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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2015)
OCTOBER 28, 2015 Portland and Seattle Volume XXXVIII No. 4 ® 25 CENTS CHALLENGING PEOPLE SINCE 1975 TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW News ...................................... 3,6 A & E .......................................... 5 Opinion ..................................... 2 School Punishment ...........6 Calendars ................................. 4 Bids/Classifi eds ........................7 FREE CLINIC Oregon Economy: Who Wins? By Arashi Young Of The Skanner News M ore than 60,000 jobs were added to Oregon’s economy between Au- gust 2014 and August 2015, growing the econ- omy by 3.5 percent -- the fastest growth rate in 10 years. The last time Oregon added more than 60,000 jobs over a 12-month period was near the end of the high-tech boom in May of 1997. These numbers dipped slightly in September 2015 with a loss of 5,300 See ECONOMY on page 1 Mayor Hales Bows Out Mayor won’t seek re- election bid page 4 Opinion: Banks Caught Redlining page 2 PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED More Oregonians are living in poverty now than during the Great Recession People wait in line outside Key Arena to get into the Seattle/King County Clinic Oct. 22 – 25. Nearly 4,000 patients were treated at the Seattle/King County Free Clinic last week. More than 1,000 dentists, 958 doctors, 149 vision care professionals and more than 1,700 other volunteers helped patients at the event, which is the largest free clinic of its kind in Washington State. Oregon Graduation Rates Remain Dismal By Donovan M. Smith Of The Skanner News D espite slight gains last school year, Or- egon still strug- gles to ensure its students graduate from high school. Ranked at fourth worst in the nation for high school graduation rates, Oregon is only trailed by Nevada, Alaska and Georgia with a 68 percent graduation rate for 2012-2013 school year. Graduation rates for Oregon’s White students are lowest in the nation and third lowest for Black students according to pre- liminary data released by the US Department of Ed- ucation earlier this month . Both populations showed gains of about 1 percent in last school year’s study, but education experts are say- ing more must be done. Charles McGee, founder of the education reform organization, Black Parent Initiative, said the slight gains are no cause for cel- ebration. “I really do believe that a lot of these districts are trying, [but] I can’t cele- brate when our kids are still dying and ending up in prison,” he told The Skanner News. McGee, who announced this year that he’s consid- ering a run for Portland City Council, said the sta- tistics today are refl ective of the need for accountable leadership. “Most importantly for our community, I think we need to understand that our children are at stake,” McGee said. “We can’t wait for any institution, or any person to come and rescue us. We have to be the ones that are mobilized, en- gaged and asking the tough questions because we are at a crisis point.” Just last month activists from the antiviolence or- ganization Don’t Shoot PDX testifi ed in front of Portland Public Schools demanding an audit of all spending related to PPS’s equity department, includ- See GRADUATION on page 3 Bar Association President Comes to Portland Paulette Brown participates in Pro Bono Week By Christen McCurdy Of The Skanner News ust months into her tenure as the American Bar Associa- tion’s fi rst African American female president, Paulette Brown celebrated the associa- tion’s annual Pro Bono Week in what some might consider an unusual spot: Portland. “I wanted to kick off Pro Bono Week in sort of a nontraditional place,” Brown said. “Some people would J think a more obvious place would be Chicago or Washington D.C. or New York. I am pleased that Portland is welcoming me and has found a great pro bono opportunity for me to par- ticipate in.” Monday morning, Brown visited the Urban League’s clinic for seniors needing pro bono legal assistance, including help with wills and hous- ing issues. This year marks the National Bar See BAR on page 3 Paulette Brown, president American Bar Association
