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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2013)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM M ARCH 13, 2013 P ORTLAND , O REGON V OLUME XXXV, N O . 23 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 SEATTLE (AP) — The mother of a man fatally wounded by police in Portland, Ore., said she was on the phone with her son when it happened. Antoinette Cisneros told KING-TV in Seattle that her son spoke his final words to her and then she heard gunfire. ``I heard everything until the time he was killed,’’ said Antoinette Cisneros told the television station. Police said Santiago A. Cisneros III, 32, had a shotgun and fired at them when they encountered him on a parking lot roof in northeast Portland on the night of March 4. Officers said they returned fire. Cisneros died at a Portland hospital. No officers were injured. He was an Iraq war veteran who had talked about the challenges of post-traumat- ic stress disorder. Cisneros lived in Seattle but was visiting family in Portland last week. His mother said she called him late Mon- day night but didn’t know where he was at the time. She later learned he was driving up a Portland parking garage. Moments later, he told her on the phone that he loved her and stepped out of the car, she said. ``He said, `Forgive me, mom. Mom, I love you. I love you, mom.’ And I said, `Mijo, don’t leave, don’t go away. I hear you going away from the car,’’’ Antoinette Cisneros told KING-TV. Soon she heard gunfire, followed by another man’s voice. ``He said `stop,’’’ she recalled. ``And then I heard him again say `stop.’’’ Portland police said the shooting unfolded quickly after Santiago Cisneros approached the two officers. ``Within seconds, they’re confronted by this guy with a shotgun and shots were fired,’’ police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said last week. ``The officers returned fire and knocked him to the ground.’’ Antoinette Cisneros said she wants people to hold their judgment until an investigation is done. INDEX News ................2,3,5,6 Opinion .....................4 A & E ......................5,8 Food..........................6 Bids/Classifieds ..........7 PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Seattle mom on phone with son as Portland police shoot COAL TRAIN FOES RALLY Health officials are concerned that emissions from coal trains’ extra diesel, as well as from coal dust, could have negative impacts on the health of 82,000 people who live near the tracks. They’re also concerned about the harmful impact of noise and potential delays to emergency responders. PHOTO BY HELEN SILVIS Did PTSD Lead to Death? Protests Over Pollution, Kids Nine schools are close to tracks highlighting risk to children By Helen Silvis Of The Skanner News O pponents of plans to export coal to Asia through Portland and the Northwest are holding a rally on the steps of the Ore- gon Legislature in Salem, at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 13. “It’s very important to go,” says Bonnie Meltzer, who lives in North Portland and opposes the plans. “It’s easier to stop the coal trains before they are here than after. Just showing up tells our officials that we care about this. It’s hard to do. Salem’s an hour away. But if we don’t show up the politicians will just shrug and do whatever they want to do.” Plans were announced last summer to export coal through Oregon from the 400- mile wide Powder Mountain basin in Montana and Wyoming. Between 16-19 trains a day would travel along the south side of the Columbia River, carrying 125,000 tons of coal. Health officials are con- cerned that emissions from the extra diesel as well as from coal dust, could have negative impacts on the health of 82,000 people who live near the tracks. They’re also concerned about the harmful impact of noise and potential delays to emergency responders. From Troutdale to St. Johns the trains would run by at least a dozen parks, a golf course, and an assisted living facility, as well as hundreds of homes and dozens of apart- ment complexes. At least nine schools in Multnomah County are on the railroad route: Roosevelt High, Rosa Parks Elementary, George Middle, Woodlawn Elementary, Faubion, Helensview High, Parkrose High, Shaver Elementary and Troutdale Elementary. Meltzer says three schools in Scapoose, close to a pro- See COAL on page 3 Washington Debates Police in Schools Appeals lawyer says law would be challenged as unconstitutional By Helen Silvis Of The Skanner News W ashington State Senate has passed a bill that will allow police to search students without their par- ents consent, if they are suspected of break- ing a school rule. But Greg Link, a defense attorney with the Washington Appellate project, says that if the bill passes into law it likely will be struck down. Senate Bill 5618 adds police to the list of school personnel allowed to search students without parental permission. Previously school principals, vice-principals and school staff designated by the principal were allowed to conduct the searches. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Mike Carrell, R- Lakewood. “These are not necessarily criminal mat- ters,” says Aldo Melchiori, a staffer on the Washington State Senate Committee on Law and Justice. “It could be a pack of cig- arettes that is against school rules and it could be taken away.” The bill has not yet become state law. The next step is a House Judiciary Committee hearing scheduled for March 14 at 1:30 p.m. See SEARCH on page 3
