December 13, 2017 The Skanner Portland Page 3
News
cont’d from pg 1
“
done from the mayor’s
seat, whose current oc-
cupier Raiford is partic-
ularly frustrated with.
“(Mayor) Ted (Wheel-
er) has let me and others
down in such a tremen-
dous way,” said Raiford,
pointing to what she sees
as a failure to address
police
accountability
and public safety. “It’s
time for change in Port-
It’s time for change in Port-
land that comes from the
un-vetted will of the people
taken a vocally critical
stance against City Hall.
Last summer, she filed a
$500,000 lawsuit against
the City of Portland for
her 2015 arrest during
a Black Lives Matter
demonstration.
“Since my nephew’s
land that comes from the
un-vetted will of the peo-
ple.”
If her plans for run-
ning sound preemptive,
there’s a reason, said Rai-
ford. “I announced early
because Ted has made
comments recently that
Family Recovering From House Fire
Community members are raising funds so a Northeast Portland family can recuperate after a fire forced them from their home on the
100 block of Northeast Lombard Dec. 9. Derrall and Chevon Davis and their children are currently staying in a Troutdale hotel room.
Local activists with Don’t Shoot Portland collected clothing, food, cat food and hygiene items at a Dec. 12 event at Artist Repertory
Theatre. Funds are also being accepted through a GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/4u2apc8.
James
Teressa Raiford, seen here at a 2016 protect, has announced she’s
running for Mayor in 2020.
death I’ve tried to work
with countless leaders
in our community that
are responsible for pub-
lic safety, education,
housing and jobs to end
trends of poverty and
mass
incarceration,”
Raiford told The Skan-
ner. “It’s been disgusting
to see how quick people
who speak about equity
shut out the voices of the
most marginalized mem-
bers of our community.”
Raiford added that
while she’s happy to
serve her community
as an organizer, she be-
lieves she can get more
Portland needs a two-
term mayor and I agree
with him.”
According to Raiford,
she’ll be announcing a
platform based on a two-
term goal and intends to
form strategic partner-
ships with political allies
she’ll be working to get
elected in May 2018, in-
cluding Felicia Williams
for city council and Don’t
Shoot PDX president
Maria Garcia for Mult-
nomah County commis-
sioner.
Raiford said she is sup-
porting both women in
their campaigns.
Symonette
cont’d from pg 1
among many accomplishments,”
Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a
statement. “His leadership at the
helm of (the equity office) will be
missed.”
In 2014, James was the subject
of a sexual harassment investi-
gation regarding comments on a
subordinate’s appearance. City
investigators substantiated one
allegation by a subordinate but
dismissed eight others; they also
found he had made some “gener-
ally unprofessional” comments
in front of employees that did not
violate city rules.
In 2013, The Skanner published
an editorial from publisher Bernie
Foster criticizing James’ effective-
ness and saying the narrow scope
of the office’s work did not reflect
what activists had pushed for.
“We appreciate being invited to
meet with the Equity director,
but we are not impressed by his
work so far -- which appears to in-
volve filling shelves full of policy
binders and talking with bureau-
crats,” Foster wrote.
James responded with a letter
to the editor, defending his agen-
cy’s work improving the relation-
ships between city bureau’s and
communities of color, and saying
the office was not created to han-
“
We appreciate
being invited to
meet with the
Equity director,
but we are not
impressed by
his work so far
dle civil rights complaints from
the general public.
“OEHR was never intended to
function as a civil rights office,”
James wrote. “State and City
agencies already exist that han-
dle discrimination complaints,
including a Civil Rights Compli-
ance Officer within the City of
Portland’s Office of Management
and Finance. OEHR refers com-
plaints to those agencies, and will
increase publicity to facilitate di-
rect access to them.”
Koffi “Jean-Pierre” Dessou, who
is currently a program director
at the equity office will serve as
interim bureau director. Dessou,
who emigrated to Portland from
Togo in 2008, has created train-
ing and education programs and
co-facilitated training sessions
for directors.
James is the seventh city bureau
director to leave since January,
and one of two to depart the city
last week: Portland Housing Bu-
reau Kurt Creager was also oust-
ed last week. Creager will receive
$96,715 in severance pay and
waived his right to sue the city
for age discrimination or any oth-
er reason. James will not receive
severance.
James is also one of two African
Americans to leave a city bureau
this year: Commissioner Chloe
Eudaly ousted Bureau of Devel-
opment Services director Paul
Scarlett in April.
cont’d from pg 1
healthcare in America concern you on
the future of Planned Parenthood Co-
lumbia Willamette?
SS: I think health care is always
changing and we’re in a time where
health care is changing rapidly. I feel
that in the Columbia Willamette area
we are in a very lucky spot with a lot of
support from our community. But the
threat of defunding is something we
don’t take lightly.
Our slogan is “Care No Matter What”
and I think that is really true, wheth-
er you have commercial insurance or
no insurance. So now, more than ever,
it’s important that we keep our doors
open. Depending on what happens on
the federal level, our services are going
to probably be needed more than ever.
TSN: How does Planned Parenthood
Columbia Willamette work to address
disparities in racial and ethnically di-
verse communities?
SS: I think we are doing a better job,
but there’s definitely still work for us
to do to have stronger relationships
with communities of color. One of the
areas I work with, in particular, is eq-
“
We have gone from
having three board
members being
people of color, to
almost half our
board
uity and inclusion. We have gone from
having three board members (out of
19) being people of color, to almost half
our board. They represent the Native
American, Latino, Black, Asian and
LGBTQ communities. So that was the
part I thought was important – mak-
ing sure that more of the communities
we serve have a voice on the board and
have access to those services.
Since I’ve been on the board I created
and hired for the position of Director
of Equity and Inclusion, which Sirius
Bonner currently holds.
TSN: During your tenure on the
board, Planned Parenthood Colum-
bia Willamette has made strides in
increasing equity and inclusion, as
you mentioned, as well as providing
transgender hormone provision at se-
lect health centers. What do you see
as your major focus areas in your new
role moving forward?
SS: As board chair, the focus area is
the whole organization, and that’s a
lot of moving parts. One of the areas
that we’re really excited about is tele-
medicine, which we just launched. So
we’re going to be able to better meet the
needs of people in rural and coastal ar-
eas that we haven’t been able to access
in the past. That’s also part of our equi-
ty and inclusive work, making sure we
can bring services to those areas.
As well, continuing to make sure
PHOTO COURTESY OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD
COLUMBIA WILLAMETTE
2010, Raiford’s nephew
was shot outside an Old
Town nightclub. With
a surge of gang-relat-
ed gun violence in the
years that followed, she
launched the social jus-
tice organization Don’t
Shoot PDX in 2014.
She has been active
at numerous protests
and public forums in
recent years, and has
PHOTO COURTESY OF GOFUNDME
Raiford
Sita Symonette, board chair of Planned Parenthood
Columbia Willamette.
that equity, inclusion and diversity are
integrated into who we are – and not
just something that we do. I think the
team at PPCW is really working hard to
make sure that that happens. Also, pro-
viding transgender care at our health
centers in Northeast Portland and Sa-
lem is amazing and it shows again that
we’re walking the walk of inclusion to
reach the people we need to care for.