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Multnomah County Settles Chasse Lawsuit
Man died in
violent arrest
(AP) - Multnomah County
c o m m is s io n e rs h av e a p
proved a $925,000 settlem ent
with relatives o f a mentally ill
man who died in police cu s
tody.
The paym ent will be a p ar
tial settlement of a federal law
suit filed by the family of James
Chasse. The suit also names
the city o f Portland and Port
land police.
C h a s s e , 4 2 , w ho had
schizophrenia, was arrested
follow ing a foot chase in the
Pearl D istrict in Septem ber
2 0 0 6 . O f f ic e r s sa id th e y
thought he had urinated out
side and was on drugs.
In an interview with inves
tigators a few days after the
incident, an o fficer said he
James Chasse
sh o v e d C h a sse dow n and
then fell onto the sidew alk,
past Chasse. But a video of
Besides a request for dam
officers talking at the jail after fered more than a dozen bro
they brought Chasse in cap ken ribs, including some that ages, a law suit filed in 2007
tu re s the o f fic e r te llin g a punctured a lung and caused by a tto rn e y Tom S teenson
seeks to make changes to limit
sheriffs deputy that "we tack massive internal bleeding.
The death angered ad v o the use o f deadly force and
led him."
The 13-minute video ends cates for the mentally ill, but a foot pursuits.
It also seeks the establish
with police and jail sheriffs Multnomah County grand jury
deputies hauling Chasse out found no criminal wrongdoing. m ent an independent o v e r
o f jail. C hasse, who can be
Chasse's death led Portland sig h t p a n e l fo r re v ie w in g
heard m oaning, died w hile Police C hief Rosie S izer to deaths in custody, along with
police were driving him to a make sure officers consider an in te rv e n tio n sy ste m to
h o sp ital. A cc o rd in g to a u the severity of the crim e be m onitor officers who use ex
cessive force.
to psy re s u lts , C h asse s u f fore giving chase.
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MWNMaMMM
Umoja joins Life Works NW
Group has long history addressing gang issues
Both nonprofit organizations
Portland's House of Umoja,
a group with a long history of see the move as a positive step
working on gang issues in north for the betterment of each or
and northeast Portland, is now ganization. Their joint vision is
part of Life Works NW, a long built on the strong foundation
time local mental health and that Umoja has created - unit
ing the community in combat
addiction services provider.
The two community organi ing gang violence - and ex
zations have been working to pands it to include an array of
additional service of
gether for more than a
ferings that will cre
year under a manage
ate a stronger hub of
ment contract. Now the
recovery and promise
bo ard s o f d ire c to rs
in the com m unity.
have decided it is in the
Space w ill rem ain
best interest of Umoja
available on site for
to
m erge
w ith
community activities.
Life Works NW.
Mary Monnat
“ At L ifeW orks
“The U m oja board
performed extensive due dili NW, we are proud to be able to
gence and came to the conclu continue to provide gang pre
sion that the best option to keep vention services that are tai
the program viable and main lo red to A frican A m erican
tain a strong areay of services young men and women vulner
to the community is for Umoja able to gang activity,” said
to b eco m e a p ro g ra m o f Mary Monnat, president and
LifeW orks NW ,” said John CEO of LifeWorks NW. “We
Kyle, former Umoja board presi expect that the youth served by
dent. “The new organizational Umoja will benefit from access
structure is a real opportunity to our other culturally specific
to strengthen Umoja and re programs and vice versa.”
The Umoja program will con
store its long-term vitality.”
Advertise with diversity
The
tinue under the leadership of
Ebony Sloan-Clarke, LifeWorks
NW director of culturally spe
cific services, who currently
oversees an array of culturally
specific mental health and ad
diction services including alco
hol and drug abuse treatment
for African Americans, mothers,
and youth; and smoking ces
sation education to the African
American community.
Michelle Harper formerly of
the Umoja Board of Directors
jo in e d the L ifeW orks NW
Board effective July 1, 2009.
Raised in Portland, and cur
rently Citywide Collaborative
Services Manager for Portland
Parks & Recreation, Michelle
has been a long-time commu
nity activist in north and north
east Portland advocating for the
needs of the African American
community.
LifeWorks NW was founded
in 1961 and promotes a healthy
community by providing qual
ity and culturally responsive
mental health and addiction ser
vices across the lifespan.
Green Jobs Expand
A new report paints a fairly
A green job is defined as work
optimistic picture for green that increases energy efficiency,
creates renewable energy, re
jobs in Oregon.
The Oregon Employment duces environmental degrada
D epartm ent surveyed em tion, cleans up the environment,
ployers and found that O r or assists with any of these ser
egon has 51,402 green jobs, vices.
or about 3 percent o f the
On average, the wage for a
workforce, spread across 226 green job in 2008 was $22.61 per
occupations ranging from hour. Two-thirds of the jobs
construction to retail trade.
paid $ 15 per hour or more.
Thirty two percent of green
jobs inventoried did not have
minimum education require
ments, but the better-paying
positions required specialized
training or a college degree.
The report found that em
ployers anticipated green jobs
growing by 14 percent between
2008 and 2010. Most of this
growth will be in farming, fish
ing, forestry, transportation, and
production.
Enter the
"Oregon Naturally
presented by Intel"
photo contest
Win a vacation at Brasada Ranch,
Eagle Crest or Running Y Ranch
Learn more at
www.intel.com/go/natural
in
portland Observer
J E L IE W E N
P r e s e n t e d by I n t t i
C all
5O3-288-OO33 ads@portlandobseiver.com
Br«j H e a rt/ by Dor, Weber
91
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