$lorf lanò (Observer
July 16. 2014
Page 7
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Symptom of a Much Bigger Problem
Mayor falls short in response to gang violence
by
S harde N abors
Dear Mayor Hales,
I am writing you to
ex p ress my co n cern
about gang violence in
the beautiful city of Port
land. Today I read a news
story that quoted you saying gang
violence is a “public safety and a
public health crisis.” You called
upon the community to do their part
to stop the shootings that have
plagued Outer Northeast and South
east as well as North Portland.
However, I would like to call upon
you to evaluate how effectively you
do your part.
Now, I will agree that we all have
a part to play. I personally play the
part of mother to my two children
and will do all that I can to keep them
away from gangs and violence. The
part that you must play - that you
chose to play - is as a leader. So,
forgive me for putting the onus on
you. You signed up for the job and
as a Portland citizen, I expect you to
do it.
When I hear of shootings in
these troubled areas of town, I
wonder how they are even pos
sible. I know how “dangerous”
these neighborhoods are. The
poverty levels in these parts of
town are higher than in others
and I know that poverty often leads
to crime and violence. So, why aren ’ t
they being patrolled more efficiently
by our lovely boys in blue? More
than 20 officers can be dispatched
to a bar on Southeast Belmont to
question a rapper, but there are never
any around when kids get shot.
Sounds like gang violence is merely
a symptom of a much bigger prob
lem.
Don’t get me wrong, I do believe
gang violence is a huge concern.
Those are my kids in danger. My
son was at the Boys and Girl’s Club
on North Trenton a couple of weeks
ago when a man was shot in New
Columbia. My concerns are very
real. They go beyond trying to make
the city a reflection of cable TV
shows.
On your website, you say you
want to develop a “comprehensive
resource for young, [BJlack males in
Portland to realize their fullest po
tential.” While I find that very admi
rable, I also find it rather amusing.
It’s funny that the word “gang” is
often synonymous with the word
“Black.” Gang issues are automati
cally Black issues and Black issues
are automatically gang issues. But
I’d like to open up your statement to
all lower-class young males; Black,
brown and white because I know
it’s not just Black men who get in
volved in gangs.
The other thing that I find funny
about this statement is that while
you want them to realize their poten
tial, the city has made every attempt
to stifle them. The schools these
kids attend are not properly funded
and never have been. I am a gradu
ate of Jefferson High School and I
know the “no funds for school”
blues all too well. We had crappy
teachers, insufficient materials and
little to no programs that would lead
us anywhere other than a basketball
co u rt.
O ur
c h ild re n
are
undereducated and underexposed
to opportunities. How on earth can
they even know what their potential
is half the time?
There are many who do see po
tential or develop a passion for some-
thing like music, perhaps. Hip-hop
artists like Glenn Waco and Mic
Capes were able to turn to music
instead of gangs. They were able to
come out of North Portland without
getting involved, but it’s not a road
many want to travel because the
chances of succeeding are slim.
Why? Because the city has done
everything in its power to hinder the
growth of hip-hop artists in Port
land.
What kid wants to become a hip-
hop artist when shows get shut
down? How can you expect a young
man to take the risk of working to
wards a passion that will be limited
by city leaders? You want them to
thrive? Forgive me for calling
bullsh**.
If you really see gang violence as
a concern, you will put more time,
effort, and resources into bettering
the community. Asking people to
identify a shooter w on’t stop any
thing. We need to stop creating
them. These people are products of
their environments and I hate to say
it Mr. Mayor, but you control those
environments. If these kids grow up
to kill a man in the park or shoot a kid
on the street that means you ’ re doing
something wrong.
Sir, to be frank. I’m tired of the lip
service. All this talk of things being
an issue, all the lists of ideas you
have to make it better, they’re not
getting us anywhere. The violence
this year is already worse than it was
last year. Spare me with the prom
ises and fake smiles. If you want the
gang violence to get better, simply
make it better. Support the educa
tion of these kids, provide opportu
nities to cultivate their passions,
and ensure our police are actually
protecting and serving instead of
running the streets as Portland’s
most notorious gang.
