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Page A4
A p ril 27. 2005
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
O pinion
Criminal Justice System is Not Color Blind
Injustices chip
away at black
progression
by
The unequal treatment blacks receive in
the criminal justice system is one o f the
weightiest social issues we currently face.
J udge G reg M athis
W hen it com es to equality,
A frican-A m ericans have collec
tiv ely m ade som e im pressive
gains: we hold executive level
positions at corporations across
the country and we benefit from
m ore financial and educational
opportunities than we ever have.
T hough the playing field is far
from level, it’s fair to say that
w e’ve experienced a slow and
steady climb.
W e h av en ’t done nearly as
well in the nation’s courts.
“T he State o f B lack A m erica:
P re sc rip tio n s for C h a n g e ,” a
arrest and a black p e rso n ’s av com m it the m ajority o f crim es
erage ja il sentence is six m onths and th at m ost blacks are not
longer than a w h ite ’s ...f o r the crim inals. U nfortunately, this data
sam e crim e! W hite felons are falls on deaf ears.
F rom a rre st to se n te n c in g ,
m ore likely to be gran ted p ro
b atio n th an b la c k s and they A frican -A m erican s are unjustly
o ften serve sh o rte r probation ta rg e te d and it a ffe c ts us all, no
term s, w hile blacks ten d to re m atter how la w -ab id in g w e are.
ceive lo n g er felo n y sentences T hese sta tistic s lead the g e n
than w hites and are sentenced eral population to believe blacks
to death four tim es m ore often co m m it the m ajority o f offenses
in th is c o u n try , th a t c rim e s
than w hites.
T here is no basis for this dis c o m m itte d by blacks are so m e
parate treatm ent. Several studies how m ore hein o u s than those
show A frican-A m ericans do not c o m m itte d by w h ites and that
report recen tly released by the
N ational U rban L eague, show s
the d isp a rity betw een w hites
and b lack s in the crim inal ju s
tice system has actually gotten
w o rse .
B lacks are three tim es m ore
likely to be im prisoned after an
blacks so m ehow are less likely
to be reh a b ilita te d . T h ese b e
liefs giv e w ay to fear and fear
gives w ay to racial pro filin g
and m ore arrests. A s a result,
black fam ilies and c o m m u n i
ties are w eakened. I t’s a never-
e n d in g c y c le . A n d w e c a n 't
a ffo rd to let it co n tin u e.
The unequal treatm ent blacks
receive in the crim inal ju stice
system is one o f the w eightiest
social issues we currently face.
T he current state o f affairs stands
to chip aw ay at the progress our
people have m ade over the last
several decades.
L eg islato rs m ust pu b licly a c
k n o w led g e th at th ere is a d e tri
m ental bias presen t in the co u rt
sy ste m , an d th e n th e y m u st
m ake a g en u in e effo rt to re
m ove it. L ike m ost b a ttle s for
e q u a lity , this one p ro m ise s to
be d iffic u lt and filled w ith o b
stacles. W e can do o u r p art by
m aking sure ju d g e s w ith a h is
tory o f u n b alan ced se n ten cin g
a re n ’t re -e le cte d and by c o n
ta c tin g o u r local law m ak ers to
p ro te st arre sts and c o n v ic tio n s
w e know to be u nfair. W e ow e
it to o u r co m m u n ity to take an
a ctiv e p a rt in th is fight.
Judge Greg Mathis is chair
man o f the Rainbow PUSH-Ex-
cel Board and a national board
member o f the Southern Chris
tian Leadership Conference.
■ ■ ■ ■■
Walk the Walk by Supporting Combat Veterans
Health care needs too great
by U.S.
R ep . C orrine B rown
I have served in the House o f
R e p re se n ta tiv e s fo r o v e r 12
years, and am a proud m em ber
o f the Veterans Affairs com m it
tee. Right now, our troops are
involved in wars in Iraq and A f
ghanistan, and our young men
and women have suffered through
many horrific events. H ow ever,
our soldiers are not getting the
care they need and deserve.
I am rem inded o f the w ords of
President G eorge W ashington:
“the w illingness w ith w hich our
young people are likely to serve
in any war, no m atter how ju sti
fied, shall be directly propor
tional as to how they perceive the
veterans o f earlier w ars w ere
treated and appreciated by their
c o u n try .”
N ow , m any people talk about
protecting veterans and making
sure they have the support they
n e e d w h ile p ro te c tin g th is
coun try ’s freedom in Iraq and
A fghanistan. But I can truly tell
you that the R epublicans talk the
talk, but d o n ’t w alk the w alk
with our veterans.
A t the sam e tim e, the R epub
lican s p assed a b u dget that calls
fo r $800 m illion in cuts to the
V A o v er the next five years.
C learly , th o se in the leadership
o f the p e o p le ’s house are a t
tem p tin g to balance the budget
on the back s o f v e te ra n ’s health
c a re .
Clearly, those in the
leadership o f the people's
house are attempting to
balance the budget on the
backs o f veteran's health care±
and lon g -term care as a part o f
the full c o n tin u u m o f care for
veterans; m ore funding to e lim i
n a te the b a c k lo g o f c la im s,
Let me go through a few pro rath er than c o n tin u a lly cutting
gram s that are being cut which s ta ff an d su p p o rt p e rso n n e l;
a n d th e s e a m le s s tr a n s itio n
greatly im pact our nation:
V eteran s health care; su ffi from m ilitary to c iv ilia n life
c ie n t fu n d in g fo r new facilities needs to be a p riority.
