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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2015)
Street Roots • January 23-29,2015 Page 3 E d ito ria l County should preserve in-person visitation If y o u w o u ld lik e TTn a time when prison reform looks to be gaining prison communications leader had already been pulling I momentum in Oregon and around the country, in millions of dollars from Multnomah County inmates JL Multnomah County, one of the nation’s most liberal and their families for years from high fees on collect counties, is headed in the wrong direction. calls. As reported by Street Roots earlier this month In Multnomah County, Securus charges $5.43 for a (“Captive consumers,” Street Roots, Jan. 2), and in this 15-minute local call. The commissions made by the week’s edition (Revisiting county from phone calls go into the Inmate Welfare visitation, pg. 4), Multnomah Fund, which was set up to pay for activities and services W County Sheriff’s Office has signed that benefit inmates. But over the past two fiscal years, a contract with Securus $92,521 was taken out of the Inmate Welfare Fund to _________ pay for other things on the county’s Technologies Inc., _______ agreeing to replace all agenda, such as an Eastside Streetcar family and friend in-person visits at county ‘ Securus is one of assessment. The Inmate Welfare Fund was jails With the Texas-based company’s video- three private one of only a handful of funds diverted as visiting service. part of a supplemental budget both years. companies Securus is one of three private Multnomah County should renegotiate drawing revenue companies drawing revenue from people the contract with Securus to allow for from people who in-person visitation. A U.S. Department of who are incarcerated in Multnomah County. are incarcerated Justice report released in December states: TouchPay GeiiPar, also a Texas-based “Incarcerated individuals have better company, draws money from fees placed on in Multnomah inmate account deposits. And Numi outcomes when they receive in-person County. Financial turns a profit from the ■■■■■ visits from family members and supportive community members.” transactions on debit cards — cards that are The DOJ says that while video visiting can help to issued to every individual who is arrested and detained keep children in contact with their parents, it has the in the jail and used to reclaim his p r her personal cash. greatest benefits when it is used in addition to in-person Securus is contracted with 2,600 facilities in 46 visits, not as a replacement. We couldn’t agree more. states. It boasts that it has paid $1.3 billion in We have to preserve in-person visitation. commissions to correctional facilities over the past 10 Moreover, Multnomah County shouldn’t be using years. In 2009, the last year financial information was money made from inmates and their families to support made publicly available, Securus brought in more than projects outside of the jail. That’s an end-run to a-poor $363 million in revenue. man’s tax. The money made off of inmates should back To add insult to injury, Street Roots reported that toward programs that offer inmates the opportunity to long before Multnomah County signed a deal with Securus Technologies for its video-visiting system, the be successful both inside the jail and upon release. to h a v / : e \ that you’ve written published \ / in our pages, or would like to get involved as a j j § | | member of our reporting staff,: contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503-228-5857, p a n n e ^ streetfoots.org. We ask that all submissions include the author’s name and contact information, if available. Street Roots 211 NW Davis St. Portland, OR 97209 503-228-5657 Fax:503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org Hours: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Sat, and 7:30-11 a.m. Sun. Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer israel@streetroots.org Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl joanne@streetroots.org Vendor Coordinator Cole Merkel cole@streetroots.org Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Program Assistant Grace Badik, Jesuit Volunteer * grace@streetroots.org " Development D irec to r ¿ I f l t fM i Development Assistant Ann-Derrick Gaiilot Oregonian series an opportunity to seize the moment homelessness and housing in Portland. Most people lot people in the housing community,- for better don’t care about bureaucratic details or what insiders or worse, are worked up over Anna Griffin’s think about a specific topic. What people care about is ongoing series on homelessness in The Oregonian. Get used to it. A new story will come out finding out how they as a community can help. Whether you’re an average citizen, a government official, law every Friday for the next six weeks. enforcement or part of the business community j|||g Wait, does this mean I’m promoting The Oregonian’s nobody wants to see thousands of people suffering in series in Street Roots? I suppose lam . Trying to capture the issue of homelessness in a our doorways and under bridges. meaningful way is no easy task for a We all may have a different reason for ultimately reporter. The homeless crisis in coming to that realization - be it from a place of America is dense and complex. experience or compassion, economics or one’s own self- 1 R E C T O R 5 From the disinvestment of federal interests. In the end, does it matter whether we can all D ESK funds over the past 30 years to agree that we need more resources to offer individuals local communities having to carry and families housing in the region? I don’t think so. By Israel Bayer the water to the day-to-day realities What matters is capturing that collective sense of of people living outdoors and how it wanting to do something about the issue and then affects the larger community — it’s building the political will to carry it forward. more than a handful to try to If the result of The Oregonian’s reporting is getting capture in a meaningful way. Everyone has an opinion mad and trashing The Oregonian instead of pivoting to and an angle. Nobody who dedicates his or her life to seize the moment, then we’ve already failed. Believe this work wants to hear a story about how a specific me, I get it. It’s easy to get caught up in bashing The plan has failed, or one that is framed in a way that may Oregonian - and it might be even more tempting if the hurt a specific cause or agenda, especially when reports are followed with editorials condemning resources are involved and the political will to end the government action. Saying that, let’s not throw the baby problem is genuine. .out with the bathwater. Like it or not, good reporting Writing a column and being the director of Street should always challenge our assumptions and help us Roots - a newspaper that has been covering the issue understand the problem at a deeper level. Does this of homelessness and poverty for years - 1 certainly mean Anna Griffin and The Oregonian will get every understand the pressure that comes with trying to single thing right in the series? Probably not, but that’s present these complex issues publicly in a way that’s not the point. Who among us does? engaging, real and, most importantly, offers actual Having The Oregonian cover this issue gives housing meaning. Depending on how you choose to frame a advocates and government leaders an amazing particular issue or topic may be the difference between opportunity to turn this conversation into action items the public becoming more engaged or simply not earing that do something big to tackle the problem. How about at all. we sieze the moment? Here’s the thing I’ve learned most about the issue of 8 Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him a t ' israei@streetrodts.org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. Reporters Emily Green, Sarah Hansell, Sam Bouman, Jacques Von Lunen Photographers Diego Diaz, Kristina W right Board of Directors Chairman Bruce Anderson , Vice-Chairman Michael Anderson Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretary Amber Bielman Directors Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes, Ken Hawkins, Mora Coon, Darren Alexander, Eddie Barbosa Volunteers Jan Bayer, Rob Shyrock, Stacey Heath, John Barker, Dane Nicklas, Kevin Glasel, Sarah Hansell, Sam Bouman, Eliese Baker, Tom Ray, Cherie Vedal, Jessie Carver, Mary Locke, James Yu, Melissa,Kahn, Vtnnie Kinsella, Lisa Waldo, Monica Kwasnik If you are interested in volunteering w ith Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or call Volunteer Coordinator Grace Badik fo r more information at 503-228-5657.
