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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2015)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM A PRIL 29, 2015 P ORTLAND AND S EATTLE V OLUME XXXVII, N O . 30 For The Skanner website scan this QR code By Roberto Alejandro Of the AFRO-American T he car had been burning on Ocala Ave. for almost an hour, not far from Mondawmin Mall where violent exchanges between youth and police offi- cers had begun earlier in the day. Young men stood nearby, seemingly amused by what was happening and the failure of authorities to arrive. A police car drove by on Reisterstown Road, officers peering down Ocala, scouting the scene, then quick- ly driving off. “People are just frustrated and fed up,” said Jana Jenkins as she watched the car burn from inside her own vehicle, parked on Reisterstown. “This isn’t the right way to do it, but they’ve got to get some justice,” said Jackie Jenkins, seated in the same car. Many residents watched in frustration as groups of young men clashed with officers near Mondawmin and tore open and looted businesses along North Ave on April 27, just hours after the funeral for Freddie Gray, the West Baltimore man whose death in police custody eventually led to this unrest. But while many did not approve of the mayhem, they also felt this was the inevitable response of young men to a city that has ignored the plight of poor Blacks for far too long, and that had failed to curb abusive police practices against its residents in any meaningful way. “How does this get justice?” asked one frustrated bystander as he walked past the northwest corner of the intersection at W. North and N. Fulton Avenues where young men were looting corner stores and pouring out of them with liquor bottles looted from inside. “How does stealing drinks and steal- ing hair get justice?” A black BMW sat in the middle of the North and Fulton intersection, its front pas- senger side having been struck by another vehicle earlier in the day, and with youth See BALTIMORE on page 3 INDEX News ..............1,3,9-10 Opinion .....................2 Calendars ..............4,5 A & E ......................6,7 Bids/Classifieds ........11 Pacific NW SOUNDERS SELFIE Earl Riley IV and Bryce Green take a selfie with Seattle Sounders FC Defender Dylan Remick. The player stopped by the Seattle Rotary Boys and Girls Club on Wednesday, April 22, to honor Corey Person, Seattle Rotary Boys and Girls Club 2015 Youth of the Year. Dylan Remick presented Corey with a Sounders jersey. PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED Reporter on the ground describes the scene last Monday 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 ‘Charm City’ Burning 25 Researching ‘Black Oregon’ Two journalists describe their statewide trip for Urban League report By Donovan M. Smith Of The Skanner News T he Urban League of Port- land is gearing up to release, “The State of Black Oregon,” the highly anticipated follow-up to its 2009 report, at noon, May 5 at the Cascade Campus of Port- land Community College. The document details the sta- tus of African and African American communities as they relate to the barriers of poverty, gentrification, educational achievement and entrepreneur- ship holding back the communities’ economic devel- opment throughout the state. Journalist Bruce Poinsette and photographer Intisar Abioto traveled the four corners of Ore- gon collecting stories featured in the report. In this interview with The Skanner News, the two media- makers share their reflections on the trip, insight into what “community” looks like now, and what it could look like in the future for the – roughly — two percent of Oregon’s com- munity that comprises our state’s Black population today. *Editor’s Note: text edited for clarity and brevity The Skanner News: I was reading your report back on the State of Black Oregon and you said that you felt like this proj- ect is “necessary.” Why? Intisar: It’s reaching into the past, present, and the future of Black people and people of African descent in Oregon. It feels like a multi-model survey of Black life in a way that can be of service to us here. It feels necessary to see what the thing is so that we can affect the thing. Poinsette: When you look at the narrative of Black people in Oregon, I think the larger story is very Portland-centric, and that’s for obvious reasons because Portland has the largest concentration. I don’t travel a lot so getting the opportunity to drive out and really get to see how big Oregon See Q&A on page 3 Watch Your Money in Charity Scams Better Business Bureau warns about Nepalese disaster contributions A s the death toll climbs in Nepal fol- lowing the massive earthquake over the weekend, the Better Business Bureau along with Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman and Attorney General Bob Ferguson are urging consumers to be on guard for charity scams targeting donors. “Any time there’s a natural disaster, scam- mers will try to take advantage of people’s generosity,” said Tyler Andrew, CEO of Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington. “When donating to charities, go with ones that are experienced at working with disaster vic- tims.” Reports that more than 5,000 people have been killed in the 7.8-magnitude quake have galvanized donors around the world to help out by contributing funds to an array of charities, some of which have just sprung up. All that is great – but pay attention to who is asking for help, officials say. “Whenever tragedy occurs, whether it’s the earthquake in Nepal or last year’s land- slide in Oso, many people instinctively want to help the victims,” Wyman said. “In times like these, there always seems to be rip-off See SCAMS on page 3
