Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2018)
OCTOBER 31, 2018 Portland and Seattle Volume XLI No. 5 News ................................ 3,6,8 A & E ........................................5 Opinion ...................................2 Ntozake Shange Dies ......5 Calendars ...............................4 Bids/Classifieds .....................7 CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW AP PHOTO/GENE J. PUSKAR CALL FOR CEASEFIRE By Maryclaire Dale and Allen G. Breed Associated Press PITTSBURGH — The suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre was in- dicted by a federal grand jury Wednes- day, four days after 11 people were killed and six wounded in the deadliest attack on Jews in American history. The indictment, which was expected, charges Robert Bowers with 44 counts, including hate crimes. Federal prose- cutors have previously indicated they plan to seek the death penalty. The charges were announced on the second day of funerals for the victims. “Today begins the process of seeking justice for the victims of these hateful acts, and healing for the victims’ fam- ilies, the Jewish community, and our city,” U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said in a statement. “Our office will spare no resource, and will work with profes- sionalism, integrity and diligence, in a way that honors the memories of the victims.” Bowers, a 46-year-old truck driver, remained jailed without bail ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for See SHOOTING on page 3 Bomb Suspect’s Media Diet page 6 Pastor Renee’ Ward reads a poem by Maya Angelou at an Oct. 27 press conference calling for a ceasefire in the wake of recent gun violence. Community, faith leaders make a plea to stop gun violence — and work toward solutions By Christen McCurdy Of The Skanner News n Friday morning community and faith leaders gathered at the North Precinct building of the Portland Police Bureau to call for an end to gun violence and to offer support and healing for those who have sur- O vived trauma. The precinct building’s Kevin Modica Community Room, was decorated with years’ worth of posters commemorating people who had died from gang violence. The press con- ference came on the heels of the Interfaith Peace and Action Collaborative meeting and report that between Sept. 30 and Oct. 25 police responded to gunfire 20 times across the city, and that six people had died due to gun vio- lence. That count includes two fatal officer-involved shootings as well as gun deaths and reports of gun- fire from civilians. “On behalf of representa- tives of faith communities, the first thing I want to say is I’m sorry if we have not done our job in helping you feel like you have a place to go,” said the Rev. Matt Hennessee, pastor of the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church, who described the recent up- tick in shootings as “a pub- lic health issue.” He talked about being at the hospi- tal and talking to a family that arrived thinking their child was still alive, and having to deliver the news that that was not the case. “Everyone of us has an opportunity to be a peace- keeper,” Hennessee said. “It is no secret that our community is often first affected and last left un- harmed,” said the Rev. E.D. Mondaine, pastor of Cele- bration Tabernacle Church and the president of the NAACP Portland Branch. “I’m appealing to all of you to be a solution because we are people that truly can.” “Portland is too small for most of us not to be re- lated or know somebody,” said Herman Greene, who is senior pastor at Abun- dant Life Church, but said he was at the event as a fa- ther, uncle and community member. “Please, on be- half of somebody standing here, hear our hearts and please stop.” See CEASEFIRE on page 3 Kimberly Bennefield Takes Modern Quilting to New Heights The president of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild is keen on growing to 400 members By Melanie Sevcenko Special to The Skanner News ou wouldn’t guess it from look- ing at her masterfully detailed quilts, but Kimberly Benne- field has only been quilting for three years. As the current president of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild — the largest in the nation with 341 mem- bers — Bennefield has taken the art Y of modern quilting to new levels, with skillfully pieced patchworks and bold color combinations. “Over time, the fabrics have changed so much, with more vibrant colors,” said Bennefield, adding that the popularity of Pinterest has intro- duced quilters to a new era of innova- tive patterns and ideas. Modern quilting has been gaining traction since the late 1990s. Where- as traditional quilting tends to rely COURTESY OF K. BENNEFIELD Robert Bowers charged with 44 counts, including hate crimes PHOTO BY CHRISTEN MCCURDY Pallbearers carry the casket of Joyce Fienberg from the Beth Shalom Synagogue following a funeral service in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Oct. 31. Fienberg, 75, Melvin Wax, 87 and Irving Younger, 69 were to be laid to rest as part of a weeklong series of services for the 11 people killed in a shooting rampage at the Tree of Life synagogue Saturday. Synagogue Rampage Suspect Indicted as Funerals Continue 25 CENTS Kimberly Bennefield is the president of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild. See QUILTS on page 3