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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 2014)
December 3, 2014 $lortlanò (Observer Page 7 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views o f the Portland Observer W? welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. Value and Justly Treat Every Parent’s Child Time for prayer and strategic nonviolent action O thp m n o n f f a □ holy krJw season r_______ • O n n the c u e sp fo r C hristians and Jew s, it is tim ely to rem em ber and help A m erica rem em b er that the k in sh ip o f h u m an be ings is m ore im portant than the fel low ship o f race and class and g en M arian W right E delman In th e w ake o f F erguson and a se ries o f y o ung black m ale deaths at the hands o f official law enforcem en t by personnel (and one self-appointed neigh b o rh o o d w atchm an w ho cost T rayvon M artin his life), I hope w e w ill use this tim e o f T hanksg iv in g and celebration o f N ative A m erican H eritage as an o pportunity fo r n a tional and personal soul searching and discussion about w hat it m eans to be an A m erican. I also hope w e w ill reco m m it to doing w hat w e can to serve, speak up, and w ork w ith others to b u ild a nation w here every ch ild is safe, seen, heard, respected a nd hopeful, and every p a re n ts’ s o n - a n d d au g h te r - is valued and ju s tly treated. d er in a dem ocratic society. W e m u st all try h ard er to be decent and fair and insist that others b e so in o u r presence by not telling, laughing at o r to leratin g racial, eth n ic, reli gious, o r g e n d er jo k e s - o r any practices intended to dem ean rath er than en h an ce an o th er hum an being. W alk aw ay from them . Stare them dow n. M ake them un accep tab le in y o u r presence. T hrough daily m oral co n scio u sn ess w e m u st all counter the pro liferatin g voices o f racial and ethnic and religious division that are reg ain in g too m uch resp ectab il ity o v er the land. .. ____ m a jo rity n o n -W h ite w o rld is as in e x tric a b ly in te rtw in e d w ith o u r p o o r an d n o n -w h ite c h ild re n as it is w ith o u r w h ite a n d p riv ile g e d but I care and am w illing to serve and stand w ith others to save all o ur children. I cannot sing like M arian A n d er o n e s, w ith o u r g irls as w ell as o u r boys. L e t’s n o t sp en d a lo t o f u se le ss tim e p in n in g b la m e an d d e n y in g ra th e r th a n th o u g h tfu lly e x a m in in g th e r o o t c a u s e s o f o u r son o r Fannie L ou H am er o r o rg a nize like Ella Baker and Bayard Rustin but I care and am w illing to serve and stand up w ith others to build a pow erful n o nviolent m ovem ent to protect all o u r children. • c o u n try ’s s y ste m ic ra c ia l d is p a ri I am not holy like A rchbishop ties an d h e a lin g o u r d iv isio n s. T u tu , fo rg iv in g lik e P re s id e n t R abbi A braham Jo sh u a H eschel M andela, or disciplined like M a put it aptly: “W e are no t all equally h atm a G andhi guilty, but w e are all equally resp o n but I care and am w illing to serve sible” for bu ild in g a decent and ju s t and stand w ith others to protect all A m erica and ensuring the safety o u r children. and hopefulness and opportunity I am not brilliant like Dr. W .E.B. o f ev ery child. Du B ois o r E lizabeth C ady Stanton, So I o ffe r a p ra y e r fo r all o f us in o r as eloquent as S ojo u rn er T ruth th is tim e o f n a tio n a l trial: and B ooker T. W ashington but I L o rd I c a n n o t p re a c h lik e M a r care and am w illing to serve and tin L u th e r K in g , Jr. o r turn a p o e tic stand w ith others to protect all our p h ra s e lik e M a y a A n g e lo u an d children. R o b e rt F ro st b u t I c a re an d am I h a v e n o t M o th e r T e r e s a ’s w illin g to se rv e an d sta n d w ith sa in tlin e s s , T h e D a lai L a m a ’s o r o th e rs to b u ild a m o v e m e n t to D o ro th y D a y ’s lo v e o r C e s a r A n d le t ’ s fa c e u p to ra th e r th an ig n o re o u r d e e p s e a te d a n d g ro w in g ra cial p ro b le m s w h ile a p p la u d in g th e g re a t p ro g re s s w e h a v e p ro te c t all o u r c h ild re n . m ade. W e m u st all stru g g le to w ake I do not have H arriet T u b m an ’s u p a n d re c o g n iz e th a t o u r a b ility courage, o r E lean o r R o o sev elt’s and to c o m p e te a n d le a d c re d ib ly in a W ilm a M an k iller’s political skills MM G o d it is n o t as e a s y a s th e 6 0 ’s to fra m e a n is su e a n d fo rg e a s o lu tio n bu t I c a re an d a m w illin g to se rv e an d sta n d w ith o th e rs to p ro te c t all o u r c h ild re n . M y m in d a n d b o d y a re n o t so sw ift as in y o u th a n d m y e n e rg y c o m e s in sp u rts b u t I c a re an d am w illin g to s e rv e a n d s ta n d w ith o th e rs to p ro te c t