By Amanda Grear
staff@portlandobserver.com

An analysis of local data collected by the New York Times, reveals a quarter of the population in 239 counties within the U.S. receives food benefits. The program feeds one in three blacks in more than 750 counties, and one in
three children in more than 800 counties.

Nearly all recipients hold incomes at or below the federal poverty line. But the article also reveals that people hailing from a variety of ranks including, single mothers, married couples, longtime welfare recipients, those freshly entering the unemployment world, and formerly middle-class suburban families are using the program.

Interestingly, President George Bush had a large role in expanding the program. The “compassionate conservative” renamed it Supplemental Nutritional Program, and made it easier to apply. Thus, the program is expanding at a rate of nearly 20,000 people a day.

However, the article also quotes an Obama administration official who points out that the program isn’t reaching 15 or 16 million people who could benefit, and wants it to do more:

“This is the most urgent time for our feeding programs in our lifetime, with the exception of the Depression…It’s time for us to face up to the fact that in this country of plenty, there are hungry people.”

By Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

Commissioner Dan Saltzman has changed his decision to suspend Officer Christopher Humphreys, a controversial police officer who shot a 12-year-old girl with a beanbag gun earlier this month.

Saltzman had initially put Humphreys on paid leave after viewing a TriMet video that showed him shooting the girl at close range with a beanbag gun at a MAX stop.

Humphreys had already been placed on a two-week leave for his involvement in the 2006 of James Chasse, a schizophrenic man who died in the back of a police car after being beaten by officers. He will be taken off the streets and put in a desk job.

In response, the Portland Police Association held a no-confidence vote on both Police Chief Sizer and Saltzman, the results of which it will now not release.

In a statement, Sizer and Saltzman pointed to positive trends in the Police Bureau:

“Over the course of the last week, doubts have been raised in the media about the state of the Portland Police Bureau. We think it is important to express that the Portland Police Bureau and public safety in the City of Portland are in sound condition, when measured by a variety of performance indicators. Crime is down in Portland 11% year to date and was down 10% for 2008. In fact, when measured on a per capita basis, crime is at historic lows. The Portland Police Bureau has worked hard on the use of force issue over several years. Consequently, use of force and officer-involved shootings are down and injuries to officers and suspects are down. Additionally, use of force complaints are down almost 60% in the last four years. Overall, Internal Affairs complaints are down 40% during the same period.

“The Portland Police Bureau has sought creative ways to develop and improve our relationship with our community. We are assigning new recruits to assist with social service providers and learn more about people who suffer disadvantage. We are actively engaged in inter-group dialogue with the Human Rights Commission and its Police/Community Relations subcommittee. In addition, we are involved with the Z-Man Scholarship Foundation, which provides opportunities to young people and looks for innovative ways to bring the community and the Police Bureau closer together.

The statement also mentions the role of the police union:

“Emotions have run high over the last ten days. We met with the leadership of the Portland Police Association today to discuss recent events and how to best move forward from here. We are confident that we are moving in the right direction for the long-term interests of both the community and the Police Bureau.”

By Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

Oregon Attorney General John Kroger announced today that the Oregon Department of Justice has filed tax evasion charges against Bill Sizemore and his wife, Candy.

Sizemore has been a controversial and influential figure in Oregon politics since the 1990s, spearheading a slew of anti-tax and anti-government spending initiatives. In 1998, he made an unsuccessful bid for governor on the Republican Party ticket, and just last week he announced that he was making another run.

He has also tangled with the Oregon Education Association, which accused his organization, Taxpayers United, of racketeering.

The indictment, issued by a grand jury, alleges that the Sizemores failed to file tax returns for the last three years.

The state of Oregon recently concluded a tax amnesty period on Nov. 19 that gave tax evaders an opportunity to pay up and avoid prosecution. The indictment against the Sizemores was issued on Oct. 27, but wasn’t unsealed until last week when the Oregon Department of Revenue confirmed that the Sizemores did not tack advantage of the tax amnesty.

Last year, Bill Sizemore went to jail for contempt of court in another civil suit with the teachers’ union after he refused to sign and file federal and state tax form for charitable organizations he was running.

The suit established that Bill Sizemore set up shady charities to hide political contributions to ballot measures he was pushing, and resulted in him being prohibited from managing any charity.

The indictment used the results of the suit in support of charges against the Sizemores.

