M a y 3, 2000
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State officials urge com m unity
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Established 1 9 7 0
STAFF
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P u b l is h e r
Charles H. Washington
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L a r r y J . Jackson, S r.
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response to child abuse and neglect
attack on injuries
O f all the tools we have to protect Oregon’s children from
abuse and neglect, information is among the most
important. This month the Oregon Department of Human
Services released its annual report. The Status o f Children
in O regon’s Child Protection System.
Although anecdotal accounts and media reports o f child
abuse and neglect can mobilize a community, influence
policy and raise awareness, data yields a different picture.
For example, each year we learn more about which children
have died and who was responsible. We know that
victims o f abuse and neglect are younger, maltreatment
reports are up and caseloads are climbing.
What we must ask is, “Why?”
Why are children less than a year old dying at the hands
of their caretakers? Why are more children coming into
state care? Why does the state return children to homes
where they were abused or neglected?
Last year the Child Welfare League o f America, in
cooperation with the state child welfare agencies,
presented the nation's first comprehensive, interactive
child welfare database: theNational Data AnalysisSystem.
While a state-by-state comparison is premature because
o f variances in how maltreatment is reported and defined,
the CWLA database is a starting place for gauging the
status ofchildren in the country’schild protection system.
A key factor in Oregon is a child maltreatment category
called “threat o f harm.” Oregon is clearly among the states
that have adopted a broader definition for chi Id abuse and
n eglect, a reflection o f the sta te ’s longstanding
commitment to provide extensive protection to its children.
Threat o f harm includes all activities, conditions, and
persons that place the child at substantial risk o f physical
or sexual abuse, neglect or mental injury. For example,
threat o f harm could include children who are living with
a convicted sex offender, children observing domestic
violence in their homes and siblings o f chi Id maltreatment
victims who have died or were severely injured.
While this category contributes to a higher rate o f victim
counts, it also puts child welfare workers in a position to
identify early on those factors that will contribute to more
abuse and neglect and calls upon us to apply creative
solutions to complex problems.
Among the lessons we continue to learn from Oregon’s
status o f children report is that government alone cannot
meet the goals o f child protection and permanence.
We know how important is its for communities to be
involved in what we do. The people we help - chidren, the
elderly and the disabled - are part o f the communities
where they live and part o f the larger Oregon “family.”
Increasingly w e’re asking counties, cities, schools, non
profit organizations, the faith community and other state
agencies to help us. An example is the community safety
net project that assists counties in organizing local
resources to help children and families at risk so they don’t
have to become involved with state programs and services.
It’s all about the state and local governments working
together to produce better outcomes for individuals and
families.
We will continue to find ways for our various systems -
courts, juvenile corrections, child welfare, adult welfare,
mental health and public health - to work together in the
best interest o f our children.
Gary Weeks is the director o f the Oregon Department o f
Human Services; Ramona Foley is the administrator o f the
State Office for Services to Children and Families.
G a ry A n n T a y lo r
A racial profiling bill cops can love
C
opy
E
d it o r
Joy Ramos
C
r e a t iv e
D
ir e c t o r
Shaw n S trahan
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I
by Earl Ofari Hutchinson
for The Portland Observer
It was a bizarre scene recently in front
o f the C alifornia’s State Capitol
building in Sacramento. Hundreds o f
stu d e n ts, b la c k and L a tin o
com m unity activists, and police
reform advocates were holding a
spirited rally to support a bill by Kevin
M urray, a black D em ocrat state
senator from Los Angeles, to compel
the state to compile figures on the
race, age and gender o f motorists
stopped by the California Highway
Patrol. The CHP makes more traffic
stops than any other police agency in
the nation. The bill also would’ve
required the CHP to tell why motorists
were stopped, and whether a search
and arrest was made as a result o f the
stop.
But midway through the rally the
mood o f the crowd changed from
exuberance to shock and then anger
not at Governor Gray Davis who
vetoed an identical bill M urray
introduced last fall but at Murray.
