April 30, 2008
Page A2
Civil Rights
Champion Honored
Obama Tries to Tamp Down Uproar
Denounces pastor’s latest remarks
T h is y e a r 's sig n a tu re
event o f the Portland C hap­
ter o f the N A A C P has at­
tracted a civil-rights cham ­
pion from across the coun­
try.
The organization’s an­
nual Freedom Fund D inner
scheduled May 15 at the
Sheraton Hotel, 8235 North­
east A irport W ay, will fea­
tu r e B e rn e tte J o s h u a
Johnson, associate justice
of the Louisiana Suprem e
Bernette Joshua Johnson
Court, as keynote speaker.
Johnson was the first woman munity organizer with the NAACP
elected to the Civil District Court Legal Defense and Educational
in New O rleans, the city where Fund in New York City.
Contribution for dinner tickets
she grew up. Prior to her election
to the bench, she spent m ost of at $60 per person and reserva­
her legal career w orking in the tions for seats or tables o f 10 can
public sector. During the 1960s, be made through local N A ACP
she worked as a law intern with offices, 3527 N.E. 15th Ave. #125,
the U.S. Justice Department,Civil Portland. OR 97212. For more in­
Rights Division, and as a com ­ formation, call 503-280-2600.
Sen. Barack Obama holds a news conference in Winston-Salem,
N.C.. Tuesday to denounce the latest assertions by his former
pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright. (AP photo)
Oregon Senate
Candidates to Debate
(AP) - Barack O bam a angrily
denounced his form er pastor for
"divisive and destructive" remarks
on race, seeking to divorce him self
from the incendiary speaker and a
fury that threatens to engulf his
front-running Democratic presiden­
tial campaign.
O bam a is trying to tam p down
the uproar over the Rev. Jerem iah
W right at a tough time in his cam ­
paign. The Illinois senator is com ­
ing o ff a loss in Pennsylvania to
rival Hillary Rodham Clinton and
trying to win over w hite w orking-
class voters in Indiana and North
C arolina in next Tuesday's prim a­
ries.
" I am outraged by the com m ents
that were made and saddened over
the spectacle that we saw yester­
day," O bam a told reporters at a
news conference Tuesday.
His strong w ords com e just six
w eeks after O bam a delivered a
sweeping speech on race in which
he sharply condem ned W right's
remarks but did not leave the church
Focus on Children of Incarcerated
p.m. at First Unitarian Church, 1011
S.W. 12th Ave.
B rid g e tt O rte g a , a n atio n al
on improving the outcomes for chil­
speaker and consultant on juvenile
dren o f incarcerated parents.
The session titled "And How are justice, w ho herself is the child and
the Children? A C om m unity A p­ grandchild o f incarcerated parents,
proach to Prioritizing, Protecting will host the summit.
At least 1.5 m illion children un­
and Parenting Children o f Incarcer­
ated Parents” will take place on der the age o f 18 currently have a
Friday, May 2 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 parent in state or federal prison
Conference brings justice expert
The local nonprofit Children’s
Justice Alliance is bringing together
Multnomah County judges, police,
prosecutors, com missioners, state
lawm akers, corrections directors,
child-welfare managers, social ser­
vice leaders, educators and other
com munity leaders for a conference
Jackie Dingfelder
Sean Cruz
The Portland Chapter o f the
N A ACP is sponsoring a forum
for the public to get to know can­
didates for O regon’s Attorney
General and State Senate District
23 covering northeast and south­
east Portland.
Sean Cruz, chief of staff to State
Sen. Avel G ordly, will face off
with State Rep. Jackie Dingfelder
for the senate seat. A dditionally,
lawyer John Kroger will discuss
the issues with his opponent for
Oregon Attorney General, State
Rep. Greg M acpherson.
M oderators include radio per­
sonality O pio Sokoni and lawyer
Melvin Oden-Orr.
The debates will take place at 6
p.m. on Friday, May 2, at the High­
land Christian Center, 7600 N.E.