Volunteers at the Oregon Food Bank in northeast Portland fill bags of cereal for distribution to families who struggle to put food on the table. The agency has had an unprecedented increase in need because of a poor economy. Photo by Mark Washington.

By Jake Thomas

When Huilliuh Chan, a 56-year-old immigrant from China, took a nasty spill onto a slab of concrete last spring, her life changed

Her back was so badly hurt that she had to quit her job as a seamstress, and now subsides on monthly income of about $900 a month from her disability payments and Social Security checks she receives from her husband, who is so sick from diabetes and lives in a nursing facility.

During the day she works on art projects to pass the time, and worries. She worries about the property taxes on her home in east Portland. She worries about the water bill. She worries about medical bills.

“It’s not enough, you know? I’m not lucky,” said an exasperated Chan in her thick Cantonese accent, whose budget is so strained she has to make regular trips to food programs to stay afloat.

Chan isn’t alone. In fact, more and more people are in a similar predicament. According to a report released last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Oregon is second hungriest state in the U.S., just behind Mississippi.

Between 2006 and 2008, about 6.6 percent Oregon households or 95,000 people skipped meals because they did not have enough money for food, according to the report. This is an increase from the last set of USDA figures which revealed that nearly 4 percent of Oregonians experienced hunger between 2003 and 2005.

Chan makes periodic trips to the Northeast Emergency Food Program at Luther Memorial Church in northeast Portland. Ukrainian women shuffle in and out of the basement door carrying sacks of fresh lettuce and squash. Volunteers hoist hefty cardboard boxes of food from the back room down the hall to the front room where recipients take numbers and wait.

Jennifer Broussard helps run the Northeast Emergency Food Program at Luther Memorial Church. She’s seeing more people turn to them for help because of dire economic conditions. Photo by Jake Thomas.

“The majority of the people who come here are employed,” said Jennifer Broussard, the assistant director of the program.

Broussard said her program, which moves about 2,000 pounds of food a day, has definitely seen an increase in demand. Many people who come to the church for food are immigrants, or people who had family members move in to cut down on costs.

But Broussard is also seeing more people coming in for the first time, many of which have had their incomes drained from medical bills.

Jean Kempe-Ware, spokesperson for the Oregon Food Bank, also experiences the growing number of hungry people in Oregon.

“We had an unprecedented increase and they’re staying at that high level,” Kempe-Ware said.

An Oregon Food Bank survey of clients reveals that most people struggling with food insecurity in Oregon are seniors or disabled people on fixed incomes. Many are also among the working poor, who simply don’t make enough to cover their grocery bills after paying high rent and other utilities.

Kempe-Ware added that the agency is seeing many new faces, including laid-off architects who never thought they’d be down and out.

According to the USDA report, there’s an even larger group of people in Oregon who may not be experiencing hunger, but are close.

Thirteen percent of Oregonians are categorized as “food insecure,” meaning that they lacked access to adequate amount, or end up eating starchy foods that fill up their stomachs, but are lacking in nutrition.

Nationally, 14.6 percent of Americans couldn’t put enough food on the table. That number pencils out to 49 million people, larger than the entire population of California.

Part of the reason for the growing hunger in Oregon is the high price of housing, which rose dramatically during the housing boom. Portlanders spend, on average, 46 percent of their income on housing and transportation, which is higher than the national average. Lower-income people might spend up to 79 percent.

Kempe-Ware explained that many people reason that they can’t skip on rent or utilities, but they can cut back on food.

In 1989, the Oregon Legislature created the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force to coordinate the efforts of business, non-profits, government, and communities to end hunger in the state. It’s currently in the process of forming a five-year plan to confront the issue.

“A lot of what we’re talking about right now is how do we wrap our arms around this issue,” said Jessica Chanay, program and communications director for the task force.

Chanay explained that the task force is looking at the root issues of hunger, like lack of affordable housing and access to steep medical bills.

Last legislative session, lawmakers passed bills aimed at making healthcare more affordable and directed tax dollars toward affordable housing initiatives.

But Chanay, said that more can be done, and some programs can be improved. For example, low-income parents whose children get reduced-price breakfast at school still have to pay 30 cents per day, which can really add up.

Despite her hardship, Chan remains cheerful. She created a center-piece for the food program made out of imitation grape and leaves. She also said she enjoys the company of the people who also rely on centers like this for food.

“I like it here. People so nice,” she said.

By Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

With Oregon’s Jan. 1 ban on using cellphones approaching quickly, some residents who have become accustomed to yakking on the phone while behind the wheel might be getting a bit uneasy.

