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
