JULY 21, 2021
Portland and Seattle Volume XLIV No. 23
25
CENTS
News ................................3,6-8 A & E ........................................5
Opinion ...................................2 Bids/Classifieds .....................7
Calendar .................................4 Jamaica Reparations ......8
CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW
BLOCK REUNITES
Michelle DePass, Portland Public Schools Board of
Education Chair
By Saundra Sorenson
Of The Skanner News
T
wo days after she was elected by
her peers as chair of the Portland
school board last week, Michelle
DePass attended a retreat focused
on training elected public school offi-
cials to lead with a bold, anti-racist vi-
sion.
See PPS on page 3
A fan of the esteemed elder Dr. Maxine Mimms, founder of the Evergreen College, Tacoma Branch takes a selfie with her at the 2nd Annual Reunion on
Union dinner and block party in Seattle. The event brings together legacy families from Seattle’s Central District, many forced out by gentrification, for
an evening of reminiscing and reconnecting with old friends and family. Over 50 families participated in this year’s event.
County Extends Rent Grace Period for
Tenants Who Have Applied for Assistance
By Saundra Sorenson
Of The Skanner News
W
ith the state de-
clining to extend
the eviction mor-
atorium further,
the Multnomah County
Board of Commissioners
has voted to give a 90-day
period of protection to
tenants who can show doc-
umentation that they have
applied for rent assistance.
Google
Provides
Daily Black
History page 6
Space Jam #1 at
the Box Office
page 5
A statewide moratorium
on all evictions enacted
to protect tenants during
the pandemic expired last
month, despite a push to
include an extension in the
recently passed Senate Bill
282. Under that provision,
tenants cannot be evicted
for back rent owed from
April 2020 until June 30
of this year, and they now
have until February 2022
to repay landlords. But SB
282 did nothing to ease the
minds of tenants who are
still unable to make rent
this month and any time
after.
Senate Bill 278 estab-
lished a 60-day period of
reprieve for tenants un-
able to pay current rent
but actively applying for
rental assistance from
the state. County officials
argued, however, that an
additional 30 days would
be necessary to accommo-
date the unprecedented
number of applications the
state, county and its part-
ners had received for the
funding.
“In the years prior to the
pandemic, our short-term
rent assistance network
had been responsible for
distributing roughly $10
million a year,” County
Board of Commissioners
See RENT on page 3
City Council Approves Settlement in Lawsuit Over the
Killing of Terrell Johnson by Portland Police
Johnson was shot at SE Flavel MAX station on May
10, 2017, while experiencing a mental health crisis
The Skanner News
T
he Portland City Council has
unanimously
approved
a
$600,000 settlement in a wrong-
ful death lawsuit over the kill-
ing of Terrell Johnson by Portland
Police in 2017. The settlement was
agreed in court in May and means
the City will not have to defend PPB’s
actions at trial.
Officer Samson Ajir shot Terrell
Johnson at SE Flavel MAX station
on the evening of May 10, 2017, while
Johnson was experiencing a mental
health crisis for which he had unsuc-
cessfully sought help from medical
providers. Officer Ajir was one of
a group of Portland Police officers
who responded to a 911 call from a
bystander at the MAX stop who was
concerned about Terrell Johnson.
Ajir gave chase when Johnson ran
away, contravening multiple Bureau
policies that detail when foot pur-
suits are permitted and how they
PHOTO COURTESY OJRC
In-classroom
instruction, district
redrawing, and bond
money for Black
students suggest busy
academic year.
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
New
Schoolboard
Leadership
Eyes Equity
Terrell Johnson
should be conducted. Having failed to
follow directives designed to protect
See LAWSUIT on page 3