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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2018)
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 Portland and Seattle Volume XL No. 19 25 CENTS News ......................3,7,10,13-14 Dr. Jasmine ......................7 Opinion ...................................2 A & E .................................... 8-9 Calendars ........................... 4-5 Bids/Classifieds ...................15 CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW PHOTO COURTESY OF MRG FOUNDATION VIGIL FOR DASHAWN HORNE Roberta Phillip-Robbins, co-chair of the Oregon Civil Rights Council, which commissioned a new report on the impact of Measure 11, is hopeful the findings will lead to holistic reforms. Reflecting on Measure 11 New report notes racial disparities in youth incarceration system R obert White was 17 when he was arrested on a first-degree rob- bery charge, which he later pled down to attempted robbery and burglary. White, who is now 25, didn’t know that in 1994 — the year he turned two — Oregon voters approved a ballot mea- sure that would drastically reshape the lives of young people facing crim- inal charges. Ballot Measure 11 created mandatory sentencing for those 15 and up who faced criminal charges. “Going through it, I was very, very, very illiterate when it came to law or my rights,” White said. The plea deal resulted in a lesser sentence — White was sentenced to 60 months initially, of which he served AP PHOTO/HASSAN AMMAR See MEASURE on page 3 PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED By Christen McCurdy Of The Skanner News The Reverend Kelle Brown with Plymouth UCC leads the family, friends and supporters in “Amazing Grace” during a vigil for DaShawn Horne Feb. 3 outside Harborview Medical Center where DaShawn is recovering from an alleged hate crime. He was attacked Jan. 20 by a man with a baseball bat who reportedly yelled racial slurs during the unprovoked attack. DaShawn remains unconscious but is slowly recovering. The suspect in the crime was arraigned on Monday. Quanice Hayes’ Family to Sue City of Portland Crowdfunding campaign kicks off Thursday afternoon to fund lawsuit The Skanner News Staff A ttorneys represent- ing the family of Quanice Hayes, who was shot and killed by Portland police Feb. 9 of last year, have announced they intend to sue the office of Mayor Ted Wheeler. The suit was first report- ed on Monday in an article for the website Longform. org, in which Portland journalist Leah Sottile re- ported on the last hours of Hayes’ life. Attorney Jesse Merithew was quoted say- ing the Hayes family was planning to file a tort claim with the city, which Mer- ithew confirmed with The Skanner and other local media later that day. According to a Wednes- day morning press re- lease, the Hayes family will hand-deliver their notice of intent to sue to Wheel- er’s office Thursday at noon. “The Hayes family refus- es to allow Quanice’s death to go unanswered. Despite the grand jury’s decision not to bring criminal charges against Officer Hearst, the family is deter- mined to do what it takes to get justice for Quanice,” Merithew said in the press release. “Quanice’s death is part of pattern by the Port- land Police Bureau of kill- ing unarmed young black people.” The press release also mentions that the the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the city based on its unjustified use of force against mentally ill indi- viduals. It notes that while the DOJ’s lawsuit does not mention racial targeting, it lists 10 individuals killed by Portland Police and cited by USDOJ as having mental illness and notes that four were African American, where only 6 percent of Portland resi- dents identify as African American. Hayes was shot early in the morning on Feb. 9 in front of a Northeast Port- land home. Officer Andrew Hearst, who shot and killed In this Jan. 19 photo, Ammar Maarawi, who fled Syria to Europe in early 2016, speaks to The Associated Press, at his shop in Aleppo, Syria. A small but growing number of refugees are returning to Syria. Unable to stand the cold weather, language barrier, unemployment and depression, they have chosen to return to their war-torn country rather than stay in Europe. The Northwest Gets its First Black History Festival Syrian Refugees Return Home By Melanie Sevcenko For The Skanner News Kam Gives ‘Where’s Daddy?’ Four Stars page 8 The festival spans from Troutdale to Beaverton and includes arts, education and advocacy P resented by World Stage The- atre, the region’s first annual Black History Festival NW had its inaugural kick-off on Feb. 1 with a number of youth-curated ex- hibits at Multnomah County Librar- ies. Black Student Unions from various Portland high schools each tackled a specific era of African American history and churned out informative displays for partnering libraries. Their knowledge will be tested in the Jeopardy-inspired game show “How Well Do You Know Your Black History,” held at Jefferson High School on Feb. 17. The winning school will receive a $500 cash prize toward their Black Student Union. Setting up Jefferson’s ‘Hip Hop’ dis- play at the North Portland Library last Thursday, senior student Dya- mond, 17, said that the festival’s goals largely echo the work of their student union – from community building to See FESTIVAL on page 3 PHOTO BY MELANIE SEVCENKO page 13 See LAWSUIT on page 3 Jefferson High School’s Black Student Union members with advisors Ricky Pettifort and Ivy Keller.