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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2015)
April 29, 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 7UDJLF0DVV,QFDUFHUDWLRQDQG([SORLWDWLRQ %UHDNLQJ the chains of injustice M. L INDA J ARAMILLO Each year over 1,000 Christians join together in our nation’s capital to address a common LVVXH IDFLQJ RXU FRPPXQLWLHV This year, Ecumenical Advoca- F\'D\VIRU*OREDO3HDFHZLWK Justice focused on the theme, ³%UHDNLQJ WKH &KDLQV 0DVV Incarceration and Systems RI ([SORLWDWLRQ´ 7KH 8QLWHG &KXUFKRI&KULVWZDVSURXGWR be one of the sponsors in this SRZHUIXOPRYHPHQWRIIDLWKIXO SHRSOH ZKR DUH XQLWHG LQ WKLV EROGSXEOLFDFWLRQWRLQÀXHQFH SROLF\PDNHUVRQ&DSLWRO+LOO In addition to our partnership ZLWK (FXPHQLFDO $GYRFDF\ 'D\VWKHJDWKHULQJHDUOLHUWKLV month of leaders in the United BY Church of Christ addressed our nation’s tragic mass incarcer- ation system of injustice that disproportionately impacts EODFNDQGEURZQPHQ $FFRUGLQJ WR WKH 86 %X- reau of Justice Statistics, the United States imprisons more RILWVRZQSHRSOHWKDQDQ\RWK- HUFRXQWU\LQWKHZRUOG:KLOH million people currently sub- MHFWWRWKH86FULPLQDOMXVWLFH system, and it is far from repre- sentative of the nation’s popu- ODWLRQDVDZKROH)RULQVWDQFH ZKLOH$IULFDQ$PHULFDQPDOHV FRPSULVHRQO\SHUFHQWRIWKH 86SRSXODWLRQWKH\PDNHXS SHUFHQWRIWKRVHLQSULVRQRU MDLO $IULFDQ $PHULFDQ PDOHV fabric of our families and com- PXQLWLHV LW LV DQ H[SHQVLYH drain of our public resources WKDWZRXOGEHEHWWHUGLUHFWHGWR TXDOLW\SXEOLFHGXFDWLRQ Estimates indicate that XQGXSOLFDWHG H[SHQGLWXUHV WR maintain the prison industrial FRPSOH[ DUH ELOOLRQ SHU \HDU 7KH EXUGHQ RI VXFK H[- $VDEXVLQHVVWKH¿UVWSULRULW\RISULYDWHFRPSDQLHV LVSUR¿WWKHUHIRUHLQFRPHIRUSULYDWHSULVRQVGHSHQGV entirely on maintaining a large and stable inmate population. But the demand for guaranteed occupancy rates runs counter to efforts toward early release, alternative sentencing, and other forms of restitution, especially in cases of non-violent crimes. WKH86FRPSULVHVSHUFHQWRI the total global population; it alone accounts for a staggering SHUFHQWRIWKHZRUOG¶VSULV- RQSRSXODWLRQ All totaled, there are over 7 KDYH D SHUFHQW FKDQFH RI serving time at some point in WKHLU OLYHV ZKLOH ZKLWH PDOHV KDYHRQO\DSHUFHQWFKDQFH %HVLGHV WKH FRVW WR WKH KX- PDQ VSLULW ZKLFK WHDUV DW WKH penditures has led to the in- FUHDVLQJ SULYDWL]DWLRQ RI WKDW FRPSOH[ HVSHFLDOO\ LQ UXUDO DUHDV ZLWK VPDOO SRSXODWLRQV ZKHUHWKHUHLVDQHHGIRUMREV and other commerce, includ- ing suppliers of goods and ser- YLFHV $V D EXVLQHVV WKH ¿UVW SUL- ority of private companies is SUR¿W WKHUHIRUH LQFRPH IRU private prisons depends entire- ly on maintaining a large and VWDEOH LQPDWH SRSXODWLRQ %XW the demand for guaranteed oc- cupancy rates runs counter to HIIRUWV WRZDUG HDUO\ UHOHDVH alternative sentencing, and other forms of restitution, es- pecially in cases of non-vio- OHQWFULPHV United Church of Christ is PRELOL]LQJ RXU PHPEHUV WR D JURZLQJ PRYHPHQW RI IDLWK DQG FRPPXQLW\ RUJDQL]DWLRQV to halt the rapidly rising trend RI PDVV LQFDUFHUDWLRQ :H PXVW GLVPDQWOH WKH QHZ FDVWH V\VWHPLWKDVFUHDWHGE\EUHDN- ing the chains of injustice be- IRUHDQRWKHUJHQHUDWLRQLVORVW The Rev. M. Linda Jaramil- lo is executive minister for the United Church of Christ’s Jus- tice and Witness Ministries. ,PSHUDWLYH&DOOWR7DNH2XU+HDOWK6HULRXVO\ +DYLQJDKHDUW to serve V IVIAN M. L UCAS /RUL D \HDUROG African-American PRWKHU RI WZR KDG completed