April 20, 2011
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Woman Proves
Police Harassment
A Multnomah County jury ruled
10-2 on Thursday that police com
mitted battery and falsely arrested a
local African American woman after
she inquired over the arrest of a
fellow MAX rider and asked the
officer for his identification.
A lthough the crim inal case
against 33-year-old S hei’Meka
Newmann was dropped when the
officer failed to attend the trial,
she was encouraged by her Sun
day school students and other
m embers of the com m unity to sue
as a way to stand up for what she
felt was right.
The jury awarded Newmann
$82,000 and explained after the trial
that the verdict was meant to send
the Portland police a message that
citizens have a right to ask for busi
ness cards.
PageS
J iisTirF
Advocate for Minority Contractors
A local business owner com
mitted to addressing the needs
of minorities within his own
company has been elected to
head up the Oregon chapter of
the National Association of
Minority Contractors.
M ark M atthew s, the presi
dent of the Pacificm ark C on
struction, has earned respect
from his peers as a hands-on
general contractor who hires
a diverse w orkforce and looks Mark Matthews
for every opportunity to utilize
other m inority com panies and
certified m inority contractors.
Gil C arreon from Liberty
Steel, and a m em ber o f the
Iro n W o rk e rs U n io n , w as
elected to serve as vice presi
dent o f the local organization;
and Faye Burch, a local con
sultant for disadvantaged, m i
nority and w om en-ow ned con
tra c to rs , w as re -e le c te d to
serve on the g ro u p ’s board.
Group Promotes
Disaster Readiness
Disaster readiness is the latest
challenge for a local group dedi
cated to helping people tackle so
cial and economic issues.
The Diaspora Caucus in Oregon
encourages people of African de
scent to come to the table to partici
pate in natural disaster prepared
ness training through the American
Red Cross.
The caucus, led by Ruth Pitts-
London of Gresham, will host a town
hall meeting on Friday, April 22 at
the local Red C ross, 3131 N.
Vancouver Ave. The meeting will
begin at 7:00 p.m.
For more information, call Pitts-
London at 503-775-3635.
Church Arson was Act of Hate
A white-man was convicted on
Thursday of setting fire to a mostly
b lack ch u rch a fte r P re sid e n t
Obama's 2008 election as the nation's
first black president.
Prosecutors said that Michael
Jacques, 26, and two friends were
motivated by racial resentment when
they set fire to the M acedonia
Church of God in Christ in Spring-
field, Mass, just moments after the
election results were announced.
After a three-week trial, a jury
deliberated for nearly three days
before finding Jacques guilty of
conspiracy to violate civil rights,
religious property damage because
of race, and damage to religious
property by use of fire.
Jacques faces up to 60 years in
prison. Two other men have already
pleaded guilty to similar charges.
Although completely destroyed
by the fire, the church is currently
being rebuilt and is expected to open
later this year.
Groups Support Young People
The ongoing efforts at building
local support for young people will
be celebrated at two upcoming
events.
The local black chapter of Par
ents and Friends of Lesbians and
Gays (PFLAG) will celebrate its sec
ond birthday on Saturday, April 23
at the Local Lounge, 3535 N.E. Mar
tin Luther King Jr.
The event will start at 6 p.m. with
a report on past successes in sup
porting individuals throughout the
community and information on fur
ther ways to become involved with
the organization. The night will in
clude snacks and dancing.
A benefit to support the educa
tion o f law students dedicated to
fighting bigotry and discrimination
within the community will be held
Friday evening, April 29, at the Old
Church, 1422 S.W. 11th Ave., in
honor of the late Bill and Ann Shep
herd, who co-founded the Portland
chapter of the PFLAG.
Composer and soprano Theresa
Koon will perform a 50-minute con
cert. An assortment of deserts from
local Portland bakeries will be
served.
PFLAG provides educational and
emotional support to individuals in
distress about sexual orientation
issues.
Tickets are $40 in advance or $50
at the door. For more information,
call503-286-1752.
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