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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 2015)
Page 2 September 23, 2015 Protest over Armed Police Fall term opens with tensions on PSU campus O livia O livia T he P ortland O bserver Nearly 100 students and com- munity members protested Port- land State University’s convo- cation ceremonies and held a rally outside on Monday as fall term gets underway because of a controversial decision made last spring to arm the university’s campus security force. The many students, staff, grad- uates, neighbors, and even faculty showed they will protest and fight the decision which will be imple- mented over the next three years at a estimated cost of $1.5 million. Alyssa Pagan, an activist and PSU student said the protesters were standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality. Olivia Pace, the student who organized the protest, accused PSU President Wim Wiewel and the school’s Board of Trustees of ignoring their pleas. “This is not over,” said David Martinez, the college’s student government vice president, point- ing to an incoming class that is 40 percent people of color. “Portland State needs to be a campus that is safe for people, where students will not experience harassment just because they are black or Week in Review The Defending Planned Parenthood by J. V ahid B rown Portland State University student and activist Alyssa Pagan addresses a crowd of protesters on campus during a rally Monday protesting the arming its security force. photo courtesy of brown.” PSU Director of Communi- cations Scott Gallagher said the protesters did not represent most of the students and defended a de- cision that came after a more than two year long process of public outreach. “They’re a vocal minority, but they don’t represent the 30,000 students at Portland State,” said Gallagher. “There was a taskforce made up of faculty, staff and stu- dents, and they helped make this recommendation.” Gallagher said arming campus security allows the PSU com- Established 1970 P ublisher : Mark Washington, Sr. E ditor : Michael Leighton E xecutive D irector : Rakeem Washington A dvertising M anager : Leonard Latin Office Manager/Classifieds: Lucinda Baldwin C reative D irector : Paul Neufeldt R eporter /P hotographer : Olivia Olivia munity respond more quickly to problems on campus and clarifies issues regarding jurisdiction with Portland Police. “Having our own force means we don’t have to wait to respond to many of our campus issues – we can send our officers in directly and not worry about ju- risdiction.” Gallagher added he supported the students’ rights to voice their concerns. The students protesting a mili- tarized campus said they would be meeting again to decide how best to organize and continue to put pressure on the university. House Speak- er Tina Kotek abruptly cancelled a hearing about Planned Parent- hood and how it disposes of abort- ed fetuses Monday. The Portland Democrat accused Republicans of bringing “D.C.-style games to the Oregon House. I am a strong supporter of Planned Parenthood and have seen zero evidence to support the allegations that their opponents have drummed up in recent weeks,” Kotek said. Homeless Camp on Notice The Oregon Department of Trans- portation has given campers who have been using a public lot on North Greeley Avenue until Thurs- day to start clearing out. Several nonprofits have offered assistance and are trying to find a solution for the growing number of home- less people who are camping with tents and make-shift shelters, but it is unclear where the group will go next. Cooking Starts House Fire Firefighters responded Saturday night to a house fire on Northeast Rodney Avenue. One 80-year-old resident was taken to Emanu- el Hospital and treated for small burns and minor smoke inhala- tion. The fire started in the kitch- en with an oil fire and left dam- ages estimated at $100,000. Roosevelt High School Fire Fire crews responded to a two- alarm fire at Roosevelt High School in north Portland Sunday. Authorities report that the flames were contained to a materials pile adjacent to a stage in the school’s gym. There were no victims and school opened regularly Monday. Man’s Wheelchair Stolen A north Portland man who relies on his wheelchair to get around said Monday that he is now con- fined to his home after someone stole the wheelchair from his front porch. David Rinella said the chair disappeared sometime Saturday night from his home in the Univer- sity Park neighborhood. Bicycle Commuting Record Portlanders set a record for bike commuting in 2014, with 7.2 percent of commuters choosing to bike to work, according to new figures published by the Census Bureau. An estimated 23,347 Portlanders commuted to work by bike in 2014, an increase of 27 percent, or 5,010 commuters from the year before. Battle for Living Wages A petition to bring the statewide minimum wage up to $15 an hour secured a ballot title this week. Organizers from Orego- nians for 15 and 15 Now Oregon say they need to collect to 88,000 valid signatures by July 1 in or- der to qualify for the November 2016 ballot. ---------------------- USPS 959 680 ------------------ 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. 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