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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 2014)
Local News Transplant continued from page 1 There was no cure. My only hope was a lung transplant day that I am given for granted. I feel a tremendous responsibility to my donor and my donor’s family for this wonderful gift of life. I am fortunate to be alive and I want to make the most of it. There are no words for how grateful I am for the support I have received, and the greatest gift; the gift of life. Currently, there are more than 120,000 people waiting on the national transplant list. For more information on organ dona- tion, or to register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor visit www.lcnw.org BY THE NUMBERS African Americans make up 13 percent of the U.S. population and 14 percent of all organ donors, but they account for nearly 35 percent of all patients nationwide waiting for kidney transplants. Minorities comprise 56 percent of indi- viduals on the national organ transplant waiting list and 32 percent of living and deceased organ donors, while making up 36 percent of the U.S. population. • Many of the conditions leading to the need for a transplant — such as diabetes and hypertension — occur with greater frequen- cy among minority populations. PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.LCNW.ORG therapy appointments, moved in with me and made all my meals; literally, put her life “on hold” for mine. Since my transplant my life has changed in a number of ways. I appreciate my fam- ily and friends more. I am closer to my family. I do not get upset over the small crises that occur in life. I do not take each Robin Prentice, right, with her mother Dee. Prentice is alive today because of a lung transplant. Enough continued from page 1 “It’s an awful, awful feeling to lose a child especially to senseless violence,” she said. “The pain never ends, but the violence can.” Lucy Mashia whose son Leonard James Irving Jr. was killed in 2011, said she was there to make it stop. “They’ve got so bold they’re kicking doors in and murdering women,” Mashia said. “These are cowards. Men don’t shoot innocent people. These people are cowards and they are holding our community hostage. People are not speaking up and telling what they know. “My son’s murder has not been solved and we know who did it. Tell me how that works. The whole community knows who killed my son but nobody wants to come forward. They’re allowing those cowards...to hold them hostage.” Ronisha Harris, who lost her brother Durieul in a shooting outside the Fontaine Bleau nightclub in November 2013, also spoke of her frustration that none of the many witnesses had been brave enough to speak out. But she also said she was frus- trated that witnesses had no protection. Harris called for authorities and the commu- nity to give witnesses more protection so they can come forward safely. “There’s a difference between snitching and telling what you know,” she said. “So • Joining walking groups to engage with the community: Connected and Eleven:45 • How to remember the lost loved ones through events and through supporting families through holidays ‘The whole community knows who killed my son but nobody wants to come forward’ let me explain something: When you tell what you know and our officials don’t pro- tect you, then you decide not to tell.” Harris says the shooter made a rap video celebrating the murder but police can do nothing about it. The meeting broke into groups to address: • Counseling to deal with trauma in fami- lies of victims (and perpetrators) • Creating a “speakers bureau” of family members to tell their stories • Creating a media campaign to encourage witnesses to come forward • Working with witnesses and supporting them as they testify The groups began work at the meeting. The witness support group is looking at ways to give practical help to those whose lives may be in danger. More help is need- ed. To join the campaign call the Office of Youth Violence Prevention at 503-823- 4180. Royal Harris, brother to Ronisha and Durieul, said if George Zimmerman could raise hundreds of thousands in a month, it should be possible to crowd-fund witness support money to help a family resettle in safety. Edwards said it’s up to us to change the culture of silence about crime. It starts with Metro estimates the cost of the reduced fair is between $7 million to $9 million a year in lost ticket revenues and administra- tive overhead; officials estimate fares have increased 100 percent since 2008. public transportation to get to training class- es, meet with case managers, find and get to jobs and health care appointments, as well as other important appointments,” said Mahnaz Kourourian Eshetu, executive bullying and with parents telling children not to be a telltale when somebody beats them up or steals from them, she said. The message that children need to toughen up silences them and devalues their feelings, she said. “What are we saying? Do we not deserve to have our feelings be heard?” And the 100 witnesses who saw who killed Durieul Harris would not be “snitch- ing” if they turned the shooter in. “Snitching is: both of you all go into a store and you’re stealing something. You’re going to tell on him, and he’s going to tell on you so you can get less time. That’s not what this meeting about. This is about peo- ple sitting here hurting. And we’re walking around being traumatized because of a street code, retaliation. “It’s about being accountable and having closure. And we’re not throwing anyone away. I believe in Restorative Justice, but it’s about accountability and what we do to address this. “How can it become historic. How can it become courageous to speak the truth?” Transit continued from page 1 County residents for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.” Public Health is expected to build a net- work of third-party nonprofit groups to help churn out the sign-up and verification process for commuters who apply for the program – about 45,000 to 100,000 com- muters are thought to be eligible. King County Executive Dow Constantine rolled out the new plan this week, as a spate of road construction closures has Metro scrambling to pull together alternate transit routes for commuters. “It has taken us a little over two years of hard work by the Executive, the Council, human service agencies, and the members of both task forces to get us to this point,” said Councilor Larry Gossett, who spon- sored the move and helped shepherd it to passage. “I am proud that Martin Luther King Jr. County will be one of the first major transit agencies in the country to implement a low-income fare.” The reduced fare was first proposed by the Low-Income Fare Options Advisory Committee in mid-2013 and was officially adopted in February as a counterpart to the fare hikes Metro put into effect to head off a 17 percent service cut. ‘Martin Luther King Jr. County will be one of the first major transit agencies in the country to implement a low-income fare’ In building out the plan, members of the Low-income fare Implementation Task Force flagged the number of workers pushed to the suburban edges, who rely on public transportation to get to higher-paying jobs in the city center. “Rising housing costs are leading many families to locate in lower-cost locations that may be farther away from where they work,” said Mike Heinisch, executive direc- tor of South King Council of Human Services. “Providing a low-income fare is one way we can help keep the region more affordable for working families and ensure equal access to economic opportunity.” “As a social service agency, we work with people who are in dire need of affordable director of Refugee Women’s Alliance. “The efforts of our County Executive and County staff to make the discounted transit fare widely available to people who need it the most is admirable and will have a posi- tive effect on the County’s economy while creating stronger communities. It was an honor to serve on this task force.” Road Work Ahead King County Metro Transit warns riders to prepare for upcoming transit delays and reroutes on State Route 99 and Aurora Avenue North as the state closes sections of the roadway for construction 10 p.m. Fri- day, Aug. 22 through 5 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27. Seventeen routes will be directly affected by either delays, reroutes or both during the construction closures. Riders can go online to see reroute information for five Aurora Avenue North bus routes. Riders on another 12 bus routes should prepare for delays as buses travel to and from downtown Seattle on the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Because of potential widespread traffic delays, most bus riders using transit service into Seattle should prepare for possible weekday commute delays Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 25 and 26, as traffic shifts from SR 99 to Interstate 5 and other city streets. Weekend buses to be rerouted (10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22 through 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 25): Routes 120, 125 and RapidRide C and D lines will be rerouted 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22 until 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 25. Weekend, weekday buses to be rerouted (10 p.m. Aug. 22 through 5 a.m. Wednes- day, Aug. 27): Routes 5 local and express, 16, 26 express, 28 express & RapidRide E Line will be rerouted, with spillover system delays due to traffic. Service on Aurora Avenue North will remain on regular route until Aloha Street in both directions, with reroutes to and from Belltown. Service delays will be monitored by Metro. August 20, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 3 f a m m B d l a n H i t e a w w
