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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 19, 2014)
November 19, 2014 glorila nò (Dbserucr 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. A Sweet Touch to a Food Justice Project To grow, strengthen and produce V ivian M. L ucas If y o u ’ve n e v e r eaten a sweet scup- pernong grape, you have missed an unforgettable treat. One of my fondest childhood memories is of enjoying the small deliciously juicy bronze globes grown in my grandparents’ yard. Under a huge living canopy cre ated by grapevines growing on hidden trellises, my sisters and I would pick grapes and eat to our hearts’ content. It never occurred to me that over 40 years later I ’d buy these by wonderful Southern delicacies for a price of almost 10 cents apiece! So when one o f the neighbors of the Franklinton Center at Bricks, a United Church of Christ Center for Education and Social Transformation, recently offered cuttings from her scuppemong grapevines, I jum ped at the chance to add a small vineyard to the center’s 5- acre garden and acre-sized or chard that help provide healthy food to families living in the east ern North Carolina area where the center is located. “A vineyard will put a natu rally sweet touch to the food justice project,” I thought. As the gracious neighbor be gan to clip cuttings from her grapevines, I noticed something unique. The small branches were cut from the vine, but they re mained attached in other areas o f the branches. Upon close examination, I saw that young tendrils from one branch had grown long enough to attach themselves and curl around other branches to stay connected to the grapevines. I learned that what had be gun 10 years ago as four small grape plants had grow n to be com e a 20-foot long and 4-foot w ide grape arbor by making in tr ic a te c o n n e c tio n s th a t helped to produce hundreds of th o u s a n d s — p e rh a p s m il lions— of grapes. To help the plants becom e m ost fruitful, the ow ner had cared for the grow ing grapevines with trel lises and had pruned and trained the branches to reach w ithin their surroundings to help them m ove them selves upw ards. As the tendrils wrapped them selves around the branches and vines, their grips had become strong enough to support the continual growth process. This reminded me of the way chil dren and youth grow within the context of family, school, com munity and church. Young people seek support, training and education to grow, strengthen and produce. It is our responsibility as those who have benefitted from the gifts, leader sh ip , and c o u ra g e o f ou r foreparents and community in stitutions, to give our children and youth something they can “wrap their hands and minds around.” We must build upon the work * completed by those upon whose shoulders we stand. We must make connections to ensure that our systems are strong. We must repeal unjust laws and enact just legislation that helps us work in unity to build new and exciting infrastructures. It is our jo b to set fair p o li cies and lovingly and w isely teach our children and youth how to navigate in ways that successfully help m ove these young people upw ard and for ward. Are we doing our best to m ake the future fruit of our youth sw eet and ju st or just bittersw eet? Vivian M. Lucas is director o f the United Church o f Christ’s Franklinton Center at Bricks in Whitakers, N.C. Police, Brutality and the Prevalence of Racial Bias Increasing trust between police and the community B en J ealous W hat is com m unity policing? In the wake o f increased shootings in Ferguson and around the country, there has been a re new ed public interest in the role o f police, the extent of police brutality, and the preva lence o f racial bias. These are not new issues, and in fact a num ber o f organi zations have been w orking for decades to increase trust be tw een law en forcem ent and the com m unities they serve. A m ong these is the N ational C oalition B uilding Institute, a nonprofit leadership program headquartered in W ashington DC. Founded in 1984, the insti tute focuses on elim in atin g prejudice and resolving inter group conflict. They w ork in cities across the U.S. and over seas to build the capacity of local leaders in schools, co l lege cam puses, police depart- by m ents, and environm ental or been singled out by police. part o f a com m unity, and the ing program to em erge from ganizations to lead prevention- From their experience, the coa com m unity understands the the chaos and violence of the oriented w orkshops and to in lition has learned that it is best sam e about the officer. It in past few weeks. "Now, there tervene in the face of tough to offer com m unities a pre cludes form ing em pathetic re is a chance for police and the in ter g roup conflict. vention-oriented, trust building lationships betw een law en com m unity to hear each other," One o f the group's key approach. This way, they build fo rc e m e n t and c o m m u n ity she said. "The focus needs to program s, the Law E n the ongoing capacity o f law m em bers, which results in in be on how people are treated. forcem ent Com m unity enforcem ent and com m unity c re a se d o ffic e r sa fe ty and If you can train officers how to C itiz e n P ro je c t, fo activists to w ork in partnership safety for all m em bers of the treat all people with dignity cuses on building pro to increase safety for all citi community." and respect - that is a victory." ductive relatio n sh ip s zens in the com m unity. T he p a r tn e rs h ip p ro je c t B ro o k 's c o - d ir e c to r betw een police and the I sp o k e w ith F a b ie n n e builds trust betw een law en Guillermo Lopez explained that com m unities they serve. B ro o k s , w h o a lo n g w ith forcement and community lead com m unity policing cannot be Initially funded in 2002 by a G uillerm o Lopez is co-director ers by helping each side to accom plished with the wave grant from the COPS office o f the institute’s Law E nforce understand the daily realities o f a wand, "You don't go in (the office o f C om m unity Po m ent Program . B rooks is a o f the other. Each has a key trying to change a w hole de licing at the US D epartm ent of retired chief o f detectives for story to tell. Each deserves partm ent; you go in trying to Justice) to w ork in Bethlehem , the King County Police D e respectful listening. By teach change a few p eople, who Penn, and King County, W ash., partm ent in Seattle. She was ing listening skills and conflict eventually com e to change the the p ro je c t has sin ce been the first black fem ale officer in reso lu tio n practices and by w hole dep artm en t. W e can implemented in numerous com county history to be hired as a helping each side see the hu sta rt by fo cu sin g atten tio n munities. deputy, and throughout her manity and legitim ate concerns and financial resources on o r C alled on to bridge the d i career she m ade a point to o f the other, trust and partner ganizations like NCBI, so they vide between com munity m em im m erse herself in the com ship increases. can co n tin u e sp reading the bers and police officers, the m unity that she served. The In ad d itio n , the in stitu te w o rd th a t e m p h a s iz e s the group leads training, diversity, n eig h b o rh o o d she patro lled teaches specific skill sets that 'serve' aspect o f Protect and and inclusion and leadership was the same neighborhood help each side to confront the S erv e.” w o rkshops for o fficers and w here she attended church and biases they have learned about As Brooks told me, "Police com m unity activists to educate raised her fam ily. A fter 26 each other that get in the way officers meet with the com them in skills to foster co o p years on the job, she retired o f equitable treatm ent of the m unity, hear tough things, say erative relationships. and jo ined the institute so she entire com m unity tough things and confront their S om e c o m m u n itie s h av e could continue her passion for — particularly the equitable prejudices together - this is contacted the institute when com munity policing. treatm ent o f people from dif how we will move forw ard." there have been specific d iffi M s. Brooks told me that "an ferent racial groups. Ben Jealous is a partner at culties betw een w hite police im portant part of com m unity In Ferguson, form er C hief Kapor Capital and fo rm er officers and people or neigh policing occurs when an of Brooks sees an opportunity for president and c h ie f execu borhoods o f color that have ficer recognizes that they are an effective com m unity-polic tive officer o f the NAACP.
