Portland Observer Blsck H ¡Story Month
Februaiy 8,2012
Pa8e 9
________________ O pinion
Christie Distorts Civil Rights History
B ut G ov. C hris C hristie o f N ew
Jersey m ay have topped them all
w hen he declared, “ People w ould
have b een happy to have a referen
dum on civil rights rath er than fight
ing and dying in the streets in the
S o u th .”
T he G o v ern o r’s statem ent w as
m ade in the context o f his proposal
that the issue o f sam e-sex m ar
riage in N ew Jersey be settled by
a v o ter referendum .
B ut his w ords am ounted to an
insult to g enerations o f m en and
w om en w ho put their lives on the
line fo r equal rights. T hey also
ignore the fact that the sole p u r
pose o f any civil rights struggle is to
gain rights fo r m inority citizens that
the m ajority has historically and
co n sisten tly denied.
T h e nonsense o f C h ristie’s state
Governor insults
generations who
put their lives
on the line
by M arc
H. M orial
In recent w eeks,
o u tr a g e o u s s t a t e
m ents targeted at m i
nority citizens have
c o m e o u t o f th e
m ouths o f a num ber
o f conservative p o li
ticians - everything
fro m the a sse rtio n th at A frica n
A m ericans p refer food stam ps over
pay checks to the claim that “black
people” are using “other p eo p le’s
m oney” to get ahead.
m ent w as m ade all the m ore ap p ar
ent by the fact that during the h ey
day o f lynchings, poll taxes and
“ separate but equal schools,” any
referendum on voting rights and
civil rights for A frican A m ericans
w ould have ex clu d ed m any o f the
very people seeking those rights.
In fact it w as only because the
m ajority for cen tu ries had first e n
s la v e d , an d th e n d is c rim in a te d
against, A frican A m ericans that it
b ecam e n ecessary fo r p eople o f
conscience to organize in protest
ag ain st such tre a tm e n t. C h ristie
should rem em b er that in the 18th
C entury, it w as not a referendum but
a revolution that form ed the U nited
States o f A m erica.
In the 19th century, it was not a
referendum , but a civil w ar that ended
slavery and unified our nation. A nd
in the 20th century, it was not a refer
endum , but a series o f non-violent
civil rights struggles that defeated
Jim C row and secured voting rights
for w om en, A frican A m ericans and
other disenfranchised minorities.
S h eila O liver, N ew Jerse y ’s first
A frican A m erican w om an A ssem
bly Speaker, correctly saw C hristie’ s
proposal to subm it sam e-sex m ar
riage rights to the w him s o f voters
as a shirking o f responsibility.
She said, “T h e m ajor issues o f
o u r tim e such as w om en's suffrage
and civil rights w ere rightly decided
legislatively. W e are elected by the
people o f N ew Jersey to protect civil
rights. W e do no t pass on such
tough decisions."
O liv e r a lso to o k is su e w ith
C hristie’s characterization o f the ci vil
rights struggle, adding, “G overnor,
people w ere fighting and dying in
the streets o f the South because the
m ajority refused to grant m inorities
equal rights by any m ethod. It took
legislative action to bring ju stice to
all A m ericans, ju st as legislative
action is the right way to bring m ar
riage equality to all New Jerseyans.”
It is alm ost unthinkable that a
sitting g o v ern o r w ould either be so
uninform ed, so callous, to suggest
that civil rights m ovem ents have
not played a necessary and positive
role in ensuring that the prom ise o f
freedom , equality and dem ocracy is
m ade real for every citizen.
W e think G ov. C hristie ow es the
people o f N ew Jersey and all A m eri
cans a clear explanation.
Marc H. Morial is president and
chief executive officer o f the N a
tional Urban League.
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Deadly Force Policy: We’re All at Risk
M arva D avis
O n b e h alf o f the
C am pbell fam ily, I
am pleased to say
that w e have settled
the claim s relating
to A aron's death for
$ 1.2 million. W e will
now propose to the probate court
that a lion's share o f these funds be
held in trust for A aron's children
until they are adults.
W e are told that this is the m ost
m oney that the city's insurer has
ev er paid out on a claim against the
P ortland Police B ureau, although in
truth it does not seem like enough
for the losses w e have suffered.
W e are grateful, how ever, that
w e w ill not have to relive the events
o f that aw ful tim e, and reopen those
w ounds again. W e are also grateful
for the support that w e have re
ceived from family, friends and m em
bers o f the com m unity w ho have
supported us throughout.
W e ta k e to h e a r t th a t o f f ic e r -
in v o lv e d s h o o tin g s h a v e g o n e
d o w n in P o r tla n d s in c e A a ro n
w a s k ille d , a n d c h o o s e to b e
lie v e th a t in s o m e m e a s u re , lo s
in g h im h a s m a d e o u r c o m m u
n ity sa fe r fro m th o se w e 'v e a rm e d
w ith g u n s a n d e n tr u s te d w ith
by
th e c o m m u n ity 's s a fe ty .
H ow ever, this needs to be said.
D uring the case, o ur attorneys
uncovered som e very troubling
inform ation regarding o u r police
policies and practices.
