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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 12, 2019)
JUNE 12, 2019 Portland and Seattle Volume XLI No. 37 Kenya Robinson (left) and Otis “Titi” Gulley Family, Police Seek Answers in Death of Black, Queer Portlander Otis “Titi” Gulley found hanging from a tree on Rocky Butte May 27 By Christen McCurdy Of The Skanner News amily members, friends and the Portland Police Bureau are look- ing for more information about a Black, queer Portlander found hanging from a tree on Rocky Butte on Memorial Day. Legally known as Otis Gulley, known to some as Otie and some as Titi, and as Barbie on social media, Gulley was 31 at the time of her death. Family members and friends de- F AP PHOTO/CHERYL GERBER, FILE See GULLEY on page 3 News ................................ 3,6,8 A & E ........................................5 Opinion ...................................2 Portland Black Pride ......8 Calendar .................................4 Bids/Classifieds .....................7 BOONE TO BE NEW FIRE CHIEF Sara Boone will serve as first Black fire chief in Portland history The Skanner ortland will soon have the first Black fire chief in its histo- ry. Fire Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty announced the promotion of division chief Sara Boone as the next fire chief for Portland Fire & Rescue Wednesday. Boone started her career with the department 24 years ago as an entry-lev- el firefighter spent the majority of her career in emergency operations be- fore transitioning into as- signments as the bureau’s safety chief, logistics dep- uty chief, and currently, the division chief of med- ical services and training. P When she was hired in 1995, she was the first African American female firefighter to enter the bureau’s ranks since its inception in 1883 and she will be the first African American chief in city history. “Chief Boone im- pressed our inter- view panels with her commitment to community, her technical knowl- edge, her passion Fire Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty has chosen division chief Sara Boone as the for the fire service, next Fire Chief for Portland Fire & Rescue. and her leader- ship style,” Hard- and cared for under her science degree in second- esty said in a press ary education. release. “Chief Boone is watch.” While completing her Raised in Northeast Port- well-respected throughout student teaching at the land, Boone attended Lin- the bureau and we have a Marshall great collaborative rela- coln High School, earning now-defunct tionship. I know that she all-state and all-American High School, she had a has the vision and experi- honors in track and field. chance encounter with a ence to lead the bureau as She attended Boise State fire inspector who encour- it takes on new challenges. University on an athletic aged her to test for the I am confident that she will scholarship and graduated city’s first firefighter ap- make sure our city is safe with a bachelor of See CHIEF on page 3 PHOTO COURTESY OF PORTLAND FIRE & RESCUE PHOTO COURTESY OF KENYSA ROBINSON CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW 25 CENTS Juneteenth Celebrations Expand Gresham event joins celebration of the effective end of slavery By R. Dallon Adams Of The Skanner News Chef Leah Chase stands outside her famous Creole restaurant, Dooky Chase’s, where she fed heroes of the civil rights movement in the ‘60s. Chase died June 1 at age 96. Creole Chef Gets Mardi- Style Send Off page 5 Art Exhibit at Portland Library Commemorates Those Killed in Mass Gun Violence page 5 t took more than two years for news of the Emancipation Procla- mation to reach slaves in some parts of the Unit- ed States. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Grander and his soldiers arrived in Galveston, Tex- as and read from a general order to enslaved Texans announcing their freedom. The newly freed slaves of Galveston celebrated the announcement, mark- ing the origins of the first Juneteenth. Over the years the holiday spread around the nation with local com- munities adding their own local traditions. That said, it’s been more than four decades since Clara Peoples, the ‘Moth- I er of Juneteenth,’ brought the holiday to Oregon and, today, Juneteenth cel- ebrations are peppered across the state each year. Throughout the month of June, organizations around Portland are host- ing Juneteenth events and even daily summer camps to mark the anniversary. Saturday, June 15, Annual Juneteenth Independence Day Celebration The annual Juneteenth celebration was started by Portland community lead- er Clara Peoples 45 years ago. Although Peoples passed away in 2015, the event still continues as one of the largest Juneteenth events in the Pacific North- west. The Juneteenth Inde- pendence Day Celebration will take place on June 15, from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. The celebration will be- gin with the Clara Peoples Freedom Trail Parade in- cluding Samuel Thomp- son as this year’s Grand Marshall. The parade will start at the Safeway locat- ed 5920 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The parade route will continue south along MLK, turning west on Russell Street and ends at Legacy Emanuel Hospi- tal Field at Russell street between North Vancouver and Williams, where live musical performances, food vendors, arts, crafts, recreational areas for chil- dren take place. Sunday, June 16, June- teenth: Words Along the Way The annual ‘Juneteenth: Words Along the Way’ cel- ebration is happening June 16 at 3 p.m. The community is invited to enjoy a perfor- mance with words and mu- sic by PassinArt: a Theatre Company to commemorate the Emancipation Procla- mation arriving in Texas. The event will take place at the North Portland Li- brary located at 512 N Kill- ingsworth St. Due to limit- ed space the event is first come, first seated. Sunday, June 16, June- teenth Father’s Day Cele- bration Friends of Albina Art Center (FAAC) is hosting a Father’s Day Celebration on June 16, at the Disman- tle, Change, Build center located at 14 NE Killing- sworth St. to honor Port- land artist and activist See JUNETEENTH on page 3