Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2018)
MAY 2, 2018 Portland and Seattle Volume XL No. 31 25 CENTS News .............................. 3,8-10 A & E .....................................6-7 Opinion ...................................2 Dr. Jasmine ......................9 Calendars ........................... 4-5 Bids/Classifieds ....................11 CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW PHOTO COURTESY OF MULTNOMAH COUNTY SEATTLE BLACK PANTHERS 50TH ANNIVERSARY Truls Neal stepped into his new role as the director of the Department of Community Justice in April. Truls Neal Steps Into DCJ Post Neal replaces Scott Taylor, who retired last month T ruls Neal worked at a juvenile detention center and at a mental health hospital before going on a ride-along with a juvenile proba- tion officer and deciding to focus on helping people re-entering society. “I thought, ‘This would be great. I went back and told my boss, I think I want to be a juvenile probation officer,” Neal said. Last month the Multnomah County Commission named Neal the new Di- rector of Community Justice, replacing Scott Taylor, who retired last month. See NEAL on page 3 PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED By Christen McCurdy Of The Skanner News Kent Ford, left, who served as Portland Black Panther Chapter Captain, and the rest of the audience raise their fists and yell, “Power to the people,” after hearing a panel discussion by members of the Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party on the last day of a three-day conference celebrating the Seattle Black Panthers’ 50th Anniversary. It was held April 26 through April 28 at both Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and Washington Hall. The conference featured speeches and discussions with former Panthers like Aaron Dixon, Ericka Huggins, Emory Douglas and Elaine Brown. There was a presentation by Jose (Cha Cha) Jimenez, a former member of the Young Lords in Chicago, panels on hip hop activism, and the Angola Three and political prisoners. The event also featured a concert with Fred Hampton Jr., a performance of Party People by the ensemble Universes and music and dance by many local artists. County’s Most Vulnerable Seniors Receive Rent Vouchers The Skanner News Angel Smith Dixon said, “We’re publicly grieving this atrocity for the first time as a nation. ... You can’t grieve something you can’t see, something you don’t acknowledge. Part of the healing process, the first step is to acknowledge it.” Lynching Memorial and Museum Opens page 8 Kam Reviews ‘Kings’ with Halle Barry page 6 F or 67-year-old Sharon Newell, the prospect of living a safe and healthy life in Port- land was wearing thin. In April 2017, she relo- cated from Springfield to Portland to be closer to her doctors, who treat her for multiple sclerosis. Due to her illness, she’s unable to work. And even with her monthly social securi- ty check for $800, Newell struggled to find a place she could afford, bouncing from rooms to even garag- es. “It was a fight that last year just to be here. It was very, very bad,” Newell told The Skanner. In January, however, her life took a positive turn. Newell was selected as one of 45 recipients of a new local program called Long- Term Rent Assistance. Initiated by the senior assistance organization, Northwest Pilot Project, the program works by pro- See SENIORS on page 3 Wheeler Releases Proposed 2018-19 Budget Budget calls for more police, increases in business tax, water and sewer rates The Skanner News O n Monday Mayor Ted Wheeler released a $553 million general fund budget Monday that calls for funding for 58 new police officers, an increase in funding for the Joint Office of Homeless Services and increases in the business tax as well as water and sewer rates. Wheeler and the city council will discuss budget details in the coming week and then approve a final ver- sion. The budget is online at www.port- landoregon.gov/cbo/article/682137. Here are some of the highlights: • A proposed increase in the city business tax, with an expanded small-business exemption; • A 9 percent water rate increase; • A 2 percent sewer fee increase; • Funding for 58 new sworn officer positions, including 52 for patrol, four for training and two for the Behavioral Health Unit, increas- ing the number of BHU teams from PHOTO BY CACOPHONY AP PHOTO/BETH J. HARPAZ A new initiative from the Northwest Pilot Project is providing monthly rent subsidies to 45 very low-income seniors, with the hope of expanding Mayor Ted Wheeler released a proposed general fund budget Monday. three to five; • A 10 percent increase in spending for the Joint Office of Homeless Services, to $31 million, much of See BUDGET on page 3