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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 2014)
December 31, 2014 Jarliani» (Obstruer Page 15 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. When People Ask: ‘Why Do We March Our protest and a plan of action from a Birmingham Jail” more Brown, Akai G urley, Tam ir Everyone committed to that has a 10 point plan for police than 50 years ago is still true Rice, John Craw ford and oth mission — no matter age, race, reform and accountability: today: “Injustice anywhere is a ers did not deserve to die; be religion or background - is and 1. W idespread use o f body threat to justice everywhere.” cause M arlene Pinnock did not has always been welcome. The cameras and dashboard cam by M arc H. In this catalytic m om ent deserve to be viciously beaten challenges before us are big eras; 2. Broken windows re M orial driven by cataclysmic circum and Levar Jones did not de .enough that we all have a role to form and implementation o f 21 st Few tim es in a stances, what we have wit serve to be shot for com plying play in the solutions. Century com m unity policing n atio n ’s history is nessed across America since with a trooper’s request; be We have been here before - model; 3. Review police use of the conscience o f its the non-indictments of offic cause the excessiv e use o f and we can change a nation deadly force policies and adopt a citizens shocked and awakened ers in the killings of Michael force - deadly force - by law again. That is why we and our uniform deadly force standard; - across racial, econom ic, gen Brown and Eric Gamer may be enforcem ent against unarmed partners - the National Action 4. Comprehensive retraining of erational and even ideological new to a generation, but it is not A frican A m erican s has no Network, NAACP and Black all police officers; 5. Com pre - lines. Tim es w hen the co l new to a nation. place in the land o f the free Women ’ s Roundtable - marched hensive review and strengthen le c tiv e c o n s c io u sn e ss o f a Catalytic moments birthed by and the home of the brave; in Washington, D.C. earlier this ing of police hiring standards; 6. people scream s - and dem ands cataclysmic circumstances - the because police should not fear month along with many others. Appointment of special prosecu without apology - that it’s time horrific beating and murder of the com m unities they have It’s also why we will continue to tors to investigate police mis for a change, that things must Emmett Till, the killing of four sw orn to protect and com m u be in c o m m u n itie s acro ss conduct; 7. Mandatory, uniform be different and that it m ust little black girls in the 1963 Bir nities should not fear those who America every day, doing the FBI reporting and audit of lethal start today. mingham church bombing and serve to protect them; and be work that the National Urban force incidents involving all law So, when people ask, “Why the murders of civil rights work cause we — as a nation — must League has consistently done enforcement; 8. Creation and do we march?,” I tell them we ers Schwemer, Goodman and and can be better. for 104 years to ensure a better audit of national database of citi march because o f the views Chaney. We marched in Washington - America for all citizens. zen complaints against police; 9. expressed, concerns shared, and These events shocked our as we have so many times be We marched in our nation’s Revision of national police ac pain felt by all the people who nation into more than aware fore - as a multicultural band of capital to protest injustice - and creditation system for manda took to the stage to speak and ness. They shocked us into ac historic civil rights organizations most importantly to put forth a tory use by law enforcement to the tens o f th o u san d s w ho tion - action that resulted in the united with legislators, clergy, plan of action - a plan that will be eligible for federal funds; and marched and chanted for “Jus passing of the most comprehen everyday Americans and young help ensure that no other family 10.National comprehensive anti- tice for All.” sive and sweeping civil rights people who have committed our in America ever has to feel the racial profiling law. W e march for the millions laws our nation has seen in its selves to working for the change pain of the mothers, fathers, Marc H. Morial is presi more across America who know history. we want to see and to peaceful, wives, daughters and sons who dent and chief executive of that what Dr. M artin Luther T hat is why we m arch - nonviolent advocacy, activism stood with us that day: ficer of the National Urban King, Jr. shared in his “Letter because Eric G arner, M ichael and change. The National Urban League League. New Year’s Resolution for Economic Justice Ending the division by race by C harlene C rowell The groundswell of activism regarding Black Americans lack of crimi- nal justice has become nearly daily headline news. Demonstra- tions spanning the nation and many parts of the globe have called for justice for those lives taken by questionable and fatal police behavior. Yet Black America also suf- ffers from another kind o f injus- tice that is economic in nature and as pervasive as it is cruel. According to a new analysis of the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, white household wealth stands at 13 times that of black households, Similarly, when white wealth was compared to that of Latino house- holds, the wealth gap was more than 10 times. A fter accounting for total Jim Crow laws and practices homes. Some restrictive cov For example, 2012 research household financial assets such reversed most financial gains. enants existed even in commu by the Center for Responsible as savings, investments, and busi A m erica’s ‘colored wages’ nities that did not officially man Lending found that black and ness equity, the Pew Research continued for several decades date racial segregation. Latino families bore $ 1 trillion of Center then subtracted all until 1960s federal civil rights The Com m unity R einvest the nation’s $2 trillion in lost in d e b te d n e ss in c lu d in g legislation called for equal em ment Act , enacted in 1977, wealth due to the concentration m o rtg a g e s, in sta llm e n t ployment and banned racial dis requires depository institutions of subprime mortgages in com loans, credit cards student crimination in employment, pub such as banks and credit unions munities of color; auto loan in loans and more. The results lic accommodations, housing and to use safe and sound prac terest-rate markups cost con in dollar values determined that voting. tices to m eet the credit needs sumers nearly $26 billion each the median net worth of white It is also notew orthy to re o f com m unities w here they year; and borrowers in lower h o u se h o ld s in 2013 w as m em b er th at ea rly fed eral operate - including low and credit tiers pay up to 68 percent $141,900. For blacks and Latinos, h o m e o w n e rs h ip p ro g ra m s m oderate-in co m e n eig h b o r higher monthly payments on pri however, median net worth was were structured in ways that hoods. In M ay 1995 and again vate student Ioans than on safer respectively only $11,000 and d iscrim in ated against black in A ugust 2005, the regulation federal loans. $ 13,700. borrow ers. For exam ple, the was substantially revised and If economic injustice is al Am erica’s racial wealth di F H A andG I B ill’s housing pro updated. lowed to continue, Am erica’s vide has existed throughout most g ra m s h ad s e v e re b ia s e s Even with the Reinvestment disturbing wealth gap trends will of the nation’s history, against urban homes and neigh Act, however, predatory lend undersco re w hat the 1960s For example, for more than borhoods with large numbers ers consistently targeted con Kemer Commission report pre 200 years enslaved Africans and o f m inorities. These policies sumers of color in their own dicted: two Americas divided by their descendants worked with and practices led to the virtual neighborhoods. Often in the ab race. no wages. Emancipation freed exclusion of black fam ilies in sence of full-service, mainstream As a New Y ear begins, a former slaves; but few opportu- accessing affordable and sus financial services, these fringe different kind of resolution is in nities for immediate gainful em- tainable m ortgages. lenders arrived to exploit finan order: Economic justice for all. ployment existed. Although Re In other locales, restrictive cial needs in urban areas. In the Charlene Crowell is a com construction led to some short- covenants banned people of color process, valuable dollars have munications manager for the lived economic gains, the “Black from neighborhoods - without been drained from wallets and Center for Responsible Lend Codes” that soon followed with regard for their ability to afford livelihoods. ing.
