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and
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VICTORY
Middle School
5250 NE MLK (Near Killingsworth)
503-789-9099
FREE Public Charter School
July 07, 2004
Sentenced to HARD TIME
continued
from Front
into Measure 11, people began re­
alizing that the net was too big,
encompassing too many people
who had never been in trouble be­
fore," said Deborah Smith, a Port­
land State professor who teaches a
course titled Racism Within the
Justice System.
Measure 11 offenses include
assault, murder, rape and sexual
abuse, arson, robbery and kidnap­
ping, carrying mandatory minimum
sentences of anywhere from 70 to
300 months.
Juvenile offenders are tried as
adults at the age of 15 under M ea­
sure 11. They’re assigned proba­
tion officers for adults who often
have larger caseloads than their
youth counterparts.
Judges cannot make distinction
between first and multiple offend­
ers or an individual’s circumstance
for Measure 11 crimes. Measure 11
also places an “inexpungible” or
permanent felony on a juvenile’s
record.
Former state representative and
African-American community ac­
tivist Jo Ann Bowman helped to
organize Parents AgainstCruel and
Unusual Punishment (PacUp), a
group supporting parents of kids
INSTITUTION
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserve *
The arbitrary tough on crime Measure 11 has helped Till new prisons across the state, like the
Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla.
nal justice system is that it dispro-
portional impacts com munities of
color.”
Paul Levy, an attorney trainer
with the Metropolitan Public De­
fenders agrees that Measure 11 is
overbroad and damaging to young
people.
“Y outhful offenders who make
their first m istake have a huge
price to pay,” he said. "The first
tim e offender is treated the same
as the m ulti-tim e offender. It’s a
law not capable o f taking in d i­
vidual circum stances into co n ­
sid eratio n .”
Donald Lincoln, a program su­
pervisor overseeing youth offend-
* its insane to create a
criminal justice system that has
no flexibility. It puts all the
power in the hands of the
district attorney.
- Former State. Rep. Jo Ann Bowman
Minimum Sentences
W » 1 :-f:
Aggravated Murder
Murder*
30years-life-death
25years
Attempt to commit aggravated murder
Conspiracy to commit aggra v. murder
Manslaughter!*
10
10
10
8 ,4 months
8 ,4 months
8 ,4 months
7 ,6 months
7 ,6 months
7 ,6 months
7 ,6 months
7 ,6 months
7 ,6 months
6 ,3 months
6 ,3 months
Rape I*
Sodomy I*
Unlawful Sexual Penetration I*
Attempt to commit murder
Conspiracy toconunitmurder
Assault I*
Kidnapping I*
Robbery I*
Arson I
Manslaughter II*
RapeH*
Sodomy II*
Unlawful Sexual Penetration II*
Sexual Abuse I*
Assault 11*
Kidnapping II*
Robbery II*
UsingaChild in a Display of Sexually
Explicit Conduct
Compelling Prostitution
■ V
6 ,3 months
6 ,3 months
6 ,3 months
5,10 months
5,10 months
5,10 months
5,10 months
5,10 months
* Original Measure 11 Offenses
convicted o f Measure 11 crimes.
O ther organizations such as the
Oregon Criminal Justice Reform
Coalition, have also taken up the
cause.
“It does such a disservice to
the w hole idea o f ju stice ,’,’ said,
Bowman. " It’s insane to create a
crim inal ju stice system that has
no flexibility. It puts all the pow er
in the hands o f the district atto r­
ney. The ju d g e who is im partial
c a n ’t use his skills to m ake the
d ecisio n .”
“What we know about our crimi-
ersin Multnomah. Washington and
Clackamas counties, says he sees
how Measure 11 affects young
people, directly.
“T h is w as c le a rly to d e te r
youth from getting involved in
serious crim es hut w hat ends up
happening is you have youth that
have never had a relationship with
the courts in for a length o f tim e.
W hether it’s your first tim e or
your 25th tim e, y o u ’re going to be
charged the sam e,” Lincoln said.
According to Lincoln, it’s par­
ticularly hard for youth to rejoin
society with a Measure 11 offense
on their record.
“ It’s going to be difficult co m ­
ing out as a felon. G oing in at 17,
com ing out a t7 5 , you haye noth-.,
ing but a t'e|pny charge; haqptipg,
you for the rest o f your life.”
A ballot measure attempting to
repeal Measure 11 in 1999 was voted
down, largely because o f a pro-
Measure 11 platform from one-time
can d id ate for g o v ern o r K evin
Mannix during hiscampaign for the
state attorney general.
i
Since then, the governor has
convened a major task force study­
ing all facets o f sentencing in the
state.
