In 1968, 22-year-old Ron Herndon moved from New York to Portland to attend Reed College, the first stop in a long history of social activism. More than three decades ago, Tony Hopson founded Self-Enhancement Inc., a nonprofit he launched in part to serve a mentoring role for at-risk students in North Portland neighborhoods.

The two veterans of social change in Portland placed themselves on the front lines again Wednesday.

Before an audience of about 200 at SEI's North Portland headquarters, Herndon and Hopson led a wide-ranging discussion about curbing violence in Portland. Gang-related shootings, the knife attack on a MAX train and the May 22 shooting of a mother and son in Gresham were cited as motivations for the meeting, attended primarily by African American men.

"This is about going forward and figuring out what we're going to do collectively," Hopson said. "When we've made a difference it's because we've been uniform around some common goals."

Herndon, director of Albina Head Start and the past chairman of the National Head Start Association, appeared to be especially moved by the shooting of the 29-year-old mother and her 9-year-old son. (Gresham detectives believe the shooting was gang-related, spokesman Sgt. John Rasmussen said Wednesday, adding that the child is still hospitalized and his mother, Cherie Thompson, has been released from a hospital. No arrests have been made.)

"When they purposely shot that child, that was it," Herndon said. "When you decide you are going to shoot an innocent child to make a point about an adult – that's one of the lowest things I've ever heard. Even the Mafia had certain rules ... this has to stop."

Herndon, who in the late 1970s fought busing in Portland and in 1982 for the present location of North Portland's Harriet Tubman Middle School, said three key steps are needed to combat the broader issue of violence: housing, education and employment.

Housing: Herndon said Portland's African American community has been pushed out as North and Northeast Portland real estate has flourished.

"Reclaim our community," Herndon said. "We want to come up with very specific steps to make it possible for those black folks who were forced out – for at least 5,000 black folks -- to come back to this community.

"If you were able to come up with policies and practices that forced us out of here, then doggone it, you can come up with policies and practices and money that will allow us to come back to our cultural home. We will have to fight for that. Nobody is going to roll over and give it to us."

Education: Portland Public Schools should allow African American families who want to send their children to Jefferson High School to do so without regard to where they live. Also, Herndon said the district should spend the money necessary to renovate the North Portland high school even though it was not included on the recently approved bond vote.

Employment: Herndon urged people in the audience, especially small business owners, to hire young African Americans in summer jobs.

As a shorter-term goal, Herndon and others encouraged the audience to attend this weekend's Good in the Hood festival in Northeast Portland. Event organizers said they're concerned that a racially charged note threatening the festival could reduce attendance.

Sam Thompson, an SEI employee and volunteer host of Good in the Hood, told the audience the threat should not deter people from attending the festival Friday through Sunday at Lillis Albina Park, North Flint Avenue and Russell Street.

"I think what was intended to throw us off or make us cancel something is actually going to strengthen us and bring our community together," Thompson said at the conclusion of the event.

Thompson is 36 years old. He acknowledged that Hopson and Herndon have a long history working with Portland's African American community, and it's time for another generation to step forward.

"With all the great work that Tony and Ron have done over the years," Thompson said, "it's now time for some younger folks to step into those seats, to pass the torch on a few things and utilize some of the great things they've done over the years."

--Allan Brettman

503-294-5900

@allanbrettman