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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2015)
April 15, 2015 Page 7 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. O PINION Why the South Carolina Cop May Walk Video doesn’t guarantee a conviction E ARL O FARI H UTCHINSON Former North Charleston Po- OLFH RI¿FHU 0L- chael Thomas Slager has been charged with murder in the shooting death of Walter Scott. $W¿UVWJODQFHLWVHHPVDYLUWXDO slam dunk to nail Slager on the charge. There’s the clear as a bell vid- eo shot in broad daylight which VKRZV 6FRWW LQ IXOO ÀLJKW QRW toward but away from Slager. There’s Slager clearly drilling KLPDVKHÀHHV7KHUH¶VWKHXQ- equivocal, even outraged re- tort by North Charleston Police Chief Eddie Driggers that he was “sickened” at seeing the video. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey and Driggers visited the slain man’s family and com- BY miserated with their “suffering.” But that doesn’t mean that he’ll be convicted of murder, or for that matter any other charge in the Scott killing. The reason for that tells much about the way th over use of deadly force the E RI¿FHUV LV WUHDWHG ZLWKLQ E\ th criminal justice system. the E Even in the rare cases, such as S Slager where cops are hauled in a court docket for overuse into o deadly force, they routinely of w walk free. Their defense law- y are top guns, with lots of yers experience defending police of- ¿FHUVDFFXVHGRIPLVFRQGXFW Police unions bankroll their defense and spare no expense. Slager is the even more rare ex- ception in that he was actually ¿UHGDQGMDLOHG7KH\DUHXVXDOO\ placed on administrative (paid) OHDYHSHQGLQJWKHVWDUWRU¿QLVK of a pro forma promised investi- gation. And when they do serve pre-trial jail time, they are quick- ly released on ridiculously low bail. We’ll watch closely to see what Slager’s bail is set at. When the cops are tried by a jury, police defense attorneys seek to get as many middle class people, whites and even blacks and Latinos, on the jury as possi- ble. The presumption is that they are much more likely to believe the testimony of police and po- lice defense witnesses than black witnesses, defendants, or even the victims. It’s a presumption that has been born out in police misconduct trials time and again. George Zimmerman even got WKH EHQH¿W RI WKDW SUHVXPSWLRQ when he walked in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. It’s an uphill battle for prose- cutors to overcome both pro-po- lice attitudes and negative racial stereotypes. Stanford University researchers recently found that even when many whites are pre- sented with evidence that the criminal justice system is loaded with racial bias toward blacks they are more likely to support tough, draconian laws such as three strikes, tough sentencing and increased incarceration. Scott is a near textbook example of that problem. Before the video surfaced, WKH SUHVV KDG D ¿HOG GD\ KDS- pily playing up Scott’s criminal record. The implication always being that he was a bad guy who got what he deserved and that WKHRI¿FHUZDVWKHSXWXSRQYLF- tim that had no choice but to use deadly force. The negative perceptions of blacks, especially black males, by much of the public are not the only problem in effecting effective legal measures against police violence. There is no iron- clad standard of what is or isn’t an acceptable use of force in po- lice misconduct cases. It often comes down to a judgment call E\WKHRI¿FHU In the Rodney King beat- ing case in 1992 in which four /$3' RI¿FHUV VWRRG WULDO GH- fense attorneys painted King as the aggressor and claimed that the level of force used against KLP ZDV MXVWL¿HG 7KLV SDWWHUQ has been evident in a number of celebrated cases since then. Police claim that they feared for their lives in confronting civil- ians and they use deadly force solely in self-defense. Then there’s the supposed- ly smoking gun video that will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Slager overused dead- ly force. The King case proved this to be bunkum. The attorneys twisted, turned, dissected, re-dis- sected, analyzed and reanalyzed it from every earthly angle. They claimed it didn’t show what led up to the King beating, didn’t fully show King’s resistance, GLGQ¶W VKRZ WKH RI¿FHUV JLYLQJ instructions to him to comply, and was too limited in the angle that it was shot. The jury bought the claim. This tact has been used repeat- edly in other instances where videos and cell phone footage catches a cop committing an abuse against an unarmed non resisting citizen. It’s still a mat- ter of what you see is really not what you see in these cases. Slager may indeed wind up being the even rarer still case of a cop convicted of murdering in cold-blood an unarmed black man. If past history is any guide, though, just don’t bet on it yet. