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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2017)
JUNE 14, 2017 25 CENTS Portland and Seattle Volume XXXIX No. 37 News ...............................3,8,10 A & E .....................................6-7 Opinion ...................................2 Bystander Training .........4 Calendars ........................... 4-5 Bids/Classifieds ....................11 CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW PHOTOS COURTESY OF MULTNOMAH COUNTY STILL GOOD IN THE HOOD County Chair Deborah Kafoury, left, and Commissioner Loretta Smith, right. By Melanie Sevcenko Of The Skanner News A fter two former employees of Multnomah County Commis- sioner Loretta Smith came for- ward with allegations of miscon- duct by the commissioner, an outside investigation has concluded a report on the claims first reported on by Wil- lamette Week Friday. Smith has denied any wrongdoing, and according to the investigation’s final report — dated May 18, 2017 and conducted by Clarence M. Belnavis, partner at law firm Fisher Phillips PHOTO VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS (CC BY-SA 3.0) See SMITH on page 3 Confederate monument in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza in Phoenix, Arizona Arizona’s Confederate Monuments page 8 Summer Reading and Workshops at the Library page 7 Paul Knauls, Sr., the honorary Mayor of Northeast Portland and an early booster of the Good in the Hood festival and parade, is shown here in the 2013 parade. Last week event organizers received a letter threatening event attendees and current Good in the Hood president Shawn Penney, but have decided to go forward with the event, which enters its 25th year this year. Organizers Say They Won’t Give Into Fear Good in the Hood will go on as planned, but with heightened security By Christen McCurdy Of The Skanner News G ood in the Hood or- ganizers are unde- terred by a racist threat targeting the multicultural festival and say the festival, which cele- brates its 25th anniversary this year, will go forward as planned. On June 7 a staff mem- ber at Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, going through the day’s mail, discovered a threat using repeated racial slurs and promising a “blood bath” if the festival goes ahead as planned. The threat also named festival organizer Shawn Penney specifically. A digital photo of the let- ter was shared to Facebook that afternoon; by the fol- lowing day the threat had gone viral on local social media accounts. Local me- dia quickly picked up the story. The threat makes multi- ple references to the KKK and seems targeted not only at Penney and likely festival attendees, but the festival’s explicitly multi- cultural mission. Initially, Penney said, when he received the threat he couldn’t sleep and considered cancelling the event. “I just had a gut feeling that we really must go on with this,” Penney said. Otherwise, whoever is- sued the threat would win. Penney confirmed Wednesday morning that there would be an in- creased law enforcement presence at the event, as well as private armed se- curity. Organizers will take additional security measures, like requiring vendors’ vehicles to go through a check point and more carefully vetting vol- unteers. A few participants have declined to participate in the event, he said — most- ly groups of children that previously planned to par- ticipate in the parade. But more organizations have stepped up to sponsor the event, and Penney said he hopes the Good in the Hood Organization — a 501c3 nonprofit run entirely by volunteers — will be able to issue more scholarships, See GOOD on page 3 Juneteenth Commemorates the End of Slavery The Skanner’s roundup of events leading to June 19 The Skanner News O n June 19, 1865, from the balco- ny of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Union General Gordon Grang- er read aloud General Order No. 3, announcing the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas. That was two years, however, after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation — declaring all slaves be freed in the Confederate States of America — became effective on Jan. 1, 1863. Today, Juneteenth honors African American freedom with an emphasis on education and achievement. It’s also the oldest-known commemo- ration of its kind, widely celebrated with local festivities throughout the country. Every year, a number of organiza- tions in Portland and surrounding areas host free community events in observance of Juneteenth. The largest among them, which draws close to 400 people, is the June- teenth Oregon Celebration, preceded by the Clara Peoples Freedom Trail Parade. Taking place this year on June 17, the event — hosted by the Juneteenth Oregon Committee — will celebrate under the theme “Bringing Our Com- PHOTO: GRACE MURRAY Report raise questions about Smith’s treatment of staff, including women of color THE SKANNER ARCHIVES Smith Investigation Reaches Conclusion Juneteenth Emancipation Day Celebration, June 19, 1900, Texas. munity Back 2 Life.” “Growing up in Northeast Port- land, I’ve (seen) the different chang- See JUNETEENTH on page 3
