PageAô_______________________________ ____ _________
Cl?e Jlortlanb © b seru er__________________________ [une b . 2007
Bracing for
Ghost bikes,
roadside memorials
painted stark white
and affixed to a
particular spot like
this one at North­
east Martin Luther
King Jr. Boulevard
and Wygant, remind
passersby of
cyclists who have
been struck and
killed by drivers.
Returning Veterans
con tin u ed
fro m Front
and largely cost-free governm ent
health care, it w ould not be sur­
prising if tw o-thirds o f the retun­
ing veterans do not seek any V A
services, said Jim Sardo, a doctor
that specializes in Post-Traumatic
Stress D isorder at the VA.
Reason num ber one for this
phenom enon is a “w arrior m en­
tality" that encourages service
men and w om en to endure hard­
ship alone, according to Port­
land therapist Carole Levine. In
addition, she says, “T here are
som e veterans who ju st d o n 't
w ant to go to the VA, because
they’re sick o f the m ilitary.”
O ther m ilitary people d on’t
w ant doctor’s visits going on
their record and preventing reen­
try , so L e v in e o r g a n iz e s
R etum ingveterans.com to show ­
case 45 local practitioners who
offer free and confidential ser­
vices for recent vets.
Even W ashington adm itted to
his ow n “ w arrio r m e n tality ”
streak. “O nce you get the proper
educational exposure, you can
take care o f your own problem s,”
he says.
But 21 st-century Portland will
no longer accept the status quo
when it com es to vet health. City
officials, w eary o f dealing with
sick and hom eless Vietnam veter­
ans, organized a forum last week
to support reintegration efforts.
T he forum began with a tearful
account by Kimberly Mark-Villela,
who com pleted an Iraq tour in
2003. “I cam e hom e with prob­
lems, but I d id n ’t tell anyone,” she
said. ‘T h e m ilitary is not an orga­
nization that prom otes reporting
personal problem s.”
Levine explained the preva­
lence o f Post-Traum atic Stress
D isorder in vets, saying it is a
“norm al reaction to a very abnor­
mal situation.” Since governm ent
benefits expire after tw o years
w ithout a diagnosis, she sees the
veterans’ reluctance to seek help
as a m ajor, nearly unrecognized
problem that disintegrates fam i­
lies through festering anger and
depression.
As part o f a growing concern
about law enforcem ent response
to m ental illness, a representative
o f the city ’s police spoke about
the attention to post traum atic
stress in crisis-intervention train­
ing.
M ore than a few panelists m en­
tioned how much more it w ould
cost in the long run to ignore vet
health.
A ttention to the health o f vet­
erans is important “no m atter what
one thinks o f the war,” said Levine.
INVESTING
IN YOU
HAKIM JONES
FINANCIAL ADVISOR
FINANCIAL PLANNING ASSOCIATE
PHOTOS BY
S arah B lount /
T he P ortland
O bserver
Ghost Bikes Offer Lingering Reminder
Roadside memorial send
message to slow down
by S arah B lount
T he P ortland O bserver
T he stretch of N ortheast M artin
L uther King Jr. B oulevard that
crosses W ygant Street is mostly a
b lu ro f cars day and night, but if you
look closely y o u ’ll notice a road­
side m em orial rem inding drivers to
be safe and slow down.
But rather than flow ers, a photo­
graph o r a cross, this m em orial is a
bike. A nondescript ju n k er model,
painted stark w hite and speaking
volum es about a particular death
that happened nearly three years
ago.
It’s called a ghost bike - one of
m any bright w hite bicycles planted
around tow n where cyclists have
died in crashes involving vehicles.
G host bikes rem ind drivers to
pay attention to tw o-w heeled co m ­
muters, so it’s no surprise that they
highlight M LK B lvd.,aparticularly
dangerous road for accidents in­
volving any com bination o f bikes
and vehicles.
The G host Bike concept o rig i­
nated in Pittsburgh in 2004, with the
m ovem ent m aking its way across
the country in m ajor cities, includ­
ing Portland one year later.
Sum m er2005 was a brutal one for
P ortland cy clists, with m ultiple
d e a d ly a c c id e n ts h a p p e n in g
throughout the city. As that dan ­
gerous sum m er cam e to an end, 21 -
year-old cyclist Chris Burris was
struck and killed by a speeding
driver w hile riding with his g irl­
friend and herd au g h terd o w n M L K
near W ygant Street.
Before B u rris’ death, people
w ithin P ortland’s bike com m unity
had talked about how the ghost
bikes m ovem ent in Pittsburgh, and
one created in Seattle earlier that
summer, had inspired them. Among
them was M ichael Jones, now 31,
w ho was searching for a way to
help out the m ovem ent.
Jones connected w ith B u rris’
b ro th e r, F o rre st, th a t su m m e r
through the local non-profit SHIFT,
discourage people from riding their
bikes.
“It’s interesting there’s not total
support,” Jones said.
