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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2015)
Page 6 New Prices Effective May 1, 2014 Martin Cleaning Service March 18, 2015 O PINION Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $VPDOOGLVWDQFHWUDYHO charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area 3UH6SUD\7UDI¿F$UHDV (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) ,QFOXGHV3UH6SUD\7UDI¿F$UHD (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) Area/Oriental Rugs 0LQLPXP Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) 0LQLPXP Heavily Soiled Area Additional $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING 6RID /RYHVHDW 6HFWLRQDO &KDLURU5HFOLQHU Throw Pillows (With Other Services) ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning $XWR%RDW59&OHDQLQJ • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment 6SRW6WDLQ 5HPRYDO6HUYLFH 6FRWFKJXDUG3URWHFWLRQ • Minor Water Damage 6HUYLFHV SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 7KH1H[W&KDSWHULQWKH6WUXJJOHIRU5DFLDO-XVWLFH Equality and justice for all R EV . G EOFFREY A. B LACK Ferguson, Mo. awakened many Americans to a real- ity too well known in communities of color throughout the na- WLRQ)URP1HZ<RUN City to Los Angeles, Cleveland, Cincinnati and – just this month – Milwaukee, the VWRU\UHSHDWVLWVHOIDQXQDUPHG African- American male is shot WRGHDWKE\DSROLFHRI¿FHU This is an issue that warrants further and even continuous attention, because it is a wide- spread malady. Not only the shooting deaths, but what usu- ally rises to the surface is years and years of concern and re- sentment about and toward the police. $ UHFHQW 1HZ <RUN 7LPHV DUWLFOHFLWHGWKDWLQWKH6W/RX- is region alone, Ferguson was only one of several municipal- ities where the justice depart- ment found clear evidence of BY racist policies and practices tar- geted at African Americans. In this article, titled “Fer- JXVRQ %HFDPH WKH 6\PERO but Bias Knows No Border,” Vanita Gupta, the Jus- tice Department’s top civil rights prosecutor, makes the point, say- ing, “Ferguson is one dot in the state, and there are many munic- ipalities in the region engaged in the same practices a mile away.” Just as the 50th anniversa- U\RIWKH0DUFKIURP6HOPDWR Montgomery commemorates the culmination of just a single chapter in what has been an on- going struggle for racial justice and equality, we may one day look back on Ferguson as the beginning of another chapter in WKDWVWUXJJOH,QWKHFRQ- cern was about desegregation and the basic right to vote. Po- lice brutality and abuse of force was a reality then, but voting ZDV WKH SULRULW\ 6R RQO\ QRZ after many years and all too many incidents of unarmed Af- rican Americans being gunned GRZQ E\ SROLFH RI¿FHUV XQGHU questionable circumstances, is the behavior and accountability of these public servants the fo- cus of advocacy for change. ,QWKH\HDUVVLQFH6HOPD many things have changed. One of the changes that is a direct result of the Voting Rights Act is that there are many more African-American elected of- ¿FLDOV VHUYLQJ LQ SXEOLF RI¿FH We can celebrate these changes and accomplishments, but only as steps toward the ultimate goal – equality in all facets of American life, including and especially our systems of law enforcement and justice. 6LQFH 6HOPD RXU XQGHU- standing of racial justice has evolved as well. Racial justice is about equal justice for all Americans. We need to empha- size all, without neglecting the historic experience and partic- ular concerns of any racial or ethnic group. It is about equal treatment under the law for Af- rican Americans for sure, but it is also about equal treatment in law enforcement and the justice system for Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans and Euro Americans. It is important to note that this is a concern for all and that we cannot continue to live un- der the illusion that racism and racial injustice are problems for African Americans or other racial ethnic groups to contend with exclusively. In truth, much of the needed change has to do with the attitudes and behaviors of Euro Americans. 7KH PDUFK IURP 6HOPD WR Montgomery brought togeth- er people of all races and reli- gions in the struggle for justice. This new chapter requires that all people of good will, people who envision an America where our values and our realities are aligned, take up the cause. 7KH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV RI $PHU- ica is becoming a very diverse society, probably the most di- verse nation in the world. It is in the best interest of all that we ¿JXUHWKLVRQHRXWDQGGRLWWR- gether. The Rev. Geoffrey A. Black is general minister and president of the United Church of Christ.
