July 30. 2014
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Stop the Attacks on Immigrant Children
Q m c L»
V
I I am
shocked
and deeply
dismayed
C arlton F agan
“But Jesus said,
‘Let the little children
come to me and do
not hinder them, for
to such belongs the kingdom of
Heaven,” Matthew 19:14.
As little children come across our
southern border seeking safety from
the violence and depravations of
their home countries, I am shocked
and deeply dismayed at the re
sponse of some in the media.
“Deport them by the thousands”
(Laura Ingraham). “I ’m telling you
your safety is at risk and you are in
danger.” (Judge Jeanine). “They
could be members of gangs for all
we know.” (Steve Doocy).
by
These same pundits
nnnrlits are often the
i home countries
.
. . . the fort them, and teach them. The last
by their
to avoid
first ones to claim that “America is responsibility of caring for them, thing we should do is shout at them are refugees fleeing violence and
terrorism in third world countries.
a Christian country”.
How should we react? We should frighten them, and turn them away’
The next thing we should do is
And I never thought I would see look at this as a blessing. Yes, a
We should act like compassion
the day when a U. S. Congressman blessing. The opportunity to save ate Americans, not bullies. I am ut- make our best efforts to identify the
would stand up on the floor of the 50,000 children from a life of pov- terly shocked at the inhuman dis- children, determine whether they
House of Representative and sug erty, starvation, and untold depra- plays on television of people shout- have parents or families who can
care for them and, if they do, return
gest that we treat small children as
them to their families.
an “invading force” and authorize
Given the circumstances, I doubt
military force against them. (Texas
there are many o f them who have a
Rep. Louis Gohmert).
(Laura
Ingraham);
family who can care for them. For
These are children - alone, hun
those who have no families to care
gry, and afraid - that they are talking
for them, we should build a commu
about. What kind of people turn
(Judge
Jeanine);
nity for them, educate them, care for
their backs on a lost child?
them, and make them available for
How did these children get here
adoption.
and why are they here? I don’t know
What we should never do is turn
the answer but common sense tells (Steve Doocy)
our
backs to helpless children or
me that they most likely did not walk
send them back to third world coun
the thousand miles from El Salvador vation has been placed, literally, at
ing and screaming epithets at small tries to face lives of poverty and
and Guatemala through Mexico in a our door.
children. We should hold in con depravation.
vast exodus to America.
What should we do? The first tempt those in the media and gov
What would Jesus do?
They are probably the orphans thing we should do is take them in,
ernment who seek to demagogue a
Carlton Fagan is a trial lawyer,
and street children of those coun feed, them, and clothe them. We
humanitarian crisis for their own writer, and activist from Jackson
tries that have been displaced here should give them medical care, com-
political purposes. These children ville, Fla.
Deport them by the thousands”
“I ’m telling you your
safety is at risk and you are in danger. ”
“They could be
members o f gangs for all we know. ”
I
Giving Back to Our Venerable Institutions
No free riders,
please
egon - every Native American, performers with the free riders’ lack
as well as they have? Do we hon make our community stronger.
every Hispanic, every Asian, every of contribution.
estly believe that without the work
The biggest thing we can do is to
African American, and every immi
In our small African American o f the Albina Ministerial Alliance
give our money and our time, our
grant - has benefited tremendously community, we risk becoming a
for Justice and Police Reform that wisdom and expertise, and, above
by M arcus C .
and directly as these organizations population o f free riders. We get
the victims and families of several of all, our grateful hearts to entities
M undy
address inequity.
jobs at companies that wouldn’t those harmed or killed by the Port
The lives o f
that have worked long and quietly
Further, and make no mistake, previously hire us, we buy homes
land Police Department would have and hard so that we might have a
our
A frica n
the successes of the LGBTQ com where we were previously redlined,
received redress?
