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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2017)
October 18, 2017 The Skanner Page 3 News family emigrated long ago and who owns sev- eral businesses in the Portland area, there are about 100 Rohingya fam- ilies in the Portland met- ro area, and about 5,000 in the United States. The largest concentrations of Rohingya families are in Wisconsin and Chicago, but Portland’s communi- ty has become a leading in the last two months, with as many as 400,000 Rohingyas fled the coun- try. In September, Merkley released a statement on the ongoing persecution of Rohingyas in Burma, and he told The Skanner he is working with col- leagues in the Senate to draw more attention to the issue. Portland’s community has become a leading voice in calling for action voice in calling for action to help Rohingya people overseas. The term “Rohingya” refers to an mostly-Mus- lim ethnic group that has lived in predominant- ly-Buddhist Myanmar for centuries. Rohingya people have long been oppressed by Burma’s government, denied the right to free movement and education; accord- ing to Iqbar, a small per- centage of Rohingyas currently living can read and write, and few of those living in the United States can read and write English. In October of last year, Myanmar has drawn criticism from the Unit- ed Nations, Amnesty In- ternational and others for ongoing attacks on Rohingya people. These have included the report- ed burning of villages, rape of Rohingya wom- en and extra-judicial as- sassination of Rohingya men without warning or explanation. Ali’s neph- ew was killed. Portland resident Chit Khing, who just arrived four months ago, lost a cousin in an extrajudicial killing by soldiers. The crisis has escalated Bond “The State Department is missing in action right now. They should be re- ally protesting ethnic cleansing and assault on that community,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) said last week in a meet- ing with The Skanner News. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did comment on the issue in a Septem- ber with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Minister Bo- ris Johnson. He called the current crisis a “defin- ing moment” and said, “I think it is important that the global community speak out in support of what we all know the ex- pectation is for the treat- ment of people regard- less of their ethnicity,” he added. “This violence must stop, this persecu- tion must stop.” But the U.S. has other- wise been quiet on the issue. Local advocates are hoping for United Nations intervention, as well as a reinstatement of sanctions imposed un- der the Obama adminis- tration – and an embargo on weapons sales to the Read the full story at TheSkanner.com OHS Rescues Displaced Texas Pets A flight of 80 pets that survived Hurricane Harvey touched down in Portland Oct. 13 helping to relieve the pressure on flood-ravaged shelters in areas hit by the hurricane. The Oregon Humane Society, along with the Lucy Pet Foundation, chartered the flight when they heard the SPCA of Brazoria County (SPCA-BC) in Texas is in urgent need of help. The SPCA-BC, located about 51 miles south of Houston, sent approximately 40 dogs and 40 cats on the flight. The pets arriving in Portland have all been released for adoption by their owners who, for various reasons, are unable to continue to care for them. Settlement cont’d from pg 1 Matter hashtag on social media. Johnson, who had tweeted using that hashtag and a reference to the hip-hop group Public Enemy, learned that a colleague had cre- ated a file monitoring his online activity. Last week the state announced it had settled with Johnson for $205,000. Also as a condition of the settlement, Johnson cannot work for the state of Oregon for five years. The investigator who created the file, on the other hand, had his job reinstated by the state arbitra- tor earlier this year. James Williams, using a tool called Digital Stakeout, created files on others using the #Black- LivesMatter hashtag. He was ter- minated and later sued the state, saying he was following instruc- tions given by supervisors. In an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Think Out Loud” earlier this week, Johnson said Williams’ reinstatement and his termination is an example of systemic racism in Oregon, not a problem with any specific indi- “ Johnson’s wife, Nkenge Har- mon Johnson, who is currently President and CEO of the Urban League, reached a settlement in a separate lawsuit with the state I’m proud of the work we achieved to- gether to reach out to diverse commu- nities throughout Oregon vidual. “This will happen again,” he told host Dave Miller. “Erious has been a part of the DOJ team for over three years, and we are sad to see him leave. It is both a personal loss and a loss for all of DOJ. I will miss his wise counsel as our Civil Rights Direc- tor, but I’m proud of the work we achieved together to reach out to diverse communities throughout Oregon,” attorney general Ellen Rosenblum said in a statement emailed to The Skanner. the same day. Harmon Johnson filed a legal claim in 2016 relating to the ter- mination of her job as then-gov- ernor John Kitzhaber’s commu- nications director. She has said she was fired in 2014 after raising questions about Kitzhaber’s fi- ancée, Cylvia Hayes, and her in- volvement with policy issues in his campaign. Kitzhaber resigned from office after extensive report- ing of alleged influence-peddling by Hayes. Harmon Johnson will receive $70,000 from the state. cont’d from pg 1 staff and student spaces across all cam- puses. Special attention was given to PCC’s southeast campus, which doubled its size from 94,000 to 200,000 square feet. With 85 percent of PCC’s operational budget going towards staffing, little is left over to finance major renovations and new buildings. That’s where bond measures come in. “What we’re trying to do is to provide relevant education on technology and equipment for those jobs that are go- ing to be in demand in our region,” said Kelley. In particular, PCC says Measure 26-196 will improve equipment and facilities in the training of science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) jobs. “We’re trying to create jobs that we know will be sustainable,” added bond program director Linda Degman. “And, for example, we know there’s a rising need for health care workers.” PCC’s Sylvania campus is its oldest, with some buildings nearing 50 years. The bond monies would renovate its Health Technology building, which houses classrooms for both STEAM and health professions. The renovation would include science and biology labs, nursing education suites, and faculty workspace. PCC’s Portland Metropolitan Work- “ Passing the bond measure will not cost taxpayers any- thing extra force Training Center will also get a facelift if the bond passes. “That project really focuses on bring- ing together services and re-train- ing people to allow them to have liv- ing-wage jobs,” said Degman on the importance of bringing the site up-to- date. In addition to reviving job training centers and facilities, the bond will in- vest in the safety and security of PCC campuses, as well as expand child care services for students with children. “We have a high level of support for what we do in this region,” said Kelley. “I’m confident that the polling we have done over the past couple of years indi- cates that, because about 60 percent of the population in this region has either attended PCC or has a family member that’s attended.” According to the bond’s official cam- paign consultant, Angela Martin, over 70 percent of voters with a relationship to PCC favor the measure. But voter ap- proval is still over 50 percent for those who have no connection to the college. “Our only opposition is apathy,” said Martin, who added that PCC campaigns are among the most positive she’s worked with. Voters in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Columbia or Yamhill coun- ties can vote on the bond in November. The college is also hosting a series of free forums to unpack the bond for the voting public. Each will begin at 5:30 p.m. and in- clude a short presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session. COURTESY OF PCC “ cont’d from pg 1 PHOTO COURTESY OF OREGON HUMANE SOCIETY Rohingya If passed, bond funds would renovate job training centers as well as update facilities. • Monday, Oct. 23, in the Oak Room, College Center, Sylvania Campus, 12000 SW 49th Avenue • Tuesday, Oct. 24, Room 213, Build- ing 5, Rock Creek Campus, 17705 SW Springville Road • Wednesday, Oct. 25, Rooms 203-204, Student Union, Cascade Campus, 705 N. Killingsworth Street • Thursday, Oct. 26, Community Hall, Southeast Campus, 2305 SE 82nd and Division
