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Page A4
April 13. 2005
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
O pinion
The Injustices of the Juvenile Justice System
M arian W right E delman
Recently, an 8-year-old boy
in Williamsburg, Va„ became
one of the latest casualties in
our n a tio n ’s ten d e n c y to
criminalize childhood.
The second grader was hand
cuffed and led away from Rawls
Byrd Elementary School after
an incident in which he allegedly
threw a tantrum, overturned
desks and head -b u tted the
teacher. According to local re
ports, police were considering
whether to file disorderly con
duct and assault and battery
charges against the child, who is
4 feet tall and weighs approxi
mately 75 pounds. He also was
suspended from school for 10
days.
His mother said the boy had
been sexually assaulted by a
relative when he was 5 years
old and had w itnessed the
by
drowning death of his half-sis
ter. She also said she had been
in prison from the time her son
was a new born until shortly be
fore the classroom incident, and
that she believes living w ith sev
eral different caretakers has
taken a toll on his young life.
This is a child who has suf
fered more emotional trauma in
eight years than any child ought
to experience in a lifetime. The
triggering event at school was
described by his mother as a
spelling worksheet her child
couldn ’ t successful ly complete.
What is wrong with this pic
ture?
This 8-year-old chi Id is in im
minent dangerofbecoming stuck
in a pipeline to prison. Children
need to have hope that they can
succeed and they need family
stability and adults they can
trust. They also need counsel-
The pipeline to prison robs
children of their God-given
birthrights to opportunity,
fulfillment and self-actualization.
- M a r ia n Wright Edelman
ing when trauma affects them.
At critical points in their devel
opment, however, from birth
through adulthood, adispropor-
tionate number of poor children
of color lack access to these
important keys to healthy devel
opment and struggle to compete
on an unequal playing field.
Many fall inexorably behind.
The pipeline to prison robs chil
dren of their God-given birth
rights toopportunity, fulfillment
and self-actualization, making it
far more likely that they will end
up behind bars.
The Williamsburg mother said
the police officers who arrested
her son were “nice” and did
everything they should have.
The painful truth, however, is
that the moment the police were
called in and the 8-year-old was
hauled off in handcuffs, it was
just one more in a long line of
abandonments this child in need
suffered. He, like hundreds of
thousands of children at risk of
being caught in the pipeline to
prison, have no say over the
circumstances of their birth and
no vote to influence our nation’s
priorities that favor the desires
of millionaires and billionaires.
We are the adults, and we
need to step up to the plate to
protect our abandoned chil
dren who are desperately cry
ing out for help. They need
treatment, consistent and posi
tive adults and a stable home
environm ent with love and
safety and limits, and schools
with enough counselors. They
need to know they are not
alone. T hey do not need
crim inal charges. They do not
need to become statistics in a
juvenile justice system that in
creases the likelihood that
they will end up in prison as
adults.
There are no easy solutions
to such painful and com pli
cated life stories. U nfortu
nately for our at-risk children,
passing the buck to an ill-pre
pared juvenile justice system
is increasingly becom ing the
easiest answ er o f all.
Marian Wright Edelman is
c h ie f executive o ffice r and
fo u n d e r o f the C h ild r e n ’s
Defense Fund.
John Paul’s Vision for Equality
U.S. R ep . M el W att
The world is diminished
by the loss of a great moral
and spiritual leader. Pope
John Paul II.
The pope, who was an
inspirational leader to more
than one billion Roman
Catholics, had an incredible abil
ity to connect with all people,
regardless of race, color, na
tionality or creed.
With his lifelong concern for
the poorest people, the pope
by
,
Find your path to a career in construction
’ was committed
toendingthe dis
parities that ex
ist in every as
pect of our lives
and b e lie v ed
that the calling
o f the church
was to work for social justice.
He was committed to allevi
ating the poverty and suffering
felt by people around the world.
His vision was that all people
were children of God and should
share equally of God’s bless
ings.
We in the C ongressional
Black Caucus share Pope John
Paul H’s vision and will con
tinue to work toward address
ing disparities that continue to
plague our world.
Our thoughts and prayers are
with all who grieve for Pope
John Paul II.”
Congressman Melvin L. Watt,
D-N.C., is chairman o f the Con
gressional Black Caucus.
Oregon Tradeswomen Inc
Call about classes. Come to our Women in Trades Career Fair
on April 30 at 20220 SW Teton Ave in Tualatin
(503) 335-8200 ext. 21 www.tradeswomen.net
nterforstudentsuccess.org.
Our Schools Need Tax Reform
S en . A vel G ordly
Thank you Portland
School Board, Superin
tendent Phillips, the Af
rican American Alli
ance, and every parent
and concerned commu
nity member who par
ticipated in some of the
mostdifficultdecisionsthiscom-
munity will make regarding its
children and its schools.
Through the painful recount
ing of how paternalism and in
stitutional racism have bred dis
trust and m istrust, we have
learned that what we value as a
community is real and meaning
by
ful communication -
communication that
h o n o rs d iffe re n t
voices, honors his
tory, and honors
choices for all par
ents.
Given our history,
hopefully we have
all also learned, and affirmed,
that nothing is more important
than delivering a quality, non
racist education to each student
in every Portland school.
As a legislator who repre
sents school districts including
Portland 1J, I am proud to rep
resent a community and school
board that struggle so mightily
to improve the quality of in
struction and achievement for
all of its students and schools.
But still we must do more,
and that includes reforming our
outdated tax structure now to
include a sales tax dedicated to
funding education (pre-kinder
garten through higher educa
tion) and getting rid of archaic
corporate tax breaks. Today’s
students cannot and should not
have to wait any longer for this
stability and commitment.
Sen. Avel Gordly represents
northeast and southeast Port
land in the State Legislature.
More Black Doctors Can Help
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From <:hodsing the right college,
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J udge G reg M athis
Much discussion is being given
as to how we can close the gaps
in healthcare that exist between
blacks and whites. One way to
increase the quality of healthcare
for African Americans is to in
crease the number of African
American doctors.
We must advocate for in
creased health clinics in our
communities and increased in
centives for African Americans
to attend medical school. Tying
financial aid and scholarships to
d o c to rs
who
p ra c tic e
underserved communities would
go a long way in closing the
health gap.
Although different eating hab
its may account for some o f our
health problems (our love for
fried and fatty foods) the pri
mary reasons for the health gap
is a lack of access to quality
healthcare.
According to the National
Center for Health statistics,
only 58 percent o f A frican
by
Judge Greg Mathis
We must advocate fo r
increased health climes
in our communities and
increased incentives fo r
African Americans to
attend medical school. *
A m e ric a n s h a v e p riv a te
h e a lth ca re in su ran ce c o m
pared to 71 percent of whites.
Additionally, white men are
nearly twice as likely to have
healthcare insurance than are
black men.
African Americans who do
have healthcare insurance still
suffer more and die earlier than
whites because the quality of
care we receive is often less
than that for whites. Studies
have shown that racial bias ste
reotyping, and cultural insensi
tivity all influence the type of
treatment that doctors pursue
for their patients. That is why it
is important to increase the num
ber of African American doc
tors.
In the meantime, we must
take charge of our own health.
We must begin eating healthier
and include exercise in ourdaily
routine. Those two lifestyle ad
justments will help us individu
ally.
Judge Greg Mathis is chair
man o f the Rainbow PUSH-
Excel Board and a national
board member o f the South
ern Christian Leadership Con
fere n c e.