February 26, 2014
The
Portland Observer
IN S ID E
TheWeek Review
Black History Month
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photo by D onovan M .
S mith /T he P ortland O bserver
Walidah Imarisha, a local activist and professor of Black Studies at Portland State University, has
published her debut book of poetry weaving personal tales about the pain of political prisoners and
the power of the black American experience.
The Black Experience
Local author weaves
personal tales into
fascinating read
A debut book of poetry about the pain of political
prisoners and the power of the black American expe
rience intricately weaves personal tales into a fascinat
ing read. The author, Walidah Imarisha, is local activist
and professor of Black Studies at Portland State Uni
C alendar
C lassifieds
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thf R ight
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pages 18-19
O b S cé RE
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versity.
T he P ortlan d O b serv er’s D on ovan M . Sm ith sat
down with Imarisha at Powell’s Bookstore to discuss
the inspirations behind “Scars/Stars” and to dig into
the nuances behind her work. The following is edited
for clarity and brevity.
Q: Scars/Stars seems really autobiographical.
You referenced someone who had the last name
Imarisha in the poem "'Masterpiece. ” Did you get
continued
on page 4
page 14
Public Testifies in Police Lawsuit
page 16
Judge reviews historic
settlement agreement
After a day-and-a-half marathon of testimony, a
federal judge is now reviewing the details of what
could be a historic settlement against the city of
Portland and the Portland Police Bureau.
In 2012, the federal Justice Department found that
Portland Police had engaged in a pattern of excessive
force against those with or perceived to have mental
illness. That same federal inquiry also found the city’s
police use greater force than necessary, and their use
of stun guns was sometimes excessive, inappropriate,
and done with little justification.
More than 60 people testified at last week’s hearing
before U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon. Many
were critical that the proposed settlement failed to
address controversial police shootings involving race
and the disproportionate police stops of black men
and women in Portland. The Police Bureau released a
report a day after the hearing showing that African
Americans were stopped at almost twice the rate of
their population.
On March 3, transcripts of the hearings will be made
available on the U.S. District Court website. Judge
Simon will hold a final hearing March 24 when addi
tional arguments from the city, the Albina Ministerial
Coalition for Justice and Police Reform and the Police
Bureau, can be addressed before he makes a ruling.