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Local News Forum Trayvon March main speakers of the event, Johnny Lake, Andrae Brown and Marcus Sharpe. Some of the topics included family, community and police brutality. Each smaller group developed a list of ideas to present to the larger group when it reconvened at the end of the event. Debates over some topics were heated but Dye says they produced a number of pro- ductive ideas. One plan that came out of the family and community discussions was the need for parents to create a language to better com- municate with teachers and school adminis- trators. This was part of a larger discussion on the importance of getting involved in chil- dren’s education because stu- dents today don’t see the value of it as much as past generations. Another point that was discussed in detail was the need to get involved in local gov- ernment. Dye, who sits on the Marion County Sher- iff’s Community Adviser Board, uses himself as an example. “There are 16 members and I’m the only Black person,” he says. “My presence is important so they understand that the Black community cares.” Lastly, speakers and participants in “The Conversation” encouraged attendees to get involved in organizations in the community, including the Urban League, gang outreach and mentoring programs. “Our goal wasn’t to create another organ- ization,” says Dye. “We wanted to reinvigorate the organizations that already exist in the community. There’s a job for everyone.” Originally, the event was billed as a Black male’s meeting. However, a number of w o m e n responded to the invitation, so a separate classroom was used to facilitate a question and answer ses- sion between them. Blake Dye “From the point of view of the men, they were happy to be among themselves,” says Teressa Raiford, who did marketing for “The Conversation.” Raiford said there were a number of spir- ited conversations on topics that included what women expect from the men in their communities and what women can do col- lectively to enact change. She says there was a heated debate among different generations of women about the ‘Our goal wasn’t to create another organization. We wanted to reinvigorate the organizations that already exist in the community’ PHOTO BY HELEN SILVIS continued from page 1 Portlanders took to the streets again last weekend for a justice march remembering Florida teen Trayvon Martin. The march was called by Cameron Whitten, a Portland mayoral candidate. role of men. Specifically, she says older women came with the point of view that men should already have certain values instilled in them while younger women argued that younger men were not taught some of the values of the older generation due to a different upbringing. Another major topic was having discus- sions with Black children on how they will be perceived by the police and authority fig- ures. “I had to have a discussion with my son about why it’s not safe to jog at 4:30 in the morning,” says Raiford. “He thought it was his clothes and told me his gear was fine. I had to tell him that the gear was his skin.” you’re white, whether you’re brown, whether you’re First Nation, because it means that we cannot trust our police department,” Haynes said. “It creates a val- ley of mistrust. It taints those good and professional and ethical officers who want to do the right thing, and do it in the right way. “It means that every mother calling 911 in case of their son or daughter having a men- tal problem that they have to say at the end of the call, ‘Don’t kill my son. Don’t kill my daugh- ter.’” AMA Coalition President Dr. T. Allen Bethel indicated that the AMA Coalition met this morning with Portland Police Union President Daryl Turner. “There needs to be changes in policy, there needs to be changes in procedures, there needs to be accountability,” Bethel said. “I am asking as I said before, and I said to Mr. Turner this morning, the president of the police associ- ation, please look at your heart. Look at your soul, I want to add. Because what has happened is not endearing you nor the bureau to the city. It is a short fuse on a keg of powder that’s about to explode.” State Rep. Lew Frederick described the Black community in two words: Under siege. “Some friends of mine always say, ‘why don’t we have more local black and minori- ty folks join the Portland Police force?’ “At the same time I have black officers pulling me aside as I’m walking down the street and Asian officers stopping me in the grocery store, telling me that they know that the white officers and the supervisors expect them to be more aggressive with the minority neighbors than they are, just to prove that they aren’t weak. “I have to go back to a 13-year-old, who came to me – he had always wanted to be a police officer as a young black kid. He came to me right after the Aaron Campbell shoot- ing and said, you always told me if there was a problem I should talk with the police, I should call the police. But if I do will they shoot me? “That’s how we’re talking about being under siege,” Frederick said. “When Rev. Haynes says 100 percent of the time that there’s excessive force, noth- ing’s done. Nothing is done. “ more, for a total of 41 solar panels that will produce 10 KW of energy. Already, The Skanner’s accountant reports that our power bills have gone way down. The whole project will cost about $100,000, but who cares. The boss is paying. And we’re helping to create green jobs. Actually we did get a little help from the Portland Development Commission through its Green Features program, designed to help businesses become more energy effi- cient. That’s funded through the urban renewal plan for Killingsworth St. Check out our plan to put the next batch of solar panels on the outside of our build- ing. Since Killingsworth Street is now designated a historic preservation area, it took a planning hearing and a special per- mit. The next batch of panels will be installed on a new awning that will replace the current fabric awning. Let’s hope they don’t flap in the wind. Cop continued from page 1 “I think the track record with his tenure as chief and my tenure as police commissioner shows a real strong effort to continuously improve this police bureau,” he said. Adams encouraged members of the public to schedule ‘ride-alongs’ with officers. “You’ll find that the Portland Police Bureau is full of compassionate public ser- vants,” he said. “With a group of employees that numbers close to 1,000 you’re going to have issues like this happen, and when they do happen, especially when the Police Bureau has that sacred authority and responsibility for use of force – I believe that standing up for our prin- ciples, for appropriate use of force are worth fighting for.” The mayor said that only a “narrow” window of opportu- nity exists for an appeal. “It’s unusual for the city to do that and we’re studying what exactly our opportuni- ties are in that regard,” he said. “Today I don’t have an answer for you but we will in a matter of days.” Meanwhile, outdoors in the warm spring sunshine, it appeared that a strong group of Occupy Portland protestors lent its strength to the mixed-race crowd, with bullhorns, signs and car horns honking in support. Dr. LeRoy Haynes of the Albina Ministe- rial Alliance Coalition kicked off the rally with slogans linking the police killing of Campbell with the recent death of Trayvon Martin in Florida. “This decision is outrageous as Trayvon Martin being shot down by a neighborhood ‘This is the action/reaction principle to a young person of color: Don’t even move if you are pulled over. Don’t make any mistake’ vigilante – holding skittles in one hand and tea in the other hand. “There is no way a justice system, an arbi- tration that promotes itself to be fair just and unbiased could render such a decision,” he said. “This review touched every citizen in Portland whether you’re black, whether Solar continued from page 1 are purple. The transformation started last Septem- ber, when we applied a reflective tint to the windows. Next, a team of workers from Western Roofing risked their lives to climb onto our roof and lay down a dazzling, white reflective surface called – amazingly enough— White Roof. The building cooled off immediately. Then we brought in the real power brokers. Imagine energy installed an array of solar panels that cap- tures rays of sunlight and turns them into Check out our plan to put the next batch of solar panels on the outside of our building electricity. Right now, the building has 22 panels and plans are underway to install 19 April 4, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 3
