'C ity of
Roses’
Downtown
Fiesta
Cinco de Mayo
opens five days
o f fun
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See page 4
Read back issues of the Portland Observer at W W W .p o rtla n d o b s e rv e r.c o m
Volume XXXXI. Number 18
W ednesday • May 4. 2011
Roosevelt
Theater Sails
Spotlight shines
on schools
success
See page 11
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
. ,
service
Bin Laden Killed
Mission’s success brings relief, concern
by M indy C ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
Portland residents seem to agree that the
death of Osama bin Laden is a fitting end to
a most destructive individual but have con­
cerns about what it means for future threats
against the United States.
The world’s most wanted terrorist, the
mastermind behind the Sept. 11,2001 attacks
in New York City and the Pentagon in W ash­
ington, D.C.; and to earlier bombings of two
U.S. embassies in Africa and against the USS
Cole, was killed Sunday in a U.S. raid by armed
forces in Pakistan.
Many residents we talked to hope bin
Laden s death will finally give some measure
of peace to the loved ones of the 3,000 U.S.
citizens who were taken from their families on
9/11. Others had concerns about what this
means for our national security.
Even though bin Laden’s murderous cam ­
paigns as leader of the terrorist group al
Qaeda redefined terrorism within the 21st
century, his own death doesn’t mean the end
of terrorism.
One Portland resi­
dent, Terry Green
said, “I’m kind of
glad they captured
and killed him, but I
don’t think it will
make the U.S. any
safer. I just hope the
° S3ma
U n Laden' th D.C.,
e w o rld
'a killed wanted
and mastermind
U.S. doesn’t get too
pakis^an
b
2001 M a C k 31 S Qaeda
N e W 'eader
York Clty
and Washington,
was
Sunday terrorist
by U.S. forces
In Abbottabad.
c o m p la c e n t and Terry Green
compromise national
security.”
Silcox.
Still, he said of bin Laden, “I feel that he was
Another Portlander
Another local man
A nother Portland
a bad guy, an extremist, and I am relieved that expressed her disbe­
also worried that by
resident expressed his
he is dead, and that’s hard for me to say that lief in the entire state
killing bin Laden, we
emotional turmoil at
about anybody— even for him.”
of affairs.
have increased our
seeing justice carried
The possibility of future terrorist acts was
“I find a lot more
vulnerability to retri­
out at the end of a gun.
a high concern.
freedom in third world
bution attacks.
O rlando Sanchez
Matt Silcox said just because bin Laden countries than I do in
“I think it is good
said he was troubled
has been killed doesn’t mean that there aren’t the U .S., said Jill
that he is dead, but I
by how Americans deal ____ _____
more terrorist groups out there.
Corley, whose distrust
think there are more
with death soeasily, and
„
i
“I think it is good that he is dead, but I think of the situation resides
M
att
Silcox
how people are ex- ^ ^ anc^0 Sanchez
people out there like
there are more people out there like him. 9/11 with her opinion that Jill Corley
him. 9/11 happened so long ago, and we kind pected to support military action or been seen
happened so long ago, and we kind of lost
of lost focus on all of the terrorism,” said Matt as traitorous.
continued > ¥ on page 5
focus on all of the terrorism,” he said.
S h /X T T '