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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2011)
îl’f ^lortlanh CObscrUer HOUSING special edition Page 4 A p r il 6. 2011 Direct from Defense of Labor in Wisconsin Union leader to rally for justice in Portland Mahlon Mitchell, a young Afri can American fire fighter union leader from Madison, Wise., will be the featured speaker at a Jobs with Justice and Campaign for Workers Rights march and rally, Saturday, April 16 at noon at Pioneer C ourthouse Square, downtown. Mitchell, president of the Pro fessional Fire Fighters of Wis consin, has been the public face of the protest against Gov. Scott Walker's attack on Wisconsin public employees. The Portland march and rally will be in the spirit of Wisconsin - family friendly and strong in spirit with excellent visuals, orga nizers said. Mitchell, when talking about why he led the firefighters into the Wisconsin capitol to protest Walker’s proposal to outlaw col lective bargaining rights for state em ployees, said “W hen firefighters see an emergency, we respond.” In Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and across the country, working people are fighting back. Here in Oregon many local unions are facing attacks in their efforts to Mahlon Mitchell bargain a fair contract. Those unions and the community are rising up together for Saturday’s rally to tell their elected represen tatives that they will not stand silent. The March and Rally for Good Jobs, Not Cuts is sponsored by over 60organizations ranging from Portland Jobs with Justice, the Oregon AFL-CIO to the Rural Or ganizing Project and the Ainsworth United Church of Christ. Excessive Force Review Seattle police face questions over tactics the “I can’t believe it’s mine” home The perfect mortgage from C 0 will make you feel right at home. U.S. Bank Home Mortgage is committed to providing you with a mortgage loan that is right for you. We take the time and care to guide you through the mortgage process, so you can trust you’re making the right the “make room for more” home move. Put the strength of one of America’s leading home mortgage lenders to work for you. Because there’s no place like U.S. Bank. All of serving you the “ you and me at last” home Eubank usbank.com | 888-831-7524 LEN’o iR M e i n t e ? 3<J0,eCl 10 Credtf appraval lnterest ratM and Profl™111 ,erms subject to change without notice Mortgage loans offered through U.S Bank National Association 02011 U.S. Bancorp All rights reserved. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating allegations that Seattle's police officers routinely use excessive force on suspects after a string of violent incidents mostly involving minorities in the Pacific Northwest city. Seattle police have been cap tured on camera in several vio lent confrontations with black and Hispanic residents over the past few years. The shooting and killing of native American woodcarver John Williams by a Seattle police officer last Au gust brought local concern about police tactics to a head. A Seattle Police report said the officer who shot Williams, who was carrying a knife, acted out side the department's "policy, tac tics and training," but the officer is not facing criminal charges. The Justice Department said on Thursday it has opened "a pattern or practice investigation" into the allegations that Seattle police have been using excessive force and discriminatory policing practices, which are outlawed under several statutes, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Justice Department said it will "seek to determine whether there are systemic violations of the Constitution or federal law by officers of the Seattle Police Department." The departm ent has taken similar steps in jurisdictions such as New York, Ohio, New Jer sey, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and California.