Street Roots • Jan. 22-28, 2016
News / Poetry
Page 7
ROGERS, fro m page 5
situation.
It is important to note that those .
dynamics are not just present within police
departments, but that they also extend
across law enforcement agencies. People
have suggested for years that district
attorneys have been complicit in and
culpable of protecting police from
misconduct charges. Are DAs using the
closed nature of grand jury hearings to
present biased information that prevents
police officers from being indicted? If that is
happening, it’s despicable. And, if it is not
happening, then district attorneys shouldn’t
be fighting efforts for more transparency to
the grand jury process.
There is a huge divide between law
enforcement and a large number of
communities these days, particularly
communities of color, and it is not getting
any better. If we are going to address the
distrust in and lack of credibility of law
enforcement, we need to increase
transparency and accountability. And we
need to see law enforcement leaders
provide some leadership in those efforts.
E.G.: You come to the A C L U from
Partnership fo r Safety a n d Justice, where you
fo u g h t fiercely fo r crim inal justice reforms.
W hat justice system reform goal fro m PSJ do
you most hope to continue fig h tin g fo r a t the
ACLU?
D. R.: First of all, I think Partnership for
Safety and Justice continues to play a very
important advocacy role in Oregon, and I
very much support their work. It has been
heartening to see progress and momentum
being built here and around the country on
criminal justice reform.
Leaving aside police practices for a
moment, we still have some real work to do
addressing incarceration levels. Despite
positive reforms, there is too much
emphasis on incarceration and prison as a
crime reduction tool, which has incredibly
limited value.
Oregon needs to more seriously tackle
sentencing reform. We have draconian
mandatory minimums, like Measure 11, that
treat 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds automatically
as adults. Justice can’t be served by a one-
size-fits-all sentencing scheme where judges
have no power to weigh the individual
circumstances of each case. The ACLU of
Oregon is still assessing how we can best
complement the work of other organizations
and community leaders on the issue, but we
will continue to be in the mix.
The District Attorneys Association is a
real roadblock to progress. Mandatory
minimums give them most of the power
within the criminal justice system and in
order to hold onto that power they defend
regressive policies. We need to remember
they are elected leaders and should be held
accountable for their work and policy
positions just like voters engage legislators.
E. G.: Are you talking about the power these
m in im u m s give DAs in plea bargaining
agreements?
D.R.: When you can charge people with a
very serious, very scary offense that carries
a very long sentence, people are much
more likely to plea - and that’s how most
cases are taken care of.
E.G.: K>w say there is too much emphasis
on prison as a crime reduction tool. W hat
would you suggest instead, a n d w hat’s the cost
difference?
D. R.: There’s very little that’s more
costly than incarcerating people.
Incarceration is the most expensive and
least effective approach to public safety.
Drug court could be made available to a
wide range of people. There are places that
are focusing that intervention on a small
population of folks who have been engaged
in pretty low-level types of criminal
behavior, like simple possession, and I think
that there’s a
legitimate question of
whether or not people
who have been
arrested for simple
"T here's no co n tra d ictio n
possession need any
between a n a tio n where we
intervention. I think it
depends greatly on
speak a com m on language
context.
and a n a tio n where m any
But that’s just part
of ns re m a in p ro u d of onr
of what needs to
eth n ic and c u ltu ra l heritage,
happen if we’re
in c lu d in g o u r n a tive la n
thinking about
guages. -
developing a multi
faceted public safety
"T here's no c o n tra d ic tio n be
strategy. There needs
tween a n a tio n w ith a shared
to be the kinds of
c u ltu re , founded on the idea
community
o f freedom , and a n a tio n
investments that are
whose c u ltu re reflects the
not criminal justice
m e ltin g p o t th a t is A m e ric a ."
oriented at all, that
are flowing toward
OAV1O ROGERS,
ACLU OF OREGOM.piWTOR
creating job
opportunities,
changing educational
opportunities - the
types of things that
really transform communities.
That said, it all comes down to dollars
and cents, and I think finding money in the
budget is a challenge, a logistical challenge
and a political challenge.
E. G.: A C L U o f Oregon has long fo ught the
“w ar on m arijuana.” Would you be w illing to
pursue decrim inalizing any other drugs? Why
or why not?
D.R.: The war on drugs has foiled.
Criminalizing drugs hasn’t reduced drug
abuse, but it has ruined people’s lives and
filled our jails and prisons.
Even for those who are never
incarcerated, collateral consequences from
arrests and convictions can significantly
derail people’s lives. Felony convictions can
lead to lost jobs, ineligibility for housing,
suspended driver’s licenses and restricted
access to federal studentToans and much
more.
And, we know that people of color have
had to bear the brunt of these misguided
and cruel policies, with disparate
enforcement and sentencing for black
people, in particular.
Right now, when it comes to
decriminalization, we are entirely focused
on making the legalization of marijuana a
success in Oregon. But in regard to our
larger drug policy in the U.S., it is past time
to implement policies that put more focus
on treatment, prevention and harm
reduction.
Seasons
by Shawn Andrew Nelson
Early morning rain.
A mist covers the majestic mountains
off in the distance
shimmering and beautiful
Death comes with the Age of Winter
only to show,
How does Beauty grow?
In the spring of her step.
Blooming with exuberance
as the great sun brings a whisper,
“Wake up and and spread your petals little one,
summer is soon to come.”
In her twilight years slowly
dissipates her fears
with the coming of a serene fall
and finally when she goes to close her eyes
a teardrop cold on her cheek,
she, oh so solemnly smiles and knows
that after winter’s wink
she will shake off the Chains of Death
and prepare herself deep in the ground
so her legacy will too, wake up.
Untitled
by Kenneth Nickell
In this surrender is a new truth.
I’ve given up the comfort of solitude
in order to build stone from straw.
Her frailty encouraged my apprehension.
Hours that pass in the company of another
with music no one else seems to hear.
Dancing through the days.
My love of loneliness
gives way to the confusion of companionship.
I am innocent and no longer have the answers.
I am afraid, as all things once were steel
now are made of glass.