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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2011)
December 7, 2011 ’B'* JJortlanh OOhserUer IN S ID E This page Sponsored by: Page 3 Fred Meyer What's on your list today?. photo by M indy C ikiper /T he P ortland O bserver Jefferson High School Principal Margaret Calvert addresses a public forum on efforts to reduce youth violence in the community. Action on Gangs Wanted Forum draws community response by M indy C ixiper tNIIIIAINHIM pages 12-16 T he P ortland O bserver More than 50 members of the community, many who have been personally impacted by gang vio lence, attended a forum last week to say the time for action is now, or youth bloodshed will never come to an end. The m eeting T hursday at Jefferson High School had educa tors, policy makers, police officers and community members gathered together in an attempt to find solu tions to the rising rate of youth gang- related violence within the city. “This forum is so timely,” said Tina Bouillion, program director of LifeWorks Northwest, an organiza tion dedicated to providing services to teenagers who suffer from be havioral and drug issues. The first speaker of the evening asked for a raise of hands if anyone had been touched by youth vio lence. Within seconds, the majority of those within the room lifted their arms, looking around to see they were not alone. “How many still feel something can be done about it?” he added. Once more, arms rose quietly into the air. According to Oscar Gilson, an administrator for Jefferson’s Middle College Program, the issues of youth violence are very “close to home.” Jefferson Principal M argaret Calvert said gang-related activity has made her position challenging, but the violence throughout the surrounding neighborhoods does not reflect the quality of her school. “Here at Jefferson we need to be good neighbors,” she said. Calvert said there is a need for the community to create more opportu nities for youth outside of school. A panel o f respected individu als and stakeholders had their own perspectives o f how to combat the issues before opening the floor to the rest o f the attendees in the room. Information tables for organiza tions, including Big Brother Big Sis ter and Connection, along with pam phlets on community resources were provided to help people be come more involved and network for change. Although there were multiple perspectives on which tactics could truly make a difference to curb the violence within the community, ev eryone agreed that something needs to change, and words are no longer enough. «w C lassifieds •*» TriMet Youth Passes Saved D ecember C alendar page 19 F o o d page 20 TriMet, the city of Portland, and Portland School District have com bined resources to save a program giving local students free passes on public transportation for the cur rent school year. The YouthPass program started in 2(X)8 for students at Jefferson and Franklin High Schools. The next year it was expanded to all Portland high schools, and 80 percent of these youth report use of the pass on a regular basis. Mayor Sam Adams said, “When I met with students on the first day of school this year, I heard how important the YouthPass is for the many students who don’t have a safe and reliable alternative way to get to school every day.” The funding gap was closed with $375,000 in discounts from TriM et, $75,000 from the school district and $225,000 from the city o f Portland. Besides helping families finan cially, the YouthPass program re duces traffic congestion around neighborhood schools, lowers car bon e m issio n s in su p p o rt o f Portland’s Climate Action Plan, and nurtures the next generation of tran sit users.
