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