Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2000)
ÿurtlanh ©bseruer April 12,2000 Focus Page 7 Blue vs. Black In Print Let’s End the Conflict Between Cops and Minorities BLUE VS. BLACK By John L Burris with Catherine Whitney St. Martin’s Press; 1999 Many of us believe that cases of police brutality are isolated events, happening only in large cities and having no bearing on our own lives. But incidents of cop violence against minority citizens have come far too common everywhere in America, and the problem affects us all. John L. B urris, a nationally renowned civil rights attorney, has spent the past tw enty years defending the rights of minorities who have been the victims o f police misconduct and excessive use of force. In Blue vs. Black he tells the true, heartbreaking stories o f many of them - a young community center director who is savagely beaten by cops before the eyes ofthechildren in his care; a woman who is handcuffed to a chainlinked fence by a female officer and humiliated in front o f her neighbors, simply because of a minor traffic violation; a father who is pulled overby police officers and shocked with a stun gun w hile his three-year-old daughter screams in the backseat of the car. These are not criminals, but ordinary, law abiding citizens. Burris introduces us to several remarkable men and women who, by letting their stories be told in this book, demonstrate their courage in trying to repair the damaged relationships between blacks and law-enforcement officials. Burris present with compassion and insight a measured analysis of tensions between police and the people they are meant to protect. In this important and moving work, he offers solutions forending the cycle of police and civilian distrust. > ?» J LI I S I N I ) I HI C O N FL IC T BI 1 \\ I IN ( O P S AND MINORI LIES JOHN L. BURRIS ■ a , ,i VI 111 R I M W III IN I Ì SPRING EVENTS My Soul to Keep I& I “Reggae Inna Afrikan Stylee” • Thursday, March 23, at 7pm BATTLE OF THE BANDS 2000 By Tananarive Due HarperPrism; 1997 Jessica is an African-American journalist, as ambitious as she is bright. She is chasing the biggest story o f her life, a story that strikes closer to home than she knows. Dawit is an immortal, whose ancient thirst for wisdom leads him to break the first commandment of his kind: not to fall in love. Together they are about to pay the ultim ate p rice for th eir ambition.. and their desire. Tananarive Due, the author o f A/y Soul to Keep is a Miami Herald columnist and the author o f The Between, a novel the New York Times Book Review hailed as “a finely honed work that always engages and frequently surprises.” A finalist forthe Bram Stoker Award for a first novelist, she is also included in N aked Came the Manatee, a collaborative mystery novel featuring several Miami writers. Ali EERIE EPIC. .MACS FAVORAW.E COMPARISON TO ffIT ttV K W WITH T M VAA PIPL I LOVED THIS HOVEL - S t e p h e n K in g My S o u l t o Keep STEVE BRADLEY GROUP WITH JON KOONCE VS. THE X ANGELS Thursday, March 30 at 7pm HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’S BIRTHDAY STORYTELLING featuring Will Homyak Sunday, April 2, 6:30pm to 8:30pm ■ Reservations required Adults $10 • Children Free (maximum four children per adult) JACKSTRAW Bluegrass • Thursday, April 6, 7pm JACK McMAHON BAND Country Rock • Thursday, April 13, 7pm THE STEVE BRADLEY BAND Surf Rock • Thursday, April 20, 7pm EASTER BRUNCH WITH THE BUNNY Sunday, April 23, 9am to 2pm • Call for reservations JIM BASNIGHT BAND Pop Roots Rock • Thursday, April 27, at 7pm All ages welcome • No cover charge unless noted M cM en am in s K en n ed y School author or rut tHTwttn 5736 NE 33rd • Portland, Oregon • 249-3983 www.mcmcnamins.com
