WWW . THESKANNER . COM
J UNE 13, 2012
P ORTLAND , O REGON
V OLUME XXXIV, N O .24
25
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C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW
Watch
What
You Toss
GOODBYE
Portland considers
fines for putting trash
in recycling bins
Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
PHOTO BY LISA LOVING
W
hen Portland’s composting pilot
was introduced six months ago,
planners pledged to work with
householders to help them solve their
garbage problems. Nobody mentioned the
possibility of punishment for putting your
waste in the wrong bin.
But now planning bureau staffers are ask-
ing the city council to change the city code
– opening the door to fining householders
who toss garbage into recycling containers.
Portland City Council will take another
look at the proposed code changes at its reg-
ular meeting June 21. In the meantime, the
issue has raised hackles with some Port-
landers, including right-wing radio shock
jock Victoria Taft. Taft addressed city coun-
cil June 13, on the topic of “garbage crimi-
nalization.”
Two other proposed code changes came
before council from the Bureau of Planning
and Sustainability. One of the three code
changes resolves a longstanding issue
between neighbors in Nothwest Portland
over trash containers on sidewalks. Another
code change would keep confidential the
identity of anyone who made a complaint to
the bureau about another person’s waste dis-
posal habits.
Not so fast, was the reaction from Com-
missioner Randy Leonard, who said he was
not willing to vote for a code change that
could then be used to fine homeowners.
“I have concerns about having within our
collections system a system of punitive
fines, as opposed to other strategies we
could use to encourage people not to inap-
propriately mix recyclables with garbage,”
Leonard said. “Back up, before amending
city code. Because once amended the
Bureau could adopt fines with or without
council oversight.”
At the meeting Anderson said both Seattle
and San Francisco have made similar
Humboldt K-8 school was shuttered permanently this week, but the school’s annual carnival was held as usual Friday,
June 8. This time, the school’s walls were covered with historic photos of former students, staff and the surrounding
community. Here John Canda, a longtime youth advocate, scrutinizes pictures from the 1970s – when he was a
student at Humboldt. Despite driving rain and thunderstorms, about 400 people turned out for awards, carnival
games and a huge barbeque with items donated from Franz Bakery.
Mayor Talks Violence Prevention
So far this year there have been 59 violent incidents; last year, 40
Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
S
ometimes success is when
nothing much happens.
That was one of the mes-
sages from the Gang Violence
Task Force meeting Friday June
8, at the Northeast Police
precinct.
Royal Harris, who works with
gang-affected young men,
reported that regular basketball
games at Peninsula Park have
brought youth together to play
without posing any problems.
See GARBAGE on page 3
INDEX
News ................2,3,5,7
Opinion .....................4
A & E ....................6,10
Food..........................8
Bids/Classifieds ..........9
Several months ago, Harris
asked parole and probation offi-
cers to allow their clients to take
part in the games.
“They’ve had no incidents, no
problems in or around the cen-
ter,” Harris said. “Most of the
youth are doing a good job.”
Also good news was a report
that Connected, the group of
adults who walk weekly in Hol-
laday Park, had interrupted a
fight and prevented serious vio-
lence. Part of the Church-led
11:45 group, Connected reaches
out to youth in the park.
Eleven:45 also is working with
the DA’s office to offer support
to youth charged with a first
crime.
But not all the news at the task
force was good. With six inci-
dents of gunfire in the last two
weeks, and more than 300 over
the year, the number of gang
violence cases this year rose to
59. Last year at this time that
number was 40. And it’s a big
rise from 2008 when the number
of incidents for the entire year
was 63.
Mayor Adams is slated to hold
a press conference next Thurs-
day, June 14 to talk about plans
for this summer. An increase in
violence is often seen during the
summer months. Police say they
are beefing up their numbers on
the streets, while other gang
task force members, including
outreach workers, nonprofits
and youth organizations, are
gearing up to offer activities,
jobs and support to youth this
summer.
Two new community violence
prevention efforts are under-
See GANGS on page 3
Jail Overcrowding, Negligence at Issue
Lawsuit filed in 2010 eye-gouging attack at Columbia County Jail
By Lisa Loving
Of The Skanner News
A
former Columbia County jail inmate
whose eye was gouged out during a
2010 jailhouse attack has brought a
lawsuit against Columbia County; County
Sheriff Jeff Dickerson, Sheriffs Deputies
Derek Hibbs and Ryan Scholl; Emanuel
Hospital; and Metro West Ambulance.
An attorney for Ray Batista, a local resi-
dent of Puerto Rican heritage who had been
a career construction contractor, said he is
now legally blind in his left eye.
Batista had been serving a 20-day sen-
tence at Columbia County Jail rather than
paying a large fine for a hunting-related gun
violation; the story was reported by The
Skanner News just after the attack, which
was June 7, 2010.
The lawsuit alleges cruel and unusual
punishment as well as negligence on the
part of the Columbia County Jail; insuffi-
cient jail staffing which led to a six-minute
delay in responding to the initial distur-
bance call; and delayed medical care.
“Columbia County compelled plaintiff to
answer questions and complete paperwork
See JAIL on page 3