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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2011)
www . THeSKANNeR . COM J uLy 20, 2011 P ORTLAND , O ReGON V OLuMe XXXIII, N O . 38 25 CeNTS I NSIDE Nelson Mandela page 4 Books page 6-7 Derek Luke C hallenging P eoPle to S haPe a B etter F uture n ow Teen Finally Found page 10 NA ACP Vaughn Remains are Confirmed, Family Plans Funeral Services By The Skanner News Staff T he remains found on Rocky Butte last week are definitely those of missing teen Yashawnee Vaughn, and the Oregon State Medical Examiner says she died from a gunshot to the head. The announcement Tuesday came after a tragic four-month odyssey of activism and organizing by the girl’s supporters to press murder suspect Parrish Benette to tell police where the body could be found. The Oregonian reported that 16-year-old Benette’s lawyers gave the information to police, who called in searchers and secured the remains. Police officials declined further comment. Facebook pages honoring Vaughn are flooding with tributes to her and her family, as well as planning memos for further events linked to the case. Vaughn’s family and friends are gearing up for a Tuesday night vigil from 6-9 p.m. near the rose-studded memorial for Vaughn on Rocky Butte at 92nd Ave. They are call- ing on supporters to observe a moment of silence during that time if they cannot attend. Today is her grandmother Renelda Hayes’ birthday. Also scheduled are a benefit concert this Friday night at Mt. Calvary Christian Church from 9 to 11 p.m. to help raise funds for the teen’s burial. The church is at 126 NE Alberta St. All ages are welcome, and the show is hosted by stand-up artist Rissa Riss. Services are set for Saturday, July 30 at 1pm at Portland City Bible Church, Rocky Butte, 9200 NE Fremont. All are welcome and services are by the Terry Family Funeral Home. “Yashanee Vaughn / Bonnie B, you’ve touched so many lives and we’ll never for- get you,” one Facebook supporter wrote Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve failed you as a community, because we provided the atmosphere for violence and I apologize for At the 2nd Annual NAACP Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser, Jerome Kersey (Ambassador for the Portland Trail Blazers) posed with NAACP President LC Oddie, Dr Cynthia Harris, Malaya Mc Gant, NAACP Vice President La Verne Stroud and a few friends. All raffle prizes were donated by the Portland Trail Blazers office. The group’s general membership meetings are held on the 4th Saturday of each month at the PCC Cascade Campus, Technology Building Room 225. Free Math Tutoring for Local Kids Former School Board member creates service to boost brains, fun By Lisa Loving Of The Skanner News M ath is not only good for you, but it’s fun – and a free summer tutoring program for kids aged first through fourth grade aims to unlock the doors of knowledge for as many people as are will- ing to step through. Former Portland School Board member Derry Jackson’s company Sankofa LLC offers math tutoring and technology training to people of all ages See VAughN on page 3 INDEX News ..............2,3,8,10 Opinion ..................4,5 Books......................6,7 Bids/Classifieds ..........9 Mondays through Thursdays at its headquarters, 3802 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The free one-on-one tutoring for grade-schoolers is at Reflections Coffee Shop at 446 NE Killingsworth St., Mondays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Math is a thinking exercise and when we look at the data we notice something profound: kids that are good at math are good at almost every other subject,” Jackson says. “The beauty is any student can benefit from math and see benefit in all other areas because it teaches them how to think.” Sankofa is also hosting tech- nology training in computer sci- ence, using coaches one-on-one with participants. “Our coaches are made avail- able to assist students interested in learning about various aspects of technology and com- puting, from building computers to programming, networking and desktop publications,” Jackson said. This summer the company will be giving away free computers to “eligible/proven/deserving attendees.” Math tutor Evelyn Hyman, a pre-med Biology student at Concordia University, says an important part of the math pro- gram is to get rid of the fear and stress most people associate with the subject. “When kids realize math isn’t hard they have fun with it and so that’s the exciting thing for me,” she says. Other coaches currently See MAth on page 3 Oden-Orr Named Director of NAMC-O The construction equity group plans to expand membership, services Lisa Loving Of The Skanner News B oosting a new effort in equity in con- struction contracting in the Portland metro area, the National Association of Minority Contractors’ Oregon chapter this week announced attorney Melvin Oden-Orr is its first-ever executive director. The appointment, which was made on an interim basis, represents a bold move for- ward for the group, which recently played a significant role in the city’s creation of new guidelines to address decades-old racial dis- parities in how it spends taxpayer dollars for infrastructure construction and improve- ment. “I think that the organization is at a criti- cal stage in its development and I think I have something to offer to help it move to the next level,” Oden-Orr says. “For those certified firms out there who think that they have particular issues that are not being addressed, we welcome their involvement in our efforts – as well as anyone who sup- ports equity in public contracting.” A specialist in business law with a back- ground of expertise in historically disadvan- See NAMC-O on page 3