First, w e are very disappointed
w ith Police C h ief R eese's refusal
to a d d la n g u a g e to th e P o lic e
B ureau's use o f force policy req u ir
ing in w riting that officers take a
person's em otional upset o r m ental
illness into co nsideration as a factor
w hen m aking a decision to use force.
T h ere is no good reason not to m ake
this change.
Second, C h ie f R eese assured the
public in disciplining the officers
involved that P olice B ureau policy
required that before shooting to kill,
the facts and circum stances m ust
ju s tif y th e c o n c lu s io n th a t th e
citizen's b eh av io r am ounts to an
im m ediate threat to life.
T he c h ie fs in v estig atio n c o n
cluded that A aron C am pbell clearly
did no t present such a d an g er to
anyone. C om pare this w ith the fact
that O fficers F rashour and L ew ton
w ere going to call as w itnesses at
trial 11 o f the trainers w ho teach our
officers the rules.
A ll o f th e se tra in e rs w e re to
te s tif y u n d e r o a th th a t C h ie f
Çorthmb ©hseruer
Established 1970
USPS 959-680 ___________________________________
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47 47 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211
Charles H. Washington
E m roR .M ichael L e ig h to n
D is t r ib u t io n M a n a g e r : M a r k W a s h in g to n
C r e a tiv e D ir e c t o r : P a u l N e u fe ld t
R ee se is w ro n g . T o m ak e th is
w o rse , th e c ity w as re a d y to s tip u
la te to th is te stim o n y . T h is d is
c o n n e c t b e tw e e n w h at the P o lice
B u re a u 's p o lic y is s u p p o se d to
m ean an d w h at o ffic e rs are tra in e d
to d o is d a n g e ro u s, an d p u ts us all
at risk .
A n d th ird , th e P o lice B u reau
to o k the p o sitio n in d e fe n d in g this
la w su it th a t th e c ity w as n o t re
s p o n sib le fo r A a ro n 's d e a th , ev en
th o u g h a d m ittin g the d e ath re
su lte d fro m v io la tio n o f its ow n
b u re a u 's p o lic ie s.
T h e city argued that the officers
d i d n 't n e e d to c o m p ly w ith
P ortland's p o licies, but need only
co m p ly w ith b ro ad er state statutes
reg ard in g the use o f force. T hose
statutes do not spell out that use o f
d ead ly fo rce req u ires an im m ediate
d a n g er to the life o f o thers as ju s ti
fication.
O u r city lead ers need to address
this d u p licity and h o ld o u r p olice
force to its ow n rules an d re g u la
tio n s.
A nd finally as a m other, I reg ret
tably do not believe m y living sons
are safe. T hat bond o f com m unity
trust has been broken. I can n o t say
to them that if there is a m ental
health crisis ... “call the po lice.”
W e have ask ed o ur attorneys to in dealing w ith em otionally upset or
contact the U. S. D epartm ent o f Ju s m en tally ill citizens in crisis, and
tice to report these findings. O ur help reduce the d an g er to the m ost
hope is that the inform ation w ill be vulnerable am ong us.
Marva Davis is the mother o f
o f help during its on-going in v esti
gation into the use o f deadly force Aaron Campbell.
Stop the Violence
k n o w s so m e th in g . P lease c o m e
fo rw a rd a n d sto p this v ic io u s
W h y are w e k illin g each o th er?
W h a t m e ssa g e are w e g iv in g
c y c le o f silen ce.
W e, as a p e o p le, h a v e a lw ay s
o u r y o u th ?
W ill w e have any yo u th left if
k n o w n th a t “ J u st U s” m e a n s
th a t w e h a v e to stan d up fo r
w e d o n ’t sto p it n o w ?
H ow
o u rse lv e s. T h e v io le n c e has to
w o u ld you feel if it w as y o u r son?
e n d , an d w e h a v e to en d it.
T h e g reatest tool w e have is to
Y o u r b ro th er? Y o u r co u sin ?
H o w d o y o u tell th re e little
sto p the silen ce.
L.J. did not
c h ild re n th a t th e ir fa th e r is n o t
d eserv e to die and neither did the
c o m in g h o m e a g ain , e v e r?
co u n tless o th ers killed by g ang
H o w d o w e as a c o m m u n ity
violence and b lack against b lack
k e e p o u r m o u th s sh u t an d a llo w
crim e.
H e lp m e, h e lp y o u rself, an d
c o ld -b lo o d e d m u rd e re rs to c o n
tin u e to w a lk th e stre ets lo o k in g
fo r a n o th e r v ic tim ? T h e n e x t
h e lp o u r c o m m u n ity , so all o f
o u r k id s c an be safe again.
O u r p e o p le hav e c o m e to o fa r
tim e it c o u ld b e y o u r ch ild .
W e n e ed y o u r h e lp g e ttin g
ju s tic e fo r L .J.
I f y o u k n o w a n y th in g a b o u t
m y s o n ’s m u rd e r p le a se h e lp us.
W e k n o w th a t th e c o m m u n ity
to e n d u p as v ic tim s o f g e n o
c id e.
Lucy Mashia, devastated
mother o f L. J. (Leonard James
Irving Jr.)
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