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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 1994)
EDITORIAL r Crime measures steal from budget Tho increasing instance of violent i rime in Oregon is loading to loud calls for tougher and longer sentences for criminals, and the public's fear of i rime is reflected in two particular anti-crime measures on the Nov 8 bal lot. Measures 10 and 11 have the teeth to take a bite out of crime, but lack the necessary funding for their imple mentation and should be defeated. Measure 1 l metes out mandatory minimum prison sentences fur in of the most violent crimes, ranging from murder and assault to rape and robbery. Convicts would receive no parole or reduction of sentence for good behavior while in prison. It also mandates that juveniles (ages 15-17} charged with violent felonies be tried as adults. Ac ting as Measure 1 Ts big brother. Measure 10 pro tects the mandatory sentences from legislative tamper ing. Measure 10 would require a two thirds majority ol both the House and Senate to reduces a voter-approved sentence. Although getting tough on crime is a worthy cause, entering into such a proposition requires a strong flnan- i c ial commitment on the part of tie- state The measures do not identify funding sources for their implementation. Therefore, revenue would come from the already strained general fund, a bank account already $870 million short of the amount needed to maintain i urrent services. If passed, the measures would imperil other state programs such as public safety, >t hoots and even corrections. The Immediate cost of Measure 11 would be in oxc ess of $80 million per year. Costs by the end of this century could total $1 trillion Pho nltw torate has shown strong support for longer incarceration of violent offenders, but little financial stomach for the hefty price tag. When voters see high-profile criminals like double murderer Russell Obremski rer eive parole, the myth of the catch-and-release criminal justice system is further intensified. But the liberal, reform-minded punishments of the 1970s are no more, In 1989, the legislature approved increased sentenc ing guidelines, effectively lengthening by 40 percent the average sentence served by violent felons Oregon's prison capacity has nearly doubled over the last eight years and is expected to grow by another 2.000 by 1998. If Measure 11 passes, an estimated additional 4.000 beds will be needed. Oregon simply cannot finan cially sustain such a whimsical and immediate increase in tho correction's budget. More significantly, the mandatory sentences take away any judicial discretion. Measure 11 decrees that violent offenders between the ages 15 and 17 must ho tried as adults. Youthful offenders offer the greatest opportunity for rehabilitation, but under the proposed guidelines, they will be shipped off to prison Such a decision should be left in tho hands of a judge who can rule on the merits of each case, not a one-size-fits-all ballot mea sure. Throwing unfunded measures on voters only increas es the burden on an already ailing state budget. Vote no on Measures 10 and 11. Oregon Daily Emerald PO &0I J»M iU&fNC CX*tGON*7«J The < DfcJy l mtn&j *» published darfy Monday through F 'day during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon 0a<!> EmiNik) Pobhs^vtng Co . Tnc . at IN? Uo-vr* arty of Oregon F u-june Oregon The [”><*&*) operates independently of the Urwvartrty w*fh offices at $u*t« 300 of the I ft Men* - .u LJ"on and >s 4 mamba* o’ ?n? Associated F’ress The tmmwU >« private property The unlawful removal o• um of papers >.a prosecutable by la-* Managing Editor Editorial Editor Graphics Editor F reeiance Editor In-Depth Editor Editor-In-Chief: Kay Solo D«vd Thorn Joe Harwood J*« P aalay Mama Baum f.d Kloplsntfan Mews Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Supplements Editor Night Editor ReCMtca Me**«tt Dvis Me*./ Mchac* Stander Tr-tia Noe* Rebecca Me'fl Associate Editors I von Carp SftxSerf (jover'vrvmf AtfVJas Mar often# l dwi»#ds CommurWy. T<flany Sm«fh Hgher EdpcehOft Adrmnt&trMbon News Staff: Ion Hen • «»» W'ison Char* Amy Colombo T asha t ■;:*'enteher Abe f thmada. Pnm© Fontana Gayte F orman. OvdopN* F,■•« Man Carton Gary Gmss Sarah Hwrxfanon. K'i-k Henry. Trevor Aden Kmcher Marti Me Tyre. Bar Moeteu*. A. <* Mk.'*mw Komfeid Sherry fU ff, Robt** Reeves. La Safcxxoa. Pau Van S*J»ie Kim Weses Oervel West. Bnan Womec* General Manager Judy FWt Advertising Director Mar* Wrt-inr Production Manager McNhe Ross Advertising Man o C' '-3 Tony I o*. E»>n Harsher. See Mer/ma*k, Jeremy Mas Mch»ei M erte, Sarah M.t f r* Tom ■: *..andt K#sey Wake* Classified• iVKhy M»> n.i • M.r SmT/eTeck Distribution John l >-3 Feev Ra*oc<r Ragna Zsupna Business K,»thy Cart* * S,*.mrvsor >./dy Co ••-.