June 14, 2017 The Skanner Page 3
News
Juneteenth
“
The festival is sched-
uled to begin at noon and
run until 6 p.m.
Festivities include live
bands and local artists,
food and retail vendors,
and a children’s play
area.
Donations to the June-
teenth Oregon Celebra-
tion 2017 can be made at
w w w.gof undme.com /
Recently there’s been a lot
of hatred and tension going
on, so it’s about letting them
know we stand together
we stand together.”
Jack’s
grandmother,
Clara Peoples, moved
to Portland in 1945 and
brought awareness of
Juneteenth to Oregon
by organizing the first
event.
When Peoples passed
away in 2015, Jack made
a commitment to carry
the torch and honor the
legacy of this important
— but often overlooked
— day in Black history.
This year, the June-
teenth Oregon Celebra-
tion will be operating
solely on donations,
which includes vendors,
to encourage a greater
attendance and a stron-
ger network of locals.
“Juneteenth is a cel-
ebration of African
American’s
freedom,
but it opens the door for
so many other commu-
nity opportunities,” the
Juneteenth Oregon Com-
mittee wrote in its press
release.
On Saturday, June 17,
the parade will start at
10:45 a.m. at the Safeway
parking lot, located at
5920 NE Martin Luther
King Jr Blvd.
The parade will head
south
until
Russell
Street, where it will turn
west and end at the Lega-
cy Emanuel Field, located
at NE Graham and Van-
couver.
Good
juneteenth-oregon-2017.
Vendor forms can be
found on The Skanner’s
website.
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
es, and the struggle of the
current generation with
not getting enough sup-
port,” organizer Jenelle
Jack told The Skanner.
“Regardless of our cul-
ture, we need to come to-
gether and support each
other. Recently there’s
been a lot of hatred and
tension going on, so it’s
about letting them know
cont’d from pg 1
Local Juneteenth
Events:
March Against Sharia Counter-Protest
Saturday, June 17,
11 a.m. — 3 p.m., 2017
Juneteenth
Celebra-
tion, hosted by Van-
couver,
Washington
Branch NAACP, Foster
Hall, Clark College, 1933
Fort Vancouver Way,
Vancouver, WA 98663.
This year’s theme is “Edu-
cation is Empowerment;”
activities include Grand-
ma’s BEST pie contest,
spoken word, hip hop mu-
sic, African dancing, ven-
dors, food and family fun.
Monday, June 19, 6 p.m.
– 7:30 p.m., Juneteenth:
Words Along the Way,
hosted by PassinArt: A
Theatre Company, North
Portland Library, 512 N.
Killingsworth
Street,
Portland,
OR
97217.
Outdoor festivities with
words and music.
Saturday, June 17, 4
p.m. – 8 p.m., Juneteenth
BBQ, hosted by Nat Turn-
er Project, C3: Initiative,
7326 N. Chicago Ave,
Portland, OR 97203. Live
music by rapper Zed Ken-
so, poetry by Olivia Olivia,
and face painting cour-
tesy of Jamaaliz Jamjam
Roberts.
Hundreds of people attended a counter protest to the March Against Sharia held on the Seattle City Hall Plaza Saturday June 10. The
anti-sharia rally was organized by ACT for America and was one of dozens held across the Country, but anti-sharia protestors were
vastly outnumbered by counter-demonstrators who drowned out the speeches of the anti-sharia group by chanting things like “No
hate, no fear, Muslims are welcome here,” and banging pots and pans.
Smith
cont’d from pg 1
LLP – “this was supported by the
statements of several witnesses.
However, there are several staff
members who have raised seri-
ous concerns about their interac-
tions with her.”
“
investigate the employee’s claims.
On April 5, the county paid
Kwon a settlement of $23,820,
which included attorney fees,
plus six months’ administrative
leave.
The public should never doubt that I let
this misguided process distract me from
doing the business of representing the
most vulnerable in Multnomah County
The allegations made by
MeeSeon Kwon on Jan. 22, fol-
lowed by Saba Saleem on Feb. 10,
were first made public by emails
sent from the employees to the
Willamette Week.
Both letters contained accu-
sations that Smith had misused
county resources, funds and
staff for her personal campaign
events, and used unprofessional
conduct — including discrimina-
tory behavior and harassment —
toward her staff.
