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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 2007)
.37 years 500 Women’s History of Month Rose Court Selection Coninues... S pecial E dition community service see inside, page B3 ©bseruer D neoc ‘City of ( Roses ‘ T T t iz U r l Established o k l l r k<arl in za iaziazmz Committed to Cultural Diversity Volume XXXVII. Number II TLWeek in Thc Review r v i r l I si n /d n h c p r v f» www.portlandobserver.com IQ 7 1970 D in Answers at Last in Asia Bell Murder Perlia Bell never let the community forget her daughter Church Fire Results Vague The congregation o f M orning Star M issionary Baptist Church may never know what happened to their place o f worship. A ccording to M etro arson task Force, the status is closed with undeterm ined. A neighborhood fixture since 1919, M orning S tar w ent ablaze and brought together the com m unity in an effort to rebuild faith without a place o f worship. See sto ry on p ageA 2. ing the m ystery since neither Bell or by S arah B lount Jam es w ere affiliated with gangs or T he P ortland O bserver Fi ve years after a spray o f bu I lets had any know n enem ies. Finally, took Asia B ell’s young life, police on M arch 9 Portland police an have finally cracked the north P ort nounced four arrests in w hat they land m urder. T he breakthrough called a gang-related retaliation, but brought relief to her m other, Perlia not a m urder intended for Bell. The Bell, w ho never ceased to keep her Cold C ase Squad said the shooting d au ghter’s case in the public eye. was related to her fath er's and his Bell, a 23-year-old motherof" four, cousin’s gang activity. A rraignm ents were held last Fri died instantly on Nov. 20, 2002, after at least 17 bullets were fired day for Rico G onzales, 34, for fed onto the porch o f her hom e on eral drug charges related to the North M ississippi and Jessup. Her possession o f crack cocaine, and husband Tyrone Jam es was perm a Sonja Hutchins, who has a child nently blinded and friend Robert with Klein, for one count o f co n spiracy tocom m it murder. Arraign- M illhouse was wounded. For years nobody cam e forward continued on page A 6 with enough inform ation, deepen Busta Rhymes Busted I Busta Rhym es was pr c v 111,1 n 1 ' ' nb ing a tins w eekend I B j NYPD voiced safety K , * concerns over the rap p er's ap p earance. R hym es, real nam e T revor Sm ith, was scheduled to ft 1 m hi s role i n “O rder o f Redem p tion” in M anhattan. N Y PD has voiced displeasure with R hym es’ lack o f cooperation with the inves tigation into the shooting death o f Israel Ramirez, a man w ho was fatally w ounded last year on the set o f R hym es’ “Touch It” video. Diabetic Woman Tasered Portland Police used a taser to subdue Brandi Hess, a diabetic w om an w ho was allegedly behav ing ag g ressiv ely . P olice w ere called on Saturday night to assist medical personnel w ho were at tem pting to aid Hess, 26, w ho was experiencing a diabetic episode. A ccording to a police report an officer was kicked several tim es in the stom ach and groin and a firefighter was also punched more than once. Wrestling, Football Great Dies Ernie “ Big C at” Ladd was in the A m erican Foot ball League and the W orld W res tling Federation Hall o f Fame. Ladd died Saturday night due to cancer. In 2005, doc tors gave Ladd three-to-si x months to live. He instead believed in "Dr. Jesus" and lived tw o years longer. Ladd helped the K ansas C ity C hiefs go to Superbowl in 1967 and 1970. Bush Wraps up Latin Tour President Bush, w orkingtorebuild strained U .S.-M exico relations, prom ised T uesday he w ould do his best to get a deeply divided U.S. Congress to change A m eri can im m igration policies that are hated south o f th e b o rd e r. "M y pledge to you and your g o v e r n m e n t, but m ore im portant to the people o f M exico, is I’ll work as hard as I possibly can to pass com prehensive im m igration re form ,” Bush said. See sto ry on page A2. g h 2 o ih p u <u O' O' cl Wednesday • March 14. 