Several companies are cashing in on people who don’t have the discipline to turn off their phones while driving,

By Amanda Grear
staff@portlandobserver.com

Carving out a unique niche for herself on the HBO hit series “The Wire”, hip-hop era actress and aspiring rap artist Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, has now embarked on a new venture as an author.

In her heartfelt memoir, (Grand Central Publishing Trade Paperback; $13.99), Pearson explains how she overcame the unthinkable to be saved by television against immeasurable odds.

By Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

Black gang members are seeking out white and Latinos in public places, assaulting them, and then distributing videotapes of the incident on the underground market, reports The Denver Post.

Denver police have arrested 32 people in an investigation into what authorities describe as a string of racially-motivated attacks and robberies, according to the report.

Many of the attacks take place in entertainment districts where four or five black males will surround a victim, who is taunted with racial slurs before being struck in the face. It’s all recorded on tape, and then distributed to gang members in other cities, who then make their own videos.

Gang members attempt to knock out the victim, who is relieved of their wallet, in one punch.

Experts are saying the phenomenon is becoming a national trend, stretching into places like Minnesota and Florida.

This Saturday, Roosevelt High School will host the first of its Fix-it Fairs, free events designed to save you money and connect you to energy saving resources.

The first is this, Saturday, Nov. 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Roosevelt High School, 6941 N. Central St., where the public is invited to join their neighbors and talk to the experts about how to spend less and create a healthy home.

How-to classes on various home and garden topics, with money-saving and cost effective tips, and free giveaways are planned.

The Fix-It Fairs are held three times during the fall and winter in different neighborhoods and at various locations. The other dates and locations are Jan. 9 at David Douglas High School and Jan. 30 at Parkrose High School.

The events are organized by the city’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability with support from Energy Trust of Oregon, Pacific Power, Portland Development Commission Portland Lead Hazard Control Program, and Portland General Electric.

Deyalo Bennette, a 17-year-old senior at Trillium Charter School, and Imani Muhammad, a longtime youth outreach worker, join forces to create an information referral hotline for young people out of the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods. Photo by Mark Washington.

By Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

Imani Muhammad, a longtime youth outreach worker, became accustomed to hearing from organizations that they had a hard time getting information out when it came to promoting resources to local youth.

“There’s a lot going on, but where do we go?” was a refrain Muhammad often heard. “I kept hearing that word ‘communication,’” she said.

The Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, where Muhammad works, recently launched an initiative to better utilize one of its resources that could serve as a one-stop shop to connect local youth with opportunities to get involved in their community and develop skills that will benefit them later in life.

For years, the Coalition has operated its Youth Gangs Hotline at 503-823-4264, which has provided residents with referrals for at-risk youth. But since September, Muhammad has been working to broaden it into a Community Youth Hotline.

Having after-school programs available for school students are pivotal to keeping kids from getting involved in unsavory activities, according to research by the National Youth Violence Office, which points out that youth are at the highest risk of being the victim of violent crime between the hours of 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Muhammad explained that the development of the hotline, which will continue to include gang outreach services, reflects the changing face of the neighborhoods of north and northeast Portland, which are no longer the hub of gang activity that they once were.

“Fifteenth and Alberta is no longer a concern due to gentrification and changes in the neighborhood,” she said. “If we’re trying to keep up to date with the times and looking and what the youth need, we have to make sure our program represents that.”

Imani explained that the hotline will offer information tailor-made for each youth. For instance, a musically-inclined 12-year-old might be referred to Ethos, Inc., a non-profit after-school music program.

Right now, the hotline, which is available between 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., has about 10 agencies in its directory, but with a grant from Spirit Mountain Community Fund she hopes to expand it even further. Imani also aims to have a slick website up next year, and six to eight high schoolers doing outreach. Right now, she’s trying to build up the directory, and get the word out about it.

“We want to hit all youth. We want to make sure that the good youth out there getting straight A’s have opportunity too” said Muhammad, who wants the hotline’s reach to the entire city and Gresham.

Deyalo Bennette, a 17-year-old senior at Trillium Charter School in north Portland, has been heavily involved in giving input on what’s relevant and interesting to local youth, whom he says often don’t know what to do after school and during the summer months.

Bennette said that the hotline is promising because many youth, accustomed to the instant gratification provided by the Internet, will have easy access to ideas on how to spend their free time.

“You can’t just make them go out and network”, he said.

