Street Roots • July 10-16,2015
Statewide profiling ban a foundation for local justice
regon lawmakers made a bold statement this
session when they decided that all law
enforcement agencies in the state must
establish policies that prohibit profiling. This is
of an impact on Portland, where such a policy is
already on the books, but it is a sweeping move for
all agencies across the state to step up their game.
In addition to the policy against profiling, the bill
— expected to receive Gov. Kate Brown’s signature
as of press time — requires that
each department sets up a
system for the public to file
complaints through multiple
channels, even anonymously.
And it requires that
departments have a process in place for investiging
those complaints. Starting next year, the scope of
profiling will be defined, statewide, to include bias
based on a person’s age, race, ethnicity, language,
color, religion, national origin, mental disability,
political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender or
housing status.
It’s laying a foundation of process, yes, but also
expectation. The expectation the public should have
that their rights are paramount when engaging with
law enforcement
But it only goes halfway. The other half lies in the
attitudes of each department, because it ultimately
comes down to people doing the right thing. And it’s
it’s important to note that most officers do just th at
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But the bill’s success also lies in the citizenry itself,
which is a major part of the impact this legislation
could have. It is very difficult to convict someone of
less
profiling in a court of law. On a case-by-case basis,
attorneys know that it’s nearly impossible to prove
the intent of an officer if a person feels they’ve
received disparate treatm ent This new legislation
will create a statewide data review committee; the
first of it’s kind for Oregon. Local law enforcement
agencies will be required to send copies of any
profiling complaints to the state committee, which
will analyze the information and report its findings
and recommendations to the Legislature.
It has the potential to bring profiling out of the
shadows and into the light And it makes it a matter
of public record. Because for people of color, people
experiencing homelessness, for the LGBTQ
community, for immigrants and refugees and others
— for every extreme, sensationalized case, there are
untold daily injustices.
If you think that’s just the stuff of Ferguson or
Baltimore, think again. The bill was introduced by
Rep. Lew Frederick, a black Portlander, who told
lawmakers that he’s probably been stopped by
police more times in single year than most of his
peers have in a lifetime. In some communities in
this state, he says, people “live their lives
anticipating the next encounter.”
Now, Oregon has the statewide platform to say
“no more.” Let’s do this.
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Executive Dipector Israel Bayer
israel@streetroots.org
Legislative session a mixed bag, with room for more
n many ways this legislative session was a
success, especially when you think about just
how far to the right the rest of our country
continues to be on social justice issues.
Creating policy that gives hard working
Oregonians time off for sick leave, trying to tackle
racial profiling and police accountability, and giving
people easier access to birth
'
control are just some of the
important steps Oregon took
this past legislative session.
Legislators also supported
nearly $72 million dollars for
affordable housing and
B y Israel Bayer
programs, worked to improve
our health care system and
made community college more
affordable to Oregonians.
Street Roots has long advocated that state
government pick up the pace and take more of a
responsibility for creating and maintaining more
affordable housing and increasing wages for all
Oregonians.
“Oregonians in all parts of the state are realizing
that housing needs to be a priority,” says Janet
Byrd with the Oregon Housing Alliance. “Housing
is the foundation of our success: We need safe,
decent and affordable housing options near
employment, near school, near our families and
friends. It’s time to move housing to the top of our
policy agenda and to hold our public systems
accountable for meeting housing needs. This means
evaluating every choice we make in light of how it
improves our ability to meet housing needs for
every Oregonian. K also means evaluating every
public leader as they ask for otir support and our
vote against the test of whether they’vedone all
they could possibly do to prioritize housing for
those who need it m ost”
Yes it does.
I
DIRECTOR'S
DESK
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach him at
israel@streetroots. org
or follow him on
Twitter @israelbayer.
Of course we applaud elected leaders and
community efforts for all the hard work this year on
many important issues. Saying that, I can’t help but
be disappointed that Oregon continues to play small
ball on policy issues that matter most: housing,
wages and job opportunities for lower and middle
class folks. These issues should have been
prioritized yesterday. Unfortunately, poor and
working people are still unsure about tomorrow.
It was extremely disappointing to see the failure
of a bill on inciusionary zoning, a policy that would
have helped combat displacement and
gentrification, especially in urban environments.
Moreso, Gov. Kate Brown’s request for $100 million
dollars for affordable housing cut down to $40
million dollars. It may sound like a lot of money, but
in the context of supporting Oregonians to maintain
housing, it is a drop in the bucket.
Then there’s the wage conversation. I’m
convinced that many lawmakers simply aren’t in
touch with poor and working people and can’t
comprehend the devastating impact of not raising
the ground floor on wages. It has everything to do
horse-trading and politics and little to do with the •>
people. It’s a tragic affair. With the rising cost of
housing and stagnant wages, we are collectively
saying service workers, the poor and many others
simply don’t matter. It’s unacceptable.
“Oregon has no plan for reducing poverty and
has no state agency held responsible for and
accountable for the extent of poverty in Oregon,”
says Chuck Sheketoff with the Oregon Center for
Public Policy. “There’s a lot of talk about addressing
poverty, and they know it is a driver of other costs,
but they refuse to give an agency ultimate
responsibility or adopt a plan to address the issue.”
It’s true. It’s time we changed that narrative and
make a state that’s equitable for everyone.
Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl
"
joanne@streetroots.org '
;
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