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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 24, 2015)
www . theskanner . com J une 24, 2015 P ortland and s eattle V olume XXXVII, n o . 38 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 Portland Reacts to Killings 25 VIGIL Faith community, police respond to Charleston shooting By Christen McCurdy Of The Skanner News See CHARLESTON on page 3 INDEX News ................1,3,8-10 Opinion .......................2 Calendars ................4,5 A & E ........................6,7 Bids/Classifieds .....10,11 PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED F aith, hope, fear, grief, rage and fellow- ship all rose to the surface last Thurs- day at the Bethel AME Church. About 300 people came together Thurs- day at the church for a vigil to honor victims of last week’s racially-motivated shooting at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Dr. LeRoy Haynes of the Allen Temple and the Albina Ministerial Alliance told the congregation the shooting was a “crime against humanity.” “We’re here because a young, white racist, possibly with mental issues, decided to de- liberately and intentionally strike a blow for white supremacy,” Haynes told the crowd. “We’re here to let the world know that God’s church cannot be stopped by terrorism.” Within hours after the Wednesday-night killings, Charleston police were describing the crime — which claimed nine lives, in- cluding that of pastor and state Sen. Clem- enta Pinckney — as a hate crime. Civil rights activists across the country have called the shooting a terrorist act. They have noted that writings attributed to shoot- er Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white man ar- rested Thursday morning in connection with the shooting, say he was inspired by orga- nized far-right groups. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, however, has declined to characterize the crime as terrorism. Rev. W.J. Mark Knutson of the Augustana Lutheran Church in Northeast Portland said the Charleston shooting was the violation of a sanctuary. Roof had participated in a Bi- ble-study activity before opening fire on the congregants. “There is a disease in this nation called racism,” Knutson said in reference to specu- lation that Roof may be mentally ill. He also said the notion that racism will die out with the older generation is false: “You have to teach every generation.” Churches, syna- gogues and mosques must come together to stand for justice and pray for a new day, he Seattle First A.M.E. youth coordinator Greg Banks sings at a vigil held last Thursday evening for victims of the shoot- ing at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. S.C. Grieves Nine Shot in Church Meanwhile, Alabama takes Confederate battle flags down Seanna Adcox, Jeffrey Collins, and Jonathan Drew Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The Confederate battle flag was still flying high atop a 30-foot pole outside the South Caroli- na Statehouse on Wednesday as lawmakers prepared to honor their beloved black colleague with a viewing in the Rotunda. Elsewhere around the nation, leaders were already demoting the historic but divisive symbol. By the order of Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley on Wednesday, four Confederate banners were being taken down from a large monument to secessionist sol- diers outside that state’s capitol. No Alabama law prohibits the removal of the flags by ex- ecutive order, said a Bentley spokeswoman who called the flags “a distraction.” The slaying of state Sen. Clementa Pinckney and eight other black people who wel- comed a gunman into their Bi- ble study session a week ago has suddenly become a catalyst for re-examining the meaning of Civil War symbols nationwide. But in South Carolina, making any changes to “heritage” sym- bols requires a two-thirds super- majority of both houses of the state legislature, and while law- makers voted overwhelmingly for a debate later this summer, few wanted to risk ugly words during a week of funerals for those killed in the church attack. Brought to the capitol in a horse-drawn carriage, Pinck- ney’s open coffin was being put on display under the dome where he served the state for nearly 20 years. The 41-year-old lead pastor of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church spent a lot of time in the sec- ond-floor lobby. He started his Statehouse career as a page. He was the youngest member elected to the House in 1997 and became a senator in 2001. A large, black drape has been put over the lobby’s big window, blocking the view of the Con- federate flag outside. Mourners See FLAGS on page 3 Recreational Pot to Become Legal July 1 State launches campaign to clarify details of Measure 91 By Arashi Young Of The Skanner News A fter almost 30 years of campaigning to legalize marijuana in Oregon, pot will finally be legal within days. On July 1, Oregon will become the third state in the U.S. to allow for the possession and use of recreational marijuana as Mea- sure 91, passed last fall, takes effect state- wide. But before anyone breaks out the bong, here is what you need to know: Possession and use of marijuana is only legal for those 21 years old and over. If you are under 21 years old, possession is illegal. Public use of marijuana is still illegal. The law allows for use at home or on pri- vate property. People may possess up to eight ounces of usable marijuana in their home and up to one ounce outside the home. The law allows people to grow 4 plants per household -- not 4 plants per person in each household. You cannot grow marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school. You cannot take marijuana across state See POT on page 3
