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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 7, 2006)
14 JUStlOUt JULY 7.2006 I Christine! Mike, Our Hot 1 northwest Discussing Hate Crimes Local conference examines hate of all kinds by Julie Sabatier "After talking u'ith ether lenders, ice ivere very frustrated tei t h the reception ice received vn ear bankruptcy. Wed met Christine at tin' Pride I estival mid decided tv yive her ¡1 call. Unlike the ethers. she tecrkcd mitli ns tn improve cur credit tile mid then came thrvnvh ivith financing inhere others told ns it couldn't he dene, Today ice live in ti 124v st], ft. ranch ivith a hn^e back yard timi 3 corgis. We re very thankful tn Christine mid know that she is onr lender for life. " 503-481-0574 hallc(«>eaglehomemortgage.com Christine Senior Loan ( President Excursion Only Limousine Cruise the summer in style! 503-841-7714 excursiononlyOI ©comcast.net www.excursiononly.com of an organization that touches many ate comes in many different forms. This year, Portland’s Coalition different vulnerable communities in Against Hate Crimes decided to one of America’s most diverse places. delve into the complex nature of The project grew out of outrage at hatred June 21 to 23 on Portland police negligence in cases of anti-gay Community College’s Cascade Campus. violence in the late 1970s. Now, The 2006 Oregon Hate Crimes Patton says, the project has a Conference addressed issues such as race, working relationship with the men gender, law enforcement, harassment, and women in blue. It conducts violence, anti-Semitism and sexuality. With sensitivity training at various levels more than 30 workshops and five keynote of the police force. speakers, the conference was jam-packed “Training is almost a red herring,” with poignant stories, practical information Patton explained, “because, at the and, occasionally, a little humor. end of the day, you are talking about Started by the American Jewish a paramilitary organization. The Committee in Portland, the coalition held command structure is going to its first meeting in the fall of 1997. Since dictate what happens on the ground. then, it has been organizing rallies and The real commitment comes from speakers to educate people about the roots of getting the buy-in from commanding hate. Now with more than 50 member officers.” organizations, the coalition is encouraging A workshop later in the day conversations between a diverse range of addressed the relationship between community groups such as the Japanese Portland’s sexual minorities American Citizens League, the Fair Housing community and the city’s law Council of Oregon, the FBI and even the enforcement officials. North Precinct Church of Scientology of Portland. Cmdr. Jim Ferraris joined forces with On the first day of the conference, former William Warren, crime prevention (eynote speaker Clarence Patton leads New York City's Anti Basft Rights Oregon director Roey Thorpe coordinator at the Office of Violence Project, a group that addresses hate toward many led a workshop titled “Climate of Hate: How Neighborhood Involvement, to different vulnerable communities. Oregon’s Anti-Gay Ballot Issues Promote discuss the Sexual Minorities Hate and Violence.” She began by listing Oregon’s fact that no one can isolate themselves from hate Roundtable, one of the Portland Police Bureau’s last seven attempts at ballot measures that would speech, even at a conference designed to help nine advisory committees designed to reach out to limit the rights of the sexual minorities community, eradicate hatred. He was reading a copy of Just Out specific communities. Under Chief Charles M<x>se, including Measure 36, which successfully banned in a campus common area prior to the morning’s it finalized a “partnership agreement” that Warren same-sex marriage in the state in 2004- keynote speech by Multnomah County domestic helped broker with members of the sexual “We are always reactive, and we don’t get a violence prosecutor Rod Underhill. When he got minorities community. The group meets monthly to chance to be proactive,” said Thorpe. “Why up, he says someone at a nearby table of PCC discuss issues within the bureau as well as haven’t we passed statewide nondiscrimination maintenance workers laughed and said, “Hold me interactions in the community. legislation? Because of these ballot measures." back or I’m going to commit a hate crime." “Our mission is pretty simple,” said Ferraris. Oregon has seen more anti-gay ballot measure Keynote speaker Clarence Patton spoke to the “We build relationships. We have a lot of work to campaigns than any other state. pervasive nature of hate speech as well as hate do, and 1 look to (the roundtable] to carry that Thorpe spoke about the next ballot measure crimes. He traveled from New York City, where he forward and develop some criteria for the police assault on the community, the Student Protection serves as executive director of the Anti-Violence bureau." Act. Spearheaded by Oregon Citizens Alliance Project. The roundtable is evidence that the bureau has chairman Lon Mabon, the proposed constitutional “Hate violence and the fear of that violence is gone through a paradigm shift in the past decade, amendment would prevent (.Oregon public schixils a defining element of the LGBT identity,” Patton but there is still room for improvement. While from kindergarten through college from teaching said. “All of us modify our behavior because we Warren, an out gay man, expressed exasperation anything “that would express approval of, endorse fear that violence. And I would argue that as soon with the “alphabet soup” of the “LGBTQ” label, or otherwise make morally acceptable the as we begin to change how we act in society, we Ferraris seemed confused about Portland's leather behaviors of homosexuality, bisexuality or are victims of this form of terrorism.” community and its attendance at roundtable transgendered conduct.” Patton’s use of the word “nigger" in his talk meetings. “Is that an activity, or is that a lifestyle Citing national statistics, Thorpe pointed out made some people in the audience visibly that you’re born into?” he asked. “That’s a that reported hate crimes against people in the uncomfortable. “I don’t like to say ‘the n word,’ ” recreational activity. Or maybe it isn’t. We’ve sexual minorities community went up by 26 he explained. “1 just feel silly." He went on to been wrestling with this.” percent in 2003. This was the same year that discuss the perceived power of hate-motivated Conference chairwoman Mandy Ellertson said Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage, slurs saying, “For some of us after a certain point in she was pleased to see such a broad range of people followed by campaigns in several states to adopt time, there’s very little that people can do to us bringing different backgrounds and areas of bans like Measure 36. that we don’t let them do to us.” expertise to the table. But she would have liked a In the ensuing discussion, many testified to the Offering a little levity to an otherwise heavy better turnout. (The roundtable workshop was emotional toll these ballot measure campaigns can discussion, Patton talked about his “Altar of attended by four people, including a conference take. “Most of us construct our lives so that we Oppression,” where he displays offensive organizer.) have to encounter homophobia as little as caricatures of “mammies” and “sambos” on a giant “1 thought every presenter did a wonderful job, possible, but during ballot measure campaigns, watermelon candle. “I’m a very fortunate person, though, and the people that came had a lot of there’s no escaping it,” Thorpe said. and I get to work out all my issues through my good opportunities to challenge themselves about One conference attendee related a chilling job,” he said. what actions to take in this fight against hate and episode from earlier in the day, highlighting the The Anti-Violence Project is a great example bias,” Ellertson said.
