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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2011)
WWW . THEskANNER . COM A uGusT 3, 2011 P ORTlANd , O REGON V OluME XXXIII, N O . 40 25 CENTs I NSIDE ‘Furs Thursday’ page 2 Family Fun Events page 2 Issa and Akon page 5 C hallenging P eoPle to S haPe a B etter F uture n ow Williams Avenue Plan Celebrate life City adjusts public input process around concerns on racism lisa loving Of The Skanner News See wIllIamS on page 3 INDEX PhOTO BY JulIE kEEfE A weeks-long dust up over the process of deciding the future of traffic on North Williams Avenue has brought a widened citizens’ advisory committee and a public forum on the issue. The North Williams Traffic Operations and Safety Project Stakeholder Advisory Committee last month became a lightning rod for debate over bicycling safety and gentrification when a group of local resi- dents brought the issue of race to the table. Now Portland Department of Transportation officials are planning a pub- lic forum in September on what the traffic on North Williams Avenue is expected to look like in the future and how the road should be developed to prepare for it. The bureau is accepting public input on “topics, speakers, format and/or desirable outcomes,” according to the project website. Send your input to project manager Ellen Vanderslice at ellen.vanderslice@port- landoregon.gov or call her at 503-823-4638. “It’s in progress and it’s reacting to how things shape up as far as community involvement,” Dan Anderson. State Rep. Lew Frederick, D-Portland, attended one of the meetings in which a group of local residents – mostly women – advocated for tackling the thorny local his- tory of racism in North Williams Avenue development projects, ultimately changing the path of the project’s public input process. “What was great was the stories that were brought forth about the history, the cultural issues, about the way that the city had pre- sented the concerns – you had the biking community and other experts that were there, but now they were hearing from peo- ple who had real knowledge of the commu- nity,” said Frederick. “When you see Donna Maxey and Avel Gordley and Faye Burch and Michelle Hundreds of people came to City Bible church on Rocky Butte to celebrate the life of Yashanee Vaughn. Family and friends said she was an exceptional girl, with a strong will and an expressive personality. They say she will always remain in their hearts. Hundreds Attend Yashanee’s Funeral Family requests bright colors at the murdered teen’s service By helen Silvis Of The Skanner News F riends and family of Yashanee Vaughn gathered Saturday July 30 at City Bible Church on Rocky Butte. Hundreds came to celebrate the teen's short life and to lay her remains to rest, packing the church with supporters. Her mother, Shaquita Louis had request- ed that instead of black, mourners should wear bright colors. The family wore bright red along with black and white to honor her love of color. Pastor J.W. Friday of Bright Star See YaShaNEE on page 3 Thousands of dollars of her own money went into local project Bruce Poinsette Of The Skanner News Opinion ..................4,6 arolyn Leonard has spent over $2400 on a book giveaway for families in the Portland area but she sees it as a necessary expense. “Compared to what can hap- pen to our kids it’s worth it,” she says. Bids/Classifieds ..........7 bring you this far to leave you now.” Community members, friends and fam- ily spoke at the three-hour celebration. Elishua Goldsby, just one of many dancers, singers and poets who paid trib- ute to the teen, sang “You were always on my mind.” Elizabeth Jensen, principal of Open Meadow school, where Yashanee spent her 7th Grade year, said Yashanee had a powerful spirit. “She burst into our building with that enormous smile and her joy and presence – and she rattled our staff,” she said. “She Educator Gives Away Math Books News ......................2,3 A & E .........................5 Ministries hosted the service in City Bible church. His upbeat presentation fit- ted the personality of a girl, described by family and friends as loving, expressive, outgoing and strong-willed. “I have seen God move on behalf of this family in such a great way,” Pastor Friday said. “It is in the midst of the pain that God works it all out.” Friday praised the family for their tenacity, hard work and compassion. And he said that the loss of Yashanee had affected people across the city, pro- pelling them to help other teens. To Yashanee’s mother he said, “God didn’t C On Saturday, July 30, Leonard, who is a Compliance Officer and has worked in Portland Public Schools (PPS) for 41 years, held the first give- away of 26 palettes of K-5 math curriculum books. The event was held on Jessup Street between MLK and Garfield. Neighbors pitched in with lemonade and donuts while children danced to classic soul music as their parents combed through textbooks. Last year Leonard reached an agreement with PPS to take all the materials that would be recycled under a new book adoption cycle. The only requirement was that she give them away for free. Leonard spent hours going through the PPS warehouse col- lecting texts and shrink wrap- ping them to give away. It cost her $400 a month for storage, not including the cost of trucks to move them. The collection of texts includ- ed student and teacher’s edi- tions, which she says help par- See GIvEawaY on page 3