But the City o f Portland has
granted ghost bikes enough sup­
port to leave them cabled where
they are, although the bikes have
legally been abandoned.
City Com m issioner Sam Adams,
who runs the D epartm ent of T rans­
portation, said ghost bikes serve as
a sobering rem inderthatthe.se inju­
ries and deaths are real people, not
ju st statistics, and that our trans­
portation system is “w oefully un­
Michael Jones
der funded.”
“I’ve told my folks to leave them
and with others they w ere able to
alone,”
A dam s said.
secure a bike, spray paint and a
A
dam
s’ office will receive $11
cable to tether their first ghost bike
m
illion
next
m onth to launch the
w here a cyclist had died at South­
Safe
Streets
Initiative,
a project that
east 39th A venue and Belmont.
in
part
will
reduce
traffic
injuries
The memorial led to several other
and
fatalities
at
som
e
o
f
Portland’s
ghost bikes throughout town, in­
clu d in g routes along N ortheast m ost dangerous spots.
C yclists with traffic safety co n ­
Sandy Boulevard and N ortheast
K illingsw orth A venue and the m e­ cerns can call transportation o ffi­
cials at 503-823-SA FE or em ail
m orial for Burris on M LK.
Jones says he receives em ails safe@ pdxtrans.org. O ther safety,
from people praising the bikes, but legal and advocacy resources can
som e think th ey ’re trashy. There be found at the Bicycle T ransporta­
has also been som e backlash from tion Alliance, a statewide advo­
cy c lists w ho think ghost bikes cacy group, at w w w .bta4bikes.org.
Investing has as much to do with the quality of the rela­
your portfolio. As a Financial Advisor for Smith Barney,
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C onnie Van Brunt, a nationally
recognized education leader from
C hicago, w ill lead the P ortland
Schools Foundation, an advocacy
and research organization for Port­
land Public Schools.
Van Brunt was hired last week
after a national search and will begin
her w ork in Portland on July 9.
“C onnie is a strategic leader pas­
sionate about children, public ed u ­
cation and a strong com m unity voice
in ensuring all young people in Port­
land are prepared for college, work
and com munity," said Jill Kirk, presi­
dent o f the foundation.
Van Brunt is currently ch ief ed u ­
cation officer at the C hicago Charter
School Foundation, w here she is
responsible for academ ic strategies,
assessm ent, and partnerships for
more than 7,(XX) low -incom e stu­
dents. Van Brunt previously led
Illinois’ oldest indepen­
dent after-school program,
serving the innercity com ­
munities o f Cabrini Green,
E n g le w o o d a n d N e a r
North Chicago. T here she
developed aw ard winning
m athem atics and reading
program s recognized na­
tionally for accelerating achievement
for low -incom e students.
In addition to Van Brunt’s exten­
sive experience in fundraising, com ­
munications and management, she
was founding editor of Ebony Jr!
magazine.
She received her M aster o f Arts
in Teaching from Harvard U niver­
sity G raduate School o f Education,
and has com pleted her doctoral
coursew ork in applied research in
child/youth developm ent and ed u ­
cational research m ethods at Loyola
U n iv e rsity /E ric k so n
Institute.
In a c c e p tin g th e
p o sitio n V an B runt
noted, “ I’m excited to
be part o f the great work
o f the Schools Foun­
dation and the incred­
ible vitality and civic
spirit o f this city. I'm
Van Brunt
deeply com m itted to
connecting the diverse cultures and
neighborhoods o f Portland in our
work to achieve equity and excel­
lence for all students.”
N ich o le M aher, ex e cu tiv e d i­
re c to r o f the N ativ e A m erican
F am ily C e n ter an d m em b er o f the
P SF ex e cu tiv e search co m m ittee,
su m m ed it up, “C o n n ie b rin g s the
academ ic sm arts, practical e x p e ri­
ence and track record w orking with
co m m u n ities o f c o lo r to help this
city cre ate g reat sch o o ls fo r all o f
its stu d e n ts.”
Help Clean
Your ‘Hood
P eo p le o f P u rp o se and
A ssociates are recruiting help
and donations for a Re-tilling
o f the S oil n eig h b o rh o o d
cleanup on Saturday, July 7.
T he group urges north and
northeast Portland residents
to stop pointing a Finger and
lend a hand in an effort to
show pride by rejuvenating
the neglected soil in their
neighborhoods.
The day will begin with
breakfast and the clean up
begins at 9 a.m. At noon a
celebration will follow at Irving
Park with live music and food.
Clean up locations include
M aple M allory A partm ents,
Jefferson High School and
C o r n e r s to n e C o m m u n ity
Church. T o find out how you
can be a part o f this event, call
Lany Collins at 503-752-8356.
£?C lear C hannel
Fellow ship M issionary B aptist Church
u
Pastor
Dr. Johnny Pack IV
4009 N. Missouri Ave.
Evangelist
Melanie Pichon-Smith
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