2007 photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Perlia Bell is joined by Portland Police Sgt. Wayne Svilar (left), Sgt. Paul Weatheroy and Sgt. George Weatheroy during last Friday's press conference announcing four arrests in the 2002 murder of Bell's daughter, Asia Bell. A Mother’s Loss Eases a Father’s New Grief Advocate helps a family friend by S arah B lount T he P ortland O bserver On M arch5 Perlia Bell accom pa nied David Moaning to the Portland Observer. Bell was there as a friend and advocate to Moaning, the father of23-year-old Jermaine Nyron Davis, who lost his life in an unexplained New Year’s shooting. She wanted to help her friend through the most difficult trial he would ever face - losing a child, because she went through the same grief five years earlier. Her 23-year-old daughter. Asia Bell, was senselessly murdered in2002. After A sia’s death Perliafounded a nonprofit, Senseless V iolence Leads to Silence, to help persuade witnesses o f violent crimes to come forward despite fear or retribution or being labeled a snitch. She also pro vides grief counseling for African Americans, which is how she was reconnected with Moaning, a family friend of more than 30 years. In early January, as the media reported D avis’ death as the firs, of the year. Bell stared at her television and wondered i f this young man was from a family she knew. Later, she called Cox and Cox funeral hom e tofindout his identity. continued on page A6 This photo o f Asia Bell was taken shortly before her fatal shooting Will Your Kids Be In by Curfew? If not, north and northeast parents could be fined up to $ 1,000 by N icole R onai . H ooper T he P ortland O bserver Spring Break could mean a later bedtime for children and a hefty fine for parents, if they live in acertain area. But for the duration o f this students’ holiday, police will target north/northeast and dow ntow n Portland for curfew violations, to test a new program that could cost parents up to $ 1.000. W hen a child under the age o f 14 and not ye, in high school breaks the curfew , parents will have to appear in juvenile court where they are urged to attend the a six-session program - a preventative m easure aimed at helping parents and children realizethe dan gers o f being out past curfew . “People in northeast Portland were ask ing us what we could do. There were many com m unity m eetings held," said Sgt. Frank “B ob” G orgone, W estern Regional A dm in istrator for the federally funded program G .R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance Education and Training). Curfew laws have alw ays been in place in Portland, but what has changed is the option for families to work with the program . C ur rently there are six families in the program and they met', at the Blazers Boys and (¡iris Club on N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Thc focus o f the curfew sting starting in that particular par, o f town may have citizens wondering if the pnigram is racial ly motivated. “ I’m sure most people realize that thc biggest concentration o f m inorities in Port 1 Sgt. Frank "Bob" Gorgone (above). Western Regional Administrator for G.R.E.A.T (Gang Resistance Education and Training) Program photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bsi ry t k If these kids were at the intersection of N.E. Martin Luther Ring Jr. Blvd. and Killingsworth St. past curfew, it could cost their parents $1,000. land. reside in north and northeast, why are we singled out?” said Y vonne Boss, whose daughter Schuyler is 14. “ I realize not all children are thc same, but to target specific areas o f the city smacks of profiling.” The Portland Police have recent allega tions of racial profiling. According to Police Officer Brian Schmautz. the reason for north and northeast and downtown being thc start ing point is because large crowds tend to congregate there. Many venues that cater to the underage crowd, like The Zone dow n town, slay open until 3:15 a m. way pas, curfew foreven 17 year olds. Officials say that the later the time, the more I ikeli h< x xl forcrime. “Statistically shots are fired late at night." said Schmautz. “ Kids w ho are ou, that late are more likely to ge, in trouble and find them selves in high-risk behavior." The pro gram is another option in having com m uni cation between parent and child. "They d o n ’, have to attend | the program | but thc process is designed to get parents and children talking together and discour aging crim inal behavior,” said Schmautz. "Som e kids are lacking direction and we want parents to lake a more active role in their ch ild ren 's lives.” T hc second tim e a child breaks curfew , the punishm ent isn 't as friendly. A hefty fine for parents up to $I,(MX) is assessed. A price that north Portland resident Y vonne Boss calls, “astronom ical.” The curfew may be conf using for som e, on w eeknights if a child is under 14 and not yet in high school, thc curfew is9 :1 5 p.m. and on w eekends 10:15 p.m. “ I d o n 't think it’s norm al for any 14 year old to be ou, late at night." G orgone. See commentary on A4. “Wrecking k id s ’ I .¡Yes." 1