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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (July 11, 2012)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM J ULY 11, 2012 P ORTLAND , O REGON V OLUME XXXIV, N O .28 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 Mugshot Class Action KICK FOR KIDS Movement to shut down websites grows on national level By Lisa Loving Of The Skanner News PHOTO BY JERRY FOSTER I t’s one thing to get arrested and have your mugshot plastered across the Inter- net for all to see. But what if your book- ing photo gets posted to the web by an anonymous blogger along with a dose of racist, sexist humiliation? Many people in this situation turn to “rep- utation restorer” websites, which charge hundreds of dollars to “help” remove mugshots from the web. Yet news reports from the past year show that, at least in some cases, the “reputation restorers” are in cahoots with the mugshot websites, creating what WIRED magazine calls “one of the latest niche industries on the web: the mug-shot racket.” While state and county officials around the nation have thrown up their hands and called the mugshot website scam a free speech issue, one online community is working to build a movement persuading states to change laws limiting how private companies can profit from public docu- ments. Less than a month old, www.classactiona- gainstmugshotwebsites.com is slowly grow- ing a base of support aimed at changing state laws on making a profit from public documents, and boycotting mugshot web- site advertisers until they drop their ads. “We are going about this the legal way,” says Diane, an anti-mugshot website organ- izer from outside the Pacific Northwest who declined to be fully identified for this story. “When you look at how many mugshot websites there are, and how many mugshots are in each site, the average right now is about $399 per mugshot to get it removed,” Diane says. “When you think that most mugshot websites are carrying 50,000 mugshots on each one, that’s quite a bit of money. “You’re looking at millions and millions and millions of dollars,” she said. NBA star Channing Frye this week presented $10,000 to the Children's Cancer Association from the Frye Family Foundation’s annual kickball tournament, Kick for Kids, held at Lents Park in Southeast Portland. Frye spent time with children, including a karaoke session, at the Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel before making the official presentation to David Schaeffer, vice president for development at the Children's Cancer Association, alongside patients at the hospital. Lailah Broadous, the tiniest child at the very front, entertained the crowd by singing along with Frye while he crooned a Lady Gaga tune. The next Kick for Kids event is coming up July 21, again benefitting the Children’s Cancer Association. Black Suffragist’s Life Celebrated All but forgotten Oregonian has captured the imagination of many By Helen Silvis Of The Skanner News P ortlanders are invited to Lone Fir Cemetery at 1 p.m., July 21, to celebrate the life and achievements of African American Suffragist Hattie Redmond. The event will feature Barbara Roberts, the for- mer Oregon Governor now Metro Councilor, as the keynote speaker, former State Sen. Avel Gordly dedicating Redmond’s new grave marker, and historian Kimberly Jensen. Actors in peri- See MUGSHOTS on page 3 INDEX News ...................2,3,9 Opinion ..................4,5 A & E ......................6,7 Food..........................8 Bids/Classifieds ...10,11 od costume will re-enact events in the suffrage struggle. Redmond’s record as an activist, rediscovered this year by the Century of Action com- mittee, shows that Black women were at the forefront of Oregon women’s battle for the right to vote. But with no living family known, Redmond’s life remained mysterious. Vancouver-based genealogist Connie Lenzen wanted to know more. So she dug up dozens of historical records – not just in Portland, but in Missouri and nationally, searching for clues that would shed light on the sources of Redmond’s strength and passion for politics. “With Hattie, I tried to put myself into her head,” Lenzen told The Skanner News. “She had to have motivation, and she had to have a support system. So I broadened the search right away to find out, ‘Who were her people?’” Looking at voter registration cards from 1908 on, as well as city directories, U.S. Census records, death certificates, draft records, emancipation lists and newspaper articles, Lenzen found information about Red- mond’s parents, brother, sisters and husband. What she discovered was a family who emerged from slav- ery to become prominent citi- zens in Portland’s African American community. Their story is filled with uplift and determination, song, poetry, travel, and a work ethic second to none. But the family also bat- tled through a house fire, sick- See HATTIE on page 3 Kids Pack Conscious Rap Book Camp Organizer Karanja Crews pulls together mind and body for youth By Bruce Poinsette Of The Skanner News D espite sweltering temperatures, dozens of kids packed into the N. Williams Salvation Army gym Sat- urday to engage with literature, health and wellness. In many ways, the scene resem- bled the typical summer camp, with kids shooting baskets and parents and volunteers mingling by the bleachers. However, as soon as music started playing, it was clear that this camp would be using a different motivating tool, conscious hip-hop. “The purpose is to engage the community young people with socially conscious hip- hop that is promoting health, fitness and education,” says Journey to Freedom (JTF) CEO Karanja Crews. “We’re infusing liter- acy with consciousness.” This summer, JTF is bringing hip-hop to the gym and the classroom with its Con- scious Rap Boot and Book Camp. JTF is partnering with The Salvation Army, Educa- tional Recreational Adventures, The Mult- nomah County Library and The Community Cycling Center to put on the camp. The Bye and Bye, Dwell Realty and Motus See CAMP on page 3
