Page 6
April 8, 2015
New Prices
Effective
May 1, 2014
Martin
Cleaning
Service
O pinion
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$45.00
A small distance/travel
charge may be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services) : $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00 Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) :
$40.00 Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $109 - $139
Chair or Recliner:
$25 - $49
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services) : $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Area & Oriental Rug
Cleaning
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949
Something’s Deeply Wrong when Poor Get Prison
The pattern of
criminalizing
poverty
K aren D olan
Here’s
some-
thing you might
not know about
Ferguson,
Mis-
souri: In this city
of 21,000 people,
16,000 have outstanding arrest
warrants. In fact, in 2013 alone,
authorities issued 9,000 warrants
for over 32,000 offenses.
That’s one-and-a-half offenses
for every resident of Ferguson in
just one year.
Most of the warrants are for
minor offenses such as traffic or
parking violations. And they’re
part of a structural pattern of
abuse, according to a recent De-
partment of Justice investigation.
The damning report found that
the city prioritized aggressive rev-
enue collection over public safety.
It documented unconstitutional
policing, violations of due pro-
cess, and racial bias against the
majority black population.
One woman’s story illustrates
what’s happening to more and
more people as municipal reve-
nues become the focus of police
departments all over the country.
It began with a parking tick-
et back in 2007, which saddled a
by
low-income black woman with a
$151 fine and extra fees. In eco-
nomic distress and frequently
homeless, she was unable to pay.
So she was hit with new
fines and fees — and even-
tually an arrest warrant
that landed her in jail.
By 2010, she’d paid
the court $550 for the
single parking violation,
but more penalties had
accrued. She attempted to
as catching a fish out of season in
Ionia, Michigan, shoplifting a $2
can of beer in Augusta, Georgia,
or hanging out in an abandoned
building in Grand Rapids.
It’s even worse for the home-
less. A majority of cities now pro-
hibit sitting or lying down in pub-
lic, and nearly a quarter make it a
crime to ask for food or money.
I’ve co-authored a report at the
Institute for Policy Studies called
“The Poor Get Prison,” which ex-
Police presence in schools has been
increasing since the 1990s. Combined with the
rise of “Zero Tolerance” policies, children in low-
income schools are prosecuted as criminals for
everything from brawling on the basketball court
to doodling on a desk. In Austin, Texas, a 12-year-
old ended up in court for putting on perfume.
make payments of $25 and $50,
but the court rejected those partial
installments.
Even after being jailed and
paying hundreds of dollars above
the original fine, she still owes
the court $541 — all because she
lacked the money to pay the initial
fees.
This woman’s story is repeating
itself in town after town.
A 2014 NPR investigation
found people who wound up in jail
after coming up short on fines for
a range of minor offenses — such
amines the growing phenomenon
of local communities “criminal-
izing poverty.” That means tar-
geting, arresting, and downright
bilking people for misdemeanor
offenses, debt, and lack of re-
sources.
We find that as state and local
budgets were squeezed following
the 2008 recession, local author-
ities all over the country levied
more fines and fees on those peo-
ple least able to pay — and ag-
gressively pursued them.
Even after their debt is paid,
these can people face discrimina-
tion in employment, housing, and
social services because of the jail
time they racked up when they
were unable to pay.
Fines aren’t the only way the
courts are shaking down poor
people. The report details anoth-
er increasingly lucrative revenue
raiser for both local and federal
coffers: civil asset forfeiture. This
is the odious practice of seizing
cash and property from people not
charged with any crime and who
can’t afford legal defense.
Not even kids are safe. From
pre-school on, poor and black
children are often considered
criminals.
Police presence in schools has
been increasing since the 1990s.
Combined with the rise of “Zero
Tolerance” policies, children in
low-income schools are prose-
cuted as criminals for everything
from brawling on the basketball
court to doodling on a desk. In
Austin, Texas, a 12-year-old end-
ed up in court for putting on per-
fume.
When a community issues arrest
warrants for more offenses than it
has residents, something’s deeply
wrong. A democratic society that
purports “freedom and justice for
all” can’t coexist with one that pro-
files and criminalizes poor people
and communities of color.
Karen Dolan is a senior fellow
at the Institute for Policy Studies.