Street Roots • April 10-16, 2015
Drug policy reform must look to the future, and the past
bis past November, a clear majority of
Oregonian voters agreed to take formal action
on what had been a fairly accepted social norm:
That marijuana use shouldn’t be illegal. Its use
shouldn’t result in being arrested, serving time and a
criminal record. It shouldn’t be
used to target minorities. And it
shouldn’t Cost anyone their jobs,
— their education, their housing or
financial security.
So we legalized i t
Still, the decades of prohibition means thousands of
Oregonians are still saddled by past convictions for
something the people of this state have deemed
unworthy o f punishment.
A comprehensive 2013 nationwide study by the
American Civil Liberties Union reports that more
than 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and
2010 — the vast majority simply for possessing
marijuana. The ACLU study breaks that down to a
marijuana bust by cops every 37 seconds. And despite
usage rates being relatively the same, the report
found that blacks were nearly 4 times more likely to
be arrested on marijuana charges than whites.
These records — so often accrued as young adults —
can be costly for a lifetime.
That’s why we support the Fresh Start Oregon
campaign by The Bus Project. The campaign supports
the proposal by Rep. Lew Frederick to expunge all
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EDITORIAL
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Editorial
nonviolent marijuana-related convictions now on
Oregonian’s records. The reason echoes the mandate
from voters back in November: To reduce the barriers
to economic opportunity, and approach drug policy
with “comprehensive, pragmatic, moral and sensible
reform.”
Both government and business are lining up to
consider how Oregon’s new law will make them
money. And it is intended to do just that.
But it is an injustice that well-healed interests will
soon be reaping profits for what continues to socially
and economically oppress so many lower-income
families.
Opponents of expungement say people should obey
the law as it is, and should have done so when
marijuana was illegal. And indeed, it is not a simple
job to unravel years of bad policy and legal
entanglements, but with a legacy of nonviolent
offenses, racial injustice and costly incarceration, it is
worth the effort necessary to at least set those
records straight
Fresh Start Oregon is working to galvanize
statewide support for this effort and to encourage
lawmakers to pass HB 3372. It is important for all of
us who supported Measure 91 to follow through and
continue with larger social reforms around drug
policy. You can learn more at busproject.org, or head
over to Twitter and check out #Freshstartoregon.
Write in
whiten published
in our pages, or would
like to get involved as a
503-228-5657, joanne@streetroots.org.
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Oregon moves forward while other states bottom out
egislation in Kansas this week is looking to ban
You may not know it, but that’s exactly what’s
those who receive government assistance from
happening. After all, in many communities two or
spending i t on the movies, swimming pools,
more black kids hanging out on a street Corner can be
spas, lingerie and tobacco among other things; The considered a gang. The elderly and people
law would only allow people receiving benefits to
experiencing disabilities are forced to sleep, at their
access $25 a day from an ATM in the land of
own risk, under bridges and in city parks.
Jayhawks. Seriously.
The LGBTQ community makes up an estimated 40
More than 65,000 Indiana residents will be dumped percent of all homeless youth — you know, those kids
this spring from food stamp rolls
we want to run out of town, because they are bad for
after a draconian law was passed
business.
targeting the poor. In Missouri,
In a local environment where we target homeless
DIRECTOR'S legislators are hoping to ban poor people
for activities in public spaces without providing
people who receive government
adequate housing — we shouldn’t be surprised that
aid from buying seafood and
legislation arrives at the state level to keep people
By Israel Bayer
steak.
from enjoying steak and seafood, going to the movies
That’s, not all. According to the
or a spa or swimming. Unfortunately, I don’t think it
National Coalition of th e
ends there. There is a war on the poor in our country
Homeless, 33 cities banned or
and the battle outside is raging.
restricted feeding the homeless. Houston, a city some
In the end, for most government leaders^ both
politicos have said is an example of how to work with
liberal and conservative, poverty is an issue, that must
the homeless, passed legislation forcing any group of
be dealt with through political calculations and
people feeding the homeless to gain permission from
tradeoffs — not with moral obligations; Never mind
the city or face a $2,000 fine.
that access to housing and a gdbd education
People experiencing homelessness and advocates
strengthens our community.
have been fighting legislation around the country for
In Oregon we have the chance to buck national
years to simply access public spaces - like sitting or
trends and support everyday Oregonians to have an
lying on a sidewalk, or having a legal right to rest or
opportunity at a betterlife. First, there’s the Right to
ie e p on public and private property.
Unfortunately, for the poor, there are no athletes or Rest Bill that protects people on the streets from
being criminalized for their housing statutes. We also
celebrities calling for a boycott of Kansas or Missouri
have the opportunity to increase rent assistance
because of the war on the poor. To my knowledge we
statewide by $10 million and pass an inclusionary
have no Fortune 500 companies or business leaders
zoning
bill that would give local governments greater
pressuring local governments asking legislators to
opportunities to create affordable housing. There’s
reverse their actions when creating laws that
also $100 million on the table to support land
discriminate against people for not having a home.
acquisition and building of critical affordable housing
In fact, in many cases these corporations are
units statewide.
exacerbating poverty with low wages while benefiting
Instead of abandoning the poor, we have the chance
from tax breaks that do little to support the poor.
to support Oregonians to access a better life. It’s not
Imagine for a minute if legislators created language
nearly enough, but it’s a start. It’s also a far cry from
today that banned people of color, the elderly, the
humiliating our own neighbors arid punishing people
disabled, and members of the LGBTQ community
for the. systematic failures of a nation,
. .
from accessing certain public spaces.
H
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f , i
Street Roots. You can
reach h im a t *
israel@stfeetropts. o rg
o r follow him on
Tw itter @israelbayer.
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