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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 2017)
Street Roots • March 10-16, 2017 E d it o r ia l Destructive immigration policies call for a united front t’s heartbreaking to watch. A young man, taking his 13-year-old daughter to school, is handcuffed and taken away by immigration officers, all while his daughter - still in the car - films it on her phone. Her wails are audible on the recording. It’s a scene of great sorrow and anguish, brought to you by your tax dollars, and one played out by families across the country as draconian immigration policies hit the streets. ICE says it is simply _________________ . doing business as usual. But it is n o t It is a powerful federal agency now operating under authoritarian leadership from the White House, pushing harder on arbitrary laws, dredging up decades-old records and targeting specific populations based on the color of their . skin. It’s breaking up families, and lawmakers in Washington DC., are now talking about taking children from mothers who cross the border, immediate deportations and spending more tax dollars on new detention centers. There’s no question that immigration laws in this country are a mess, but doubling down on this militarized, industrial immigration complex shows the opposite of reform. It is terrorizing families and children. It is breaking a vital social contract In Oregon, it’s no surprise to see the familiar slate of anti-immigrant bills raise their heads again. One bill would abolish Oregon’s sanctuary state designation, which essentially prohibits state and local law enforcement from expending any resources toward federal immigration efforts. This statute creates a formal wall between the two, as I EDITORIAL leadership has said it will not allow these bills to move forward. Multnomah County and Portland lawmakers have followed suit, defending people’s civil liberties ànd declaring in favor of sanctuary, not deportation. But while there is the potential to tear communities apart - and perhaps that’s the intention here - in some ways the opposite is actually happening. To be sure, the fear is real and palpable: brown skin is now probable cause. But people are talking. People are looking at not only the rule of law as a defense, but also the rules of solidarity, compassion and common sense. Since 1965, restoring families has been a cornerstone of our immigration laws. And contrary to the hyperbole of the right, immigrants - documented or otherwise - pay taxes, enrich our community and are essential to our economy. People are sticking their necks out and figuring out how to do the right thing, including the academic and religious communities. People cure not standing idly by. Nonetheless, action is not to be undertaken carelessly. ICE is not our local police bureau, and this isn’t politics as usual. The current environment requires action, yes, but also caution. Know your rights. Educate yourself with the Immigration Defense Project and the ACLU, which have a wealth of information about people’s rights and options; There’s a role in this for all of us. Support your city and county representatives. We can draw a line the sand, but it’s only as Strong as the solidarity behind it. Support your state représentatives for their push back against 4he= trickle-down oppression that th e r e sh o u ld 'be. T h e re is also tn e familiar effort to vilifies im m igrants and refugees. make English the official language of Oregon, I Check within your community to learn more about what you can do to protect yourselves and others. There is too much at stake to sit by and wait for people to show up. apropos of nothing, and to require state employers to use a specious federal verification database when hiring workers. Wisely, the state’s Democrat Sheeptoast by Elizabeth Considine Page 3 Write in If you would like / tohave / \ something - that you’ve X . written published x . 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@streetroots.org. We ask that all submissions include the author’s name and contact information, if available. Street Roots 211 NW Davis St. Portland, O R 9 7 2 0 9 503-2 2 8 -5 6 5 7 Fax; 503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.news.streetroots.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 israel@streetroots.org. Staff Executive D irector Israel Bayer israei@sfreetFoots.org Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl joanne@streetroots.org Vendor P ro g ra m D ire c to r ' ’ cde@streetroots.org CoW^feFket < O perations D ire c to r Sarah Beecroft D evelopm ent D ire c to r Sarah Cloud Program A ssistant Meghann Van Pelt Jesuit Volunteer Development A ssistant Patricia Romero Reporters Emily Green, Suzanne Zalokar, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Amanda Waldroupe, Stephen Quirke Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode Editorial A ssistant Monica Kwasnik Canvasser Desmond Hardison Board of Directors Chairm an Brad Taylor Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford Treasu rer Heather Stadlck Secretary Dan Jones Street Roots welcomes Elizabeth Considine to our pages with her new cartoon, Sheeptoast. Elizabeth was bom in Portland and has been drawing since she could hold a pen. She loves theater, growing food, poetry, chickens and walking her three dogs in the Park. “I fin d inspiration in the strangeness o f life and the character of human nature. I hope my art will inspire contemplation, curiosity and an odd thought or two.” D irectors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Sandra Hahn and John Brown Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Anjali Rathore, Zoe Klingmann, Dan Jones, Daryl Hogan, Monica McKune, Susan Wolfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Buell Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoleymani, Jason Cohen, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning, Paul and Madeline Gef roh, Mary Anne Joyce, Del Shawn Davidson, Gillian Floren, Mark OIDee, Meg Holden, Bridget Brown, Cody Travels, Bianca Butler, Robb Hengerer, Alex Cherin, Tom Vandel, Grace Gallagher, Jenny Farres, Evan Firsick, Camber Hansen-Karr, Miranda Woods and Helen Hill. 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.
