www.portlandobserver.toni
Oden Marks Blazers
Turning Point
M etro
Pick gives team high expectations
See Sports, page B6
a'l'e ^ lo rtlan h (©hseruer
/q io m m u n ity
L a le n d a r
African Arts Camp
Homowo African Arts & Culture will be
immersing students in traditional African
culture music and dance. Camps are sched­
uled M onday, July 9, thru Friday, July 13
and on M onday, July 16 thru Friday, July
20, for more information call : 503-288-3025.
Art Classes for All Ages
T he P ortlan d A rt M useum is o ffe rin g a
v ariety o f c lasse s and w o rkshops fo r
all ages, begin n in g on T u esd ay , July
10 at 10 a.m. Call 503-276-4254 for more
inform ation.
Mentor Portland Info Session
Be a m entor to a local youth w ho is either
in foster care or has a parent who is
incarcerated. M entor Portland, a program
through the Boys and G irls A id Society,
is holding an inform ation session on July
10 from 6:30-7:30p. m For m ore inform a­
tion visit w w w .m entorportland.org.
Friends of Trees
Saturday, July 14, the Friends o f Trees
will be training volunteer neighborhood
coordinators for the Boise, Humbolt, Eliot
and Piedm ont neighborhoods. C ontact
Kathryn at 503-282-8848, extension 12 or
visit friendsoftrees.org.
Black Holes and Beyond
M onday, July 9, at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m ., the
Mt. H ood Com m unity C ollege Sky Plan-
e tariu m T h ea ter, lo c ate d u n d e r the
Gresham campus library, will beexploring
the m ysteries o f space. $ 1 adm ission. For
m o re
in f o rm a tio n ,
v is it
planetarium skytheater.com .
Mississippi Street Fair
Saturday.July 14,from 10a.m. to7 p.m., the
M ississippi Avenue Street Fair takes place
between North Skidmore and Fremont.
The Boise-Eliot K id's C om er will be pro­
viding music, art, magic, gam es and more
with special free events at the Mississippi
Ballroom. This is a free event benefiting the
Boise-Eliot Elementary School.
Harry Potter Book Party
Friday, July 20, at 8 p.m.. In O ther W ords
Bookstore, 8 N.E. K illingsw orth Ave.,
and the Rock and Roll C am p forG irls will
host the m idnight release party, for the
long anticipated, ‘Harry Potter and the
D eathly H allow s’. For more inform ation,
c a ll
5 0 3 -2 3 2 -6 0 0 3
or
v is it
inotherw ords.org.
Relationship Transformation
Peace-M aking, a local group based on
non-violent com m unication and co n ­
scious aw areness, hosts a sem inar that
includes inform ation on how to have
better relationships both personally and
professionally. Class tim es are ongoing.
For more information, call 503-228-7256.
International Day Festival
S a tu rd a y , July 14, from noon to 6 p.m .,
the R osew ay N eig h b o rh o o d presen ts
an International Day F estival at N o rth ­
east 72 A venue and S andy B oulevard
w ith free fam ily -frien d ly fun and food,
fo llo w ed by a free m ovie show ing at
the Rosew ay Theater. V isit PD X ID .com
fo r m ore inform ation.
Interstate Farmers Market
A farmers market is held each W ednesday
through Sept. 26 from 3 to 7 p.m. just off
Interstate Avenue between Overlook Park
and the Interstate Kaiser Permanente Cam ­
pus. The market is known for its variety of
quality fresh local produce, baked goods,
cut flowers, artisan cheese, meat and fish.
Planet Jupiter
On the second M onday of each month
through August, at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., the
M HCC Planetarium Sky Theater explores
the planet that outshines every other planet
in the sky except Venus. Visitors will learn
how to locate Jupiter and its four moons as
well as other planets. Admission is $ I.
Women In Community Service
Volunteer female mentors are being sought
by W om en in Community Service to work
with incarcerated women at the Coffee
Creek Correctional Facility. The women
provide support and encouragem ent for
inmates transitioning from prison back
into the community. For information, call
503-570-6614.
__________________________________________ SECTION
HOMELESS
Not Helpless
Dignity Village is
a self-governing
community
by N icole R onai . H ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
A hom eless com m unity is thriving in
our own backyard. D ignity V illage, a tent
city in betw een a jail, golf course and a
com post heap betw een N ortheast C olum ­
bia Boulevard and Marine Drive, is a place
60 people call home.
Laura Brow n was the eighth person to
m ove into D ignity V illage after the group
was m oved from underneath the Frem ont
Bridge three years ago. The proxim ity
angered som e while others w erejust happy
to not have to spend their nights in the
doorw ays o f D ow ntow n Portland busi­
n esses.