Sharde Nabors is a Portland
writer and blogger. Her website is
sha rdesaidwhat. com.
Racial Progress and Unfinished Business
After the Civil
Rights Act .
of 1964
by
M arc H. M orial
This month marked
the 50th anniversary
of President Lyndon
Johnson’s signing of
the landm ark C ivil
Rights Act of 1964 that outlawed
discrim ination and segregation
based on race, color, religion, sex or
national origin.
First introduced by President
John F. Kennedy shortly before his
1963 assassination, the Civil Rights
Act also offered greater protections
for the right to vote and paved the
way for another historic achieve
ment one year later - the Voting
Rights Act of 1965.
Momentum for the legislation
picked up following the 1963 March
on Washington where Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. and the National
Urban League’s Whitney M. Young,
along with 250,000 activists and citi
zens, gathered to demand “Jobs and
Freedom” for people of all races
who were locked out, left out, and
disenfranchised.
President Kennedy, a Massachu
setts liberal, introduced the bill in
June of 1963, just five months be
fore his assassination. It was up to
his appointed successor, Vice Presi
dent Lyndon Johnson, a former U.S.
Senator from Texas with deep south
ern roots, to carry it over the finish
line. Despite extreme opposition,
especially from his former south
ern Congressional allies, President
Johnson successfully navigated
the bill’s passage. He signed it
into law on July 2, 1964, sur
rounded by Dr. King, Whitney
’f
rates. However, there is still a wide
opportunity gap in America.
According to a recent USA To
day article, “In almost every eco
nomic category, blacks have been
gaining, but not by enough. Me
dian family income (in inflation-ad
justed dollars) is up from $22,000 in
1963 to more than $40,000 today,
still just two-thirds of the median for
all Americans. Black unemployment
remains twice the level o f white
The National Urban League believes there
is no better and fitting tribute to the men and
women who 50 years ago fought fo r and died
to secure a Civil Rights Act and a Voting
Rights Act than to pass the VRAA this year
before the November mid-term elections.
Young and a multi-racial group of
civil rights activists.
It was only 50 years ago that it
was legal in some states to deny
blacks the right to eat in the same
restaurants as whites, to sit in the
same movie theaters or even to ap
ply for the same jobs. Thankfully,
that is no longer true anywhere in
America. We have also seen other
gains, including a rising black middle
class and an increase in African
American high school graduation
unemployment, similar to where it
was in 1972. The black poverty rate
has dropped from more than 40% in
the 1960s to about 27% today; child
poverty similarly has dipped from
67% to about 40%. Those numbers
still are glaring, however. And the
gap in overall wealth is more than 5-
to-1 between whites and blacks...”
Perhaps the most visible demon
stration of the progress we have
made over the past 50 years is the
2008 election and the 2012 reelec
tion of Barack Obama as America’s
first Black President. But even that
achievement has been met with a
backlash, as right wing voter sup
pression efforts have risen since
President Obama first took office
and the U. S. Supreme Court essen
tially gutted the Voting Rights Act
of 1965 last year.
Obviously, 50 years after the
passage of the Civil Rights Act, our
work is not yet done. As we noted
last month in our statement in sup
port of the Voting Rights Amend
ment Act now before Congress,
“The National Urban League be
lieves there is no better and fitting
tribute to the men and women who
50 years ago fought for and died to
secure a Civil Rights Act and a Vot
ing Rights Act than to pass the
VRAA this year before the Novem
ber mid-term elections.
We cannot focus only on a cel
ebration of progress. We must also
ensure there is a continuation of the
very equality and opportunity that
are at the core of this country’s
democratic values.
Marc H. Morial is president and
chief executive officer o f the Na
tional Urban League.
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