Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 29

tegtvpnn iy wniu i I '1 'i i jy. i Vv JO -v st C'-. ift City milter (510)208-6447 tnTfQhldanbgribnnf www.lnsldeBayArea.com SUNDAY Jum 11, 2000 care lads preparefor life i Since the progam began 12 years ago, hundreds or students have graduated. Twenty have earned bachelor's degrees and five gotten master's. "Before our program came I 4 81 teens in county completed program project when they are 15M and stay In the program until they are 21.

although they are released from the foster care sjltem at age 18. Sometimes foe young people stay Involved In the program for much I Brandon Ballsy, Josls Ds La Cruz, ToyaHanay and Flynn ByJoyGretn fiTAfFWHn I QAlQiLNn'-' 'Qraduatlon season is heffand during he next lew weeks, young people across the country will be rejoicing because of their educa-. fiondl achievements. In Oakland, a special group of teenagers has an even greater reason to celebrate their graduation. On Friday, 81 young people, completed the Alameda County Independent Living Skills Program (ILSP).

Which teaches emancipated foster children the skills they need to bee life alter their eligibility for foster care ends. Tm really excited about graduating because I learned a lot and without this class I think I would have been lost," said Cal State Hayward-bound graduate Toys Haney. Youth In foster care can join the among thoaa graduating Friday from tha Alamsda County Inda- there wu nothing for those kids and a lot of them became homeless, said project cofounder Leonard Moncure. He believes the progam's mission Is "to make a difference In the lives of the youth that are befog emancipated from foster care, show them that there are options In life and show them that they can do something with their lives. Graduates echo the same sentiments.

It's a great progam and I'm glad they realized they could help out teens who don't have anything (by) helping them gain (life skills). LMng Skills I was in the program from 1997 to 1998 and now I'm working here as a service support clerk, said Angelina Meadows. While In the program, the participants take classes In subjects ranging from balancing a checkbook to filling out financial aid forms for college. Besides the classes, project trainers enroll the young people in MedlCal and other services. The program even of- -fins scholarships to graduates.

who want to continue their education. -swr LOCAL-2 STRIVING TO SUCCEED Janitor families it home difficult ep peacefully1 Ilf Xhauncay Baiay pVfWHTER TQAKLAND Nine people tjggesentlng three families have shared a two-bedroom, pty-bath home In East Oakland frjr- a year now because they qiiirt find affordable rentals. fWhen the sofa-sleeper be-Qetfies a bed In their living room there Isn't much space to walk around. Now the landlord Is upset 'and wants them out Too many' people, he says. WeVe looked for places but they want too much money for rent and the first and last month's rent.

said one Spanish-speaking man to Interpreter Katharlna Nunez-Adler, an organizer for the Service Employees International Union, Local 1877, the Janitors union. Four adults at the home are employed as janitors and pool their checks to pay the 8500 monthly rent and living expenses. average price for a two-bedroom apartment In Alameda Cobnty Is $1,022 a month, according to data from real estate brokers. More than 47 percent of Oakland households are experiencing housing problems and 39 percent are paying more than a third of their Income for rent, said a report by a homeless conference held recently at SL Marys Center In West Oak- V- NOSA.UMRIYJ Castfemont High School graduating ssnfors Xlao Fu, Alma Ortiz and Bansa Sumpter credit strong support from thair families for their academic success. Learning quality worries students Seizuire of cars called excessive Superior court judge challenges 'Beat Feet By Sharon Lsrnisn STAFF WRITER OAKLAND The.

city's Beat Feet program which lets police seize vehicles In; drug and prostitution stings and has left hundreds of unhappy customers with a long walk home is treading more carefully since an Alameda County judge ruled the punishment may exceed the crime. In an opinion filed late last month, Superior Court Judge Carl W. Morrtt challenged the constitutionality of vehicle forfeiture in a typical Beat Feet case, saying. the seizure of a buck after Its owner bought 820 worth of phony marijuana from undercover officers last year could be considered an excessive fine as outlined in the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Though the ruling Is Just one Judge's opinion, the City Attorneys office reacted quickly, crafting a new questionnaire for police use during Beat Feet operations that attempt to straighten the case for seizure. Since its debut in January 1998, Beat Feet has withstood kgal challenges focusing on whether state laws governing punishment for low-level drug buys and solicitation supersede' a citys home rule. Morris' opinion does not challenge Beat Feet's concept, but suggests that courts test seizures against the facts In each case to arrive at a pun-Ishment proportionate to tlfo crime committed. Morris' factors for determining whether the seizure Is too harsh Include the propertys market value, the hardship to the defendant, whether the defendant was directly Involved In the Illegal activity or was negligent In letting the vehicle he used for unlawful purposes, and the seriousness of the crime. In this case, Morris ruled the defendant must pay a 82,500 fine to retrieve his 1989 Ford Ranger half of the vehicle's market value, "With a goal of deterrence, the concept of ball Is.

a more uMHtarian approach to forfeiture than martmnm fine," Morris wrote ln the five-page opinion. Brenda Grantland. the defendant's attorney, said she is pleased the case yielded the first such challenge to the controversial program, but believes the fine Imposed by Morris was still disproportionately high. The City Attorney's office argued vehicle set- zure Is meant to remedy drug traffic In embattled Oakland not to punish offenders; Morris rejected that argument Williams said this week her office has not yet decided whether it will appeal the ndlqg and Is analyzing the decision to see "whatthe impact would be. One of the key joints Is he did not strike STAFF WRITER OAKLAND UNIVERSITY OF California Regent Ward Connerlys "level playing field" is hard to aee from the crowded hallways of Castfrmont High School at 8601 MacArthur BhnL In East Oakland.