“I think at first everyone was upset
because we w ere m oving aw ay from all o f
our resources and we are 40 m inutes away
from dow ntow n on the bus,” said Brown,
48. “I think at first we thought the city was
setting us up for failure with an out o f
sight, out o f m ind m entality.”
T he contract for D ignity Village will
expire in June o f 2010. T here is an option
to renew but that’s at the sole discretion
o f City Council. Then add another five
years until the city ’s self-im posed dead­
line o f 2015 o f ending hom elessness in
Portland.
Aaron Sm ith found out about Dignity
Village on the Internet.
Sm ith, 19, m oved to Portland from
A laska after he was kicked out o f his
father's house. He h asn ’t seen his m other
in nine years. He cam e to Portland with no
m oney and a clean slate to start his adult
life. Sm ith is one o f the youngest com m u­
nity m em bers o f Dignity Village.
In correlation with P ortland’s popula­
photo bv N icole
Interim leader
confident in
schools’ future
tion, Dignity V illage isn 't racially diverse.
Just two A frican-A m ericans call it home.
Last week there w ere three. But a 19 year-
old-w om an was allegedly kicked out be­
cause she was gone for more than five
days.
The 60 people rem aining, regardless of
race or background, all share a tie that
binds: being destitute. They all have a
story as to how they becam e hom eless
and it’s extrem ely diverse.
“ I w anted to get aw ay from both o f my
parents," said Sm ith, “ I said my goodbyes
and got rid o f my fam ily issues by com ing
here.” He says all his needs are met by
living at Dignity Village. He has a house he
shares with a room m ate. The house is
covered with a tarp and a blanket serves as
the door. To the right o f the door is a fire
extinguisher. And inside Smith m ust step
over a knee-level wood slate to enter his
room. It's to keep out the more than 30cats
that currently live at D ignity Village.
His window m ade o f tarp blocks some
o f M other N ature's fury but when it rains.
Smith feels the w etness make its way to his
sleeping bag. There is a com m on area for
food and a place to shower. W ith all these
tools, it could put Sm ith or any resident in
a place to find a decent jo b or even go to
school.
But everyone has obligations at D ig­
nity Village. T hecom m on stereotype about
hom eless people being lazy is not evident
at D ignity Village. The “sweat equity,” as
resident Will C urrier calls it, is required.
Residents must contribute 10 hours per
continued
on page H6
They’ve heard it
loud and clear from
the community that
stability is one o f
the top priorities.
ous consideration to more local candi­
dates perhaps than they have in the past,"
he says.
Board m em bers have already enlisted
the sam e recruiting firm that induced
Phillips to Portland from Pennsylvania.
continued
by R aymond R endi . eman
R onal H ooper /T he P ortland O bserver
Northeast Portland Dignity Village resident Aaron Smith is 19 and homeless.
Superintendent
Search Intensifies
— Ed Schmitt
____________ à
on page H6
T he P ortland O bserver
Steady leadership has been an ongoing
challenge for Portland Public Schools.
So when Vicki Phillips left her superin­
tendent post after less than three years,
the Portland School Board hired Ed Schmitt
as its interim leader.
Schm idt held the schools' top position
at the county level for m ore than 10 years
and form erly w orked for the Portland
School District.
He fielded som e tough questions as he
takes the c ity 's m ost-scrutinized public
office.
In a series o f lively forum s discussing
the recruitm ent process, he becam e con­
vinced that the board will do its best to
pick a new superintendent that will lead
the district for many years to come.
“T h ey ’ve heard it loud and clear from
the com m unity that stability is one o f the
top priorities,” he told the Portland O b­
server, “so I'm confident that w hoever
they com e up with next will be som ebody
w ho will be com m itted to the com m unity
for hopefully a long period o f tim e.”
The board is conducting a survey on its
w ebsite at pps.k 12.or.us that asks com m u­
nity m em bers to rate the im portance o f a
future superintendent’s “w orking know l­
edge o f Portland o r statew ide issues.”
Schm itt argues that local ties are an
im portant factor to consider in judging a
potential superintendent’s dedication.
“I’m sure that they will be giving seri­
t
»
July 4. 2(X)7
photo by R aymond R endi . eman /T he P ortland O bserver
In her last week as superintendent. Vicki Phillips and Annenberg Institute for School Reform consultant Greg Hodge
interact with Boise-Elliot Elementary student Malachi Bussey. A new summer program at the north Portland school was
one o f Phillips last actions before she took a job at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
I