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. Power of Education to Renew, Begin and Grow PCC Cascade Job fair sets example D R . K AREN E DWARDS Springtime has arrived, a season that underscores messages of re- newal, beginnings and growth. Such concepts can be applied personally or professionally and at Portland Community Col- lege’s Cascade Campus they have meaning for our students in both realms. Our faculty and staff strive to positively impact the lives of our students – to affect them on a personal level DQGQXUWXUHWKHLUFRQ¿GHQFH±DW the same time they’re educating students to best prepare them for future professional opportuni- ties. An example of this will be seen at the PCC Cascade Job Fair slated for Tuesday, April 28. Now in its 18th year, the event is open to the general public in BY addition to our students. The job fair brings together local employers – more than 70 ±LQQHHGRITXDOL¿HGHGXFDWHG personnel, with approximately 1,000 talented and skilled indi- viduals proactively scouting for v employment. e In the case of our students, they’re able to demonstrate, with th FRQ¿GHQFH KRZ WKHLU SHUVRQDO F and a intellectual growth through contributes to the economic, cul- tural and social development of its immediate locale and region. It also showcases two integral parts of the college’s three- SURQJHG PLVVLRQ WR VWUHQJWKHQ academic skills and to prepare students for direct entry to the workforce. Both aspects can be seen in other ways at the Cascade Cam- pus. In only two years here, a The job fair illustrates the ability of PCC to serve as a community resource education successfully translates into professional aptitude that EHQH¿WV D EXVLQHVV +LUHV VWHP- ming from the job fair create a win-win scenario for both the employer and the employee, and from a larger perspective, these kinds of results bolster Port- land’s economy. The job fair illustrates the ability of PCC to serve as a community resource, one that student can fully prepare for a career in the skilled trades, or as a medical laboratory technician, or a paramedic – all of them in-demand jobs that offer good ZDJHVDQGEHQH¿WV $QGLQPDQ\¿HOGVRIVWXG\ a student can earn profession- DO FHUWL¿FDWLRQ LQ RQH \HDU RU less. An example of this trajec- tory is the three-month Career 3DWKZD\V FHUWL¿FDWH SURJUDP in heating, ventilation and air conditioning installation, a pro- gram associated with the Cas- cade Campus at the college’s newly established Swan Island Trades Center. So far, 20 HVAC students have graduated this \HDUZLWKVWDWHFHUWL¿FDWLRQDQG some of these students plan to continue their studies; for one recent graduate, the HVAC FHUWL¿FDWLRQ PRYHV KHU IXUWKHU along in PCC’s two-year fa- cilities maintenance technolo- gy program, and she hopes to eventually earn a journeyman electrical license. The third part of PCC’s mis- sion caters to students looking to pursue a four-year degree. By enrolling in the college’s Asso- ciate in Arts Oregon Transfer degree program – which can be done at Cascade Campus, right here in your own backyard – stu- dents are guaranteed to have met all lower division general educa- tion requirements. This enables them entrance to a public univer- sity in Oregon as a junior . . . and saves them thousands of dollars in tuition. Portland Community College is a smart choice, and as we en- ter the “season of college deci- sion-making” – April, May and June – I would strongly encour- age would-be college students to consider PCC as a top choice. Over the next couple of months, you’ll see billboards and out- door advertising throughout the city, advocating for students to “Think PCC First.” I support this ambition wholeheartedly; high quality education combined with access and affordability simply makes sense. Education has always been one of the foremost means for people to effect positive change in their lives. Education is fuel to a thriving workforce and econo- my, as well as power to the in- dividuals who partake in it. This is especially true at community colleges, at PCC and at the Cas- cade Campus. Stop by for a visit – I welcome having you as our guest, so you can see for your- selves the transformative power education offers. Dr. Karin Edwards is pres- ident of Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus in north Portland.
