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‘City of Roses’
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXVIII. Number 41
TLWeek ¡n
The Review
Bias Alleged In Lawsuit
Black employees of the U.S.
Marshals Service have filed a
racial discrimination lawsuit ac
cusing the federal law enforce
ment agency of a "good old boys
network" that groomed whites
for leadership positions while
passing up and reprimanding
blacks for "trivial mistakes."
Hispanic Voters
Back Obama
Democratic candidate Senator
Barack Obama has the support
of the vast majority of Hispanic
likely voters - 70 percent - while
Republican John McCain trails
with just 21 percent support, a
new Zogby International tele
phone survey of Latinos nation
wide shows.
Obama to Visit Alling
Grandmother
Barack Obama is canceling cam
paign events scheduled for
Thursday in Madison, Wis., and
Des Moines, Iowa, and flying to
Hawaii because his grandmother
Madelyn Dunham, 85, has taken
ill, his campaign has announced.
Voter Registrations Surge
M ultnom ah C ounty has in
creased its voter rolls by 62,523
people this year, with 59,437 of
the potential new voters regis
tering as Democrats. The dead
line for new voters to register
was Oct. 14. Voters who have
not received vote-by-mail bal
lots because of a recent address
change have until the Nov. 4
election to re-register.
Tampa Bay Favored
Las Vegas oddsmakers favor the
Tampa Bay Rays to win the
World Series over the Philadel
phia Phillies. The best-of-seven
series opens Wednesday at 5
p.m. in Tampa, Fla., and will be
broadcast by FOX on KPTV
Channel 12.
Agents Take on Mongols
Dozens of Mongol motorcycle
gang members were arrested
Tuesday by federal agents in six
states Tuesday following a three-
year undercover investigation
in which four agents success
fully infiltrated the group. Fed
eral and local agents had 160
search warrants that were being
served across Southern Califor
nia and in Nevada, Oregon, Colo
rado, Washington and Ohio.
Local Party Turns to Riot
Police arrested six men Saturday
night after putting down a fight
involving more then 20 men at
the Gresham GSI Community
Center. As officers started break
ing up the fight, bystanders
turned against them. A call for
back up sent 38 officers to the
center and the disturbance was
finally brought under control.
Magnetic Treatment for
Depression Approved
The government has approved
the first noninvasive brain stimu
lator to treat depression — a
device that beam s magnetic
pulses through the skull. The
therapy is specifically for pa
tients who had no relief from
their first antidepressant, offer
ing them a different option than
trying pill after pill.
•'com m unity service
J
1
www.portlandobserver.com
Established in 1970
Wednesday • October 22. 2008
No Half
Steppin’
Young talent rides
breakdancing wave
A local talent making waves in the world of funk, soul
and hip-hop is sharing his expertise with others by
teaching breakdancing fundamentals at Ethos Music
Inc., the non-profit organization bringing music educa
tion to inner city kids.
No Half Steppin’ teaches the rudimentary steps, con
cepts, and philosophies that are considered to be the
foundation of breakdancing.
The class is taught by B-boy Jyant of Moon Patrol
Crew, also known as Huy Pham, a 12-year veteran of
the breakdancing and DJ scene who has been teaching
in the Ethos Urban Music program for eight years.
Jyant, 25, is known as a great performer and teacher.
He has taught kids at Woodlawn, Boise, King and Open
Meadows schools.
Born and raised in Portland, he graduated from
Benson High School and completed a degree in adver
tising from Portland State University in 2006.
continued
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on page A3
B-boy Jyant o f Moon Patrol Crew is a talented performer and teacher who shares in his success by
teaching breakdancing fundamentals.
Going Street Proposedfor Bikes
Bike boulevard
idea takes off
by L ee P erlman
T he P ortland O bserver
The Portland Office of Transportation
and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance
are com m itted to a seem ingly easy
proposition - making Northeast Going
Street a bike boulevard.
The bike-designated boulevards are
local, usually residential thoroughfares
where automobile traffic volume is suffi
ciently low and bicyclists can use them
safely w ithout the use o f designated
bike-only lanes.