Glisan St..
or repudiate the m inister himself,
who he said was like a family m em ­
ber.
W right, after .weeks o f staying
out o f the public eye w hile critics
lam basted his serm ons, m ade three
public appearances in four days to
defend himself.
He asserted that criticism o f his
fiery serm ons was an attack on the
black church. O bam a rejected that
notion.
"T here w asn't an y thing co n ­
structive out o f yesterday," said
Obam a. "All it was a bunch o f rants
that aren't grounded in truth."
At one point, O bam a said he
understood the pressures W right
faced but w ouldn't excuse his com ­
ments.
"I th in k he felt v ilified and a t­
tacked and I understand him w ant­
ing to d efen d h im self," O b am a
said. "T hat m ay acco u n t fo r the
ch an g e but the in sen sitiv ity and
the o u trag e o u sn ess o f the sta te ­
m ents sh o ck ed m e and su rp rised
me."
nationw ide.
The m ulti-disciplinary sum m it
participants will share inform ation
about the co u n ty ’s ex istin g re­
sources. By the end o f the day,
leaders will have outlined next steps
and updated the com m unity action
plan to address this issue.
For more information, call Lauren
Booth at 503-892-5396.
Centennial School Bans Shaved Eyebrows
Gang related signs
(A P) — O ne Portland school is
telling som e students: shave your
eyebrow s or go home.
Several students at Centennial
High School have picked up on a
trend to shave lines into their eye­
brows. They say it's a fashion state­
ment: school adm inistrators, how-
ever. contend it’s a gang sign.
C entennial adm inistrators are
telling students who shave the lines
that they can't return to school until
they take care o f the problem — by
shaving their eyebrow s off. Four
students have been sent home. One
came back imm ediately with a ban­
dage covering the shaved brow.
The others are still out o f school.
A s s is ta n t P rin c ip a l M ark
Porterfield said the students are
not suspended, but they are not
allow ed in school until they coop­
erate.
Andy G onzalez, a ju n io r at C en­
tennial, was studying for a test when
a security guard approached him
and told him to go home. He told the
teenager that the one vertical line
dow n his brow looked like a gang
symbol and said, "If you're going to
com e to school like that, don't com e
at all."
"W e don't dictate policy for any
schools," O fficer David Schm idt of
the East M ultnom ah County Gang
Enforcem ent Team said. "W e just
tell them w hat we see the latest
trends are."
Columbia River
« C R O S S IN G
CPC is a bridge, transit and highway improvement project for
1-5 between Vancouver anil Portland.
Help Decide Your Future Ride.
roots
Your input is needed on the
Columbia River Crossing project’s Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The Draft EIS and proposed findings of de minimus
impacts* to public parks will he released on May 2, 2008.
The document describes the potential environmental and
community effects of the five project alternatives.
The Draft EIS public
comment period is
May 2 to July 1,2008.
The project considers comments at anytime, however
comments received during the comment period will be
responded to in the Final EIS.
Visit www.ColumbiaRiverCrossing.org after May 2 to
view the Draft EIS, learn where to read a printed copy,
and submit your comments.
Questions? Call 1-866-396-2726
•In addition to input on the Draft EIS. we are seeking public review and com m ent on the draft Section 4(f)
Evaluation that includes proposed findings of de minimis impacts to several public parks in Vancouver, in
com pliance with Title 23 U.S.C.. 138 Title 49 U.S.C., 303, and 23 C.F.R. 774
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information «
Materials c a n b e provided in alternative formats:
large print, Braille, cassette tape or on com puter disk for people with disabilities by calling the Office of
Equal Opportunity (OEO) at (360) 705-7097. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may c o n ta ct OEO
through tho Washington Relay Service a t 7-1-1.
Title VI Statement to Public «
WSDOT ensures full com pliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by
prohibiting discrimination against any person on the basis of race, color national origin or sex in the provision
of benefits and services resulting from its federally assisted programs and activities For questions regarding
WSDOT's Title VI Program, you may contact the Department's Title VI Coordinator at (360) 705-7098
f
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