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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2017)
SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 Portland and Seattle Volume XXXIX No. 49 25 CENTS News .............................. 3,8-10 A & E .....................................6-7 Opinion ...................................2 Dr. Jasmine ......................8 Calendars ........................... 4-5 Bids/Classifieds ....................11 CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW PHOTO BY CHRISTEN MCCURDY ROOTS PICNIC Multnomah County commissioner Lori Stegmann addresses a small crowd at an immigration forum hosted by the county Friday morning. IP 22 would require law enforcement to enforce immigration law By Christen McCurdy Of The Skanner News M at dos Santos admitted he was tense as a Friday morning com- munity forum on immigration began. ACLU of Oregon’s legal director had joined Multnomah County Commis- sioner Lori Stegmann, Unite Oregon Executive Director Kayse Jama, Mult- nomah County Sheriff Mike Reese and CAUSA Executive Director Andrea Williams to talk about SB 4, Texas’ AP PHOTO/MATT BARAKAT See IMMIGRANTS on page 3 In this July 20 file photo is the sign for J.E.B. Stuart High School in Falls Church, Va., named after the slaveholding Confederate general who was mortally wounded in an 1864 battle. PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED Advocates Eye Anti- Sanctuary Petition Owuor Arunga and Dadabass were part of a lineup that performed at the 45th Anniversary Roots Family Celebration Sept. 3 at Jimi Hendrix and Sam Smith Parks. The annual gathering of Seattle’s Black families brought together old friends and family for a day of food and fun. Erika Preuitt Appointed President of American Probation and Parole Association Preuitt vows to continue reducing racial disparities in justice community By Melanie Sevcenko Of The Skanner News G rowing up in North- east Portland, Erika Preuitt always had a passion for social justice. Her mother was the first Black female po- lice officer hired in Port- land in 1973, and her father is health care advocate and blues musician Norman Sylvester. Her paternal role models helped inform her sense of what a public servant looked like. So it’s no won- der that today Preuitt is a nationally recognized leader in community jus- tice, with a drive to better outcomes for all people. On Aug. 31, Preuitt was sworn in as the first Af- rican American woman president of the American Probation and Parole As- sociation (APPA). She is also the third consecutive woman of color to take on APPA’s presidency. The association provides train- ing, education and tech- nical expertise to the field of probation and parole, serving 45,000 community corrections professionals nationally. Preuitt started out as pa- role and probation officer with Multnomah County’s Department of Communi- ty Justice (DCJ) Gang Unit, before becoming the di- rector of the department’s Adult Services Division. In her new role as APPA president, Preuitt told The Skanner that she’s com- mitted to continuing her work in reducing racial disparities in the justice community, while pro- moting diverse leadership throughout the associa- tion. This interview has been edited for space and clarity. The Skanner News: What inspired you to get into the field of community justice? Erika Preuitt: I start- ed my work in Spokane, Wash., when I graduated from Gonzaga University and worked with private See PREUITT on page 3 Officials Address ‘Black Girl in Suburbia’ Documentary Screens Sept. 12 the Issue of The documentary is part of the cultural series Confederate “We Can Listen” in downtown Portland Names on Public page 9 Schools By Melanie Sevcenko Of The Skanner News World News page 10 Briefs T he Old Church Concert Hall — a nonprofit, non-religious events venue in downtown Portland — is picking up the fall season of its educational series, “We Can Lis- ten.” Ignited last spring in response to the Trump presidency, the free monthly series meets at the intersec- tion of storytelling, personal expres- sion and performing arts. It gives Portlanders an opportunity to expe- rience a variety of perspectives — across disciplines — on today’s most important social justice topics. Putting the power of thoughtful lis- tening at the forefront, the cultural series aims to educate and build com- munity around diverse voices. “Having a program that at its core requires a person to simply sit and listen, and not voice their own opin- ions or try to monopolize, makes it possible for others to be heard,” Amanda Stark, executive director of “Black Girl in Suburbia” (Video still) The Old Church, told The Skanner. “Racism and all isms are so embed- ded in our culture that we barely no- See SUBURBIA on page 3