Page 2
June 1, 2016
YouthPass for All Sought
Justice groups point to unequal treatment
C ervante p ope
t he p ortland o bserver
Not all school districts in Port-
land are treated equally. That has
become more apparent as the
Youth Environmental Justice Al-
liance and OPAL Environmental
Justice Oregon struggle to get a
YouthPass program expanded that
provides free TriMet transporta-
tion services to students in Port-
land high schools who do not live
within walking distance of their
school.
The biggest problem is that
YouthPass doesn’t reach past the
attendance areas of the Portland
School District, leaving the pre-
dominately minority Parkrose
and David Douglas High Schools
stranded if the students live out-
side walking parameters or have
by
missed the school bus.
Activists with the two nonproit
groups want Multnomah County
to live up to the standards estab-
lished by the Multnomah Youth
Commission’s oficial Bill of
Rights and to fund transportation
services for all high school stu-
dents, insuring that all local youth
have a successful educational ex-
perience.
A youth transit report issued
last month surveyed 2,500 East
Portland students detailing their
transportation needs. It found that
with 54 percent of David Douglas
students being minority, and 76
percent classifying as low income,
many students’ parents either can-
not afford daily transit passes or
are in positions where they can-
not provide an alternate means of
transportation to school.
The report also shows that
over half of students at Portland’s
Franklin High say the program has
made them less likely to miss class
and nearly half utilize the program
to participate in after school activ-
ities and internships.
YEJA and OPAL held a recent
rally at Multnomah County Chair
Deborah Kafoury’s ofice to pres-
ent their need.
“As a student who currently has
YouthPass, since I go to Franklin
High School, I’m extremely dis-
appointed to hear that the county
doesn’t ind the program import-
ant enough to fund it. I believe
that without YouthPass, I wouldn’t
be the successful student that I am
today,” says student and YEJA
member Mayleena Robinson.
Wells Fargo Presents the
Students Mayleena Robinson and Yvette Dumer proudly support
expanding free TriMet services to young people living in Parkrose
and other parts of Multnomah County which are not covered as
part of an agreement with the city of Portland.
2016 Good in the Hood
Music and Food Festival
The
Week in Review
Lead Found in Schools
June 24, 25, 26
Test results showing elevated lev-
els of lead in drinking fountains
at Rose City Park and Creston El-
ementary schools have prompted
the school district to turn off the
fountains for all Portland public
schools until testing is complet-
ed this summer. The tests were
conducted earlier this spring, but
just released on Friday, causing a
public outcry.
PSU Protesters Meet Board
Saturday June 25th, at 11 AM, starting at King School
Web—www.goodnthehood.org; GITH hotline 971.302.6380
Volunteers needed—volunteers@goodnthehood.org
Want to be a sponsor—shawnpenney@goodnthehood.org
Festival Participation—feedback@goodnthehood.org
Established 1970
---------------------- USPS 959 680 ------------------
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211
he Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed en-
velope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of
the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN
WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. he Portland Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication--is a member of the National Newspaper
Association--Founded in 1885, and he National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and he West Coast Black Publishers Association
Mark Washington, Sr.
Michael Leighton
e xecutive d irector : Rakeem Washington
A dvertising M AnAger : Leonard Latin
P ublisher :
e ditor :
Ofice Manager/Classiieds:
Lucinda Baldwin
Paul Neufeldt
c reAtive d irector :
CALL 503-288-0033
FAX 503-288-0015
news@portlandobserver.com
ads@portlandobserver.com
subscription@portlandobserver.com
Postmaster: Send address changes to
Portland Observer , PO Box 3137 ,
Portland, OR 97208
After shutting down the Port-
land State University Board of
Trustees’ last two meetings with
protests, the board decided to
invite and sit with over 30 PSU
students to discuss campus issues
in a special meeting last week.
Student-led panels spoke out on
rising tuition and health insur-
ance costs, campus diversity is-
sues, and opposition to armed
police oficers on campus. A fu-
ture discussion is planned on the
subjects of student life, academic
programs and curriculum.
Boys’ Joyride Ends in Crash
for unidentiied reasons. Susan
Anglada Bartley’s Advanced
Scholar Program raised Frank-
lin’s graduation rates, especially
among its black students. PPS
spokeswoman Christine Miles
says Franklin will continue on
with the rewarding program and
are seeking a replacement for
Bartley.
Adopting ‘Blue Lives Matter’
Louisiana Gov. John Bell Ed-
wards has expanded hate-crime
laws to include protection of po-
lice, emergency medical crews
and ireighters, an effort the
state’s Republican ran Legislature
has called “Blue Lives Matter,” in
response to the murder of a Texas
sheriff who was shot at a gas sta-
tion for “wearing a uniform.”
Booze Tied to Shooting
The Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife released a police
report last week detailing three
factors that contributed to Port-
land Police Chief Larry O’Dea
accidentally shooting a friend
during a hunting accident in Har-
ney County in April. Listed was
an apparent use of intoxicants by
all parties present, the careless
handling of a irearm and faulty
equipment.
Two boys, ages 13 and 11, were
arrested for stealing and sub-
sequently crashing a vehicle in
north Portland last week. The
11-year-old was driving and
crashed the car into two parked
Strip Club Tax Scam
vehicles along North Juneau
The owners of two local strip
Street and ditched the vehicle on
clubs have been found guilty of
North Farraguat Street. No one
iling false tax returns to defraud
was harmed during the crash.
the government. Brothers David
and Daniel Kiraz and their father
Greener Pastures at Grant
An award-winning Franklin High George Kiraz, owners of Cabaret
School teacher has decided to Lounge I and II, each face up to
leave the school for Grant High eight years in prison.