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J ULY 16, 2014
P ORTLAND
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S EATTLE
V OLUME XXXVI, N O . 41
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By Lisa Loving
Of The Skanner News
A
coalition of civil rights activists this
week called on the Federal Depart-
ment of Justice to investigate the
Washington State Corrections Department
on its dismal hiring record for people of
color.
A dozen Washington state civil rights
activists gathered to announce their call for
US Attorney General Eric Holder to dig into
why the state’s prison system only employs
three people of color in its administrative
services division, out of a total of 39 admin-
istrative officials.
The community leaders also demanded a
look into why corrections has systematically
failed to post job openings or hire from out-
side of the system, instead using direct
appointments to fill high-level jobs.
“A culture of institutional racism has
become systemic and experienced at all lev-
els in this state agency,” the letter to Holder
reads.
“It is absolutely essential that diverse
employees be hired to help inform the
agency on how to best manage those indi-
viduals and connect with communities of
color to elicit their help to appropriately re-
enter offenders after their release,” the letter
says.
The spokesperson for the Department of
Corrections was preparing a comment at
press time; The Skanner News will follow
up with more on this story next week.
Renton City Councilor Greg Taylor told
The Skanner News that the issue is about
improving employment trends for commu-
nities of color and holding top state officials
accountable for fairer hiring practices.
“Out of the 39 people who work within
the administrative services of the State
Department of Corrections, you have one
African-American, one Latino and one
mixed-race Asian/White as well,” Taylor
said. “And these positions are not posted or
See CORRECTIONS on page 3
INDEX
News ..............1,3,8-10
Opinion .....................2
Calendars ..............4,5
A & E ......................6,7
Bids/Classifieds ........11
Pacific NW
OCTAVIA
BUTLER
FEST
Portland artist Intisar Abioto leads a
dancing procession of Octavia E. Butler
fans from a small celebration at Edwin
T. Pratt Park to Jaam Rek on Jackson
Street in Seattle. The group walked to
the art studio for “Wild Seed,” an event
celebrating the life and works of Butler
with singing, readings from the science
fiction author’s novels, and an art show
inspired by Butler’s Xenogenesis trilogy,
also called “Lilith’s Brood.”
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
Activists ask federal
probe of Washington
State Corrections
CENTS
The Skanner News presents
our new regional edition,
featuring more news and
local information.
C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW
I-200
Cited in
Hiring
25
Renewed Dawson Park Reopens
At the heart of a gentrified neighborhood, natives return to play
By Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
D
awson Park, a longtime
gathering place that was
central to Portland’s
African American community,
has reopened after a $2.7 mil-
lion makeover.
The park has kept its signature
gazebo, crowned with a dome
that used to grace a pharmacy
on Williams Avenue, when that
street was the center of a thriv-
ing
African
American
neighborhood.
Angela Taylor, who works at
Legacy Emanuel Medical Cen-
ter and has family nearby, said
she loves the redesign.
“I like that they have kept the
dome, because it symbolizes
where this park came from,” she
says. “They have always had
concerts here.”
The new park design is open
plan with entrances at all four
corners leading into a circular
walkway around a central lawn.
The park has a shelter, picnic
tables, a barbecue, a children’s
playground with some of the
bounciest artificial turf you’ve
ever walked on, and a splash
pad play fountain where visitors
can cool off in the refreshing
mist. Artist Isaka Shamsud-Din
is making decorative medallions
inspired by African Ndebele
patterns that will be added at a
later date.
The fountain, funded by a
grant from Legacy Emanuel is
surrounded by smooth oval
boulders of granite inscribed
with the story of the park.
“ What’s really cool about the
fountain is it tells a story of
what’s really cool about this
place in the neighborhood and
how significant this place has
been as the neighborhood has
developed over the years,” said
Parks director Mike Abbate.
“This is a place that’s been very
important going back into the
1920s. In the 1940s this was
seen as a major community
gathering place. So what we’re
looking at here is a major reno-
vation of an incredibly historic
park.”
See PARK on page 3
White Supremacist Gets Life for Murders
Killer apologizes not for crime, but for discrediting racist movement
By Steven Dubois
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A woman who
took part in a Pacific Northwest killing ram-
page fueled by white supremacist beliefs
apologized for her actions, but not her
views.
Holly Grigsby, 27, was sentenced Tuesday
to life in prison with no chance for release.
My actions have further damaged the
reputation of a movement misunderstood
She apologized in federal court to friends
and relatives of the victims. Grigsby said
she realized any explanation for her actions,
such as her drug addiction, would come
across as an excuse, “or make it feel like I’m
rationalizing my own insane behavior.”
See LIFE on page 8