&
Passion
The Grotto’s
Choral Festival
Exhibit tells
story o f
African-
Atnerican baseball
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Heaven and
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nightly concerts
See Metro, page 9
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Read back issues of the Portland Observer at www.portlandobserver.com
'City 0 /Roses’
Volume XXXXI, Number 50
Wednesday • December 14, 2011
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
communin' service
Audit Check
Sinks CEO
t< 12
Urban League fiscal
practices threaten services
by M indy C ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
After Urban League of Port­
land President and C hief Execu­
tive O fficer M arcus Mundy re­
signed Friday in response to
scrutiny surrounding his spend­
ing practices, the non-profit,
w hich has served vulnerable
populations throughout the city
for decades, is trying to find a
way to move forward.
“We will continue t© pursue
and address this issue,” Lolenzo
Poe, Board C hair for the Urban
League of Portland, said M on­
d ay . “ W e w ill w o rk w ith
M ultnom ah County to ensure
that all the things that need to be
in place are there.”
A ccording to David Austin,
com m unication spokesperson
for M ultnomah County, if the
Urban League does not provide
proof of fiscal controls this week,
the county has an obligation to
continued
on page 4
photo by M indy C ooper /T he P ortland O bserver
The North Russell Street offices o f the Urban League o f Portland is decorated with historical figures
who led the civil rights organization over the years. Multnomah County threatens to pull its financial
assistance to the non-profit after a recent audit found questionable spending practices.
Shelters Exceed Capacity as Cold Hits
Whole families take
refuge in east
Portland church
by C ari H achmann
T he P ortland O bserve
PHOTO BY C A R I HACHMANN/THE PORTLAND OBSERVER
Joe and Cristal Moreno take refuge from the cold in an east Portland homeless shelter opened exclusively for
families through the work o f the non-profit group Human Solutions.
On another bone-chilled night, the doors were
open to the Homeless Family Winter Shelter at East
Presbyterian Church where 90 families sought ref­
uge from the wintry cold, more than one third were
children, a record-high since the shelter opened
three-years-ago.
A baby cried, as bundled mothers and fathers
rolled up with strollers and belongings. Some chil­
dren clung to their parent’s warm chests, while
others laughed and squirmed about the foggy court­
yard, unknowingly making the best of an otherwise
dismal situation.
Late fall and winter sounds the alarm for non­
profits to open emergency shelters in Portland, like
the church space at 12505 N.E. Halsey Street, which
is run by Human Solutions. Last month, the agency
continued
on page 5
(