500
Attorney General
Driven from Office
Bush’s Texas friend has few defenders
years«
* community service
'C i t v n of
f P
ncpc’
‘City
Roses
Republicans and Democrats alike
(AP) — A lberto G onzales, the
had
demanded his departure over the
nation's first Hispanic attorney gen­
botched
handling of FBI terror inves­
eral, was driven from office after a
wrenching standoff with congres- tigations and the firings of U.S. attor-
sional critics over his honesty and neys, but President Bush had defi­
antly
stood
Texas
friend
Alberto
Gonzales
competence.
antly
stood
by by
his his lexas
friend
tor for AlDerto
Gonzales
months until accepting his resigna­
tion that was announced Monday.
"After months of unfair treatment
that has created a harmful distrac­
tion at the Justice Department, Judge
Gonzales decided to resign his posi­
tion and I accept his decision," Bush
said from Texas, where he is vaca­
tioning.
Bush said the attorney general's
"good name was dragged through
the mud for political reasons."
Though some Republicans echoed
the president's veiled slap at Demo­
crats,
Gonzales
had had
few few
defenders
crats,
Gonzales
defenders
continued
' y f on page A3
a.lortl;mb ©baeruer
1070
Established in
1970
.......... ..........i t
Wednesday • August 29, 2007
T, Week ¡n
The Review
Community
Mobilizes
Against War
Vick Apologizes
M ich ael V ick
apologized to the
NFL and his At­
la n ta F alco n s
teammates Mon­
day for “using
bad ju d g m e n t
and making bad decisions" and
vow ed to redeem h im self of
charges in a dogfighting case. See
story, page B6.
Disproportional
impacts seen
Lewd Conduct Denied
C o n s e r v a tiv e
Idaho Republi­
can Sen. Larry
C raig d en ie d
any inappropri­
ate
co n d u ct
T u e sd a y one
day after word
got out about his guilty plea to
misdemeanor charges stemming
from complaints of lewd conduct
in the men's room at the Minne­
apolis airport.
Hostage Release Promised
Taliban militants agreed Tuesday
to release 19 South Korean church
volunteers held hostage for six
weeks after Seoul reaffirmed a
pledge to withdraw its troops by
year's end and prevent Christian
missionaries from working in Af­
ghanistan.
Klansman Guilty
James Ford Seale,
a reputed Ku Klux
K lansm an, was
sentenced Friday
to three life terms
in prison for his
role in the 1964 abduction and mur­
der of two black teenagers in Mis­
sissippi. The 72-year-old showed
no emotion when the sentence was
read. See story, page B3.
Clinton to go on Oprah
F orm er P re si­
dent Clinton will
appear on Oprah
W in frey 's TV
talk show next
Tuesday, Sept.
4, his first inter­
view to promote
"Giving," a book on philanthropy
and civic action coming out the
same day.
U. S. Most Armed
The United States has 90 guns for
every 100 citizens, making it the
most heavily armed society in the
world, a report released on Tues­
day said.
Fires Rage in Greece
Foreign firefighters and aircraft
joined the battle Tuesday against
blazes in southern Greece, which
began about five days ago, and
have killed at least 64 people.
i _ i
www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXVII, Number 34
>
left in Washington.
Many Republicans actually wel­
comed his departure, some quietly
and others publicly so.
Gonzales, formerly Bush's White
House counsel, served more than
two years at the Justice Department.
In announcing his decision. Gonzales
reflected on his up-from-the-boot-
straps life story; he's the son of
migrant farm workers from Mexico
who didn’t finish elementary' school.
"Even my worst days as attorney
photo by M ark
W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
The Paragon Club at 815 N. Killingsworth St. sits closed after Portland Community College purchased the
building for the parking lots behind the building.
College Buys Killingsworth Bar
M ichael L eighton
T he P ortland O bserver
Portland Community College has
purchased a bar on North Killingsworth
Street but don’t expect it to serve
drinks.
The school says it purchased the
Paragon Club for its parking lot. It has
no plans to open the bar and won't
by
speculate on how the building will be
used in the future. The $750,(KX) sales
price included two 5.000 square foot
lots used for parking that are sand­
wiched behind the club and between
Albina and Mississippi Avenues.
The college has been adding park­
ing lots to its Cascade Campus since
a 2000 bond levy cleared the way for
a near doubling of the north Portland
campus.
The Paragon Club, a neighborhood
establishm ent for decades, closed
shortly after the July 31 sale and its
employees were reportedly laid off
without notice.
continued
by J ason F loyd
T he P ortland O bserver
Individuals in the north and northeast Portland
community are mobilizing against the war. The con­
cern has been that our interv ention in Iraq dispropor­
tionately affects peoples of color and poor commu­
nities by coercing the young to join the military,
reinforces racism and exhausts finances that would
be better used serving human needs.
Earlier this month, an Iraq Summer Teach-in
brought the issue to the forefront. The effort was led
by Joann Bowman, a former African-American state
lawmaker who currently serves as executive director
of Oregon Action.
Since the Vietnam
War. Oregon has dem ­
onstrated a unified peace
m ovem ent, but w hat
m akes this co alitio n
unique are ihe dem o­
graphics represented.
It’s not predominantly of
m iddle class A nglo-
Americans.
T he p o int o f the
teach-in was to investi­
gate hard hitting ques­
tions that are often pushed out of priority in the name
of duty, patriotism and opportunity.
Concerns about the Iraq W ar’s impact on the local
community and the effect it has on individuals in the
family are tantamount. Unlike previous wars, the
deployments of soldiers who are women add to the
pressures military families face.
Bowman outlines the primary goals for people of
color against the war as communicating local con­
cerns to elected leaders and moving toward a new
policy that will bring our troops home.
For example, some question whether the current
health system is equipped to address the mental and
healthcare needs of returning vets, and others won­
der if specific provisions for employment opportuni­
ties should be made for them.
Oregon Action had trained volunteers and com­
munity leaders to facilitate small groups for specific
discussions. Premiering at the teach -in was a Sup­
port our Troops media project from a core of college
students in partnership with North West Institute
for Social Change.
on page A2
continued
on page A3
Neighborhood Coalition Returns to its Roots
Director
understands
local dynamics
by L ee P erlman
T he P ortland O bserv er
Under a new executive director,
the Northeast Coalition of Neigh­
borhoods will see a return to the
organization's roots.
Joseph Santos-Lyons is a Port­
land native and resident of the Pied­
mont neighborhood who most re­
cently served as National Director
of Field Organizing for Campus
Ministries. He has also been active
in Oregon Action, the Coalition for
a L.ivable Future, the Environmen­
tal Justice Action Group, and the
Interstate Urban Renewal Advisory
Group and has worked extensively
photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
with neighborhood associations. Joseph Santos-Lyons, a Portland native and Piedmont neighborhood resident, is the new leader of
“He has great organizing skills,” the Northeast Coalition o f Neighborhoods.
V
said NECN board chair Ron Laster.
"He has worked with youth, multi­
racial families, people of color and
ministries. He has a good knowl­
edge of the neighborhood associa­
tion structure, and understands the
dynamic of our community."
The coalition, like the city's six
other neighborhoixl offices, pro­
vides services to neighborhood
associations, and is guided by a
governing board. It has also cre­
ated service programs such as the
Graffiti Removal Program, the
Northeast Workforce Center and
its Jobs Committee, the Youth Gang
Outreach Program, and the Transit
Rider Advocates Program.
The graffiti program was later
taken over by the city, while the
workforce center became an inde­
pendent agency.
Santos-Lyons m akes it clear
continued
on page A3