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
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BY C A R O LY N CAM PBELL
Portland protester.
/
like to get' involved as a
member of our reporting staff,