Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2004)
programs for transition, along with drug and alcohol treatment in prisons. “They have reduced the very programs which would make a successful transition a more likely income,” says Chase. “Research based cognitive restructuring programs are the core of offender rehabil- itation programs … which would reduce recidivism and consequently reduce incar- ceration costs.” Chase blames not only the governor, but also the DOC and the Legislature: “What this says about our priorities as a state and our hopes and dreams for the future is not encouraging,” he says. The DOC’s mission statement is to “promote public safety by holding offend- ers accountable for their actions and reducing the risk of future criminal behav- ior.” — TJT PRETEXT FOR PROFILING Cortez Jordan’s allegation that police stopped and searched him while walking on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard because he is black has sparked a storm of criticism of Eugene Police and calls for reform. The police investigated themselves and cleared themselves of wrongdoing. A sum- mary of the police investigation of the complaint against police states that the stop was legal because officers may legal- ly stop an individual who commits a traf- fic violation. What was Jordan’s alleged “traffic violation?” Hundreds of white people do it every day in Eugene without police stopping them. Jordan allegedly violated Eugene Municipal Code Section 5.425 which states, “A pedestrian shall cross a street at a right angle, unless crossing within a crosswalk.” Since most people don’t walk with pro- tractors, such a broadly worded ordinance in effect gives police a legal pretext to stop anyone they want. But EPD hasn’t used the ordinance to sweep up violators in North Eugene cul de sacs. Police, of course, have enforced this ordinance with a high degree of selectivi- ty. Police reform protesters in the 1990s complained that the police had singled them out for “right angle probation” viola- tions. Jordan now complains he was tar- geted because he’s black. Statistically, Eugene police stop blacks at a much higher rate. A Eugene police department study of 18,000 traffic stops in 2002 found that officers chose to stop black drivers at a rate 2.3 times higher than whites. Police officers then chose to search those black drivers at a 37 percent higher rate. The rate at which police stopped young black males (like Jordan) was especially high. There are only about 280 black males aged 18 to 29 in Eugene, according to Census data. But Eugene police report- ed 151 traffic stops among this small group in 2002. That’s an annual rate of more than one stop per two young black men in Eugene. — Alan Pittman EVEN TORREY NOW BACKS IT open and transparent to the public and have real strength and teeth; “otherwise it’s just a waste of time.” — Alan Pittman Sex abuse and racial profiling scandals at the Eugene Police Department have had an impact. No one now appears to openly oppose creating an independent citizen police review board for police complaints. Mayor Jim Torrey opposed creating such a board in 1998, when a measure to create one failed by less than 1 percent. But at a Dec. 6 council meeting Torrey announced, “I’m convinced it is now time to move forward with a civilian review effort.” The Police Commission that Torrey has largely packed with uncritical police boosters for the past four years has also come around. At a Dec. 9 meeting, com- missioners unanimously voiced support for creating a citizen review board. But Police Commissioner Angie Sifuentez pointed out, “the question is not if we need an external review board, but what is the best external review board for the community.” Deciding that next year could be a tough political fight for advocates of meaningful police reform. Police Commissioner and City Councilor Bonny Bettman said she “wholeheartedly sup- ports” external review, but warned, “I will not hesitate to oppose a body that lacks empowerment.” Police Commissioner Tim Laue also warned that real external review has to be UNDERCOVERED VOTE FRAUD • Michigan Congressman John Conyers of the House Judiciary Committee stated last week that he and others are “prepared” to formally challenge the Ohio electoral votes when U.S. presidential votes are counted in Congress on Jan. 6. However, Conyers has not yet decided to proceed. At least one senator willing to join a chal- lenge is also necessary, and many grass- roots groups are working to find a senator. • Locally, members of truthinvoting.org are holding a Vigil for a Fair Vote in the Eugene offices of U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio and Sen. Ron Wyden, asking them to agree to join in a challenge if it is brought by Conyers and/or others (www.truthinvot- ing.org). • Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell delayed the beginning of his state’s recount until Dec. 13 — just in time for Ohio’s electors to cast all their votes for Bush. They did this despite a lawsuit