AskBanea Sumpter, a 17-year-old senior, bom and reared In Oakland. She graduates this Thursday with a 3.3 grade point average, 12th In her though improving, often falls short. The best Sample, she says, Is her Ugh school Advanced Placement" classes. College level AP classes are a staple at most suburban high schools. Theyre designed to boost student grade point averages and help them prepare for college.

So when Castlemont added AP classes, Sumpter sljpied on. But almost Immediately there were problems. The U.S. history course was shabby, she said. The first year, we never got our textbooks.

So when It came time to take the final, I didn't take 1L I knew I wasn't ready. "We had an AP history course all right. It had a title. But It didn't have the content, she said. 1 agree that everyone should be equal In every aspect and you shouldn't be Judged by the color of your skin.

Sumpter said. "But your surroungtegkyour environment. should be equal. She shook her head slowly. "Here, they aren'L" Missing bootif Castlemoofii ratedlctorian.

Xiao (Tony) Fa. 19, and Honor Sodety'. fnember Alma Janett strong "Last year Tony and I were In AP history, Ortiz said. "We didn't pass the books were late; the teacher tried to do the best she could, but with no books and no proper explanations, how could you prepare?" But they did. Fu graduated with a 3.98 average, Ortiz with a 3.0.

Fu Is headed to UC Berkeley and will major computer science. He's one of four Castlemont students accepted Into Berkeley. Ortiz turned down UC Davis and Is headed far San Jose State, where she'll major In International business. Sumpter also will walk out qf graduation exercises Thursday at Kaiser Convention Center with a bright future. She's headed for Cal State Long Beach, to major In business technology with 10 separate scholarships, each paying part of the cost of her first year's education.

'I have friends at other high schools who had the books and I used theirs, Fu said. You go to the library, you borrow books, Ortiz aald. "Yes, it makes me mad to have to do that, but she shrugged. "You have to. '-'Life twining kv.

-These kids are going to make it, says Castlemont counselor Johnny Burks. "Castlemont has fine-tuned them. If they can survive here, they i of more than 200. Sumpter was one of eight graduating Castlemont seniors admitted to the UC system this year. When I was In the 9th and iOth grade, people would say, Castlemont Is foe best school Sumpter Then I visited Logan High in -Union City and I saw the courses they offered students and the fadllUes thiy had.

I realized that the environment at Castlemont Is not the best for teaching student to actually com- pete with others." Equal fnvironmsnts? -f Casttaponta enrollment Is 63 per cent African American, 28 percent La- As rents rise In Oakland more families are said to be doubling up to make ends meet Many have sought help from unions and housing activists who are pressing officials to build more affordable housing foul help curb evictions, Organizers of the Just Cause Committee recently failed to get enough valid signatures to place a pro-tenant Initiative on the November ballot It would have required landlords to state the reason for. evicting tenants. Some 20,000 signatures were collected, but too many were, not valid. In a four-month period this year, as petition collectors grew from 10 to 500 volunteers, stories' surfaced about In me AP chemistry class, we tlno; 5 percent Aslan and 0.7 percent didn't have a book, Fu said. "Forty white.

A high percentage of students students signed up. I was the onty come from pwerty backgrounds, And student who passed. But I came here i frnvn Pan fan ttifna at 1ft ami mi when It comes to academic from Canton. China at Iff and my math and science background was LOCAL-2 prepan tion for college Castlemont, al- J- Please sea Houafefe LOCAL-4 LOCAL-2 Last cfiarice to glimpse Open Studios neer Window Sash Factory (1912, architect Francis John Ptym.) In Kansas City, at the turn of the coitury, Ptym Is credited with patenting a design for metal -frame wtedowi an Innovation -that saynje landmark files, changed the face of main street U5A? After the 1906 earthquake and "fire there was a high demand for Ptym's product so he came West an opened his second factory tn Berkrtey. Designed to capture the wnum natural light by a ODAYJS THE final day i i of Open Studios 2000.

sponsored by Pro Arts, a nonprofit arts oigmi-zattonnowfolts 18th year. Some 400 artiste are participating and. studio locations are I dispersed throughout 14 dries, Including Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville and Alameda. Many studios can be found tn converted older tnduitrtal bulkl- -fogs. In some cases these build-tags are actually deslgiated landmarks most notably the Fro Arts Gallery itsdL located In the Wilcox Building (1868.

part of Landmarks. Berkeley painter Janet Berrien shares studio space with several artists tn the Ehth Street Center ph (also known as Sawtooth Studio for Its distinctive roofline) on Eighth between Dwight and Parker Street Janet has worked In medla ranging from commissioned tile murals to floor cloths. painted furniture and water- 'colors. Her current work focuses on a Iandscaoe tfrirv. tuxtaooafoz palm frees and hlfooriclMngs.

The Eighth Street Center is Berkelqr Landmark No. 106 and Is historically known the Kaw- rr the CHd Oakland Historic District on Ninth Street). Sample works of each artist are on dlsphty at the gdleiy a -good place to pick up a map and mark off the sites to visit set Atatv LOCAL-2 JANET MKMENMMTN3 This palming by Janat M. Banian la part of tha Opart Studios tour today In Oakland. V-; in pwiiMi tour today I j.

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