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D ECEMBER 12, 2012
P ORTLAND , O REGON
V OLUME XXXV, N O . 10
25
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C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW
Carjack
Boys
Stun City
NEW BIKE
Case is second this
year involving young
children with guns
O
n Saturday, Dec. 8, two boys aged 7
and 11 were picked up by police
after trying to rob a woman at gun-
point outside the Freedom Foursquare
Church on Southeast 161st and Alder St.
When police caught the boys, they found a
loaded pistol.
It was just after noon when police were
called out. Inside the church, other children
were attending a free art class open to kids
aged 5 to 18. And just a block away, at 161st
and S.E. Stark St., the Rosewood Initiative
was holding a holiday party for neighbor-
hood families.
The boys could have been playing hula
hoop, decorating a Christmas tree, or telling
Santa what they wanted for Christmas.
Instead they were threatening 22-year-old
Ami Garrett with the loaded gun, and
demanding she surrender her car, money or
a cell phone.
Too young to go to juvenile detention, the
boys were returned to the care of their par-
ents. Garrett and other commenters
expressed dismay that they were not kept in
custody. Neighbors told The Oregonian the
boy is “a bully” and say they have reported
him to police before.
On Tuesday after an investigation, the
Gun Task Force searched a home near S.E.
161st and Alder St. Police arrested the 11-
year-old’s father, Joseph Charlton, 34. At
the same time, the 11-year-old, another 9
year-old boy, and a girl aged 4 were taken
into protective custody.
Charlton was charged with having an
unsecured firearm where children could find
it, child mistreatment, having an illegal
firearm and being a felon in possession of a
firearm. He pleaded not-guilty on Wednes-
day.
The boy also appeared in court Wednes-
day, facing two charges of robbery. The
prosecutor and the court counselor asked the
PHOTO BY GREG LEE COURTESY OF COMMUNITY CYCLING CENTER
By Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
The Community Cycling Center on Northeast Alberta Street last weekend gave out hundreds of bikes and helmets
to area kids at their annual Holiday Bike Drive, held at Emanuel Hospital. The giveaway is designed to teach young
people bike safety and at the same time hook kids up with a healthier lifestyle – while helping parents who can’t
afford the cost of a child’s first bike and helmet. Each bike came with a riding lesson and loads of safety tips.
Charles Washington, 1952-2012
Portland Observer publisher’s legacy a part of Portland history
Courtesy
Portland Observer
P
ortland Observer Publish-
er and Editor-in-Chief
Charles H. Washington
died Saturday. He was 60 years
old.
Services will be held Satur-
day, Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. at
Emanuel Temple Church, 1033
N. Sumner St.
Washington led the newspa-
per, the oldest African-
American publication in the
state, since 1995 when he took
See CARJACK on page 3
INDEX
News .................2,3,12
Opinion ..................4,5
A & E ......................6,7
Obituaries..................8
Food........................10
Bids/Classifieds ........11
Charles Washington
over the company from his
mother, Joyce Washington.
He joined the Portland
Observer in 1990 as public rela-
tions director and assistant
editor after a 15 year entrepre-
neurial stint in small business
ownership and property man-
agement.
He developed a new market-
ing
strategy,
restructured
operations, and was instrumen-
tal in propelling the paper into
the mainstream publication and
influential community voice
that it is today.
Bernie Foster, publisher of the
Observer’s rival newspaper The
Skanner News, said this week
that Washington’s legacy as a
Black publisher and member of
the National Newspaper Pub-
lishers Association is an
important part of the city’s his-
tory.
“Some people think because
we were in competition that we
didn’t get along — but we did,”
Foster said. “We used to get
together and talk about the busi-
ness.
See OBSERVER page 3
Liv Warfield to Unveil Designer Handbag
Local singer is adding fashion line to her rapidly growing list of
Bruce Poinsette
Of The Skanner News
I
t’s been an eventful few years for Liv
Warfield. She released her debut album
in 2007. She joined Prince’s New Power
Generation. Now she’s entering the fashion
business.
Warfield will be unveiling her Liv Collec-
tion by BD503 line of designer handbags on
Dec. 12.
“For me, I just want women to know when
you carry these bags, whatever you’re
attracted to, whatever style you’re drawn to,
it has a meaning for you,” she says. “These
bags are edgy. They’re sassy.”
The handbags, hand-crafted in Portland,
are made from repurposed leather and are
designed to fit women’s personal styles,
says the singer.
According to Warfield, the idea for the
line came about while she was attending
FASHIONxt, one of the largest fashion
shows in the nation, for a performance. She
happened to meet designer Bianca Pettinari
while looking through some of her hand-
bags and they hit it off.
“We talked about how we see the normal
See LIV on page 3