In the wake of Kwon’s com-
plaint, Commissioner Smith re-
quested that Human Resources
While Smith rescinded her
initial request, the county’s in-
vestigation — totaling $11,353.50
— continued with Belnavis as
outside investigator. It prompt-
ed the commissioner to file a tort
claim notice against the county
on April 21 for a cease and desist
of the investigation.
“The thousands of dollars that
Chair Kafoury has spent on this
investigation could have been
spent to increase the number of
SummerWorks jobs for under-
served kids in our community,”
Smith told The Skanner. “It’s a
shame.”
The county disclosed that the
initial bill for the attorney rep-
resenting Commissioner Smith
through May 20 is $3,740.66.
In a written statement sent to
The Skanner, Smith did not re-
spond to the report’s finding
directly, but mentioned her
accomplishments as commis-
sioner and highlighted some of
the big challenges the county
faces, including over-policing
of communities of color, dis-
placement of residents, and gen-
trification.
“The public should never doubt
that I let this misguided process
distract me from doing the busi-
ness of representing the most
vulnerable in Multnomah Coun-
ty,” wrote Smith.
In his final 14-page report, Bel-
navis assessed that Commission-
er Smith, “used profanity at/with
some of her staff and likely made
personal statements that bor-
dered on bullying to some staff-
ers on cultural issues.”
Read more at TheSkanner.com
cont’d from pg 1
something it started doing last year.
Counteracting ‘negative press’ for the
neighborhood
Good in the Hood which features mu-
sic, food, dance performances and a
neighborhood parade — was organized
by a small group of neighbors in 1992
and was first celebrated in 1993.
Sister Jane Hibbard, then the princi-
pal of Holy Redeemer Catholic School,
said the event was initially conceived
as a fundraiser for the school. The
original group of organizers — which
included herself, musician and music
promoter Norman Sylvester and sound
technician Stew Dodge — also wanted
to showcase what North and Northeast
Portland had to offer.
“During that time we were having a
lot of negative press about gangs, and
North and Northeast Portland not be-
ing a good place to buy real estate and
come and hang out,” Sylvester said.
Adam Lyons, executive director of
the Northeast Coalition of Neighbor-
hoods, said when he was growing up at
Northeast 10th and Schuyler, kids who
lived on the west side weren’t allowed
to visit him due to the area’s reputation
for crime.
“
About 3,000 people
attended the first
festival in 1993; last
year 30,000 people
participated
Initially, Sylvester said, he wasn’t
fond of the name “Good in the Hood,”
but eventually embraced the idea
behind it, which was to reclaim “the
‘hood,” a term often used to disparage
North and Northeast Portland.
Sylvester booked the entertainment
— which included music of various
genres, including his own blues band
— as well as dance performances and
food from various cultures.
“I was proud to bring in Cambodian
dance, belly dance, Irish dance, digeri-
doo players, things that our North and
Northeast kids didn’t normally see -- so
we were serving them as well,” Sylves-
ter said. “This was a multicultural ex-
change.”
As the event progressed, it grew larg-
er and larger. According to newspaper
accounts from 1990s, about 3,000 peo-
ple attended the first festival in 1993;
last year 30,000 people participated.
The event roster also grew to encom-
pass a large parade organized by busi-
ness owner and “unofficial Albina may-
or” Paul Knauls Sr. It became a Portland
Rose Festival-sanctioned event in 1996
and, as of two years ago, its own 501c3
designation.
Dodge, who has provided sound for
the festival since its inception, said
the event has always been “friendly
and neighborly” and that vibe has re-
mained.
Penney has been involved with Good
in the Hood for 12 years and has served
as the organization’s president for five
years. He also grew up in Northeast
Portland and grew up attending the
festival.
“It’s always been a fun festival,” Pen-
ney said.
When Good in the Hood launched,
most neighborhoods in inner North-
east Portland were majority-Black
neighborhoods. According to 2010 Cen-
sus data, the same neighborhoods are
majority-White. A line in the threat
says, “WE THE WHITE KKK NOW
OWN NORTH AND NORTHEAST
PORTLAND,” an assertion Penney
found particularly troubling.
“It’s not true. If they do, they’re hid-
ing it,” Penney said.
‘A universal language’
Last week’s threat is part of a seeming
increase in hate activities in the Port-
land area and nationwide.
Read the full story at TheSkanner.com