JULY 6, 2016
Portland and Seattle Volume XXXVIII No. 40
25
CENTS
News ........................... 3,8,9,10 A & E .....................................6-7
Opinion ...................................2 Minority Gap in Capitols ...10
Calendars ........................... 4-5 Bids/Classiieds ....................11
CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW
PHOTO COURTESY OF PORTLAND
POLICE BUREAU
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The Albina Ministerial Alliance issued a statement
Wednesday decrying the lack of African Americans
among Portland Police Bureau’s command-level
staf. Kevin Modica, who served as former Chief
Larry O’Dea’s assistant chief in charge of outreach,
was demoted last week to captain by incoming
chief Mike Marshman.
By Christen McCurdy
Of The Skanner News
T
he Albina Ministerial Alliance
Coalition for Justice and Police
Reform wants the Portland Po-
lice Bureau to hire more African
Americans to its command staf, and is
calling the demotion of assistant chief
Kevin Modica “a step backward” for po-
lice reform.
Last week Chief Larry O’Dea – a Port-
land Police Bureau veteran who was
sworn in as chief at the beginning of
2015, and now faces three investiga-
AP PHOTO/EBRAHIM NOROOZI
See AMA on page 3
Iranian women pray during the Eid al-Fitr prayers in
Tehran, Iran, July 6. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the
Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
World News
Briefs
Pistorius sentenced;
Trump praises Saddam
page 9
The ‘Vigilante Diaries’
Interview with Michael
Jai White
page 7
Richard Edwards speaks at the Yes for Afordable Housing Campaign kickof at the Buckman Cofee factory in Portland on Thursday, June 30, 2016.
Edwards told the crowd about the challenges of inding housing when his family was homeless.
Afordable Housing Tax to Go to Voters
$258.4 million bond would allow city to build or buy 1,300 rental units
By Arashi Young
of The Skanner News
T
his November, Port-
land residents will
vote on new tax mea-
sure to pay for aford-
able housing. The $258.4
million bond would allow
the city of Portland to ei-
ther build or purchase
1,300 rental units to house
those who are being priced
out of the local housing
market.
Last Thursday, the Port-
land City Council unani-
mously voted to send this
tax measure to the voters
for the November 8 ballot.
The city council chamber
was packed to capacity and
overlowing into the third
story balcony.
Maggie Tallmadge, rep-
resenting the NE Coalition
of Neighborhoods, talked
about the disproportion-
ate impact of housing on
communities of color,
who are more likely to ex-
perience
homelessness,
cost-burdened households
and displacement.
“Our communities are
steadily pushed to the
fringes of cities, increas-
ingly segregated, away
from community, away
from jobs and services
and existing widespread
disparities are exacerbat-
ed,” Tallmadge said. “In-
creasingly, African Amer-
ican and Native American
households are leaving the
city entirely.”
In her remarks, Tall-
madge referred to the 2015
State of Housing in Port-
land report which stated
that the average Black fam-
ily looking for a one-bed-
room apartment or larg-
er was priced out every
neighborhood in Portland.
Homeownership, without
paying more than 30 per-
cent of pretax income on
housing, was also out of
reach for most Black fami-
lies.
The 20-year bond would
raise property taxes by 42
cents for every $1,000 of
assessed value per year. A
home assessed at $178,320
would pay about $75 more
per year in property taxes.
The assessed value of
See HOUSING on page 3
Grants to Reduce Gang Violence
$700,000 grant block will fund programs for
youth at risk of getting involved with gangs
T
he Portland City Council voted
to authorize $700,000 in grants
to community organizations
providing activities for at-risk
youth to reduce gang violence.
If approved, the grants will be of-
fered to the Portland Opportunities
Industrialization Center, the Immi-
grant & Refugee Community Orga-
nization - Africa House, Latino Net-
work, Native American Youth and
Family Center, the Boys & Girls Club
of Portland Metropolitan Area, Self
Enhancement, Inc., and REAP, Inc.
“Last year we had more than 12,000
kids using free access to our com-
munity centers and to our teen pro-
gramming, so obviously there was
and is a great need out there in the
community,” Mayor Charlie Hales
told the council.
The funds will be allocated over
two years, and will fund socializing
activities for youth outside of school
and during the summer. The funds
are part of Mayor Charlie Hales’ on-
going $2 million Community Cen-
ters Initiative and will be dispersed
through Portland Parks & Recreation
department.
Parks and Recreation department
See GRANTS on page 3
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLIE HALES VIA FACEBOOK
Group says PPB needs
Black voices among
command-level staf
PHOTO BY ARASHI YOUNG
AMA
Criticizes
Demotion
On June 14, Mayor Hales visited the Montavilla
Community Center and spent time with Portland
Parks staf and volunteers. The visit was in
support of the Community Centers Initiative
to provide free access to recreation and deter
young people from gang-related violence.