WWW . ThESKANNER . COM
J uly 6, 2011
P ORTlAND , O REGON
V OluME XXXIII, N O .
25
CENTS
I NSIDE
Women’s Stress
page 4
Russell Simmons
page 6
Blues Festival
C hallenging P eoPle to S haPe a B etter F uture n ow
Project
Clean
Slate
page 8
Birthday Beauty
State legislature
moves to support the
program for 2012
lisa loving
Of The Skanner News
PHOtO BY JErrY FOStEr
O
ut of a legislative season that many
lawmakers are describing as better
than expected, one clear victory has
emerged: Project Clean Slate will again be
funded by the state.
The community service organization,
which helps Oregonians clean up their legal
records so they can more easily find jobs
and housing, is considered a national model
of economic empowerment for underserved
communities.
Founder and project manager Roy Jay
says the $300,000 Oregon lawmakers
moved to invest in the program for 2012 is
not a lot of money, but the organization’s
small overhead means financial stability for
the project.
“Both sides of the aisle, both Democrat
and Republican, they see the real productive
result that the program has generated, peo-
ple are back on track for helping remove the
barriers to employment, housing, education,
and credit that have been barring some peo-
ple from applying for jobs,” Jay said.
“I’m not just talking about the people that
are in lower income – these are also folks
that have also worked for some of these
companies for years that all of a sudden they
realize they are facing this barrier.”
Since 2005 Project Clean Slate has helped
qualifying residents of Multnomah County
work out an array of agreements with law
enforcement to regain drivers’ licenses,
make up child support payment and in some
cases wipe out low level misdemeanor and
felony penalties in exchange for community
service.
The program also requires participants to
attend classes in money management and
avoid re-offending in any way.
The idea, supporters say, is to help people
move forward in their lives through resolv-
ing legal trouble; the entire process can take
up to a year or more.
Kentucky Derby was the theme for Betty Key’s 80th birthday party last week, which featured a fashion show of hats
for an appreciative crowd of family and friends. Nearly 100 people attended the gathering at the Rose Quarter in
northeast Portland.
Z-Man Basketball Tournament July 16
This year’s event honors long-time community coach Phil Walden
lisa loving
Of The Skanner News
T
he
Annual
Z-Man
Basketball Tournament
and Day of Re-Tilling the
Soil, Saturday July 16, is dedi-
cated to longtime Portland-area
coach and teacher Phillip
Walden.
Organizer Larry Collins said
Walden, who is currently bat-
tling cancer, has dedicated his
life to working with young peo-
ple, particularly in track and
field.
See clEaN SlatE on page 3
INDEX
News ...................2,3,8
Opinion ..................4,6
A & E .........................5
Bids/Classifieds ..........7
“We wanted to give back to
this man who has given so much
to our young people,” Collins
said.
The summer community serv-
ice event and free basketball
tournament includes a book
giveaway and free party at
Irving Park.
The clean-ups start with free
breakfast at 8:15 a.m. at the
Maple Mallory Apartments,
3720 NE Mallory Ave.;
Jefferson High School, 5210 N.
Kerby Ave.; and Cornerstone
Community Church, 2216 NE
Killingsworth
St.
The Z-Tournament, named in
honor of deceased Portland
Police Officer Mark Zylawy,
runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at
Irving Park, NE 7th and
Fremont Street.
The competition features one
age bracket of eight teams of
fifth and sixth graders, and a
second bracket of seventh and
eighth
graders.
To sign up for the tournament
call 503-839-1701, or 503-839-
8676.
The book giveaway and party
are at noon, with hamburgers
and more, at Irving Park.
Sponsors include the Housing
Authority of Portland; the
Portland Police Bureau; State
Sen. Chip Shields; Providence
Health System; On the Block
Ministry; Multnomah County
Emergency Management; and
People of Purpose and
Associates (POPA).
“This is a very big deal, every
year it keeps growing,” Collins,
of POPA, says. “That’s why our
motto is ‘stop pointing fingers,
See EvENt on page 3
Prison Garden Program Inspires Inmates
Positive attitudes harvested through donated seeds, supplies, time
By Brian Stimson
Of The Skanner News
I
n seven Oregon state prisons, one job
assignment has become especially
sought-after; at one, you have to be all
but a lifer to get on the team.
The prison garden, according to a number
of program administrators around the state,
has become a way for inmates to learn new
skills, cooperate on a project and help feed
themselves and their communities.
While there haven’t been any studies
completed on the effect the program has on
recidivism or aggression, administrators say
they see a difference in the attitudes of the
inmate gardeners.
“It’s been very positive,” says Dale
Ahlstrom, physical plant manager at
Columbia River Correctional Institution.
For the last two years, the Lettuce Grow
program has been a driving force behind
seven prison gardens in the state of Oregon.
In addition to finding donated seeds, soil
amendments, and volunteers, program
founder Sarah Patterson helped bring in an
Oregon State University Master Gardener
class to each of the facilities that Lettuce
See garDEN on page 3