Portland observer., May 18, 2022, Page 2, Image 2

Page 2
Muslim Center Arson Arrest
Surveillance cameras show the suspect who used an accelerant
on May 3 to start a fire at the Muslim Community Center of
Portland, located at 5325 N Vancouver Ave. Four days later police
arrested the man and identified him as Michael E. Bivins, 34, of
Portland; also charging him with recent attacks at two synagogues
in Portland.
he was araigned for arson, bias
crimes and other charges for acts
of criminal mischief on April 30
at Congregation Shir Takvage,
2420 N.E. Sandy Blvd.; for
breaking a window at Everybody
Eats PDX on May 1, and for
May 2 and May 4 vandalism at
Portland police have arrested Congregation Beth Israel, 1972
a man who used an accelerant to N.W. Flanders.
start a fire at the Muslim Com-
Fortunately, there was only lim-
munity Center of Portland, also ited damage in each of the cases
charging him with recent acts and no injuries.
of arson and vandalism at two
Police said Bivins was ar-
synagogues and a black-owned rested with the assistance of the
restaurant in the city.
Beaverton Police Department af-
Michael E. Bivins, 34, of ter he visited a television news
Portland was lodged Saturday, station where he demanded to
May 7, into the Multnomah speak to a reporter.
County Detention Center for the
Bivins attended Benson High
May 3 arson at the Muslim Com- School as a student and has
munity Center, located at 5325 worked as a free lance photog-
N. Vancouver Ave. On Tuesday rapher and journalist in the past.
Man also
charged with
attacking two
synagogues
May 18, 2022
Racism, Conspiracies
Fueled Massacre
10 Blacklives
lost on a trip
to the store
(AP) — They were caregiv-
ers and protectors and helpers,
running an errand or doing a
favor or finishing out a shift,
when their paths crossed with
a young man driven by racism
and hatred and baseless con-
spiracy theories.
In a flash, the ordinariness
of their day was broken at Tops
Friendly Market in Buffalo,
N.Y., where in and around the
supermarket’s aisles, a symbol
of the mundane was transformed
into a scene of mass murder.
Carts lay abandoned. Bodies
littered the tile floor. Police ra-
dios crackled with calls for help.
Investigators will try, for days
to come, to piece together the
massacre that killed 10 people,
all Black and apparently hunted
for the color of their skin.
Those who loved them are left
with their memories of the lost,
who suffered death amid the sim-
ple task of buying groceries.
“These people were just
Wayne Jones holds his son Donell, while speaking during an
interview with The Associated Press about his mother Celestine
Chaney, who was killed in Saturday's shooting at a supermarket,
in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP photo)
shopping,” said Steve Carlson,
29, mourning his 72-year-old
neighbor Katherine Massey, who
checked in often, giving him gifts
on his birthday and at Christmas,
and pressing money into his hand
when he helped with yardwork.
“They went to go get food to feed
their families.”
One came from volunteer-
ing at a food bank. Another had
been tending to her husband at
his nursing home. Most were in
their 50s and beyond, and were
destined for more, even if just
the dinner they planned to make.
Shonnell Harris, a manag-
er at the store, was stocking
shelves when she heard the first
of what she figured must have
been more than 70 shots. She
ran for the back door, stumbling
a few times along the way. She
wondered where her daughter,
a grocery clerk, was, and went
Continued on Page 7
The world through his eyes.
Let’s keep you healthy.
legacyhealth.org/letskeepyouhealthy
AD-1602 ©2022
We know you’d rather be on an adventure than seeing a doctor, but should you need
care — routine, urgent, or specialty — we’re here, ready to keep you exploring, your way.