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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 2021)
September 22, 2021 Page 2 The Week Review Suspended for Blackface in In a statement condemning all expressions of racism, Newberg Public Schools placed one of its elementary school teacher aides on administrative leave Friday af- ter showing up for work in Black- face. The employee was protesting a vaccine mandate for all school district staff, calling herself Rosa Parks in disguise. No Show for School Buses ed Oregon law by livestreaming protests. A representative of the American Civil Liberties Union called the decision a victory, “Pro- test is fundamental to democracy. Protest is not a crime. Period.” Nabisco Strike Settled Against the will of Portland Na- bisco workers who voted other- wise, co-striking union members across the country voted to ac- cept a new four-year collective bargaining agreement Saturday with Mondelez International. The ratification ends a walkout that began last month. A shortage of school bus drivers caused Portland Public Schools Monday to cancel 13 bus routes to Benson and Lincoln High schools and 16 routes with different pick- up or drop-off times for the fore- Worst COVID-19 Surge seeable future. The district said it Oregon was in the midst of its will offer financial help to families worst COVID-19 surge since the start of the pandemic last week whose routes are canceled. — which health officials say is Thefts Ground Reynolds Buses fueled by unvaccinated people Someone stole about 20 catalyt- and the highly transmissible delta ic converters from school bus- variant. The new forecast predicts es in the Reynolds School Dis- that hospitals across the state will trict transportation lot just as the remain under severe strain for the school year began, causing rough- next two to three months. ly $70,000 in damage. The district said it would make adjustments to Rabid Bats Discovered meet transportation needs while A rabid bat was discovered last week in northeast Portland, mark- repairs are made. ing the first time an animal has Police Surveillance Illegal tested positive for the disease in A Multnomah County Circuit Multnomah County since 2014. Court judge Monday held that the Another rabid bat was found in Portland Police Bureau violat- Beaverton a few days earlier. Annette Majekodunmi, a parent and community engagement supervisor at POIC + Rosemary Anderson High School works side by side with parents in a Community Healing Initiative. Help with Parenting Community healing program offers support Raising and caring for young lives can be com- plicated and require steadfast patience and resolve. Parenting, even during the best of times, is tough. But factor in financial, emotional and general un- certainty, as well as the strains of the COVID-19 pandemic — and the layers of challenges grow and grow. Tamika, a single mother of two, also has to ac- count for gun violence that might unfold near her north Portland home. Or worse, gunfire that may claim the lives of her children. “My son’s best friend was shot and killed in front of his mother’s house last March,” she shares. “And it was devastating. My son could have also been right next to his friend.” Parenting for Tamika has never been a walk in the park. At a young age, she was a single, hard-working mom raising two kids. Her son, in particular, struggled. “There was myself, my daughter and my son,” she said. “There was no male figure in my house- hold. My son missed out on a whole lot.” From preschool through his first two years in el- ementary school, a school administrator called her nearly every day with concerns. Also troubling, she found people telling her she would never get help for her son until he was the juvenile justice system. Fast forward to today, and Tamika’s son is now unfortunately involved in the justice system. He also struggles with a disability. The past 18 months have been a rollercoaster of emotion and stress as the family, as they navigate the impacts of COVID-19, violence and the court system. Tamika is not alone. She finds solace among other parents through POIC + Rosemary Anderson High School’s Community Healing Initiative par- ent group. The group offers support and resources to parents whose children may be involved in the justice system, as well as parents whose lives have been impacted by community violence that has harmed, or even killed, their children. The program works in partnership with Multnomah County and the County’s Department of Community Justice. “I have been struggling with my son ever since he got into public school,” said Tamika. “The work and the help that the Community Healing Initiative is giving us today is work I wish I would have had when we started out on this journey.” Since the beginning of the year through August, preliminary data show that there were more than 800 incidents of gunfire in Portland alone. More than 260 people have been hurt by gun violence — a number that does not account for other types of violence that can wound, seriously injure or kill in some other way. Many communities across the country experi- encing sharp increases in violence are looking for ways not just to curtail the harm, but also to lift up struggling community members who have been, or are most at risk of being, affected. In Multnomah County, the Board of County Commissioners allocated funding to bolster pro- grams like the Community Healing Initiative and its companion Elevate program to provide support systems for youth and parents impacted by gangs, like Tamika and her son. Annette Majekodunmi, a parent and community engagement supervisor at POIC + Rosemary An- derson High School who works side by side with Tamika and other parents participating in the heal- ing initiative. How quickly the community moves on from in- stances of violence is troubling, said Majekodun- mi. Continued on Page 4
