il!‘^Jnrtlanò © bseruer March 21. 2007 Page B3 Humiliated Couple Cries Foul continued from \letro From their perspective it was police harassm ent because o f dis­ crim ination - against being A fri­ can A m erican, their status as lot­ tery w inners and especially the reputation o f the H ow ard name. “This is a personal thing with the H ow ards, we d o n ’t have a po­ lice officer in Oregon that likes us," said Liz, 47, adding “it's really per­ sonal now that we won the lot­ tery." T he city tells a different story, stating in the law suit “ livability on the cul-de-sac changed drastically afterJu ly 13." The C hronic Public N uisance Code stated neighbors' com plaints o f "traffic at all hours, illicit drug sales, drug use, prostitution, fight­ ing on the street, public sex acts, dom estic violence, urinating and defecating in public, unsupervised children roam ing the streets, ve­ hicles blocking access to drive­ w ays, offensive littering, loud m u­ sic at all hours o f the night and intim idating behavior against cul- de-sac residents." But the H ow ards say they are only guilty o f one thing - hosting daily gatherings for their very large extended fam ily. The couple says they have at least 14 sisters and brothers each, and each sibling has three to four kids apiece. "P arties?” Liz asked. "W e had family barbecues. If five o f them cam e over to visit, it's going to look like a party.” R egardless o f the definition o f their gatherings, the noise co m ­ plain ts dim in ish ed after police raided the house ju st before daw n on Nov. 1. They made no arrests and found nodrugs, but police said they found heroin residue and a glass crack pipe. T he couple says they have not seen this evidence, adding that they are recovering addicts and do not allow drugs in their home. T he city says neighbors pre­ sented a strong case - that they essentially lived in fearo f the couple and their frequent visitors. D eputy city attorney R oland Iparraguirre said if the H ow ards sell their hom e to som eone not associated or related to them , they will drop the suit. If they rem ain in the hom e and the lawsuit is successful, the city has the pow er to close and board up the property for six m onths to a year. T he H ow ards co u ld then m ove back if). and possibly be the subject o f a second suit if alleged activity continued. The Howard’s cul-de-sac is fairly quiet these days; they say they’ve minimized family visits, opting to visit their homes instead. Surround­ ing residents aren’t saying much. A woman to the left o f the Howards has only lived there about a month, and a family tothe right moved in around the first of the year. Neither had a com ment about their neighbors. The H ow ards have recently put their house on the m arket - one o f several currently fo rsale in the cul- d e - s a c . T h e c o u p le in v e s te d around $20,000 to replace the w in­ dow s police busted with rubber bullets during the N ovem ber raid. They have also put in new carpet and installed French doors after police ruined the slide patio doors. T he small front yard w as recently landscaped, after their parked ve­ hicles left deep ruts on the lawn. W hile the H ow ards say the inci­ Bringing Diversity continued dent m ade them victim s o f police harassm ent, the city claim s they are m aking a point - that pro b lem ­ atic property ow ners cannot co n ­ tinue to ignore police w arnings. Portland has been gaining m om en­ tum by enacting the rarely used chronic nuisance code tw ice in the past few m onths. T hey’ve also filed a com plaint against Betty M ae Ceaser, ow ner o f a home at 4910 N . V ancouver Ave., where police have responded to drug activity since 1995. T he civil enforcem ent is part o f an increased aggressive stance in neighborhoods, Iparraguirre said, especially in northeast Portland. He said they anticipate more law ­ suits because "the process is w o rk ­ ing.” “T h ere’s already a few com ing dow n the pipe," he added. "It seem s like neighbors are pretty happy." T h e H o w a rd s a re a s k in g $350,(XX) for the 5,100 square-foot home. Liz says she ju st w ants the city to back off, let them sell their property and m ove on. "H opefully we can buy a few ac re s so w e can h av e fam ily