Muhammad said she has seen Bennette grow in confidence from being so involved with youth activities.

“If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. I’m definitely going to be part of the solution,” said Bennette.

By Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

A controversial police officer will be placed on administrative leave after being involved in an incident over the weekend that has triggered an internal investigation by the Portland Police Bureau.

Officer Christopher Humphreys shot a 12-year-old girl with a bean bag gun at close range after she attacked another Officer, Aaron Dauchy, on Nov. 14.

The incident began when the officers responded to a call to deal with a large party that had been broken up in outer northeast Portland that involved several known gang members.

From the press release:

Several teens went to a nearby bus stop and were angrily shouting about wanting to fight. Portland Police and Gresham Police Officers began to follow the groups to ensure they disbanded without violence. Officers Dauchy and Humphreys arrived at the MAX platform on 162nd and observed about 20-30 teens board a westbound MAX. Officer Dauchy recognized a juvenile female whom he knew to be excluded from MAX.

The officers followed the train to 148th, and went on to the MAX platform. They were the only officers on scene at that point, as other officers were responding to fight calls in the area of 162nd. As the train pulled in, Officer Dauchy recognized a juvenile male whom he also knew to be on the TriMet exclusion list. After placing the male in handcuffs, Officer Dauchy called to the excluded juvenile female to also get off the train. As he began to take her into custody, she swung at him, striking him in the face and began actively resisting. Officer Dauchy told the female to stop resisting arrest and continued to struggle with her.

After giving repeated warnings to stop resisting or he would shoot a beanbag gun, Officer
Humphreys deployed the beanbag gun at the female’s thigh at close range. She became compliant and the officers began to take her into custody when she began to resist again. Another officer arrived and the officers were able to handcuff her. Medical personnel were called and advised officers that the girl had a bruise on her thigh and did not need to be medically transported. Both juveniles were taken to the Transit Police Division for further processing and then to JDH. The female juvenile has already appeared in Juvenile Court at a preliminary hearing and a petition has been filed against her for the following: Assaulting a Public Safety Officer; Resist Arrest; and Interfering with Public Transportation. She is not in custody at this time.

The incident was fully documented in police reports and the TriMet video from the MAX platform was downloaded and reviewed by Chief Rosanne Sizer and Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman.

In an effort to be fully transparent and considering the seriousness of the incident, Commissioner Saltzman and Chief Sizer made the decision to release the information and the TriMet video to the community.

Police Chief Rosie Sizer said in a statement that she was “troubled” by the incident, and the bureau will be launching an investigation to see if Humphreys’ actions were justified.

In the meantime, Humphreys will be on administrative leave. Humphreys has been placed on administrative leave by Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman.

“The actions I witnessed on the video are not consistent with my expectations and what I believe are the community’s expectations for a Portland Police Officer,” said Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman, in a statement.

Humphreys is best known for his involvement in the James Chasse incident, which is the cause of a lawsuit against the city.

In 2006, Humphreys, another police officer and Multnomah County Sheriff’s deputy thought that Chasse, a schizophrenic man, was urinating in public. Chasse ran when officers approached him. They tackled and beat him before taking him to jail, where he was refused booking because of his injuries. He later died in the back of a police car from blunt force trauma on the way to the hospital.

Since then, there have been repeated calls for the officers’ resignations, and Multnomah County paid out a record settlement to the Chasse family.

By Amanda Grear
staff@portlandobserver.com

Thursday’s inaugural community meeting on the Portland Plan, a strategic document meant to guide city policies for the next 30 years, was very representative of Portland, with bikes, the environment, livability issues, and the economy occupying the bulk of the conversation.

It was also characteristic of Portland in another regard: the audience was overwhelmingly white.

At one point during the meeting, the audience was polled on how they identified ethnically. The result: 88 percent Caucasian.

“[We] are cognizant of who is not there,” said Bureau of Planning and Sustainability lead Communications Specialist Julia Thomas. “We want a diverse showing at all the community workshops.”

Thomas explained that most outreach has used online fliers and emails distributed to the community, ad placements in community papers, phone calls, and partnerships with community leaders through “VisionPdx” – an initiative launched by former Mayor Tom Potter, designed to speak with those Portlanders that aren’t typically involved in civic dialogue.

To further their efforts to reach a more representative constituency, they are in the process of translating material into several languages to be posted on their website, reaching out to district networks, media outreach, attending pre-established community meetings, and of course follow-up phone calls.

