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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2015)
www . theskanner . com J une 17, 2015 P ortland and s eattle V olume XXXVII, n o . 37 For The Skanner website scan this QR code cents Pacific NW 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 State May Ban the Box 25 BLACK AND BLUE Bill would prohibit questions about criminal history By Arashi Young Of The Skanner News See BOX on page 3 INDEX News ................1,3,6,10 Opinion .......................2 Calendars ................4,5 A & E ........................7-9 Bids/Classifieds ..........11 PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED A statewide initiative to give ex-con- victs a fair chance at employment got one step closer last week to becom- ing Oregon law. Last Thursday, the Oregon State Senate approved the “ban the box” House Bill 3025 by a 21-8 vote. The bill would make it unlawful to inquire about a job seeker’s criminal history on job applications. Sen. Chip Shields, who founded the North- east Portland employment and counseling agency Better People, said the legislation is an important step to reduce recidivism for those with a criminal record. “When a person who has criminal record can’t gain access to employment, they have to rely on their family or the state in order to survive, and all too often they resort back to crime,” Shields says. The original version of the bill banned employers from asking about criminal back- grounds or considering that history as a rea- son to refuse employment. The employer was also banned from con- ducting a background check before a condi- tional job offer was extended. The amended legislation is a compromise that removes the criminal history question from job applications, but allows employers to consider the applicant history in their hir- ing decisions. It also includes exemptions for employers who are subject to federal, state or local laws that require consideration of applicant’s criminal history. These employers include law enforcement agencies, criminal justice system employees and employers who are seeking nonemploy- ee volunteers. Another change to the bill was the en- forcement of the law. Originally, applicants who had been rejected on the basis of their criminal history could file a civil action Members of the DogPound Crew perform as part of the cast of Black and Blue June 11 at the Neptune Theatre. The original dance theatre piece explored racial profiling and what can happen when the police pull over the wrong car. Black and Blue kicked off the third year of Nights at the Neptune, a series of free summer performances that address issues of race and social justice. Every Thursday from June 11 through July 16 the public is invited to attend these free performances. Portland Gears Up for Juneteenth Local groups will honor 150th anniversary of freeing of slaves By Arashi Young Of The Skanner News I n 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued his famous emancipation proclamation in the midst of the Civil War. Though the proclamation de- clared all slaves freed, the news didn’t reach Texas until 2 years later, when Union General Gor- don Granger occupied the state with 2,000 federal troops. On June 19, 1865, General Granger stood on the Balcony of the Ashton Villa in Galveston Island and read aloud a gener- al order freeing the last slaves. Granger declared: “The people of Texas are in- formed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Exec- utive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of person- al rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection here- tofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.” June 19 has since been cel- ebrated as Emancipation Day or Juneteenth. In honor of the 150th anniversary of June- teenth, local Oregon and Wash- ington organizations are hosting a series of cultural pride events that celebrate the end of slavery. All events are free and open to the public. The North Portland Library kicks off the weekend of cele- bration with a gathering on Fri- day at 6 p.m. The Library will host an evening of words and music on the North Portland lawn. The event will feature of the work of PassinArt Theatre Company and Eugene T. Lewis. On Saturday, residents of Ore- gon and Southwest Washington have their choice between two Juneteenth sesquicentennial cel- ebrations. Both begin at 11 a.m. and can be found in Northeast Portland and Vancouver. The Juneteenth Oregon com- memoration begins with a free- dom parade with Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith honored as the Grand See JUNETEENTH on page 3 Mystery Black Fashion Models From 1975 Local photographer seeks community’s help in finding models By Donovan M. Smith Of The Skanner News A Portland photographer wants help identifying six amateur fashion mod- els he worked with some four de- cades ago. Bruce Forster, based in his Southeast Port- land home studio, said he rediscovered the photos, which he shot in 1975, while sifting through some old material for inspiration. Forster, a former commercial photographer whose main focus has been commercial works, aerial shoots and stock photography met the models by happenstance and ar- ranged a series of fashion shoots. “They are absolutely beautiful,” he says. The black-and-white images show the am- ateur fashion models in a variety of scenes. One puts on a slight grin on while leaves hide her hair above, while burying her feet below. Another displays a smile almost as big as her Afro, with one hand bearing a twig and sunglasses and the other square- ly on her hip. In other photos, such as the portraits, the women seem more melancholy and mysterious. And though Forster remembers capturing See MODELS on page 3
