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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2009)
Sotomayor Support Grows Prospects fo r the first Hispanic named to the Supreme Court look good Columbia Slough Regatta Area residents are invited to join the largest one-day paddle in Oregon See Arts & Entertainment, page A6 See story, page A3 tinniti© Ol R o s e s In IO 7A Established in 1970 Committed to Cultural Diversity Volume XXXVIV, N um ber 29 TLWeek in The Review Portland s www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • Iuly 22. 2009 Growjng Despair Scholar Confronted Prosecutors dropped a disor derly conduct charge T ues d a y a g a in s t p ro m in e n t black scholar H enry L ouis G ates Jr., who was confronted and arrested at his hom e near H arvard U niver sity after a report o f a break-in. A uthorities issued a statem ent saying the arrest "was regret table and unfortunate." See sto ry , page A3. Summer Heat Warning W ith a long stretch o f warm w eather expected over the next few days, the local Aging and Disability Services D ivision is rem inding old er adults and people with heat sensitive dis abilities to take precautions. See sto ry , page A3. Governor Signs Tax Plans G o v. T ed K u lo n g o sk i has signed a $733 m illion tax in crease plan M onday he says will protect schools and state program s from budget cuts. Passed by the D em ocratic-led O regon L egislature, the tax package sets a higher tax rate for upper-incom e earners and increases taxes on co rp o ra tions. Ex-Adams Official Sues M ayor Sam A dam s’ form er spokesm an, W ade N krum ah file d s u it against the city M onday, alleg in g w ro n g fu l discharge defa m a tio n , in v a sion o f privacy by false light and unpaid w ages. The suit was expected after Nkrum ah filed a tort claim on M ay 14 alleging that Adams lied by m is representing the circum stances surrounding his resignation. Roxy Davenport sits outside o f Powell's City o f Books, downtown, with her dog, "Baby, ” while asking passers by for spare change. Davenport says she's been homeless for nine months and hasn 't been able to find work. Homeless ranks on the rise by J ake T homas T he P ortland observer N ine m onths ago R oxy D avenport fle d fro m a r e la tio n s h ip she d e scrib ed as “ a b u siv e .” D u rin g that entire tim e she has been hom eless, un ab le to find w ork “There have been som e really nice people who have helped me out with change,” she said. But other tim es she’s felt “invis ible,” or has had some people openly heap scorn on her, telling her she had no right to have her dog, “Baby.” A new report released by the fed eral D epartm ent o f Housing and U r ban D ev elo p m en t rev eals th at the num ber of people in D avenport’s situ ation is on the rise in O regon, which has more hom eless people per capita than any other state in the union. The report also revealed alarm ing trends, such as the jum p in families experiencing homelessness. Each year HUD presents a report to Congress that gives the num ber of homeless people in each state. Oregon cam e out on top with 0.54 percent of the state’s population lacking a place to call home. The total number is about 17,000 people, roughly the size of Pendleton. Nationally, there are 664,414 shel te re d an d u n s h e lte re d h o m e le s s people, which is about the population o f M em phis, Tenn. O ver the last decade, the city of Portland has launched several initia tives aim ed at ending homelessness, which haven’t staved off the grow ing num ber o f hom eless people. In 2004, the city launched its 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, which stra tegically directed resources towards com bating the problem. Two years later, the City Council passed an ordinance m andating that 30 percent of monies generated in ur ban renewal districts go towards af fordable housing. In 2007, the legisla ture tacked on a $ 15 fee on every real estate docum ent recorded with the continued on page A3 NFL’s Vick Released Suspended NFL star M ichael 1 V ick ended his federal dogfight- in g s e n te n c e 1 M onday, freeing L him to lobby fora re tu r n to th e field. That means Vick no longer has to wear the electronic m oni tor he's had w hile under home confinem ent for the last two m onths o f his 23-m onth sen tence. R Quarterback Accused A woman has filed a lawsuit accus in g P itts b u r g h Steelers quarter back B en R oethlisbergerof raping her last sum m er in his penthouse hotel room at a ca sino in Lake T ahoe during a c e le b rity g o lf to u rn a m e n t. R oethlisberger's law yer ad a m antly denied the allegations T uesday. Vancouver Clinic Sued A clinic in V ancouver is being sued for $1.3 m illion over the overdose death o f a Portland teenager. The parents o f the 18-year-old accuse the Payette Clinic o f negligence or reck le s s n e s s in p r e s c rib in g oxycodone. Group tackles police practices by J ake T homas T he P ortland O bserver A new front has been opened to heal old w ounds betw een the Portland Po lice Bureau and m inority populations. A com m ittee on C om m unity and Po lice Relations for the city ’s H um an Re lations Com m ission fully assem bled for the first tim e this month to address ra cial profiling and other com plaints. M embers o f the com mittee expressed a desire to im prove relations between the police and the com munities it serves. However, the group is still finding its voice as it grapples with lingering is sues from the city's previous efforts to address police tensions. "This is a very unique opportunity, and th a t’s very exciting; so it better w o r k ,” s a id H e c to r L o p e z , th e com m ittee's chair and retired United Church o f C hrist minister. The com m ittee is com posed o f four H um an R elations Com m ission m em bers, five police m embers, and four citi zens. It is charged w ith develo p in g guidelines and pathways for im proving relations with police, m aking recom m en d atio n s on com m u n ity policing policies, and addressing prickly issues like racial profiling. The gro u p 's citizen com ponent in- photoby J ake T homas /T he P ortland O bserver Darryl W. Kelley Jr. volunteers to serve on a committee to heal old wounds between the Portland Police Bureau and minority populations. This is a very unique opportunity, and that's very exciting; so it better work. — Hector Lopez, Human Relations Commission chair elude two African Americans w ho have been on the wrong side o f the law in the past and now m entor youth, an im m igration lawyer, and a H ispanic who w orks with at-risk Latino youth. As com m ittee m em bers introduced th e m se lv e s to ea ch o th e r th e y ex- pressed a deep com m itm ent to Portland and improving police-com m unity rela tions. East Precinct Police Commander Mike Crebs nearly teared up when describ ing his fondness for the com m unity he served and how the sound o f gun fire community service v I in residential neighborhoods distresses him. ", want our critics to come out and shake our hands, and say, 'you know what? You have achieved excellence,'" he said. H ow ever, the com m ittee acknow l edged that its plans to improve relations between police and the com m unity are still in its infancy. "We all got to crawl before we walk," said D anyl Kelly Jr., a former gang m em ber who was recently appointed to the committee. The formation of the committee is one continued on page A2