around,” she said. from Metro T hom ajan said he hopes to within the next few months. "T he process is akin to d at­ ing," he said. W i t h a 2()-person board i nc I tid­ ing African American, Asian, His­ panic and Latino m em bers, plus sexual m inorities across a broad age range, in w hich direction can C am pfire take its pursuit? "T his has been an exceptional opportunity to have frank d is­ cussion o f w hat diversity is," T hom ajan said. "It gave us a ch an ce to assess o u r b o a rd 's current m ake-up. and consider w here we want to be in term s o f diversity one, tw o and three years from now .” Ella Booth Have you seen me? Missing and Exploited Children 1-80Ö-THE-LOST Endangered Missing More Young Women Join Rose Court the D arfur lecture panel and runs track and field. O utside o f school Larson is a Sunday school teacher, partakes in A frican drum m ing and studied abroad in C osta Rica last summer. Her hobbies include babysitting, working with SaveDarfur.com. trav­ eling, reading and going to Long Beach, W ash, and Mt. Hood. Sascha-Eden Preston - Roosevelt High School Sascha-Eden Preston R oosevelt High School Rose F estival P rincess S asch a Eden Preston was crow ned on T hurs­ day. March 15. The 18-year-old is the d a u g h te r o f Ju d ith D eE tte Preston, and Douglas Ow en and stepmother, Mary Kate Preston. Her siblings are Dina DeEtte Siquina- T eninty, R ussell-Payton G ilkey, and Ricci-Joan D anielle Preston. Preston is very much interested in the m edia side o f things as a student o f the School o f the Arts, C om m unications and Technology program at Roosevelt. A ftergradu- ation she plans to m ajor in theatri­ cal arts at Portland C om m unity College before transferring to Biola University in La Mirada, Calif, when? she will study film, television and radio. W hile at Roosevelt, Preston has participated in advanced placement classes. National Honor Society and Student Leadership, and has been a recruiter for the Roosevelt Blood Drive. Preston is also a re­ cipient o f the Honors Academ ic Award. O utside o f school, she has com ­ pleted service work as a “w eekend w arrior" with Bridgetow n M inis­ tries. Her hobbies include dancing, acting, singing, ceram ics, fine arts and bowling. Kaia Range - Grant High School Kaia Range drum m er for the N eighborhood Taiko Drum G roup. In her spare time, she likes to sing and dance, read, play soccer and create art and she enjoys spending tim e with her family and friends. E liz a b e th A n ja L arson w as crow ned Rose Festival Princess for Lincoln High School on Tuesday, March 13. She is the daughter o f Tom and M argaret L arson and siste r to M ichael, Claire and Martin. Larson. 17, is a senior at Lincoln, and in the fall plans to attend O regon State University w here she will work to­ wards a double degree in Early C hildhood Education and Interna­ tional Studies. At school she is involved in O utdoor School as a student leader, is a peer m ediator and student tour guide, and is a m em ber o f Student Assem bly am ong many other stu­ Elizabeth Anja Larson dent activities. She also served on Lincoln High School AVERYSTATELY TRISTAN WHITE Current Age: 2 years Current Age: 4 years D a te M issin g : N ov. 22. 2006 Avery and Tristan are half brothers. Tiffany Loanzon Tiffany Loanzon becam e C leve­ land High Schools Rose Festival Princess on M onday, M arch 19. Loanzon is the daughter o f Jesse and Marci Loanzon and the sister o f Brandon Loanzon. T he 17-year-old has had the opportunity to visit the Philippines three tim es in her life, the home country o f her father, Jesse. She credits the experiences for giving her an appreciation o f different cultures, custom ers and lifestyles. She plans to attend a four-year state college and major in broadcast jo u r­ nalism . She would also like to have an internship at a m usic channel or news station. Her hobbies include listening to music, dancing and driving. Her school activities include being a part o f the dance team for four years and having the title o f dance cap ­ tain. She has also been in choir for four years. She is also a delegate for the senior class cabinet and co ­ president o f the A sian Club. G rant High School senior Kaia Range was selected as the 2