July 6, 2016 The Skanner Page 3
News
cont’d from pg 1
manager,
councilor
Amanda Fritz likened
these summer activities
to preventive medicine
that suppresses youth vi-
olence.
“Summer is a crucial
time to keep the youth
engaged in constructive
activities,” Fritz said.
According to the Port-
land Police Bureau, there
were 183 gang-related
Summer is a crucial time to
keep the youth engaged in
constructive activities
shootings in 2015 and of-
icials believe 2016 is on
track to have even more
incidences of violence.
The summer free ac-
cess program is also get-
ting a modern makeover
with a city-sponsored
smartphone app. Mayor
Hales, Portland Parks &
Recreation and the tech
AMA
Mayor Hales inished his
remarks, he encouraged
people to visit their local
community centers.
“I urge everybody to
spend a little time in a
community center this
summer and just see
what’s going on. It’s pret-
ty magical,” Hales said.
—Arashi Young
The irst cohort of 40 school administrators, teachers and counselors, from three partner school districts, completed Open School’s
Equity Certiicate Program for School Leaders with personal portfolio presentations and community equity dialogue on June 30. Created
in deep partnership between Open School, the School of Education at the University of Portland, and Center for Equity and Inclusion,
the Equity Certiicate Program for School Leaders is a year-long, graduate-level course of study where educators learn how to unpack
personal and institutionalized racism in our educational system, learn culturally responsive practices for creating more equitable and
inclusive school environments, and learn to lead their colleagues through this process of change.
cont’d from pg 3
tions connected to an incident where
O’Dea apparently shot his friend in the
back on a camping trip — announced
his retirement and Mayor Charlie
Hales announced Captain Mike Marsh-
man would ill his spot.
Upon taking the oath of oice last
“
Open School
in Modica and the lack of African-Amer-
ican presence on the command staf or
the assistant chiefs is a ‘step backward’
to creating a leadership team that will
be efective, relevant and embracing
of the vision of the 21st Century Com-
munity Policing,” said the AMA’s state-
ment.
“We are
living in
a critical
time
in
Portland
and
our
n a t i o n ,”
the statement continues. “A time in
which cities across America, as well
as the city of Portland are ‘crying out’
for police accountability. Uprisings
have erupted through major cities;
gang violence has intensiied particu-
lar in Black Communities. The failure
to have an experienced, relevant Af-
rican-American voice in an assistant
Chief of Command level is a detriment
to the welfare of the city.”
The AMA formed during the 1960s
civil rights movement and in recent
years has worked actively on the De-
partment of Justice’s 2012 settlement
with the city of Portland, which recom-
mended a host of reforms to improve
relations between police and residents
and reduce excessive force.
“We need someone with integrity
and hopefully not intimately involved
with PPB’s existing culture. A person
of color or anyone else would need to
have a record of fairness and transpar-
ency,” said a statement issued by Don’t
Shoot Portland, an anti-violence group
formed in 2014 which has been critical
of policing practices in Portland.
Marshman is also under scrutiny
this week in light of revelations about
a 2006 altercation involving his former
stepson.
The bureau received two anonymous
complaints in 2006 alleging Marshman
had abused the son of his then-wife.
A detective’s report from the time
notes that photos were taken that
showed thumb and ingerprints on
the neck of the child, who was 16 at
the time, and indentations on the wall
– but the bureau no longer has those
photos. Marshman’s ex-wife told The
Oregonian she learned he had grabbed
the Portland Housing Bureau -- a task
that is impossible in the Portland rent-
al market.
Not everyone who testiied at city
else just getting by from paycheck to
paycheck,” he said.
Ater the city council session, the Yes
for Afordable Homes campaign held a
The failure to have an experienced,
relevant African-American voice in
an assistant Chief of Command level
is a detriment to the welfare of the city
Monday, Marshman announced a host
of leadership changes in the bureau —
including the demotion of three assis-
tant chiefs to captain and the elimina-
tion of one assistant chief position.
Among those demoted was Kevin
Modica, the highest ranking African
American in the department. Modica
served as assistant chief in charge of
outreach — a position O’Dea created
and Marshman eliminated — starting
at the beginning of O’Dea’s tenure as
chief.
“The demotion of Assistant Chief Kev-
Housing
her son by the neck and slammed him
against the wall.
On Tuesday night he released a state-
ment saying he regrets the incident,
and has directed the bureau to release
the ile relating to the investigation, as
well as his full personnel ile.
AMA chairperson Dr. LeRoy Haynes,
Jr. told The Skanner both Mike Reese
and Rosie Sizer – Portland Police Bu-
reau’s last two chiefs – had all-White
command stafs. The new group of
assistant chiefs includes Chris Ueha-
ra, who is a Paciic Islander, and Matt
Wagenknecht and Mike Lelof, both of
whom are White.
Haynes said Modica is well known in
the community and in recent years has
been a “steadfast person who was able
to listen and get the right information
to the bureau and the community.”
Modica and the other former assis-
tant chiefs are under investigation
amid allegations they failed to disclose
they learned about the shooting shortly
ater it happened.
Read the full story at
TheSkanner.com
cont’d from pg 1
Portland homes are oten less than the
fair market value of the property. For
example, a home with a market value
of $377,650 in the Piedmont neighbor-
hood would have an assessed value of
$120,970. This home would pay about
$51 per year for the afordable housing
tax.
If passed, the city plans to build or
purchase 600 units for those earning
30 percent of the region’s median in-
come, which is $22,000 for a family
of four. The city would also build or
buy 700 units to house those earning
60 percent of the median income, or
$44,100 for a family of four.
The 600 units for very low-income
Portland residents would meet a frac-
tion of the need. The city estimates
there is a deicit of 24,000 homes and
apartments for this income bracket.
A family of four looking for a
three-bedroom apartment would be
able to aford paying $573 in rent be-
fore being cost-burdened, according to
“
Our communities are steadily pushed to the
fringes of cities, increasingly segregated, away
from community, away from jobs and services
council was happy with the bond pro-
posal. Fourth-generation Portland res-
ident Terry Parker testiied the bond
would raise housing costs for everyone
in the city, from homeowners to land-
lords who would pass the costs on to
their renters.
Parker was the most concerned about
senior citizens who live on ixed social
security payments and are in danger of
losing their homes due to tax burdens.
“(The afordable housing tax) not only
takes from the wealthy, but it also takes
from senior citizens on ixed incomes,
single parents with kids and anybody
celebration and rally at the Buckman
Cofee Factory in southeast Portland.
The packed event space held politicians
such as the housing bureau director
Dan Saltzman, members of the faith
community and advocates from the
housing and homeless non-proits.
Joseph Santos-Lyons, the executive
director at the Asian Paciic American
Network of Oregon, said communi-
ties of color feel the efects of housing
policies more acutely than White resi-
dents.
“The truth is that when Oregon is
sick and when there is an issue like we
PHOTO BY ARASHI YOUNG
“
irm iUrban Teen have
launched the “I Am A
#ForceOf ” cellphone app
which connects teens to
these free drop-in events
at community centers.
A list of free teen ac-
tivities can be found at
http://teenforce.meteo-
rapp.com/.
The council unani-
mously passed the mea-
sure with no debate. As
PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE MEEKER
Grants
City commissioner Dan Saltzman speaks at the
Yes for Afordable Homes celebration June 30 in
southeast Portland. Voters will decide in November
on a tax measure to fund more housing.
are facing today, communities of color
get pneumonia, get cancer and are of-
ten the ones who pay the deepest price,”
Santos-Lyons said.
Read the full story at
TheSkanner.com