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).