The crowd turned on him when
they got word that he had gutted the
bill o f the data col lection provision to
get Davis’s signature. The amended
bill required only that police hand a
business card to drivers and undergo
more diversity training. The toothless
bill was immediately hailed by Los
Angeles County Sheriff and LAPD
ChiefBemard Parks. Both have waged
a personal c ru sa d e to to rpedo
le g isla tio n
re q u irin g
th e ir
departments to keep racial stats on
traffic stops.
But if Murray’s original bill requiring
data collection had become law it
w ould’ve been a big step toward
proving or disproving whether police
departments use racial profiles to
harass and intimidate blacks and
Latinos on the highways. Since laws
passed in C alifornia are closely
watched and frequently emulated by
officials in other states, Murray’s bill
might have spurred reluctant and timid
officials in those states to pass a
similar law. This would have been a
crucial breakthrough for another
reason. Manv blacks and Latinos
have long screamed that police target
them for sh ake dow ns on the
highways and streets. According to
a Justice Department study, blacks
comprise about 14 percent o f the
population, yet account for more than
70 percent o f all routine traffic stops.
Murray him self took up the fight
against racial profiling because o f a
scrape he had with police. On election
night in June, 1998, he and his wife
w ere retu rn in g hom e from his
campaign headquarters when they
were pulled over by a police officer in
Beverly H ills. M urray was not
speeding, or driving unsafely. He
immediately identified himself to the
o ffic e r as a sta te o ffic ia l and
explained where he was coming from
and going. This meant nothing to the
officer who ran a complete check on
him. M urray’s title, position, and
prestige as an incumbent state senator
counted for nothing. He publicly
protested that he was a victim o f
“driving while black and brown,” filed
a lawsuit against the police, and
introduced his bill.
B e v e rly H ills p o lic e o ffic ia ls
responded to Murray’s complaint the
same way most police agencies do to
thousands o f others who say they
are victims o f racial profiling. They
sav that it’s illegal and they don’t do
it. But that’s easy for them to say
since other than anecdotal horror
tales by black and Latino motorists o f
police mistreatment on the highways,
there is no real smoking gun proof
that the practice exists. To get that
kind o f proof requires state law
enforcement agencies to keep hard i
n u m b e rs on the race o f
all motorists they stop on the
roads.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
Yourchildren will probably beexposed
to pesticides today, and you may not
even know it. Pesticides are used
pretty much everywhere our children
go, in schools, playgrounds, parks,
yards and even within our homes. It
is unfortunate that in this age o f nearly
ubiquitous use, we don’t have the
right to know wheje or when we are
being exposed to these potentially
dangerous chemicals.
Anyone can be sickened by exposure
to pesticides, but children, especially
young children, are often the most
susceptible. Exposure at a young age
can w reak havoc w ith c ritical
developmental processes. Increases
in rates o f childhood leukemias,
asthmas and allergies have been
linked to increased use o f pesticides
within the last 50 years. In 1996 alone,
over 126,000pesticideexposures were
reported to poison control centers.
Over a half o f these were children
under six who were poisoned within
their own homes.
We need to know what our children
are being exposed to, so we can have
a chance o f protecting them from
th e se d a n g e ro u s ch em icals.
Currently, Oregon has the second
worst rate o f exposure cases in our
schools. A study done by Northwest
C o a litio n fo r A lte rn a tiv e s to
Pesticides found that symptoms such
as headaches, dizziness, nausea and
rashes occurred in schoolchildren,
even from applications following all
safety measures. In September, the
Oregon legislature passed a bill
requiring disclosure o f pesticide use
in Oregon. Currently, the governor
and the Department o f Agriculture
are working out the details o f how
this law will be applied and enforced.
I urge an y o n e and everyone
concerned about pesticide exposures
to contact the governor or the D o f A.
We must have an effective tracking
system for pesticides so we can have
a chance o f protecting ourselves and
our children.
Sincerely,
Sound bites and negativism can be more persuasive than logic and
objectivity. Emotions inhibit rational thinking. Take Constitutional
Amendment 81. On May 16, Oregon voters will decide whether to
amend our constitution to allow the Legislature to restrict the amount
o f money that a person may recover in any civil claim . The amendment
was put on the ballot by the Legislature, acting at the request o f
powerful special interests, including HMOs, big insurance companies
and the tobacco lobby.
