Local News
Precious
continued from page 1
somehow we may feel that we failed this
child –that we could not provide a safe
haven for her, to care for her and let her
know that she was loved…
“The most enduring tribute we can give to
Precious is to commit to show the same love
to the countless other children in our city
‘Precious, you remind
us of the value of all
of our children. You
remind us of the value
of love’
state and nation that need out attention, our
love, our advocacy, and our support. We
need to make sure that they are not hungry,
that they are educated well, that they are
safe, and that they can envision a future that
is strong and that they are loved. Precious,
you remind us of the value of all of our chil-
dren. You remind us of the value of love.”
Minister Danny Osborne played soft
music on the piano throughout the ceremo-
ny. Pastor Kimberly Black, Pastor Mary
Overstreet-Smith, Pastor George Merri-
weather and Dr. T. Allen Bethel gave
workds of uplift and comfort. MaryEtta
Callier-Wells sang songs of praise.
Baby Precious was interred at Riverview
Cemetery in Southwest Portland.
Oregon Safe Haven Law says a parent
who can’t care for an infant can leave a
baby, 30 days or younger, with a staff mem-
ber at any:
Hospital
Doctor’s Office
Birthing Clinic
Police Station
Sheriff Office
Fire Department
No questions will be asked. You must put
the baby into the arms of a staff member. So
long as the baby hasn’t been abused, you
can leave your baby in safety with no fear of
prosecution.
One young mother brought her own newborn to the memorial, which drew
dozens of mourners to honor a still-unidentified baby called ‘Precious.’
Artharee
continued from page 1
versial comments that Artharee made at
the Quartet event.
At the event, Artharee introduced
Multnomah County Commissioner
Loretta Smith saying, “Here’s our beauti-
ful commissioner, Loretta Smith. Mmm,
mmm, mmm—she looks good tonight.”
And in response to a comment about
his position of power in the city, Artharee
answered that he was still a “field
negro”.
According to the report, Smith told
investigators she was embarrassed by the
comment on her appearance.
“…she felt ‘minimized’ and disrespect-
ed, particularly in her role as Multnomah
County Commissioner,” the report says.
“She also felt Mr. Artharee was trying to
make it appear he had a close relation-
ship with the commissioner and there
was an inference he was untouchable due
to his position with the mayor. Commis-
sioner Smith felt Mr. Artharee’s
demeanor came over as arrogant and
intimidating.”
Smith said Antoinette Edwards inter-
jected to try to stop Artharee mid-com-
ment, but he continued. She also told
investigators that on three previous occa-
sions Artharee had made similar com-
ments about how she looked: once at an
Oregon Association of Minority Entre-
preneurs event, where she was a keynote
speaker and Artharee introduced her;
once in an elevator with county commu-
nications director Dave Austin; and once
at a gala event organized by the Delta
sorority and the civic service group the
LINKS.
Smith also said she’d been on the
receiving end of “backlash” from some
who objected to her publicly criticizing
one of the city’s few African American
leaders. And she said she would not have
made her concerns public, but once the
press got the story, she had no choice.
The witnesses were not named in the
report. The concensus from the witness-
es was that the comment about being a
field negro was simply intended to mean
Artheree would not forget his roots in the
Black community.
Artheree admitted that he often com-
plimented women and men on their
appearance. But he told investigators he
did not intend to offend anyone and was
remorseful. He said the behavior would-
n’t happen again.
The investigation concluded that
Artharee’s comments both violated city
policy.
“An introduction of an Elected Official
or any person at an official event, and in
one’s capacity as a representative of the
City, should focus only upon the person’s
accomplishments, not on their physical
appearance,” the report says.
The comment about being a “field
negro” should be understood in its cul-
tural context, the report says. But never-
theless it broke policy because, “it was
not conducive to creating a respectful
and professional workplace, free from
harassment, discrimination and retalia-
tion…”
Hales said Artharee had offered his res-
ignation, but he had refused it.