A m erican n o n
better life.
munity would not have been pos we frequent hospitals and busi
Do we honestly believe that with
profit entities are
The power of the collective is
sible, without the precedent setting nesses that before refused us ser
out the PAALF raising sand that strong. The Montgomery Bus Boy
in jeopardy.
tactics, strategies and legislation vice, and our children attend school
anybody would have stopped the cott showed that determination, a
We have relied upon the toil, (i.e., the “roadmap”) that has been
anywhere we wish or can afford.
development of the lot at the sym good plan, and an entire community’s
innovation, and countless good the cornerstone of the civil rights
The problem is we don’t rou bolic community intersection of
works of venerable institutions like movement. You are welcome, all.
cooperation could end unfair prac
tinely give back to the very institu Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
the Urban League of Portland and
tices and open opportunities. As
Eveiy black man, woman or child tions that helped us bear this fruit.
and
Alberta
Street?
far as I know, there was no big grant
Portland NAACP for years. Adding alive in Oregon can ascribe some
We do not give to our own entities.
No,
we
don’t
honestly
believe
to their efforts are smart, issue-spe improved quality of life they are
that funded their efforts. Rockefeller
We have become falsely convinced any of that would have happened
cific entities such as Portland Com afforded today to the efforts of these
did not arrange all the rides for all the
that “others” (corporate sponsors, without our representatives fight
maids that had to get to work with
munity Reinvestm ent Initiatives local organizations and the brave
government entities, foundations, ing those battles for us, and having
(housing), Self Enhancement, Inc. and brilliant individuals leading
out a bus. The church where they
etc.) will support our institutions; to represent their “race” at eveiy
(education and youth mentoring) them.
met every night was not peopled
therefore we need not continue to meeting they attend in addition to
w ith c o rp o rate sp o n so rs w ho
and the Albina Ministerial Alliance
Every black Intel engineer, black do so.
being
organizational
leaders,
strat
bought a table, but with the people
(social justice/police reform); and Nike executive, black lawyer, black
T he m ajo rity co m m u n ity egists, operations managers, com
that had everything at stake; Black
even more recently, the bold and doctor, black Jefferson student or
watches, waits, and declares “If they munity activists, fundraisers in chief,
people.
energetic Portland African Ameri black Lincoln student or black Caitlin
won’t support their own institu and black folks living in a Portland
No, the power of the collective
can Leadership Forum which has Gabel student, every black Irvington
tions, then why should we continue that maintains the patina of pro
won the day, true self determina
stepped up to lead on issues rang homeowner, every black cop or fire
to do so?” Our own community gressiveness but the reality of a city
tion. A population that wanted
ing from community development man: all of us, whether bom and
watches as well, but too often it that wishes African Americans
change sacrificed for their goals.
to forging new activists in the cru raised in Oregon or not, has ben
waits for someone else to step in.
would
just
go
gently
into
that
good
They didn’t wait for someone else
cible o f their Leadership Academy. efited. We owe a debt that must be
Every one of color has an obliga night.
to pay the freight. They paid the
But each of these organizations paid.
tion to support organizations whose
So
what
can
we
do?
and many more community-focused
price themselves to ride the bus
So why are these organizations purpose it is to serve our commu-
We
can
support
our
African
where they wanted. They were not
groups in our region struggle to in peril? We are experiencing a
nity.
American-led
and
focused
organi
free
riders.
survive. Some may die because of nightmarish manifestation of the
Do we honestly believe that with zations that show positive out
the loss of funding. Others face a “free rider problem.” A free rider
African American Oregonians,
out the tireless organizing efforts of comes.
slow collapse of services until they refers to one who benefits from re
save our institutions, and in so do
groups like the Urban League that
We can accept that not every ing, you save yourself. Give. For us.
become shells of the former dyna sources, goods, or services without
le g isla tio n
a d d re ssin g
our entity needs to continue to exist,
mos.
By us. Right now. Give. No more
paying for the cost of the benefit. A com m unity’s needs would have
not
even
our
own.
We
need
to
ac
free riders.
For some, this process has al free rider benefits from the sacrifice
passed? Do we honestly believe tively ferret out those bad organiza
ready begun. And yet, ironically, of others. Worse, free riders lower
Marcus C. Mundy is a Portland
that without the work of SEI, the tions that suck resources away from
consultant and form er president o f
every single person of color in Or- the morale and performance of high
children they serve would be doing the verifiably good institutions that
the Urban League o f Portland.