asking for a court order to stop the electors’ meeting, and a request by Conyers and others to delay or treat the electors’ vote as provisional until the recount could be completed. The recount is now proceeding but so far shows little change in vote totals. The lawsuit, brought by a group of Ohio voters, demands an overturn of the state vote, alleging that Kerry won. Dismissed on a technicality Dec. 16, the suit was refiled the next day. • Reports of voting irregularities and recount sabotage surface on a daily basis, and major newspapers such as the New York Times and Washington Post have begun to cover them. An employee of Triad Systems, which provides vote-counting software for almost half Ohio’s 88 counties, allegedly arrived at a county elections office before the recount and dismantled a machine, apparently replacing parts, then suggested to elections employees that they post machine- count totals inconspicuously in their office so they could make hand-recount numbers match exactly. Conyers has asked the FBI to investigate. Elections officers in one Ohio county took polling books away from recounters, reportedly on Blackwell’s orders, then left the books and ballots lying in an unlocked building all night. • John Kerry has now written a letter to election boards in all Ohio counties, ask- ing a series of questions about the vote count. However, Blackwell has refused to answer any of Conyers’ 36 questions about state election irregularities. “If these alle- gations are obviously baseless as you have claimed,” responded Conyers, “it would seem you could perform a public service by dispelling them. The voters deserve no less.” For frequent news updates, see www.solarbus.org and www.audit- thevote.org — Kate Rogers Gessert BLUEPRINT FOR DIVERSITY Participants in the first two public diversity conversations offered suggestions such as improving the complaint-resolution process and holding supervisors responsible for diversity issues within their units. The family member of one student of color said that the student felt isolated on campus and was thinking about By Kera Abraham leaving the university. “Our goal is to keep that to an absolute he UO’s year-old Office of Institutional Equity and minimum,” Vincent says. The numbers of underrepresented students at the UO is at a Diversity (OIED) is taking steps to create a diversity action historic high of 13.3 percent, partly due plan for the university. OIED has formed to the university’s diversity-building a work group and an advisory group to scholarships and minority recruitment lay out the plan, assist with consulting programs, Vincent says. Although the and incorporate feedback from a series proportion of minority students is lower of public “diversity conversations.” The than that at some other universities (UC goal is to align diversity initiatives and Berkeley’s student body is 65 percent resources “so we can get the best bang non-white), Vincent says that the num- for our buck,” says Vice Provost of bers are heartening given Oregon’s Institutional Equity and Diversity Greg racist history. Vincent. “I’m certainly aware of the unfortu- The diversity action plan has five nate history of Oregon, and I think that prongs: developing cultural competency, did artificially keep the numbers [of building critical mass, expanding the underrepresented students at the UO] “pipeline” (a metaphor describing the low, but then we have these other demo- student’s journey from high school graphic realities of Oregon — a grow- through college and into the work force), ing Latino population, for example,” strengthening community, and develop- Vincent says. “All of the growth is in ing the diversity infrastructure. the minority populations.” John Shuford, director of the Center The UO’s diversity action plan will on Diversity and Community (CoDaC), Vice Provost Greg Vincent draw from similar programs at the is involved in the cultural competency aspect of the plan. “Cultural competency is basically the posses- University of Wisconsin and Ohio State, Vincent says. If the sion of the awarenesses, knowledges, skills, values, and beliefs development process goes smoothly, the diversity action plan will that are necessary to effectively engage and serve a diverse pop- be implemented by January 2005. “People here are really excited about this,” Shuford says. “It’s ulation,” he says. “Diversity demographics change constantly. an area that a lot of folks have wanted to work on in a more struc- There’s an ongoing need for skill-building.” Vincent, who runs the OIED, is responsible for leading and tured way, and I think that the creation of this new office [OIED] coordinating the diversity action plan across campus. He says that has created the conditions to do that.” The next public diversity conversation will take place Jan. 18 community members as well as senior university officials have from 9:30 to 11:30 am in the Knight Library Browsing Room. expressed a commitment to bolstering diversity at the UO. T DECEMBER 23, 2004 9
