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Full Disclosure
When Oregon's staid daily paper announced this spring that it was holding a tattoo contest, Lyon King thought it a bit out of character. Now the veteran Portland tattooist is convinced The Oregonian never had any character to begin with. In fact, he says, the paper displays body-art bigotry. King, who legally changed his name "long before the movie," sports tattoos from head to toe, with the exception of his face. He decided to enter the contest to generate publicity. His tattoo studio, A 21st Century Studio of Tattoo and Body Piercing, had recently been destroyed by fire, and he thought the prize--a full-length photo on the front of the Living section--might help him publicize his new location. King easily won the contest. But after two photo shoots and a lengthy interview with Oregonian reporter Nancy Mayer, he never got his prize. "The word from the writer was that her editor said it was indecent to be that heavily tattooed," King told WW. "I would say this is discrimination. It's essentially for the color of my skin." Mayer didn't return two phone calls from WW. Roger Anthony, editor of the Living section, says the decision wasn't his. "We're actually still trying to figure it out, to be honest," he says. Anthony wouldn't name the editor who spiked King's photos. Meanwhile, King maintains there's nothing indecent about his tattoos, which don't include any "naked ladies or lewd pictures." In fact, he says, many of his tattoos are traditional Japanese or Samoan designs with deep spiritual meanings.
--Maureen O'Hagan FOLLOW UP
Kiss and Make Up
In a bizarre turn of events, political benefactor Loren Parks is footing the bill for the legal defense of Ruth Bendl. Given that Bendl and Parks just finished suing each other for defamation and extortion, their relationship could be described as strained at best ("Money for Something," WW, May 13, 1998). But Parks says he's aiding her "for the sake of the initiative process." Bendl's latest court battle is with the state Employment Department, which issued a ruling against Canvasser Services, the circulating company Parks funded and Bendl ran in 1996. Earlier this year, the Employment Department ruled that the paid petition circulators Bendl hired to gather signatures should have been paid as employees, not as independent contractors ("Taking the Initiative," WW, Oct. 1, 1997). Bendl is appealing the ruling, and Parks is picking up the tab for her attorney--tough-on-crime zealot Kevin Mannix. WW was unable to reach Mannix, but a letter he sent to Bendl says he has taken the case thanks to a grant from the Parks Foundation. He will represent both Canvasser and Affinity Communications, which also lost an Employment Department case. Both companies collected signatures to qualify Mannix's Measure 40 during the last election. Bendl says she doesn't care who defends the case as long as it's taken care of. As for Parks picking up the tab, she says, "I never fail to be astonished at him. But he's got a vested interest. If this flops, it sets a precedent with the Employment Department."
--Patty Wentz NIKE Goes Postal
If you're one of the 30,000 Working Assets Long Distance customers who got a personalized letter from Nike two weeks ago defending the company's overseas labor practices, you can expect a response from Working Assets next week. The two companies have been feuding since December, when the "socially responsible" long-distance company asked its 300,000 customers if they wanted Working Assets to send a letter to Nike in their name, urging the company to improve its overseas wages and working conditions. Working Assets President Michael Kieschnick says 10 percent of its customers checked the box, included on the December billing statement, which is the average response rate for the company's monthly "activism alerts." Two weeks ago, Nike fired back, mailing a four-page letter, signed by Nike VP Maria Eitel, to the 30,000 armchair activists who responded. The letter defends Nike's record in overseas factories, promotes its reputation as a progressive U.S. employer and accuses Working Assets of failing to contact Nike. The long-distance company, which has 14,500 customers in Portland, says it did. Nike's defensive posture is no surprise. What's odd, however, is that although the letter is dated April 30, it
didn't arrive until two weeks ago, and it fails to mention Phil Knight's dramatic May 12 announcement that Nike will allow independent monitoring of its factories. The new Working Assets letter, slated to be mailed June 25, seizes on the omission, claiming Nike
didn't want to admit that pressure from activists led to the company's change of heart about overseas monitoring. "Did you notice the letter was dated April 30th?" Kieschnick writes. "I think there was a little internal confusion at Nike. As noted in The New York Times...Nike capitulated to growing pressure." Nike spokeswoman Vizhier Mooney says it was just a case a bad timing with the mail. "There must have been a delay," she says. "We were very excited about [Knight's] announcement and do our best to get the word out. My guess is we'll update the letter and do another mailing." If so, Nike will have to address yet another concern from Working Assets. "We're asking people to contact Nike again," says Kieschnick, noting that Nike's May announcement addressed the age of workers, not their pay. "Nike still has a long way to go on improving wages."
--Josh Feit correction
Last week's Rogue of the Week (June 17, 1998) incorrectly implied that Ellen Lowe has lobbied legislators on behalf of
abortion rights. WW regrets the error. |
