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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2017)
February 8, 2017 The Skanner Page 3 News Ban cont’d from pg 1 Given the speed with which the new presiden- tial administration has moved to restrict travel, the speed of change in reaction to the ban — and the large number of trav- elers and legal residents the executive order has already affected — The Skanner News reached out to local organiza- The ACLU has created a hotline for people arriving at Portland International Airport Legal Resources: The ACLU has created a hotline for people ar- riving at Portland Inter- national Airport, espe- cially travelers from the seven banned countries, to provide legal referrals and advice. Concerned travelers can contact (971) 412-2258 or email info@aclu-or.org. The American Immi- gration and Lawyers As- sociation also has a ho- tline for those concerned about their immigration status: (971) 412-2258. Unite Oregon has a list of attorneys and can pro- vide referrals. Reporting Hate Crimes: The Immigrant Refu- gee Community Orga- nization recommends reporting hate crimes and bigoted harassment to the Portland Police Bu- reau — 911 for emergen- cies or (503) 823-3333. (The Portland Police Bureau, at a press con- ference with community partners from several multicultural and reli- gious organizations, said it has never enforced federal immigration law, Getting Involved: IRCO has also pub- lished an action guide for those who may not be affected by immigration changes directly, but still want to take action on behalf of marginalized groups. In addition to donating to and volun- teering for supportive organizations, and join- ing rallies and commu- nity events that support immigrant and refugee communities, the group recommends: Hiring refugees. Small businesses and human resource directors can join the We Hire Refu- gees Initiative and learn best practices on hiring refugees at http://wehir- erefugees.org. Advocate. IRCO recom- mends calling local, state and national elected leaders to voice support for refugee resettlement. Concerned citizens can call 1-866-940-2439 to be connected directly with local representatives and given a short script to talk about refugee re- settlement. Educate others. IRCO points to this guide as a starting point for conversation: http:// w w w.whitehouse.gov/ blog /2015/11/20/info- graphic-screening-pro- cess-refugee-entry-unit- ed-states. Graduation Durrele Wickliff (left), Mickey Rattanauns, Jamaal Lane, Willie Smith and Cesar Garcia watch and learn as Kari Sims (sitting) gets a haircut at the newly-opened Champions Barbering Institute on Killingsworth. Champions is the only barbering institute in the state of Oregon licensed to a Black proprietor. For more information, visit https://cbi.life/. Landords cont’d from pg 1 ly on the heels of a unanimous vote last Thursday evening by Portland City Council, which passed an emergency ordinance that stands up for renters’ protec- tions -- the boldest measure of its kind in Portland’s decades long housing crisis. Crafted by newly sworn in City Commissioner Chloe Euda- ly and Mayor Ted Wheeler, the measure requires landlords to pay between $2,900 and $4,500 in relocation fees (depending on the number of unit rooms) when they no-cause evict their tenants or raise the rent by 10 percent or more. Days after it was passed in Port- land, some Oregon lawmakers, including House Speaker Tina Kotek and Rep. Alissa Keny- Guyer, are working to adopt the ordinance statewide under House Bill 2004. During six hours of testimo- ny at Portland City Hall – which included panels of housing and homeless representatives, woeful tenants and irate landlords — city council managed to make tweaks and add exceptions to the ordi- nance. For example, mom and pop landlords who only manage “ with considerably higher rent. “My rent is now 96 percent of my income,” said Deloney. “We can’t afford the security deposit for a new unit. I have to choose between feeding my son and pay- ing for the roof over my head.” Portland’s rent increas- es and lack of affordable housing have dispropor- tionately impacted communities of color, low-income people, se- niors, and individuals with dis- abilities. According to data provided by Matthew Tschabold, policy and equity manager at the Portland Housing Bureau, almost half of all Portlanders are renters, and half of all renters make less than $2,900 per month. Considering that the average price of a Port- land rental unit is $1,445, most are spending well over 30 percent of their income on rent. ‘My rent is now 96 percent of my income’ one unit will be exempt from pay- ing the fees, along with landlords whose tenants pay week-to week, and landlords who occupy the same unit as their renters. Renters of color disproportion- ately harmed in crisis Chelsea Deloney, an African American renter from inner Northeast Portland (and former Miss Black Oregon), gave person- al testimony of being displaced from her 400-square-foot-apart- ment, for which she was paying $900 per month. Pregnant and working two jobs, Deloney was forced to move into an apartment Read more at TheSkanner.com cont’d from pg 1 wraparound support services to ev- ery student enrolled at Jefferson. Pres- ently, the Whole School Model serves roughly 400 students at the high school. “SEI helps within the school day, but also the pieces that fall outside of that,” explained Jefferson principal Margaret Calvert of the program’s after-school “ Champions Barbering Institute el and graduated at a 98 percent rate. All Black students in the program graduated at an 88 percent rate, out- pacing Oregon’s 76 percent graduation rate for White students. Moreover, Jefferson’s graduation achievements have closed the gaps be- tween African American, Latino and W hite students. “We be- lieve that the SEI Model is the solution to the graduation rate crisis, not only in Portland Public Schools, but for our entire state,” Hop- son said. “Our recent success in mov- ing Jefferson’s entire school 54 percent to 84 percent is unprecedented in our state.” Statewide, Oregon has made recent advancements in its graduation rates, which ranked third worst in the nation in 2015, after New Mexico and Nevada. According to data provided by the SEI helps within the school day, but also the pieces that fall outside of that services, which include homework tu- torials, computers classes, performing arts and recreation. “We’ve knit a pret- ty tight social fabric, so there’s less gaps through which students can disengage from school.” In 2016, 84 percent of Jefferson’s 123 seniors received diplomas, a big leap from a 58 percent graduation rate back in 2012. More than half of those seniors were enrolled in the SEI Whole School Mod- Oregon Department of Education, the state now rests at a 74.8 percent graduation rate, an in- crease of nearly three points in two years. Even more staggering is the fact that the grad- uation rate for almost all historically underserved student populations in- creased at a faster rate than the overall gradua- At-risk youth enrolled in Self Enhancement Inc. in 2015 tion rate. Highlights from ODE’s (50.8 percent in 2011) report include: • Hispanic/Latino students up 2.0 • In total, Oregon graduated 1,300 points to 69.4 percent (59.5 percent more students in 2016 than in the pre- in 2011) vious year • Asian students up 0.5 points to 88.0 • African American students up 3.6 percent (80.7 percent in 2011) points to 66.1 percent (53.3 percent in • White students up 0.6 points to 76.6 2011) percent (69.1 percent in 2011) • American Indian/Alaska Native stu- dents up 1.4 points to 56.4 percent • Multi-Racial students up 1.7 points to 74.4 percent (69.1 percent in 2011) PHOTO COURTESY OF SEI tions that advocate for and work with immi- grant and refugee popu- lations to compile a list of resources concerned parties should consult. Here’s what we found: PHOTO BY JERRY FOSTER “ and has been forbidden from doing so by state law. The Multnomah County Sheriff ’s Office has expressed similar sentiments. IRCO also shared infor- mation for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s hate crimes database (www.splcenter.org/re- porthate).
