the ad m in
istratio n o f d o cto rin g p rew ar in
te llig en ce on Iraq.
Libby, who was once Cheney's
most trusted adviser and an as
sistant to President Bush, was
expressionless as the jury verdict
was announced on the 10th day
o f deliberations. His wife, Harriet
Grant, choked out a sob and sank
her head.
He faces up to 30 years in prison
when he is sentenced June 5 but
under federal sentencing guide
lines is likely to face far less. D e
fense attorneys immediately prom
ised to ask for a new trial or appeal
the conviction.
Belm ont Shooting Stuns Neighbors
Police are looking for a suspect
who shot and critically injured a
store clerk Sunday afternoon after
a failed robbery attem pt. The attack
at 3:45 p.m. took place at the Belmont
G rocery, 34(M) S.E. Belmont St, in
the m iddle o f a busy retail district.
T he su sp ect took o ff on foot
after firin g at the sto re's 4 1 -year
old clerk , w hose nam e is not b e
ing released. He then clim bed into
a burnt o ran g e-co lo red C h ev ro let
C o rv ette w ith a black soft top and
lig h tly tin ted w in d o w s, p o lice
said.
A rea resid en ts w ho know and
love the neighborhood landm ark
say the attack has rattled the
co m m u n ity . Police co rd o n ed o ff
the street for hours.
Natalie Stringer is the first Rose Festival princess for 2007.
First Rose Festival Princess
The first Rose Festival Prin
cess of 2007 has been chosen -
17-year-old Natalie Stringer of
Central Catholic High School.
Natalie will turn 18 in early
April, well in advance of the
Portland Rose Festival when
one of the princesses will be
crowned Queen of Rosaria.
She's already earned quite a
distinction as the first "Prin
cess" to be chosen after ten
years of calling them "ambas
sadors." There was criticism
of that move, and this year the
Rose Festival planners returned
to calling them "princesses".
Princess Natalie attended In
ternational School of the Hague
in the Netherlands before at
tending Central Catholic. Her
hobbies include acting, sing
ing, dancing, skiing, cycling,
yoga and violin. After gradua
tion she plans to go on to a
major university.
M M M HNM M i
Reward Grows in Murder Probe
Police have released a sketch
of a suspect and Crime Stop
pers has increased its reward to
$5,(XX) for information leading
to an arrest in the murder of
Jermaine Nyron Davis, a 23-
year-old African American resi
dent who died on New Year's
Day.
Central Precinct police were
patrolling on foot near South
west Fourth Avenue and Wash
ington Streets when they heard
gunfire at 2:10 a.m. Revelers
leaving New Year's Eve parties
scattered and police found the
body of Davis lying on the side
walk.
Investigators say Davis ar
gued with the occupants of a
black, four-door luxury vehicle
with lightly tinted windows and
then someone inside the vehicle
shot him. killing him instantly.
The vehicle sped off east-
bound on Southw est Stark
Street. W itnesses said four to
five men and women were in
the vehicle. Investigators be
lieve they may have been at
other bars during the evening.
If you have any leads in this
case you are urged to call Crime
Stoppers at 503-823-H E L P
(4357).
Arrest Made in Teen Murder
A 16-year-old was arrested
Monday for the January murder
of another teenager who died
after being shot in the head on
North Killingsworth Street,just
west of Albina Avenue and the
Portland Community College
campus.
U.S. Marshals arrested Jo
seph 'Jo Jo" Eugene Allen on
one count of murder in connec
tion with the killing of Devonte
Lightfoot, 14.
Both the victim and accused
are A frican
A m erican s.
Lightfoot was also a freshman
at Benson Polytechnic High
School.
Investigators said the murder
was g ang-related and also
wanted to hear from any wit
nesses in the case.
Allen was also arrested on
two unrelated robbery warrants.