N ow that President Bush has
fo r care; m ental health services
signed the bankruptcy bill m ak
ing it harder for people w ith debt
to wipe clean their financial slates,
m any o f our service m em bers,
especially the N ational G uard and
reserve forces, could face ter
rible financial problem s because
they do not qualify for debt pro
tection w hile on duty.
A fter Serit. 11. 2001. nearly
h a lf a m illio n re se rv ists and
guardsm en have been called to
active duty, and som e m ore than
once. H undreds o f thousands o f
reservists and national guards
m en are currently activated in
support o f ongoing m ilitary op
erations. A ccording to the N a
tional G uard, four out o f 10 m em
bers o f the N ational G uard and
reserve forces lose incom e when
they leave their civilian jo b s for
active duty.
Please call your local m em ber
o f C ongress and both o f your
senators’ offices and urge them
to support our veterans, not ju st
in nice w ords, but by increasing
funding for VA program s.
U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-
Fla. is a member o f the Congres-
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W ESTER N
U N IO N
Exploiting God for Politics
T h e C o n g r e s s io n a l B la c k
C au cu s, c o m p o sed o f 43 m en
and w om en o f faith o f w hom
several are m in iste rs o r c h il
dren o f m in iste rs, b eliev e th at it
is b ib lically and th e o lo g ic a lly
unaccep tab le to attem p t to e x
p lo it G od and relig io n to fortify
p o litic a l p o sitio n s.
W e also believe it is inappro
priate behavior for elected offi
cials to seek a political upper
hand by declaring that those w ho
do not support a particular politi
cal agenda are not people o f faith
or are against people o f faith.
W e, therefore, find it repre
hensible that “Justice Sunday,”
hosted by the Fam ily Research
C ouncil, attem pted to do ju st that
by portraying those w ho oppose
ju d ic ia l nom inations as “a n ti
faith” .
W e find it equally appalling
that Senate M ajority Leader Bill
Frist, R -Tenn. w ould condone
these vitriolic attacks by partici
pating in the council’s televised
sim ulcast.”
17. S. Rep. Melvin L. Watt
U.S. Rep. Melvin L. Watt, D-
N.C. is chairman o f the Congres
sional Black Caucus.
Ththslatwsy to sml maity’
Call for details (503) 287-M O N V (M IX , jr. location only)
Unacceptable Cuts to Medicaid
Dollars support Oregon Health Plan
Wetlands
“"‘‘Wildlife
Grand opening adventure exploring
the wilds of Smith and Bybee Wetlands
Natural Area
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, May I S
Take 1-5 to exit 307 Go west on North Marine Drive for 2 miles
to event parking. The event also is accessible via the 40-Mile Loop
Trail, 2 miles west of the MAX Expo Center stop Bicycle corral
provided. Leave pets at home
What's w ild
about it?
Free guided kayaking,
equipment provided
Painted turtle viewing and
spring bird watching
Wildlife-friendly outdoor
art tours
Two group bike rides to
the event
Nature games and
activities for all ages
Free turtle-shaped cookies
Enjoy Nature
in Neighborhoods
www.metro-region.org/parks
Visit the Metro web site for event information and details about
the Peninsula Crossing Family Fun Pedal and the Bluff Ride
Event partners: eNRG Kayaking, Weir's Cydery
and Metro
M ETRO
by J erry
C ohen
T here’s a battle being fought
in W ashington, D.C., over c u t
ting federal funding for M edic
aid. For O regonians, M edicaid
dollars support O regon’s long
term care system and the Oregon
Health Plan.
Why should we care?
The reason is sim ple. Cuts to
M edicaid hurt O regonians.
M aybe it’s your grandm other
able to rem ain at home in spite of
a disabling condition. O r health
care for your c h ild 's best friend’s
family unable to otherw ise afford
health insurance. Any cuts in
M edicaid mean older O regonians
w on’t be able to afford life-saving
treatm ents and their grandchil
dren with chronic illnesses like
asthm a, will go w ithout the m edi
cines and treatm ent they need.
U n fo rtu n a te ly , C o n g ress is
considering m ajor cuts in M edic
aid. The House o f R epresenta
tives w ould reduce M edicaid
spending by $20 billion over the
next five years.
Oregon stands to lose as much
as $213 million in M edicaid funds
in that period. For $213 million, we
can insure many children and low-
income fam ilies, w hile m aintain
ing O regon’s system o f choice
with independence and dignity for
vulnerable Oregonians.
Oregonians widely support the
Oregon Health Plan and Home and
Community-based Care Programs for
our most vulnerable citizens. As of
2003, Oregon had561,000people who
did not have health insurance - a full
16 percent of the state population.
Among those were 114,000uninsured
children. Meanwhile, thousands of
older Oregonians wait until a crisis
before accessing care services best
provided in home-based settings.
Oregon’s state leaders must pay
close attention to what Congress is
doing to Medicaid. The proposed
cuts in Medicaid and other crucial
programs geared to our most vulner
able populations will increase pres
sure on Oregon to fill the gap. There’s
a term for what Congress is consider
ing doing to Oregon and the other
states: passing the buck.
Fortunately, Oregon’s Senator
Gordon Smith was the lead sponsor
of an amendment that passed the
Senate last month restoring money
that had been cut from the program.
And he is chief sponsor of a bill to
create a bi-partisan commission to
study cost efficiencies for Medicaid.
Senator Smith deserves thanks for
standing up to protect this important
program.
AARP believes that Medicaid
should be as efficient and effective as
possible. Programs of that size can
always be improved.
But, we also believe that changes
in Medicaid should be made based
on sound policy considerations, not
as part of an on-the-fly budget pro
cess.
Jerry Cohen is the Oregon AARP
director.