all o u r c h ild re n . I ’m so y o u n g n o b o d y w ill lis ten. I feel in v is ib le an d h o p e le ss an d I ’m n o t su re w h at to say o r do b u t I c a re an d am w illin g to serv e and stan d w ith m y p e e rs an d a d u lts to sav e m y s e lf a n d all o u r c h ild re n . I c a n ’t see o r hear well speak good English, stutter som etim es and get real scared standing up before others but I care and am w illing to serve and lift m y voice w ith others to save all o u r children. G od, use m e as you w ill to save C h a v e z ’s y o u r and o u r children today and tom orrow and to build a nation and w orld w here every ch ild is valued and protected. g entle tough spirit but I care and am w illing to serve and stand w ith others to save all o u r children. -M arian Wright Edelman is President o f the Children's Defense Fund. A Path Forward in Prosecuting Ferguson Cop Follow Bush and support federal charges B against ™ civilians, — force w hen there now f i n a s h i m s e l f f a c e d ud»h ♦»»<, In the case o f K ing the co m n el- ling pu b lic in terest w as that the state U ial w as fla w e d in lh e r a c ,a „ y T he call h « ♦ fo r U S A ttorney C ^neralEnB H older to h n „ g c S “ “ i ------------ W ik n n He w cn id u as he d , d i E arl O fari H utchinson O n M arch 2 2 ,1 9 9 1 , a vis ib ly s h a k e n a n d a n g e re d P resident G eorge H .W . B ush said he w as sickened and "out ra g e d ” by w hat he saw on television. T h at w as the b eat ing o f black m oto rist R o d n ey K ing by a sw arm o f L A P D cops. A y e ar later follow ing the acquittal o f fo u r o f the police officers by a Sim i V alley ju ry w ith no blacks on it, B ush o r d ered then A ttorney G eneral W ill iam B arr to begin the process o f slapping federal civil rights charges on the officers. H e issued a terse statem ent say- ing “the verdict has left us all w ith a deep sense o f personal frustration and anguish." H e backed this up w ith a televised address a few d ays later in w hich he strongly signaled that civil rights charges w ould be cifically, the statute on “com pelling public in terest” m akes D la in that th f alleged violation m ust involve "egre gious co n d u ct including that w h k h causes i X f l i r C d w ^ r e "the r e s u l t i n ' e’ prior’ P" " n bro u g h t against the officers. w as m anifestly in ad eq u ate in light w a t c h nn d s t ^e rta ,n ly k e p ta c lo s e by sk ew ed ju ry c o n w o si- .ion, an d th at thenTw as a o f the federal interest in v o lv ed " ’ W h h l ^ crim inal civil rights laws specifically d e c id in g n o t to b rin g c h a r g e s “ s x . ° Though there was no apparent racial motive in Wilson confronting Brown, his action clearly violated Brown’s right to exercise his freedom o f movement, and his rights. B u sh had the authority to ord er a pro secu tio n , via a string federal . . . . . . . - u ^ : °nT 6 j ’ u w ard w ith c h a r g e s ^ s s s ’ V "'«*1 p ro se c u to rs. T he B row n case also strongly m erely because som eone perceives they shouldn’t be there and then points to system ic issues o f exces- sive force by police. T he obvious ex cessiv e force that w as used w as row n the T slaying o ? f B Br° ' v n. n ’ T ™ his s strikes to the heart o f an o th er basic rig h t o f nam e,y the freedom from undue harm . His killing once m ore questions about P ° - r o f the law to pro- acts on that perception with no cause o th er than that b e lie f o r perception B ush Sr. w as deeply concerned _________ that the King beating had caused an K in8 heating ar even deeper, volatile and danger- ous rift betw een p olice and A frican- A m ericans. The riots after the cops Were ^ u itted underscored that, This was enough o f a com pelling tect c,b zen s their unim peded interest to force B ush to act. O bam a rigbt tO and safety ' Pederal Pro s- e - t o r s play a m ajor role in ensuring have to co n sid er the sam e. As B ush Sr. did, he can and should he SUSpic’on that follow his exam ple and green light a ° 8° ° f’ s : police officers. This is the sam e ratio- that federal prosecutors u s e d » WaS D° ap p aren t m om ent W ilson p resum ed that a A s in the K ing case, there are young black m an w alking in a public crucial federal interests in ensuring thoroughfare had com m itted a crime, the rights o f individuals to be free T he safeguard o f that right m ust be from undue harm because o f their a fundam ental concern o f federal color, age, and being in a public area __________ d u res w ith civil rights a ttn m e v . and invecH« . attorneys and a p p r o i X f O b ^ a T » ? 116 d id o n O bam d’38 B ush 1 " 8 ’, f a ^ h ^ Z ' n 1 J T 7 ° R Sr d ^ shot w ith his h ands up. A n inde- hispow erasanofficerinkillingB row n P^ nt 3UtOp8y h a sc o n firm ^d 11131 under the color o f law is the linchpin s J Z w ^ X ^ “ ^ P ^ ^ i o c a ! s a s x : “ - a s ? ~
