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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 2017)
Street Roots • Feb. 3-9, 2017 Editorial Our humanity the greatest defense against tyranny ince Friday, Jan. 27, when President Donald is a trust in our system that needs to be in placé for a I Trump signed an executive order to stop all society to work and for everyone to be safe,” he said. ’refugees from entering the United States, outrage “Trump is trying to destroy that and we can’t allow it to has steamrolled through our community. happen.” The president’s order is not just misguided, it is So what do we do about it? , racist. It is intended to incite further hatred and Find and give strength: We stand in solidarity with violence, to divide and conquer. our community. We call out injustice when we see it, in It’s the lure of fear, the casting of “the other”, that . person and through social media. On a more personal for racists and bigots becomes a siren song that beckons , level, we need to be supportive of the people in the to take down the whole ship. crosshairs of this administrative dehumanization, For all its liberal leanings, because there are real, dire consequences if it is allowed ip ill B & T Portland and our surrounding to continue without opposition. Our friends and iM iy F I t * MJF communities are not in a bubble neighbors who are intended to be beaten down, need to on this. People in our own be propped up, with compassion and understanding on a community are being directly daily basis. threatened in the name of this Republican Know th e facts: The journeys that immigrants and .administration. refugees have taken to become Oregonians and Just recently, Latino men and women gathered at St. Portlanders can be treacherous, and the contribution Peter’s Catholic Church on Southeast 87th Avenue were they make to our city is immeasurable. Our Planet harassed by people shouting epithets and trying to Portland series has highlighted just a few of these provoke violence. In Clackamas County, a 15-year-old amazing men and women, people who have beaten student found notes that said “go backto Africa tremendous odds to come to America and start a new (n-word).” Her mother reporter to KOIN News that they life, Chaos, distrust and division are the enemies here, were hearing about a lot more hate crimes than they not the diverse humanity that enriches our community, were only a few months ago. And with the president’s . and frankly neither are the people from the seven tacit endorsement of the Ku Klux Kian, the racial countries this administration has singled out for the violence against all communities of color will continue immigration ban. There isn’t a single case of stateside ratcheting up. The incidents are disgusting and we won’t terrorism from any of their emigrants in at least the give them any breathing room here. past two decades. Even our own Department of More recently The Oregonian and other media have Homeland Security recognizes that we have far more to reported that officers with ICE, the Bureau of fear from the homegrown extremists and hate groups that are pushing these kinds of terrible policies in the immigration and Customs Enforcement, are roaming the halls of the Multnomah County Courthouse, stalking f ir s t p la c e. G et o r g a n iz e d . Know what’s happening with your people they believe to be immigrants and ta k in g th e m neighborhood association. There are many groups in to custody - all u n d e rc o v e r, w ith o u t c o m in g c le a n th a t working to educate people on what s at stake and what they were federal agents. c a n b e d o n e . A n d s u p p o r t t h e g r o u p s d o in g t h a t g o o d If federal officials continue to harass people when work, from the ACLU on down to local organizations. they seek safety and rightful legal protections, people This week, the ACLU of Oregon, Immigrant Law Group will no longer seek safely. If a woman is abused by her PC and Unite Oregon filed a lawsuit against the Trump partner, but cannot feel safe going to the police in times administration on the grounds that the ban of peril, she will stay in peril. unconstitutional. They do so joining other states with Portland and Multnomah County law enforcement similar suits, including have recognized this and Washington. They can’t io that without the have refused to neglect support of hundreds of . their obligation to public thousands of people in safety and civil liberties Oregon and beyond who by becoming an stand with them. extension of federal We also need to immigration policies. In remember that we can fact, state law prohibits local resources from - we will - win. Because this isn’t a being used to enforce single battle, it is an those policies. But the ongoing defense of our more sweeping, civil and.human rights. underlying problem with There will be more ICE officials in our battles ahead, but courthouses is laid out together we shall by David Rogers, overcome. executive director of ACLU of Oregon. “There Page 3 Write in I f you would Bee to have . something / / \ Z — -— \ __ _ A that you’v e ' written published in our pages, or would \ \ \ contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503*228-5657, joanne@streetroofe.org. We ask that all submissions 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.streetroofe.org Hours: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.~Fri., 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. and 7:30-1 p.m. Sun. Advertising interested in advertising in Street Roots? Contact Israel Bayer at israefcMreetrGOts.org Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer israel@streetroots.org Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl joanne@streetfoots.org V endor P ro g ra m D ire cto r Cote Merkel . C0le@SVeelr00tS.0r9 •; . O p e ra tio n s D ir e c to r Sarah Beecroft Development D irector Sarah Cloud Program Assistant M e g h a n n Van P e lt Jesuit Volunteer Development Assistant Patricia Romero Reporters Emily Green, Suzanne Zalokar, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Amanda.Waldroupe, Stephen Quirke Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode Editorial Assistant Monica Kwasnik Canvasser Desmond Hardison Board of Directors Chairman Brad Taylor Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretary Dan Jones Directors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Leo Rhodes, Sandra Hahn, John Brown, Marcus Swift Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Anjali Rathore, Zoe Klingmann, Dan Jones, Dennis Hogan, Monica McKune, Susan Wolfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Buell Jr.,-Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoteymani, Jason Cohen, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning, Paul and Madeline Gefroh, Mary Anne Joyce, Anne Reif, Gillian Floren, Mark Oldani, Meg Holden, Bridget Brown, Cody Travels, Bianca Butler, Robb Hengerer, Alex Cherin, Tom Vandel and Grace Gallagher. If you're interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or you can call for more information at 503-228-5657. BY C A R O LY N CAM PBELL Portland protester. / like to get' involved as a member of our reporting staff,
