WWW . THESKANNER . COM
O CTOBER 10, 2012
P ORTLAND , O REGON
V OLUME XXXV, N O . 1
25
CENTS
Celebrating
The Skanner News’
37th Anniversary
C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW
Better
Route to
Wellness
SPIRIT OF PDX
Liberation-Based
Healing Conference
Oct. 19 in Portland
STEVE GIBBONS PHOTO
P
laywright Sunshine Dixon, Pastor
Cliff Chappell, anti-trafficking advo-
cate Jeri Williams and family therapist
Pilar Hernandez-Wolfe are just a few well-
known Portlanders who will join national
speakers at the 7th Annual Liberation-Based
Healing Conference.
The conference runs from 9 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. Oct. 19, and 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Oct. 20,
at Friends of the Children, 65 NE Stanton
St.
Social justice, equity and questions of
power and privilege are at the heart of liber-
ation-based healing, said Andrae Brown
Ph.D, an associate professor at Lewis and
Clark’s graduate school of counseling edu-
cation, and one of the founders of the con-
ference.
“The three cornerstones of liberation-
based healing are: accountability, critical
consciousness and empowerment,” Brown
said. “It’s not just about getting people well
or better. It’s about transforming lives so
people can live in a spirit of freedom.”
The conference aims to bring together
community activists, parents, youth,
researchers, teachers, social workers, thera-
pists, writers, spiritual leaders and social
justice pioneers from all walks of life to
build networks of understanding, resistance
and healing.
“We go into different communities and
bring in master presenters, but we also high-
light a cross-section of people working in
the community,” Brown says.
“We started the conference to connect
people who are doing work that is transfor-
mative, liberating and challenges the status
quo, but they feel isolated” Brown said.
“What we know is that most of these groups
of people are not usually ever in the same
room together.”
Brown and Hernandez –Wolfe co-founded
the conference along with author and fami-
ly therapist Rhea Almeida and Affinity
Counseling Group founder Lisa Dressner.
Their goal? To apply social justice to the
The University of Portland women’s soccer team has been named a recipient of a 2012 Spirit of Portland award,
presented Oct. 7 at Merlo Field. The team – which has led the nation in women’s soccer attendance every year since
2005 – was nominated by Commissioner Nick Fish.
The Pilots are an instrumental force in building Harper’s Playground, above, in Arbor Lodge Park. Inspired by six-year-
old Harper Goldberg, who was born with Emanuel Syndrome, the Pilots launched a season-long silent auction in
2011 and raised $5,000 for the playground. This season, the team is donating tickets and other items to raise
additional funds. Connect with the Pilots on their website, www.portlandpilots.com/
Sexual Trafficking Controversies
Questionable statistics, heightened prison time hyped at event
By Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
M
ore than 200 people
from 14 states attended
training on the sex
trafficking of minors, at Port-
land’s Embassy Suites Hotel,
Oct. 4 and 5. Entitled, “Do you
know Lacy?” the training high-
lighted the stories of girls who
suffered victimization in the
commercial sex industry. It also
cited controversial and disputed
figures on the size of the prob-
lem.
See HEALING on page 3
INDEX
News ..............2,3,9,10
Opinion ..................4,5
A & E ......................6,7
Food..........................8
Bids/Classifieds ........11
Shared Hope International, a
nonprofit started by Linda
Smith, a former Washington
Congresswoman, offered the
training to prosecutors, law
enforcement personnel, youth
service providers and communi-
ty advocates.
The aim? To educate more
people to recognize how and
why U.S. children are forced
into prostitution. And to build
community efforts to reduce
demand, prevent child traffick-
ing and hold traffickers account-
able.
“I just curl up inside when I
hear the term child prostitute,”
Smith told attendees. “It’s the
only crime, where the victim of
the crime is labeled with the
crime and then she’s put in jail.
That’s not right.”
That’s true in many parts of
the country, although in Mult-
nomah County girls are not put
in jail, but instead are recog-
nized as victims. Anyone over
18, however, can be prosecuted
for prostitution.
Elizabeth Scaife, director of
training for the nonprofit, said
sex trafficking is poorly under-
stood. The majority of girls
involved in commercial sex
industry are targeted, groomed
and controlled by pimps.
Traffickers manipulate child
victims by destroying their
sense of self and self-worth and
preying on misplaced feelings
of loyalty, as well as through
violence and the fear of vio-
lence.
“Kids are victims— period,”
Scaife said. “If you’re under 18
and you’re involved in the com-
See MINORS on page 3
Family Insurance Agency Opens Doors
Vince McCreary, an industry veteran, steps back into the business
Bruce Poinsette
Of The Skanner News
A
s the owner of an independent insur-
ance agency, Vince McCreary
makes sure his customers come first.
“I work for insurance companies but real-
ly, I work for the insured, making sure they
get the best rates possible and the right com-
pany,” he says.
McCreary has been in the insurance
industry for 29 years. His stops have includ-
ed Allstate, Clements Worldwide and First
Tech Insurance Services; in past years he
owned an agency down the street from his
current location on 2914 N. Lombard St.
This year, he decided he wanted to own
his own agency again.
After going through a series of appoint-
ments and getting a lease, he launched the
Vince McCreary Insurance Agency in
August. He specializes in personalized
plans, which include life, auto, home and
commercial insurance. McCreary also
works with 17 different insurance compa-
nies, allowing him to be flexible when it
comes to serving customers.
Familiarity has helped him get his new
See MCCREARY on page 3