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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2015)
News Enzo’s STEM Champs continued from page 1 mediation; and complaints against McMenamins’ Kennedy School are also headed toward a mediated solution. Defining discrimination in court Restaurant owners do not have the right to refuse service to anyone from a protected class Attorneys interviewed by The Skanner News say it is very difficult to prove disparate treatment in a restaurant. But they offered a few tips that might help diners head off a humiliating experience, and possibly win in court. One of the most important things to remember is that restaurant owners do not have the right to refuse service to anyone from a protected class – but if you become disrup- tive or threatening, that could be a game changer. Attorney Greg Kafoury, who won a $105,000 judgment for a local African American falsely accused of shoplifting in an H&M store, says in any similar situation you should get all the details you can – name of the manager, name of the server, any witnesses if possible – and note the time, date and anything else that seems important. Both he and Dennis Steinman, of Kell, Alterman and Runstein LLP, both suggested the same first step: “Stay calm and go up to the manager and ask them whether they intend to serve you,” Kafoury said. Steinman added that having your smartphone handy to record the conversation is not a bad idea, because the biggest obstacle to proving disparate treatment before a jury PHOTO COURTESY SEN. PATTY MURRAY The key law governing discrimination in accommodation is the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, which established “protected classes” of people who have historically suffered discrimination. The areas affected include: race, color, reli- gion, national origin, age, gender, pregnancy, disability, veteran status, and genetic status. Sexuality is established as a protected class by Oregon state law. Sen. Patty Murray (d-wA), examines medical equipment during an April 1 tour of the Thomas Building Training Lab at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer research Center, with Technology Access Foundation Academy students Ericka Pegues and Favour Orji. Murray met with President and director d. Gary Gilliland and other leaders in the local health research and education communities to discuss the need to invest in innovative research and development, and how to increase the role of women in Science, Technology, Education, and Math (STEM) fields. included in the discussion were geneticist Mary-Claire king of the University of washington School of Medicine, Caroline king, chief policy officer of washington STEM, and transplant biologist Beverly Torok-Storb, founder of Fred Hutch’s Summer High School internship program. is lack of evidence. A specialist in business franchise law as well as civil rights with a focus on the Americans with Disabilities Act, Steinman says many of the cases he sees right now involve disabled people with therapy dogs who are barred from restaurants. “What I have found over the years when members of the protected class tell me that they know they’ve been treated differently because of their membership in a protected class, the vast majority of them are absolutely right,” Stein- man says. “Their gut is telling them exactly what’s going on, but proving it in court is a whole different issue.” Read the rest of this story online at www.theskanner.com Martin continued from page 1 Terrell. “You need people like myself to bring that point out. I call it the ugly truth.” Fulton’s visit to the Maranatha pulpit will be her first time addressing a crowd in the Rose City. In 2013 she was scheduled to keynote the Black Parent Initiative’s annual symposium but was forced to cancel due to a family emergency. In the days following the “not-guilty” ver- dict handed in by a six-woman Florida jury, acquitting Zimmerman of second-degree murder and the lesser charge of manslaugh- ter, Portlanders joined outcry across the nation in part by pouring into the streets. Hundreds, if not thousands, gathered in solidarity with Martin’s family in a series of protests against unjust killings, racial profil- ing, and a lack of accountability in the justice system. Despite temperatures that week topping the 80’s, many Portlanders donned hoodies during the Summer 2013 rallies. Martin wore a hoodie the night he died while carrying nothing but Skittles, iced tea onymous with how Black and Latino youth are unfairly criminalized and profiled in the time since Martin’s passing. Activists say public outrage over Martin’s killing served as the launching pad for the growing #BlackLivesMatter movement Portlanders joined outcry across the nation in part by pouring into the streets and a cell phone; he was talking with a friend during the confrontation with Zim- merman. Zimmerman has been arrested on domes- tic violence charges three times since his acquittal in the Martin case. The hoodie has gone on to become syn- which was created as an “ideological and political intervention” to the disparate treat- ment of Black Americans. The issues of police shootings, gang vio- lence, and vigilante killings, the emerging movement has brought people together from around the country and even inspires a opened up widely and we have a couple of hundred employers who list positions with us,” Lindsay said. “We have just seen an influx over the last couple of years.” job-seekers coming to the event is to be pre- pared and ready to be interviewed. Some employers will be ready to interview on site, others may set up an interview at a later spate of proposed new laws in Oregon. The movement gained significant steam in the wake of other high profile deaths of Black people including Eric Garner in New York, Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Jordan Davis also of Florida, and Mike Brown Jr. in Ferguson, Missouri. Here in Oregon, State Rep. Lew Frederick has named the movement as one of the main reasons he has introduced 11 police-reform bills into the legislature, with the aim in- part of reducing profiling. In addition to Fulton’s speech, the pro- gram will include spoken word, poetry, and music for youth and other community mem- bers as well. For more information on the event, organ- izers ask you to leave a message at 503-288-8429. Career continued from page 1 Employers such as PGE, Legacy Health Systems, Janus Youth Programs and Port- land State University will be on hand to meet applicants. Many of these employers are also Urban League partners who work with the organization throughout the year and list jobs with them. “They don’t just come to the career fair, they’re folks who avidly seek folks that we recruit and help train,” Lindsay said. “They avidly see the urban league as a good resource for recruitment.” Over 70 employers will attend the event. To see a list of other organizations, click here. Lindsay said the job fair is steadily grow- ing and now is one of the largest and most diverse job fairs in the Portland area. “We have seen that opportunities have Some employers will be ready to interview on site, others may set up an interview at a later date Employers are looking for a wide variety of applicants, ranging from entry-level work, skilled trades, professional, manage- ment and executive positions. High school and college students are encouraged to attend as well because there will be companies present that have intern- ship opportunities. Lindsay said the most important tip for date. But in either case, the job seeker is likely to meet the very people who would be interviewing them at the fair. “They should come dressed to impress, they should bring their resumes, bring their A-game, and be prepared to meet employers who have immediate opportunities with their companies,” Lindsay said. Job hunters are also encouraged to visit the office of Workforce Development to update their resume or brush up on their interview skills if they feel they need that help. The Urban League is also offering free professional profile photos, taken at the event by Photography by Reba. These pho- tos can be used for professional and employment-related social networks such as LinkedIn. Job seekers are not required to pre-regis- ter before the event. The event is free and open to the public. The 22nd Annual Career Connections Job Fair will be held at 1000 Multnomah Street, Portland, OR 97232 on Wednesday, April 22, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. April 8, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 3