But there’s still plenty of time. The next meeting on the Portland Plan will be at 8427 N. Central Street from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

By Amanda Grear
staff@portlandobserver.com

The City of Portland still wants to hear your ideas on what to do with Memorial Coliseum, and has extended the deadline to submit ideas from Dec. 1 to Jan. 8.

“Our goal is to give the community ample time to respond with a broad range of innovative concepts,” said Mayor Sam Adams in a statement.

The Memorial Coliseum has been a target of debate since April of this year, when Adams and Portland Commissioner Randy Leonard pushed for its demolition to make way for an AAA baseball park.

Considered an eyesore by some, the City of Portland and the Portland Development Commission began looking for a way to revitalize it and the economically unsound Rose Quarter.

The Portland Trail Blazers submitted their “Jumptown” proposal, which would pay homage to the once lively African American neighborhood that once occupied the space where the coliseum is currently

Those interested in submitting a concept can do so using the on-line application on the project’s website. Concepts must compliment existing Rose Quarter functions as well as the future vision and urban design principles that have been developed for the area.

After the Jan. 8 deadline, the Rose Quarter Stake Advisory Committee (SAC) will scrutinize the concepts using an established evaluation criteria. All qualified concepts will then be presented at the Tuesday, Jan.26 SAC public meeting at Memorial Coliseum. The Portland City Council will make a final decision in late Spring 2010.

Mayor Sam Adams takes a question at a meeting on the Portland Plan. Photo by Jake Thomas

By Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

Last night, the City of Portland kicked off the first of seven community meetings on the Portland Plan, a strategic document that will guide how the city forms policy on issues ranging from public health to transportation infrastructure.

At the Beaumont Middle School in northeast Portland, over 100 people, primarily from the surrounding neighborhoods, gathered to give their input at a meeting that provided a snapshot of the city’s challenges and strengths.

“This is the most important piece in the process,” said Mayor Sam Adams to the crowd who gathered at round tables spread throughout the school’s cafeteria.

“It’s yours; please take ownership,” he said of the plan, which he characterized as a “guide to love Portland better.”

Adams pointed out that municipalities in Oregon are required to develop a plan under state law every 30 years. However, it did not require the City of Portland to involve other government entities (like Portland Public Schools or the Housing Authority of Portland) in the process, which it was doing this time around.

After making opening remarks, Adams, with sleeves rolled up and microphone in had, wandered into the audience to take questions.

One woman wanted the “boom boxes” in peoples’ cars to “go away.”

Another person pointed out that homelessness was not addressed in the plan.

Someone brought up the issue of historic preservation.

Another wondered if the city would actually fund its ambitious bike plan.

“How do we build quality affordable housing without public subsidies,” one man asked.

One audience member pointed out that Portland International Airport emitted more carbon than the cars in Portland combined.

Several people called on people to get out of their cars.

Others asked about how the plan might affect Portland’s poor.

One person pointed out that that the people in the room were overwhelmingly white, which was striking since the meeting was intended to get input from people in northeast Portland- one of the city’s most diverse areas.

The audience at Beaumont Middle School was very white. When the crowd was polled on its ethnicity, 88 percent identified as Caucasian. Photo by Jake Thomas

After taking questions, Adams returned to the front of the room where he further explained aspects of the plan.

He pointed out that 50 percent of Portland’s current population was not present the last time the city formed its comprehensive plan in 1980, and the document would be affecting policy at the city level for the next 30 years.

“It’s got to be more than land use and transportation,” said Adams of the parameters of the plan. “It’s also got to be about people.”

He pointed out that Portland was becoming increasingly diverse, especially with its Hispanic population. Adams added that one third of Portland, primarily on the city’s east side, was annexed since the last time the plan was revised.

From there, Adams polled the audience using devices that allowed them to respond to a series of questions, which revealed that participants attitudes on various issues.

Adams polled the crowd on a range of issues covered by the plan, which revealed general support for public-private partnerships, arts and education opportunities for students, improved walk-ability of neighborhoods, retention of teachers, and a host of other initiatives.

Adams also presented statistics and figures that show that Portland is a city that has many challenges, but also has a lot going for it.

The Willamette River is getting cleaner, and Portland’s tree canopy is expanding. The number of people with bachelor’s degrees in the city is higher than the national average. It also has the second highest rate of volunteerism in the country, and 86 percent of Multnomah County voted in the last election.

However, Adams pointed out that 50 percent of Multnomah County is overweight. Wages are also lower in Portland than the rest of the country, with about a third of the population being considered working poor.

