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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2016)
Street Roots • April 1-7, 2016 Enough with juvenile Measure 11 charges V"T T e know too much, and have seen enough l / l / evidence of the consequences, to continue V V punishing juvenile offenders as adults. We know too well the research explaining the development stages of a young brain to say that the actions of a 16-year-old are derived from the same comprehension as those of a grown man or woman. And we’ve had generations to understand that the biggest impact of confinement and felony records isn’t as a deterrent or eye-for-an-eye punishment, but a lifetime trying to overcome the traumatic and sometimes criminal lessons of imprisonment. This is not to excuse the actions, sometimes horrific, of young adults. A crime is a crime. But youths of color are disproportionately in the crosshairs of heavy-handed Measure 11 charges that carry the very real threat of serious prison time. It is often an intimidation tactic, with plea deals nearly guaranteed. When four boys from Grant High School shoved and threatened another student, they deserved to be punished. They deserved to learn their lesson. They were 15 and 16 years old at the time. They had time to learn and make retribution. Measure 11, passed by Oregon voters in the mid-90s, requires that juveniles age 15 and older be automatically tried in adult court and face a mandatory minimum sentence if the prosecutor charges them with one of 21 Measure 11 crimes. These crimes range from assault and L Page 3 Editorial robbery to rape and murder. Measure 11 charges of first- and second- degree robbery meant the Grant High boys were treated as adults, and faced mandatory minimum sentences of more than five years in prison. As predicted, the intimidation worked and their charges were reduced to lesser offenses. (Even if you had the money and time to go to court, would you risk five years in prison with no early release?) But the youths are still channeled through the adult system, rather than the juvenile system with services designed for youths. And their mug shots and names were in the media, distributed online and forever affixed on the Internet to serious felonies, regardless of the ultimate conviction. Since 1995, Oregon district attorneys have processed more than 4,000 juveniles younger than 18 through adult court under Measure 11. Multnomah County has the highest rates, charging 1,200 youths with Measure 11 between 1995 and 2012. Of those, 66 percent were kids of color, according to Oregon Justice Resource Center data for both local and statewide figures. In 2015 alone, among resolved juvenile Measure 11 cases in Multnomah County, three out of four involved youths of color. One could argue that charging youths as adults might hold some merit if the practice was shown to reduce crime rates. It’s not. So let’s take our heads out of the tough-on-crime sandbox and really look at what we’re doing to juveniles under Measure 11. It is ineffective and damaging. It is costly and unnecessary. It is time to let it go. Write in If you would like to have something that you’ve written published in our pages, or would like to get involved as a member of our reporting staff, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503-228-5657.joanne@ streefrools.org. W e ask that alt subm issions include the author's name and contact information, if available. Street Roots 211 N W Davis St Portland, OR 97209 503 228 5657 Fax; 503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org , www.news.streetroots.org '7 Hours; 7:30 a.m.- 3 p M Mon.-Fri.,'7:30 p.m. Sat. and 7:30-11 a.m. Sun. Advertising Interested in advertising in Street. Roots? ...., Contact Israel Bayer at is ra e l@ s tre ^ rp o ^ ^ ;. Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer israel@sheetroots.org Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl \oanne@streeVoots.O(Q Making progress in making housing a reality itself out if we’re just able to build more housing units. eople ask me if the homeless and housing Wrong. emergency in Multnomah County is working. The One - Landlords continue to raise rents. short answer is, yes. The long answer is, we’ve got Two - Of the nearly 22,000 new housing units have a long way to go. been built in the Portland region in the past five years The most visible aspect of the homeless emergency is only an estimated 3,000 of those units are affordable to having the mayor’s office more or less legalize tent low-income Portlanders. An estimated 85 percent of camping. A lot of people have those units are luxury units. It’s a train wreck. doubted the mayor’s efforts. It’s County Chair Deborah Kafoury recently said in her my opinion, like it or not, that the State of the County address, “The real question we face policy is creating an atmosphere DIRECTOR'! that regardless of how you feel as a community is the same one we struggle with at the about it, people understand the county: What are our priorities?” Kafoury goes on to say, “The greatest challenge we issue at a much deeper level. By*Israel Bayer Weather you support homeless face, in my view, is how to address the housing crisis in campers in your neighborhood or Multnomah County. Over the last year, rents countywide hate having homeless people in have jumped by double digits and the number of vacant your neighborhood — the answer apartments is hovering at 3 percent. is still housing. It’s the humane thing to do. The cheapest two-bedroom apartment is more than the The reality is for people of color and poor people there take-home pay of a minimum wage worker and more than has been a housing crisis occurring in our community for the benefits of a single parent with two children on decades. Saying that, the homeless emergency is creating temporary cash assistance. That’s why people an atmosphere in both government and in the private increasingly need rent assistance and help finding a sector to act swiftly on important housing policies. home. But providing these services is getting harder. Rental increases and evictions coupled with a shortage We must find ways to include affordable units in the of thousands of affordable housing units are creating a multi-million-dollar developments that are rapidly nightmare scenario in our community. Amid the backdrop changing our"neighborhoods. We need to work with of a thriving city, people are struggling. That struggle is private developers to increase the supply of affordable real. housing for renters and buyers. We also must keep rent Both Mayor Charlie Hales and City Council, along with affordable, otherwise sky-high rent increases and the County Commission led by Deborah Kafoury have no-cause evictions will push more people to need help.” prioritized housing and homelessness. They’ve worked True that. hard to create new shelters, enact new tenant laws to We are looking to our city and county leaders to protect renters, and have supported legislation in Salem continue to be bold and to dream big. to support more affordable housing in our community. Housing advocates and the larger community are They are also promising to give additional support in , looking forward to helping make the dream of giving next year’s budget cycle. These are all great steps, but it’s people a safe place to call home a reality. A dream of that not enough. Not even close. isn’t just for the privileged and elite, but instead one that T hink about this: Our region is short an estimated gives poor and working people a fighting chance to have a 40,000 affordable housing units and growing. Some better life. people say that the private housing market will short ■ .. desk Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots. org o r follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. Vendor P rogram D ire cto r cnie@streetroofs.QTO-. Operations Director Sarah Seecroft Development Director Sarah C loud . : . Program Assistant Scott Jackson, Jesuit Volunteer Development Assistant Ann-Derrick Gail lot Reporters Emily Green, Suzanne Zalokar, Ann-Derrick Gaiflot, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Amanda Waidroupe Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode, Ben Brink Editorial Assistant Monica Kwasnik Canvasser Desmond Hardison Board of Directors Chairman Brad Taylor Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretary Amber Bielman Directors Bruce Anderson, Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Leo Rhodes, Nora Coon, ‘ Marcus Swift Volunteers lan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Stephanie Holum, Anjaii Rathore, Zoe Klingmann, Haven Herrin, Dan Jones, Rob Shyrock, Dennis Hogan, Tom Wright, Eileen Deerdock, Vince Waldman, Judy Taylor, Karen Alien, Monica McKune, Susan Wolfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Buell Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoleymani, Jason Cohen, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Hilary Smith, Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning If you are interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or call our volunteer coordinator for more information at 503-228-5657.