In promoting the measure, the special interests who created it are trying
to focus your attention on the supposed source o f all evil; the dreaded
trial lawyer. W hilethecampaignforConstitutional Amendment 81 will
attack trial lawyers over and over again, be aware - the true object o f
the attack is citizen juries.
The amendment would take away the effectiveness o fa trial by jury, a
basic right guaranteed in the Constitution. Politicians in Salem, who
have not heard the facts o f a case, not heard witnesses or a judge’s
instruction to a jury would be able to make one-size-fits-all decisions
on civil court issues. Decisions by juries o f 12 ordinary citizens that hear
testimony, weigh evidence and make decisions on a case-by-case basis
would be overridden by the legislature.
Sometimes the courts are the only way to make a bad company pay for
its actions. This proposed change to our constitution would allow
corporations who harm consumers with faulty and unsafe products to
walk away with only a slap on the wrist, while the victims would have
to pay their own medical bills. Irresponsible companies should be
punished and faulty products should be forced off the market. Exploding
gas tanks and faulty garage door openers have killed and yet only
through civil action did the companies change those products and pay
for their deception.
The effects o f changing the constitution would not be limited to injury
claims. The “civil actions” referred to in the measure include everything
in civil court - contract disputes, patent infringements, hazardous
waste claims, claims o f corporate stockholders, fraud schemes, anything
you can possibly think of, without exception. If you’re seeking justice,
who would you rather have deciding your case, a jury o f 12 ordinary
people or the politicians and lobbyists in Salem?
The proponents o f 81 are referring to our right to jury trial as “the
lawyers’ loophole.” Funny, w e’ve had the right to trial by jury in our
state constitution as a so-called loophole for the past 150 years.
Common sense tells us that upholding the constitution will not create
a loophole. Justice is not a loophole.
Before we get too overwhelmed at the sound bites and scare tactics,
we should think about the philosophy o f the politicians, insurance
corporations, HMOs and tobacco com panies who brought us
Constitutional Amendment 81 They assert that we, as citizens, are not
rational enough to make reasonable decisions when we serve on juries,
and therefore we should give up our democratic right to decide what
is adequate compensation for someone’s loss. They say we should
give up our most basic democratic right. It doesn’t make sense to me,
but the proponents o f Constitutional Amendment 81 are betting
hundreds o f thousands o f dollars they can overcome our common
sense if they just say the right words.
When you hear the campaign for 81 attack trial lawyers, look for the
substance. Read the ballot measure explanation in your voter pamphlet.
The real target is juries and you, the citizen juror.
EXPLORE YOUR FUTURE
COLLEGE PREP WORKSHOP
MAY 13, 2000
High school students and their parents are invited to attend
this free informative workshop on getting ready for college.
Whether you are looking at eventually attending a community
college, a state university, or a private college, this event will
help bring your future into focus. You can attend sessions on:
Rigel Pearce
To the Editor,
Anne and Annette Kirkwood of
Madras are my heroes. These two
w om en used the civil justice
system to hold General Motors
accountable for the exploding
side-saddle gas tanks installed on
GM pickup trucks. If you don’t
recall the news coverage, Anne
w as h o rrib ly b u rn e d in the
accident and shows her bravery
every day, just fighting to stay
alive.
Unfortunately, the Legislature put
Constitutional Amendment 81 on
the May 16 ballot to make it more
difficult to hold big corporations
accountable for faulty products.
When you get your voter pamplet,
p le a se read c a re fu lly the
explanation o f Amendment 81. If it
passes, Oregonians will lose a
basic right, the right to trial by
ju ry .
L e t’s
p ro te c t
our
constitutional rights and vote
“No” on 81.
•
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Benefits of a College Education
Developing the Vision
Understanding the Admissions Process
Unlocking the Mystery of Financial Aid
What Should I Know Now to Plan for College?
Exploring the Options - Dispelling the Myths
This is a great opportunity to get a jump-start on your future.
There will be door prizes and snacks provided for the day.
W HERE AND WHEN:
Maranatha Church of God
4222 N.E. 12th Avenue
May 13, 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Sponsored by the African-American A lum ni o f George Fox University
TO RESERVE A SEAT, ( Al l 554-2253
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