Affordable housing is another issue facing the city. Portlanders shell out 46 percent of their incomes on average for housing, above the national 36 percent average, and the median price of home in the city is out of reach for people who make median income.

At the end of the meeting, Commissioner Nick Fish, who heads the Housing Bureau, thanked the crowd for their time. He noted that he learned a lot about the concerns of Portlanders, and was pleased that people conducted themselves in such a respectful fashion, referencing the explosive health care reform town hall meetings that occurred during the summer.

“It’s nice to know civic engagement is still alive and well in Portland,” he said

“Lamentatio,” a multimedia dance and video performance inspired by the hardships experienced by Guantanamo Bay detainees, Iraq vets, and victims of the global War on Terror premieres tonight at Imago Theater tonight at 17 Southeast Eighth Ave.

The production features dancers from Portland and Mexico, actors, disabled performers and veterans, coming together to render artistic documentation of the pain, shame, loss and suffering of the war.

Choreographed by Agniezka Laska and Curtis Walker, “Lamentatio” examines the emotional and physical damage to victims on all sides, crying out for re-humanization of all victims.

Shows are held at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18 through Sunday, Nov. 22 with an additional 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday.

Volunteer Bobby Fouther brings a love for the arts to kids at King School in northeast Portland. Fouther was honored for his longtime public service last week when he received the city’s Spirit of Portland Award.

By Amanda Grear
staff@portlandobserver.com

Growing up in a household with a dancer and visual artist for a mother and the blues singer “Sweet Baby James” as a step father, Bobby Fouther said that he was unaware for a long time that other people “didn’t do art.”

For decades, Fouther has worked tirelessly to instill in others the same molten passion he brings to the performing arts — often without a paycheck.

But Thursday, the volunteer instructor was honored for his efforts as a recipient of the city’s much-coveted Spirit of Portland Award in the Independent Spirit category.

Fouther’s career in the Pacific Northwest spans over 40 years with a long-standing interest in uniting multicultural neighborhoods by means of visual and performing arts. He has worked closely with area schools as an artist-in-residence and with the Oregon Ballet Theater Outreach Program.

“Multi-cultural art was always apart of my environment growing up,” said Fouther, who is affectionately known to his students as “Mr. Bobby.”

By the age of 11, the second-generation Oregonian put his sights set on being an artist.

But it’s been a tough road for Fouther, who didn’t make any real profit from his passion until 1986, after he was admitted into the Artist & Education program in Oregon and the Artist and Residence program in Washington.

Although much of Fouther’s work has concentrated on dance, he didn’t even start the activity professionally until he was 30, and credits his mother for making him more comfortable with an activity that makes many men squirm.

“This society has a fear of men dancing; it’s considered a ‘girl’ thing,” he said. “In other countries it is a right of passage; it teaches them how to treat women.”

Three years ago he revived visual arts through his paintings, photography and graphic designs, as a mechanism to help raise money for his projects.

With federal and state funding for the arts in a slump, Fouther was laid off in June 2007 after teaching for seven years in Portland Public School system. However, Fouther has continued to teach at King School during that time, without taking a pay check.

“If youth are given the opportunity to express themselves using the arts, then they are more likely to use their creativity in a positive and successful manner,” Fouther commented.

Fouther’s King School Performing Arts Project takes a global approach to the arts. It not only teaches multi and cross-cultural dance, but incorporates dance history as well.

Students who participate in the program learn to develop their own performing arts projects to showcase in exchange for the financial and moral backing of the community.

Additionally, students pick up state etiquette, like how to speak to an audience, accept compliments, and generally how to present themselves.

“I am dedicated to the use of the arts as a resource for community development,” said Fouther. “My goal is to nurture the creativity of young artists in the community that nurtured me.”

Fouther’s dedication has earned him glowing accolades from friends, colleagues and former students.

“Bobby is such a positive force for bringing dance to children in our community,” said Kasandra Gruener, Oregon Ballet Theater outreach coordinator.

“He has been instrumental in the implementation of outstanding art projects throughout the city,” reads a comment in his Spirit of Portland biography. “Oregon youth have been served and their lives enriched through his numerous residencies [and] collaborations.”
But despite all the praise, Fouther remains humble.

“It’s a little funny,” he said. “I’m honored of course, anyone would be. Anytime the community honors you it’s a little pat on the back you usually wouldn’t get while in the midst of the work.”