•■ y Production L>eM*a Mm • bt> Prixftucf-on i'.xv,i Shawna urng Cosmo* d. Ta’» GauHney. Brad Joss J« Jtv Remand. Nan Tlhaf>gv»j»i, Clayton Yea Newsroom 346-5511 Display Advertising 346-3712 Business Off tea 346-5512 Classified Advertising 346-4343 OuR mulTI-Billion-Dollar. ARRAV of spy yATfLures is Picking up A S/GwAL... WAIT ... yf5.. A MiA{r ...A Poss/8lECLUE... As Tt) WHAT OUR QOL£ /*J TVff i post coud uiAR era mkmt bf \ „.8ur OoJ'r r^LL COA4GRCJS, OKAV? OKAS'. ^fn i**# <OC**»V V rut *esu<u >i '0>c Qu Q<, C T\..tierT(H tfW&CfSS Af Tf« All - f ■ COMMENTARY Race relations focus on blame Kevin Washington A (tor witnessing (and par ticipating cx casiotialiy) in the farcical, and at times, embarrassing so-called debates that occurred in this campus last year regarding issues of race, big otry, mnltic ulturalism. biased press coverage and so forth. I detec led something significant Much like the res! of the country. this i ampus has never had an honest disc ussion about race and nice relations Whether it was the issue of curric ulum requirements or student representatives' resig nations, these disc ussions often foe used more on blame ni the expense of understanding and/or acceptance. Because of person al experiences, addressing the black/white relationship is most comfortable for me However, that is not to say that an exami nation of these historically con nected groups i an't lend insight into the entire race "picture” in the t Ini ted States What whites need to res ognize most about the desc endants of the African slave? is that they are in pain This pain is the result of c enturies of brutal, degrading, fraction a list policies based on nothing more titan skin color and physical attributes. lust bec ause bleu ks have been emancipated from the obvious bonds of slavery, the psycholog ical conditions that fostered suc h policies remain, permeating every sphere of culture from pol itics to economics to education. This pain manifests itself in the ambivalent and often contradic - tory perception that blacks have of themselves and their role in this country. Whites have never allowed us to quite fit in and at the same time we know no other cultures is well as the one we were bom in and forced to adopt. Unlike other dejected and spurned ethnic/racial groups, blacks born in the United States have- limited engagement with their true ancestral culture. Hav ing bad their African roots sev ered and nearly decimated in < aptivity, blacks in the Western Hemisphere (partic ularh in the I Muted States) had to ns onstruct culture almost from scratch, a culture which is still alien to many non him ks It is this alien ation that has perpetuated the ethntc/rncial marginalization of this country It is this alienation that is mostly responsible for the culturally maladjusted psychol ogy of many black people. Whites will never understand the mental anguish experienced when, for instance. Joe Louis, a black boxer, or Jesse Owens, a black track athlete defeated white opponents for a country that was hypocritically patriots enough to cheer them on unabated, and vet would deny them lodging in their own country solely because of skin tone They fail to under stand how b!a< ks. after all that has been sacrificed in the guise of social equality, could embrace a person such as Minister Louis Farrakhan w ho (in their opinion) preaches a steady diet of hate, bigotry and segregation, ignoring Mr F'arrakhan's plea for eco nomic independence, educa tional excellence and cultural pride. Or how blacks (prior to and since the first trial of the Los Angeles police officers convic t ed of beating Rodney king) view the criminal justice system as just another instrument of oppression wielded heavily and dispropor tionately against alleged black assailants. For their part, blacks should not expect or rely on the sympa thy and compassion of whites for advancement. What blacks need to know is that most whites feel uncomfortable and often resent being confronted with the shameful legacy of slav ery l! is extremely unsettling for whites to consider the duplicity of national "heroes" such as Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Roo sevelt. Douglas Mai Arthur and Ronald Reagan who enunciated concepts of liberty, democracy and equality and nevertheless condoned (and often participat ed) in the repression if the eth nic/racial minority in this hemi sphere. Besides, many would argue that since the end of the Civil War (most notably in this century), white society has attempted in earnest to rectify these injustices using civil rights legislation, affirmative action programs and some of the most expansive entitlement programs in the history of this country. Upon witnessing the startling suci esses of other repressed eth nic/racial groups (if Asians and lews), who claimed that the true problem rests within the " victim hood" psychology of blacks in the Americas, instead of attempting to refute this dis position and convince whites otherwise, it would be more pragmatic for blacks to examine their own behavior and either at i opt or ignore this sentiment that resides within many non blacks. Although the roots of racism and bigotry are (directly and indi rectly) responsible for many of the ills that plague the black com munity. it's not white gang bangers gunning down black chil dren as they innocently play in their own yards. It's not young white men fathering blai k chil dren and abandoning their black mothers, leaving them with little chan* e of a legitimate opportu nity. These and many others are issues that can be dealt with effectively and solely by the black communities It is wishful think ing at best, and counterproduc tive at least, to expect white folk to resolve such matters Blacks must expect no more than a lais soz faire disposition among whites There is no immediate, all encompassing solution to rat e issues on this or any other cam pus: however, this is not to say that there is nothing that can be done What’s needed is a genuine familiarity (not masqueraded as understanding) of how each affa ted ethnh nu ial group jut ceives the situation. And this an only he accomplished if all are willing to listen. Kevin Washington is a student at the University of Oregon
