Page 14 ilH jJortlanb Gfthsemer March 31. 2010 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views o f the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. betters to the (Scditor Thankful Dad I just came back from Washington, D.C., where I attended the 11th annual national healthy start spring conference where we discussed the infant mortality rate in the United States and how important Healthy Start programs are around the nation. It was perfect timing with the health reform climate down there. We walked to the capitol and spoke with our state representatives. We went to our two senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and our house representative Earl Blumenauer. We spoke to them about our program and how it has served the community for the last 16 years and how Multnomah County has seen a decline in infant deaths from about 16 percent to 10 percent. We asked for Merkley’s support, since he didn’t sign last time around, and the continued support from Wyden and Blumenauer. I am not a county employee, or a big political guy. I’m just a young parent o f a beautiful premature daughter who has benefited greatly from our local Healthy Start program and 1 had to march to Capitol Hill and let them know. I want my community to know that there is help out there, very good programs to help you through your pregnancy and beyond. You can contact me for more information. Ricky Booker papabooker(agm ail. com To Place Your Classified Advertisement Contact: Phone: 503-288-0033 Fax: 503-288-0015 e-mail: classifieds@portlandobserver.com Saltzman Disappoints Thursday, March 18,1 attended the City Council’s This has lead me to wonder w hether Saltzman hearing on increasing oversight o f Portland’s Police has no idea or ideas about how to im prove our Department in the wake o f another tragedy; the deadly police departm ent; or is he too sim ply afraid to take shooting o f Mr. Aaron Campbell. on the entrenched status quo that lingers like a Increased oversight o f the Portland’s police thousand m idnights down in a Cyprus swam p over departm ent is long overdue and will require strong our city? leadership in order to be enacted. That is why we After the first tragedy under his watch, Saltzman are so disappointed that the com m issioner in charge went silent after the department threatened to publish o f the Police Bureau, Dan Saltzm an, sat silently the results o f a no-confidence vote in his leadership. throughout the entire hearing. Now w e’re treated to more o f the same. Could it be a Saltzman’s colleagues as well as the community will coincidence that the commissioner just paid a pollster be looking to him to rebuild the shattered trust be­ $13,000 to find how which way the wind is blowing tween the department and the citizens o f this city. In before he speaks? this case, silence isn’t golden. In the 15 months he has As a civil rights advocate I would like to give overseen this bureau all we have heard from Commis­ Saltzman the benefit o f the doubt, but the community’s sioner Saltzman are muted responses, pledges to buy patience has worn out: Commissioner Dan Saltzman equipment to get to the dead bodies faster and assur­ has to go. ances that federal investigators will find no civil rights '"Skipper ” Osborne, founder o f Truth and Justice violations. fo r A ll andform er president ofthe Portland NAA CP Hansen will be missed Fred Hansen’s exit from TriMet (Front page, March 24 issue) is more than a footnote for minority contrac­ tors. In an era when it is difficult to identify leaders who are willing and capable o f taking on the difficult problems and issues o f society and government, Fred Hansen is a shining star. The glaring disparities between m inority con­ tractors and businesses and their nonm inority coun­ terparts is a vexing and politically explosive issue that most governm ent leaders are unw illing to se­ riously touch. Not only does it speak to H ansen’s raw courage to confront these disparities, but it also affirm s his intelligence and vision to recognize that all m em bers o f our com m unity deserve to be true stakeholders in our Oregon economy. H ansen’s legacy in this area was not one o f lip service, but one o f action, accountability and re­ sults. He epitom ized the notion that we can all win and be the better for it. Most leaders when con­ fronted with this problem either look for legalized justification for doing nothing or invent ways to placate m eaningful action and remain politically safe. The extraordinary work o f Fred Hansen in delivering the most progressive metropolitan transportation sys­ tem in the country will be missed. But for minority contractors his absence means they have lost an invaluable advocate and supporter the likes o f which we will probably never see again. James L. Posey, form er president o f the National Alliance o f Minority Contractors and president o f the Coalition o f Black Men MMMMW I just read every page o f your latest issue and found it quite satis­ factory------ with one giant excep­ tion; the food page recipe (Banana Outrageous Recipe TRAVEL GLOBAL STAY LOCAL __ THIS SPRING BREAK Pastor & Elect Lady Bishop H. L. & Earlean P. Hodge Pastor/Teacher/Revivalist iti Offi/oii J ta rd i 22-