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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 2, 2014)
July 2. 2014 Œhe ^Jortlanò (Obstruer Page 7 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views o f the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. Bracing for an Attack by Veterans Military transfer program lacks rational explanation by J im H ightower From 1776 fo r ward, Americans have opposed having sol diers do police work on our soil. But in re cent years, Pentagon chiefs have teamed up with police chiefs to circumvent that prohibition. How? By militarizing police de partments. Through the little-known “mili tary transfer program,” the Pen tagon now ships massive amounts of surplus war equipment to local cops. This reflects a fundamental rewiring of the mindset now guiding neigh borhood policing. Police chiefs today com monly send out squads bran dishing heavy arms and garbed in riot gear for peaceful situations. Recruiting videos now feature clips of SWAT-team officers dressed in black, hurling flash grenades into a home, then storm ing the house, firing automatic weapons. Who wants anyone en ticed by that video working their neighborhood? As a city councilman in rural Wisconsin commented when told his police were getting a nine- foot-tall armored vehicle: “Some body has to be the first to say, ‘Why are we doing this?’” The town’s police chief re sponded that, “There’s always a possibility of violence,” The New York Times reports. Really? Who threatens us with such mayhem that every burg needs a war-zone armory and a commando mental ity? A stonishingly, a sh eriff’s spokesman in suburban Indianapo lis offered this answer: veterans. The sh e riff’s departm ent needed a mine-resistant armored vehicle, he explained, to defend itself against U.S. veterans re- tuming from the Afghanistan war. War veterans, he said, “have the ability and knowledge to build (homemade bombs) and to defeat law enforcement techniques.” That’s lame, loopy, insulting, shameful, and just plain stupid. Maybe he just forgot to pack his brain when he left for work that day. But I’m afraid it’s a window into the altered mindset of police chiefs and trainers. OtherW ords colum nist Jim Hightower is a radio commenta tor, writer, and public speaker. Inspiring Lessons from Seattle Pacific University United by a common sense of faith his own life. South A frican A rchbishop T he p riv a te C h ristia n Desmond Tutu in the new The university’s expressed mission Book of Forgiving coauthored is to equip students to engage with his daughter says: “It is the culture, change the world, perfectly normal to want to hurt and pursue scholarly excellence back when you have been hurt. by M arian W right E delman rooted in the gospel. How won But hurting back rarely satis On June derful to see it in practice dur fies. We think it will, but it 14th I had the ing such a difficult tim e. It doesn’t. If I slap you after you honor of giv brought the community closer slap me, it does not lessen the ing the under together, united by a common sting I feel on my own face, nor graduate com- sense of faith. While students does it diminish my sadness m encem ent expressed anger, there was also over the fact that you have address at Se an immediate sense of forgive struck me. Retaliation gives, at attle Pacific University. Com ness and mercy tow ards the best, only momentary respite mencement speakers usually do shooter, with many expressing from our pain. The only way to their best to share a lesson or two pity instead of hatred for him. experience healing and peace is with the graduates, but this year Jon Meis, the courageous stu to forgive. Until we can forgive, Seattle Pacific students, adminis dent who stopped the attack, we remain locked in our pain tration, and faculty inspired me has been adam ant about not and locked out of the possibility and people across the nation by wishing to be considered a hero. of experiencing healing and free how they responded after a cam He helped set the tone in a pow dom, locked out of the possibil pus tragedy that should have been erful statement released after ity of being at peace.” unthinkable but instead has be the shooting where he said: The genuine sense of for come all too routine: a shooting at “[WJhat I find most difficult giveness and grace at Seattle their beloved school. about this situation is the devas Pacific University is rem ark Just days before graduation a tating reality that a hero cannot able. The sch o o l’s students, young man with a history of come without tragedy. In the faculty, and administration truly mental illness entered a science midst of this attention, we can struggle to live their faith. I was and engineering building on the not ignore that a life was taken deeply moved that my m other’s university’s campus armed with from us, ruthlessly and without favorite hymn, “Great is Thy a shotgun and more than 50 justification or cause. Others F a ith f u ln e s s ,” o p en e d the rounds of ammunition and be were badly injured, and many graduation ceremony, walling gan firing. more will carry this event with off despair though not sadness He killed 19-year-old fresh them the rest of their lives. during this difficult time. Even man Paul Lee, a young man Nonetheless, I would encour in the middle of tragedy and with an enormous smile whose age that hate be met with love. loss there was also a profound friends said he was known for When I came face to face with sense of gratitude that the at his laugh and sense of joy, and the attacker, God gave me the tack was able to be stopped w ounded two other students eyes to see that he was not a before more life was lost. before 22-year-old student se faceless monster, but a very At the same time we must all curity monitor Jon M eis pep sad and troubled young man. ask: could this have been pre per-sprayed and tackled him as While I cannot at this time find vented from happening at all? he paused to reload, ending the it within me to forgive his crime, The shooter, who reportedly deadly rampage. The shooter’s I truly desire that he will find had an o b se ssio n w ith the plan had been to harm as many the grace of God and the for shootings at Columbine High people as possible before taking giveness of our community.” School and a long history of mental illness, was detained and years at a gun range, used that committed to mental health fa loophole and purchased his gun cilities twice before the attack legally through a private seller. at Seattle Pacific. In 2010 he I am so grateful to the Seattle called 911 to report he “had a Pacific University community for rage inside him” and wanted to their witness of strength, for hurt him self and others, and in giveness, and deep faith. Yet I am 2012 police found him lying heartbroken that they and so many intoxicated in a roadway, where other children, youths, and adults he told officers he wanted a walk in fear on a daily basis and SWAT team “to get him and keep having to worry about expe make him famous.” Both times riencing this at all. Why is our he was taken to a hospital for nation saturated with guns— four evaluation. million in military and law en His history o f involuntary forcement hands and 310 million commitments to mental health in civilian hands? Why are Ameri facilities should have barred him can children and teens 17 times from possessing a gun. Wash more likely to die from gun vio ington State does require re lence than their peers in 25 other porting of mental health records high-income countries combined? to the National Instant Criminal Why is our mental health system B ackground C heck System , still so inadequate to respond to according to the Law Center to the cries of those needing help? Prevent Gun Violence, but does When will we all say enough? not have a universal background We can and must do better. check law in place. At least one Marian Wright Edelman is source says the shooter, who president o f the Children's De also reportedly worked for eight fense Fund. THE LAW OFFICES OF Patrick John Sweeney, P.C. Patrick John Sweeney Attorney at Law 1549 SE Ladd, Portland, Oregon Portland: (503) 244-2080 Hillsoboro: (503) 244-2081 Facsimile: (503) 244-2084 Email: Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com