“Baruti offered to resign from my staff,
saying that the incident could prove to be
a distraction from my priority of reform-
ing the relationship between the police
and the community. I turned down his
offer because I believed, and I continue
to believe, that Baruti is the right person
for the task at hand. He is providing the
essential leadership needed to strengthen
community credibility with our Police
Bureau.”
Smith told The Skanner News several
women had contacted her to express
gratitude that she was pointing out gen-
der discrimination. Willamette Week
reported that several women legislators
sent a letter to the city demanding action
from Mayor Hales. Multnomah County
Commissioner Deborah Kafoury, former
Oregon Rep. Darlene Hooley and Reps.
Shemia Fagan, Jessica Vega-Peterson
and Jennifer Williamson said many peo-
ple were disgusted at comments they
called, “sexually suggestive and demean-
ing.
Commissioner Nick Fish released a
statement saying the week-long suspen-
sion was not a strong enough punishmen,
I believe a one week suspension fails to
send a strong enough message that work-
place harassment will not be tolerated,
and that all employees of the city, regard-
less of their position, are required to con-
duct themselves in a professional manner
at all times,” he said.
STATEMENT BY MAYOR CHARLIE HALES
On June 6, at a public event co-sponsored by the city, Baruti Artharee, my policy
director for police, housing and public safety, introduced Multnomah County Com-
missioner Loretta Smith. The nature of that introduction was inappropriate.
An investigation by the city’s Human Resources Department has concluded that
Baruti’s actions were a violation of the city’s policy prohibiting workplace harassment,
discrimination and retaliation.
The day after the incident, Baruti apologized to Commissioner Smith. In the follow-
ing days, so did my chief of staff, Gail Shibley. And so did I.
An investigation by the city’s Human Resources Department has concluded that
Baruti’s actions were a violation of the city’s policy prohibiting workplace harassment,
discrimination and retaliation.
The day after the incident, Baruti apologized to Commissioner Smith. In the follow-
ing days, so did my chief of staff, Gail Shibley. And so did I.
Today, I am imposing on Baruti a one-week leave of absence without pay. I also am
ordering him to take individualized training on the city’s policy prohibiting workplace
harassment, discrimination and retaliation. Further, I have informed Baruti no such
incident in the future would be tolerated.
I personally delivered a copy of the report to Commissioner Smith Friday morning
and spoke to her regarding my decision.
A copy of the report is attached herein. The names and pronouns of the people
interviewed by H.R. have been redacted.
Human Resources informed me the options included a letter of reprimand, unpaid
leave of absence and dismissal. I opted for a discipline that reflects the importance
of the issue to me and to the city. Though strict, this suspension is the appropriate
corrective action.
There were calls for me to act before the HR investigation was complete. However,
having called for an investigation, a rush to judgment on my part would not have been
appropriate.
I have declined in the past to release personnel reports, and will decline to do so
in the future. But this incident is different because the mayor’s staff lives under a high-
er level of public scrutiny than do other city personnel. My release of this report does
not constitute any precedent for releasing past or future reports to the public.
I will make sure that everyone on the mayor’s staff is completely up-to-date on all
of the city’s training, in regards to harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
Baruti offered to resign from my staff, saying that the incident could prove to be a
distraction from my priority of reforming the relationship between the police and the
community. I turned down his offer because I believed, and I continue to believe, that
Baruti is the right person for the task at hand. He is providing the essential leader-
ship needed to strengthen community credibility with our Police Bureau.
I benefit from a strong partnership with Commissioner Smith, with the Multnomah
County Commission, and with the county at large. The entire City Council, and the
city of Portland, benefits from those partnerships. Commissioner Smith has been,
and will continue to be, a partner in our many endeavors.
As I said from the start, this incident is a serious matter and required a serious
response. That is why I handed the situation over to Human Resources for an inde-
pendent analysis; why I delivered the report to the commissioner myself; and why I
am releasing this information to the public.
While we cannot undo the past, we can learn from it.
In addition to my apology to Commissioner Smith, I apologize to the community at
large. Everyone deserves respect for their competence and accomplishments.
Women in particular. I and my staff will treat everyone in the community with respect.
July 3, 2013
The Portland Skanner Page 3