Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2015)
March 4, 2015 Page 3 INSIDE The Week in Review This page Sponsored by: page 2 L OCAL N EWS All Lives Matter O PINION pages 6-7 M ETRO Lesson in justice turns to a call for action page 9 BY O LIVIA O LIVIA T HE P ORTLAND O BSERVER As students rehearse their speeches in the wings behind the stage, teachers, parents, family, staff, and community members file into the Ockley Green Middle School auditorium. They are about to see a presentation on how racial profiling and stand-your-ground laws un- fairly favor white killers over black victims. The assembly is a project of the north Portland school’s Mock Trial team, a campus group that studies and re-enacts legal cases for stu- dents interested in law and justice. As the lights dim, student after stu- dent goes on stage to give a presen- tation and a slideshow begins on the life and death of Trayvon Mar- tin, the young African American male from Florida killed two years ago in a confrontation with George Zimmerman, a so-called neighbor- hood watch captain. Members of the Ockley Green team testify to the humanity of stu- dents of color and ask the commu- nity, and particularly law enforce- ment, to take the lives of all people PHOTO BY O LIVIA O LIVIA /T HE P ORTLAND O BSERVER Reco Garland (left) and Rohan Singh from north Portland’s Ockley Green Middle School describe their experiences learning about Trayvon Martin’s death and the pitfalls of racial profiling and stand-your-ground laws. more seriously. An overwhelming diverse school with large black and Latino popula- tions, the students share the feel- ings of fear and discomfort they had when Martin’s killer was set free. And despite being shielded from the news of the killing and subse- quent trial by parents, many of the students describe the Martin case as their first real encounter with a high profile murder of a young black person. Eighth grader Reco Garland shared his experience, “I watched the news, my parents were there with me. I was sad he basically got killed for no reason. I felt like I can’t even go outside my house to go to school. I was scared for life. It led to a talk - a talk I learned black boys have been getting for years.” The talk is the warning many young black males get about the dangers of being mistakenly ac- cused by police officers and other continued on page 8 The AARP helps low-income families and individuals prepare their taxes free of charge throughout the United States. Free Tax Preparation Help pages 10-14 C LASSIFIEDS C ALENDAR page 14 page 15 This year, AARP Foundation in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service is again providing free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers through- out Oregon with low to moderate income. You do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this service. The volunteers are trained and IRS-certified each year to ensure their knowledge of revisions to the U.S. tax code. Last year, 1,197 AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volun- teers in Oregon helped more than 80,795 people file their federal and state tax returns. The program is offered at approximately 134 sites in Oregon including senior cen- ters, libraries and other convenient locations. For more, visit www.aarp.org/findtaxhelp or call 1- 888-227-7669.