a successful but VWUHVVIXO EXVLQHVV WULS $V VKH DUULYHG KRPH VKH UHDOL]HG WKDWVKHKDGGULYHQPLQXWHV from the airport, stopped to SLFN XS KHU \RXQJ VRQV IURP KHU PRWKHU¶V DQG ZDV IHHOLQJ PRUHWLUHGWKDQXVXDO +HU LQLWLDO GHSDUWLQJ ÀLJKW KRPH KDG EHHQ ODWH 6KH KDG to run through the airport to PDNH WKH FRQQHFWLQJ ÀLJKW 6WLOO/RULZDVDOUHDG\WKLQNLQJ DERXWWKHQH[WQLJKW¶VFRPPX- nity meeting about voter ed- XFDWLRQ 7KLQNLQJ DKHDG VKH ZDVZRQGHULQJKRZPDQ\OD\- HUVRIZDUPFORWKLQJVKHZRXOG QHHGWRZHDUGXULQJWKHDQQXDO march for justice at the state FDSLWDO 6KH EHJDQ FDOFXODWLQJ the amount of time she need- HG WR OHDYH KRPH WR PDNH WKH hour-long drive to the march’s BY JDWKHULQJVLWHZKLOHDOVRSRQ- GHULQJ ZKHUH VKH QHHGHG WR SDUNKHUFDU Lori had a heart for MXVWLFH <HW WKHUH LW ZDV again, a sharp pain in her EDFN “It’s probably from SXOOLQJ RYHUVWXIIHG OXJJDJH´ /RUL WKRXJKW 6KH KDG IHOW D little nausea on the plane — “I MXVW QHHG VRPH IUHVK DLU´ VKH WULHG WR UHDVVXUH KHUVHOI %XW ZKHQVKHZRNHXSLQWKHHPHU- gency room at the local hospi- WDO RI KHU WRZQ VKH NQHZ VKH ZDV LQ WURXEOH 6KH KDG D EDG habit of postponing her annual GRFWRU DSSRLQWPHQWV 6KH ZDV XQDZDUH RI KHU KHDOWK FKDO- OHQJHV +HU GRFWRU LQIRUPHG her that she had cardiovascular disease and that she had just VXIIHUHGDKHDUWDWWDFN As active as Lori had been ² EXLOGLQJ KHU FDUHHU WDNLQJ care of her family, supporting KHU FRPPXQLW\ DQG ¿JKWLQJ for justice — she had neglected WRWDNHFDUHRIKHUVHOIDQGKHU KHDUW6KHGLGQRWNQRZDVLOHQW NLOOHUZDVRQWKHORRVHLQVLGHRI KHURZQERG\ /RUL ZDV EOHVVHG WR VXUYLYH WKLV PDMRU KHDOWK FULVLV $F- FRUGLQJWRWKH&HQWHUVIRU'LV- ease Control and Prevention, every day, 2,200 Americans die from cardiovascular disease — that’s nearly one in every three GHDWKV :KLOHDQ\RQHFDQEHDWULVN IRUKHDUWGLVHDVHDQGVWURNHDO- most half of all African-Amer- ican adults have some form of cardiovascular disease that FDQOHDGWRKHDUWDWWDFNVWURNH heart failure, coronary artery GLVHDVH DQGRU RWKHU VHULRXV FRQGLWLRQV 0DMRU ULVN IDFWRUV include genetics, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, di- DEHWHV REHVLW\ VPRNLQJ DQG ODFNRIH[HUFLVH$IULFDQ$PHU- icans have the highest rate of death from heart disease and VWURNH WKDQ DQ\ RWKHU UDFLDO RU HWKQLFJURXSLQWKLVFRXQWU\ /LNH/RULPDQ\RIXVZRUN KDUGLQRXUMREVZLWKRXUIDP- LOLHV DQG LQ RXU FRPPXQLWLHV 0DQ\ RI XV OLIW XS RXU YRLFHV ZDONLQJWKHSDWKVWRPDNHVXUH that the call for justice is an- VZHUHG+RZHYHUZHRIWHQQH- glect to combat the adversary that has the greatest potential to silence our voices, tie our hands and still our steps forev- HU²KHDUWGLVHDVH ,WLVLPSHUDWLYHWKDWZHWDNH RXU KHDOWK VHULRXVO\ :H PXVW YLVLWZLWKRXUGRFWRUVH[HUFLVH our bodies, eat healthily, and ZRUN ZLWKLQ RXU FRPPXQLWLHV to stop the threat caused by car- GLRYDVFXODUGLVHDVH :HPXVWUHFRJQL]HWKDWSRRU health can lead to diminished SURGXFWLYLW\ LQ WKH ZRUNSODFH more health challenges, and \HVHYHQGHDWK+HDUWGLVHDVH LVWRRKLJKDFRVWWRSD\ In many communities, the TXHVWIRUMXVWLFHLVORQJLWWDNHV DWROO:KLOHLWLVLPSRUWDQWWR KRQRURQH¶VKHDUWWRVHUYHZH PXVWDOVRWU\WRNHHSRXUVHOYHV KHDOWK\ VR WKDW ZH FDQ UHPDLQ LQWKHVWUXJJOHXQWLOWKHHQG Vivian M. Lucas is the di- rector of the United Church of Christ Franklinton Center at Bricks. The Law Offices of Patrick John Sweeney, P.C. Patrick John Sweeney Attorney at Law 1549 SE Ladd Portland, Oregon Portland: Hillsoboro: Facsimile: Email: (503) 244-2080 (503) 244-2081 (503) 244-2084 Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com