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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 27, 2012)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM J UNE 27, 2012 P ORTLAND , O REGON V OLUME XXXIV, N O . 26 25 CENTS For The Skanner news alerts Text "NEWS" to 503-715-0890 or scan this QR code C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW New FBI Building’s History REFLECTIONS CLOSES Developer/owner Molasky has past link to organized crime The FBI Gets a New Building Standing at 9109 Cascades Parkway, close to Portland International Airport, the new FBI building employed more than 1000 dif- ferent craftsmen and women, an average of 150 people a day, during the 16 months it was under construction. “More than 80 percent of the labor came from the Portland area,” said George Northcroft, Regional Administrator for the United States General Services Administra- tion. “That is true economic development.” At 134,000 square feet, and four stories tall, the building brings together all the FBI’s local staff, until now scattered in dif- ferent locations. PHOTO BY JULIE KEEFE T he Skanner News would like to tell you what the FBI’s brand-new $60 million building looks like inside. We’d like to tell you about the art – we hear it’s wonderful. And about the sustainable features that developer Irwin A. Molasky says probably will earn it the U.S. Green Building’s LEED Gold certification –right now it’s at LEED Silver. We’d like to tell you more. But we can’t, because media were not allowed to enter the building. At the grand opening about 100 guests were offered tours. Reporters? Sorry. Not even without a camera. But secrecy is not the only intriguing aspect of the FBI’s move to Airport Way. For one thing, the government does not actually own the FBI building; it’s leasing it from the Molasky Development Group, which also owns three other FBI buildings: in San Diego, Minneapolis and Cincinnati. But there’s more. Irwin A. Molasky, the group’s founder, has a colorful history that includes links to mob money, Hollywood and a 1994 racketeering investigation. Surprised? There’s more. Another guest at the Portland event, married to a co-owner of The Molasky Group, served time for fraud, but now builds stunning beachfront properties in Southern California. Gloria McMurtry, owner of Reflections Coffee and Books, is closing her store on Saturday after 17 years in the community. Major Community Center — Gone Owner says she’s ready to move on, locals not ready to let go By Bruce Poinsette Of The Skanner News T wo old friends sit in a corner of Reflections Coffeehouse. If you closed your eyes to listen to their exchange, you’d think the place was packed. Howev- er, there are only four people in the room, including this reporter. Suddenly one man calls over to the counter. “Young man come over here,” says Darrel Griffith. “You remind me of my grand- son.” He and longtime friend Tom Boothe are regulars at Reflec- tions. They come to drink cof- fee, talk about current events and trade jokes. The men have become known personalities at the store. However, their days of convening at Reflections/Talking Drum Bookstore are coming to a close. After 17 years, the store will be closing at the end of June, to the dismay of many in Port- land’s Black community. “This means the demise of one more Black business that will shrink the community even smaller,” says Boothe. “I’m just glad someone is cov- ering this. So often these things just happen.” Reflections/Talking Drum has served as a Black hub and meeting place for a variety of community members in Northeast Portland. Neigh- bors, community organizers and politicians alike have come to embrace the store as the place of choice to gather and exchange the news of the day. Boothe has been a regular at Reflections for the last two years but he’s resided in Port- land since 1963. Throughout his years in Northeast Port- land, he says few Black busi- nesses have survived as long. He notes that the surrounding community has transformed over the years, with many Blacks moving out to East Portland and Gresham. See GLORIA on page 3 See FBI on page 3 INDEX News ................2,3,8,9 Opinion ..................4,5 A & E ............6,7,10,11 Food..........................8 Bids/Classifieds....9- 11 East Portland Youth Get New Programs From family services to kids’ activities, more volunteers are needed By Helen Silvis Of The Skanner News P ortland Police have moved their gang specialists to East precinct for the summer, and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office is stepping up patrols and partnering with the Rosewood Initiative to support neighbors and youth. “We have a ton of youth who live in this neighborhood and there’s not a lot for them to do here,” said Jenny Glass, executive director of the Rosewood Initiative. The Rosewood Initiative has opened The Rose- wood Café on S.E. 162nd and Stark as part of its mission to build community and sup- port youth and families in East Portland. “We are trying our best to create things for them to do. The needs are really immediate. We can’t wait to deal with these things. Summer is here.” Glass was one of about 40 people who turned out to the East Portland Youth Vio- lence Prevention Community Meeting, June 20. The crowd at Papa’s Pizza was about half the size of the last meeting, probably, Glass said, because the café had hosted two See YOUTH on page 9