Bicyclists would be directed to the
Going Street Bike Boulevard by maps and
signs and once there, share the road with
cars which would be targeted for reduc
tion by other traffic controls.
Since bike boulevards require rela
tively little infrastructure they cost far
less than traditional bike lanes. Because
o f this, they are beginning to receive
more attention than they have in the past
from the city and the bicycle community.
They also offer a riding environment
that feels safer and more pleasant than
negotiating main streets, even with the
aide o f bike lanes. As such, they seem
w ell-suited to the kind o f potential
rider that bike advocates are seeking
to attract.
At a recent meeting of the Concordia
Neighborhood Association, Greg Lav
ender of the bicycle alliance divided the
Portland bicycling population into four
categories.
“Strong and fearless" and “Enthusi
astic and confident," were categories
that accounted for roughly eight percent
tier and healthier alternatives than busy,
car-filled streets.
So far the city has less than 30 miles
of bike boulevards. Northeast Portland,
where the BTA claims that 40 percent of
the population rides at least occasion
ally, there is just one boulevard: North
east Tillamook Street.
City transportation officials and the
Since bike boulevards require
relatively little infrastructure they
cost far less than traditional bike
lanes. Because o f this, they are
beginning to receive more attention
than they have in the past from the
city and the bicycle community. * ’
of the biking population. Lavender said,
w hile “No-how, no-w ay” riders ac
counted for 33 percent and “Interested
but concerned" riders accounted for
about 60 percent of the bicycling public.
The last group would potentially ride,
but is concerned about riding in heavy
traffic, said BTA leader Scott Bricker.
To attract this critical population, bike
boulevards are promoted as quieter, pret
BTA have looked at 14 possible routes
for bike boulevards serving north and
northeast Portland.
For now, they have selected North
east Going Street between North Will
iams and Northeast 72nd avenues, a dis
tance of 3.5 miles, as their first target.
The route, they say, would com e
"within a half-mile of 11 schools, nine
parks and four business districts.” They
are circulating petitions to obtain fund
ing for implementing the route.
However, the simple “share the road”
philosophy has some complications.
For bicyclists to safely cross such
busy streets as Northeast Seventh, 15th
and 33rd avenues, along with Martin
Luther King Jr. Boulevard, there will have
to be new traffic signs perhaps a traffic
signal or two, which are expensive.
Another issue is that the city and BTA
want to attract existing bike commuters
to the new routes.
For this to happen, bicycle commut
ers will need to travel about as fast as
they could on higher volume traffic
streets. This would mean eliminating
some stop signs, possibly making the
bike boulevards magnets for cars as well
as bikes.
Thus, BTA and the Portland Depart
ment of Transportation are proposing to
install such im provem ents as speed
bumps, curb extensions and “diversion
devices” that restrict auto movement
and discouraging trough traffic without
actually prohibiting cars from using the
street.
At the Concordia meeting, longtime
community activists Jim Karlock and
Terry Parker, who have traditionally ob
jected to restrictions on auto travel in
general and speed bumps in particular,
continued
y^
on page A3
Interstate Firehouse Goes Delirious
special theatrical performances
presented by IFCC alumni, in
cluding the eclectic rock music
of Portland's own Sneakin' Out;
thought-provoking comedy by
renow ned a c tre ss Je n n ife r
Lanier; the Afro-Cuban sounds
of Melao de Cuba and dancers
from Hurricane Tumbao,
Portland’s hottest band from
the 80s, The Crazy 8s, will also
perform. The group ruled the road
from 1983 through 1993 when
they opened for The Clash, The
Neville Brothers. The Red Hot
Chili Peppers, Oingo Boingo, The
Violent Femmes. UB40, The En
glish Beat and Steel Pulse, to
name a few.
Cultural
Center
celebrates
25 years
The Interstate Firehouse Cul
tural Center will celebrate 25 years
of fabulous art, performance and
com m unity involvem ent with
“An IFCC Homecoming: Come
Get Delirious!” celebration on
Saturday, Oct. 25, starting at 6
p.m.
This ode to the 80s homecom
ing will feature live music and
dancing, multi-ethnic food and
continued
The Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center in north Portland is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
1
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on page A2