“I think it harms society to label
16 year olds felons for life. They ’ re
going to have such a tougher time
becoming a productive member of
society, getting and keeping a job,"
said Smith, who was also a trial
lawyer, often defending Measure
11 cases. “To automatically set up
all these kids that way, is very dis­
turbing to me.”
MMMMMMMNHHMM
R R W M M M M M
Better College Opportunities Promised Mandatory Sentences Faulted
New Principal: Cottrell White, Jr.
Victory Chairman o f the Board, Mariano “Dan"
Lucero (Left), and Victory advocate Donna Maxey
welcome new Victory Principal Cottrell White. Jr.
(Right).
Beating the National Average
Victory students are beating the national average! Test
scores prove it. Your child can join a winning team.
Call us today.
Victory Has . . .
i
He said although college
(A P)— Democratic presi­
graduates will earn $9(X),000
dential candidate John Kerry
more over their careers, less
says if he’s elected president,
I million more students will
than a third o f all Americans
graduate from college during
and less than a fifth of black
his first five years in office
Americans have a four-year
and he will bring a special
degree.
focus to boosting opportu­
K erry’s education plan
nities for low-income and mi­
would require colleges to re­
nority students.
port to parents and students
annual data on the number of
“We need to move toward
m inority, low -incom e and
the day when four years of
college is as universal and Democratic Presidential
middle-income students en­
affordable as a high school Candidate John Kerry
rolling and graduation.
education is today.” Kerry told the Rain
His plan would make a special push to
bow-PUSH Coalition.
encourage students to study.
(AP) — Many get-tough approaches to crime
don’t work and some, such as mandatory minimum
sentences for small-time drug offenders, are unfair
and should be abolished, a report from the American
Bar Association said.
Laws requiring mandatory minimum prison terms
leave little room toconsider differences among crimes
and criminals, an ABA commission found in its study
of problems in the criminal justice system. More people
are behind bars for longer terms, but it is unclear
whether the country is safer as a result, the ABA said.
The report and recommendations for changes in
sentencing, prison conditions and programs for re­
leased prisoners follow criticism of the criminal ju s­
tice system last year from Supreme Court Justice
Anthony M. Kennedy.
• 15:1 Student-to-Teacher Ratio
• FREE lllition
(Equal Opportunity)
• Theme-Based Curriculum
• Certified Teachers
• Grades Based on Performance
• Before and After School Help
• 6 Annual Field Trips
• ESL and Special Ed Welcome
VICTORY
Middle School
MMMMM
Cosby Doesn’t Mince Words on Black Ills
continued
from Front
the white man is doing against us.
And it keeps a person frozen in their
seat, it keeps you frozen in your
hole you’re sitting in.”
Cosby lamented that the racial
slurs once used by those who
lynched blacks are now a favorite
expression of black children. And
he blamed parents.
“W hen you put on a record
and that record is yelling 'n -------
this and n------ th a t’ and y o u ’ve
got your little 6-year-old, 7-year-
old sitting in the back seat o f the
car, those children hear that,” he
said.
He also condemned black men
who missed out on opportunities
and are now angry about their lives.
“Y ou’ve got to stop beating up
your women because you can ’ t find
a job, because you didn’t want to
get an education and now you’re
(earning) minimum wage,” Cosby
said. “You should have thought
more of yourself when you were in
high school, when you had an op­
portunity."
Jlortlanb (©bseruer Established 1970
USPS 9 5 9 -6 8 0
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211
5250 NE MLK (Near Killingsworth)
503-789-9099
FREE Public Charter School
Equal Opportunity lor A ll Victory Middle School admit-» students o f
tiny race, color, nationality and ethnic origin to all the rights,
privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made
available to students at the school
♦
Charles H. Washington
EDiTor.Michael L eighton
R e p o r t e r : Jaymee R. Cuti
D istrirution M anager : Mark W ashington
C reative D irector : Paul N eu feld t
O ffice M anager : K athy L inder
E ditor - in - c h ie f , P uilisher :
“Dogs, water hoses that tear the
Cosby appeared Thursday with
the Rev. Jesse Jackson, founder bark off trees. Emmett Till,” he said,
and president o f the education naming the black youth who was
fu n d ,
w ho
d e fe n d e d
the tortured and murdered in M issis­
sippi in 1955, allegedly for whis­
entertainer’s statements.
"Bill is saying let’s fight the right tling at a white woman. "And you’re
fight, let’s level the playing field,” going to tell me you’re going to
Jackson said. “Drunk people can’t drop out of school? Y ou're going
do that. Illiterate people can’t do to tel I me you're going to steal from
a store?"
that.”
Cosby also said many young
Cosby also said he w asn’t con­
people are failing to honor the sac­ cerned that some whites took his
rifices made by those who struggled comments and turned them “against
and died during the civil rights our people.”
movement.
“Let them talk." he said.
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