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Confronting
Youth Violence
Frigid Cold Causes Havoc
Warming shelters open;
freezing pipes at risk
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fit Roses
‘City
Longtime mentor fills
an important role
See story, page A2
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d J n r i l a n u (lE/bserver
See Metro section
A4
Fstahlisherl
Established in in 1970
1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXVIII, Number 4
.Week in
The Review
Economy Plunges
www
nnrtlandnhservp
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • lanuaiy 23. 2008
Cutting-Edge Candidates
The Federal Reserve unexpectedly |
slashed a key interest rate by a
bold three-fourths of a percentage
point on Tuesday, responding to
a global plunge in stock markets
that heightened concerns about a by R aymond R endleman
recession. The Fed signaled that T he P ortland O bserver
Portland is lucky to see even one
further rate cuts were likely.
Young, minority voices represent change
emerging black voice in many election
cycles. But this May will bring at least
P re s id e n tia l
three young African-Americans to con
c a n d id a te
Barack Obama tend for three seats opening in state and
tried to correct local politics.
The candidates share a progressive
a m isco n cep
tion that he’s a passion for social advancement and equal
Muslimatarally access, and a firsthand understanding of
in South Carolina Monday, set what it’s like to be disenfranchised.
ting the record straight from an
“To give a voice to the voiceless is
attack designed to play into preju one of those things that to me, is just
dices and fears of terrorism. See
common sense,” says Harold C. Will
story, page A3.
iams Two, who filed last week for a seat
Thousands Honor King
on the Portland City Council, to be
Front Highland Christian Church decided in the May 20 primary. “If we
in Portland to the Ebenezer Baptist don’t do it, who will?”
Church in Atlanta, thousands of
In another Portland City Commis
Americans gathered for Martin
sioner race, John Branam, 33, sees a
Luther King observances Mon
political role forhisbi-ethnicity and points
day, honoring the civil rights
leader’s commitment to peace and to his professional experience as devel
equality and noting the importance opment director for Portland Public
of his legacy in this election year. Schoo’s.
“That’s useful when you’re talking
Noose Cover Outrage
about providing leadership for a diverse
Ten days after
community,” he says.
aGolfChannel
Cyreena Boston finds herself in the
a n c h o r was
state’s political arena as she seeks elec
su sp en d ed
for
using tion to Oregon House District 45 in outer
“ ly n c h ” in northeast Portland and Parkrose. She
co m m en tary
too doesn't shy away from forefronting
on
T ig e r her cultural background when relevant
Woods, an editor was fired Triday to advancing a cause.
for illustrating the controversy
“I’m confronted three ways, because
with a noose on the cover of
I’m young and I’m a woman and I’m an
Golfweek magazine. See story,
African American, and what it does, is
page A2.
it creates a phenomenal opportunity to
Terrorism Conviction
have conversations that ordinarily may
Jose Padilla, a
not happen," Boston says. “It’s time for
Brooklyn-born
that next crop of leaders to come for
convert to Islam
ward (because) we have systems of
w ho becam e
government that can enact policies of
one of the first
discrimination and hatredjust as quickly
A m e ric a n s
as policies that help people.”
designated “an
Boston, 27, shows that her youth
enemy combat
ant,” was sentenced to 17 years doesn’t signal any inability to affect
and four months in prison by a change by packing her hours with social
federal judge in Miami on Tuesday causes. She works for the county ana
for his conviction on charges that lyzing health policy andon Central City
he conspired to help Islamic terror Concern's business advisory council to
ists around the world.
increase opportunities for lifting people
out of poverty.
Calorie Counting Ordered
Reworking a rule for compliance,
All three candidates promote better
the New York City Board of Health schools, health care and jobs.
voted Tuesday to revive a plan
Boston speaks of the need for diver-
Record Set Straight
struck down by a judge last Sep
tember to force restaurant chains
to post calorie counts for their j
foods right on the menu, hoping
the fat-filled truth will shock people
into eating healthier.
photo by R aymond R endi . eman /T he P ortland O bserver
City Council candidate Harold C. Williams Two m a k e s a point during an action m eetin g on the Portland
and M ultnomah County bill o f rights for children.
-, T
City Council candidate John
Branam answ ers a campaign call
ju s t o u tsid e the Albina Press
c o ffe eh o u se on the corner o f
North Blandena.
Wealth Gap Makes Case for Reparations
Australia Drenched
Monsoonal rains in Queensland, ’
Australia have caused m assiv e;
flooding over two thirds of '.he i
state, leading to estimations of up
to $1 billion in damages and the
declaration of a disaster zone.
a voice,” she says.
Boston sums up her work eth
nic by saying, “I may not always
be right or perfect, but you cannot
question the love that I have for
where I’ve lived my life."
In hisCity Council race, Branam
says political leaders today need
to understand the perspective of
trying to make it as a young per
son, saying, “Our creative-class
sector represents a tremendous
opportunity for Portland to grow
and prosper, and I think that it’s
that
much more valuable to have
Cyreena B oston is running for s ta te
someone
on council who under
re p re se n ta tive .
stands what that means.”
He sees significant challenges ahead
sity in the Oregon Legislature, citing the
situation becoming increasingly dire as with respect to the equitable distribution
African-American Sen. Avel Gordly of educational resources and services to
will step down from office at the end of the 95 neighborhoods that make up the
city of Portland.
her term.
Branam credits Democratic presi
“ If a candidate like me is not given
dential
candidate Barack Obama’s rapid
a voice in the law-making process,
many people that are young, many rise to national prominence for giving
people that are of color and many
continued
on pane A J
people that are different will not have
minus their debts. For people in the
middle-class, homes tend to be by far
the biggest asset. And a large fraction of
the black/white “wealth gap" is related
to the very different home ownership
rates of white and black Americans, and
To correct legacy
of housing
discrimination
though black Americans earn about 60
percent as much as white Americans.
And at every income level, white Ameri
cans have much more wealth than black.
Wealth is a measure of a person's
total net worth - essentially, thei r assets
Historic housing and lending discrimi
nation against black Americans has cre
ated a significant discrepancy in their
overall wealth - a gap that may take
reparations to close, according to re
search published by two Oregon State
University faculty members.
Jonathan Kaplan, associate profes
sor and chair of the Department of
Philosophy, and Andrew Vails, assis
tant professor in the Department of
Political Science, argue for a shift from
viewing reparations in the framework of
slavery toemphasizing relatively recent
housing discrimination practices which
continue to put people of color at a
disadvantage.
The average black American has
only about 15 percent as much wealth as
the average white American, even
Extreme discrimination is documented by this World War II era photograph of a
luncheonette sign in the Kenton neighborhood of north Portland. (Photo courtesy
o f the Oregon Historical Society)
the differences in the value of homes
owned by black and white Americans.
Kaplan and Valis argue that this situ
ation was created by government pro
grams that deliberately made it much
more difficult for black Americans to
acquire homes at the same time they
made it much easier for white Ameri
cans to acquire homes.
Before the creation of the Home
Owner’s Loan Corporation in 1933 and
its permanent successor, the Federal
Housing Authority in 1934, relatively
few Americans owned their homes.
The FHA made home ownership pos
sible for many Americans by introduc
ing low down-payment, long-term fixed-
interest. self-amortizing loans, in I93X,
the creation of the Federal National
Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae")
provided a market for FHA loans, in
creasing liquidity and further decreasing
lender risk.
As Kaplan explains, black Ameri-
continued
on page A3