April 29, 2015
Page 7
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O PINION
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the chains of
injustice
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Each year over
1,000 Christians
join together in our nation’s
capital to address a common
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This year, Ecumenical Advoca-
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Justice focused on the theme,
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Incarceration and Systems
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be one of the sponsors in this
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In addition to our partnership
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month of leaders in the United
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Church of Christ addressed our
nation’s tragic mass incarcer-
ation system of injustice that
disproportionately
impacts
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reau of Justice Statistics, the
United States imprisons more
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million people currently sub-
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system, and it is far from repre-
sentative of the nation’s popu-
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fabric of our families and com-
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drain of our public resources
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Estimates indicate that
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maintain the prison industrial
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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.
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the total global population; it
alone accounts for a staggering
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All totaled, there are over 7
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serving time at some point in
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penditures has led to the in-
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and other commerce, includ-
ing suppliers of goods and ser-
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ority of private companies is
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private prisons depends entire-
ly on maintaining a large and
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the demand for guaranteed oc-
cupancy rates runs counter to
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alternative sentencing, and
other forms of restitution, es-
pecially in cases of non-vio-
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United Church of Christ is
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to halt the rapidly rising trend
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ing the chains of injustice be-
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The Rev. M. Linda Jaramil-
lo is executive minister for the
United Church of Christ’s Jus-
tice and Witness Ministries.
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to serve
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African-American
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completed a successful but
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from the airport, stopped to
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to run through the airport to
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nity meeting about voter ed-
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march for justice at the state
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the amount of time she need-
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hour-long drive to the march’s
BY
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Lori had a heart for
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again, a sharp pain in her
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“It’s probably from
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little nausea on the plane — “I
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gency room at the local hospi-
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habit of postponing her annual
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her that she had cardiovascular
disease and that she had just
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As active as Lori had been
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care of her family, supporting
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for justice — she had neglected
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ease Control and Prevention,
every day, 2,200 Americans die
from cardiovascular disease —
that’s nearly one in every three
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most half of all African-Amer-
ican adults have some form
of cardiovascular disease that
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heart failure, coronary artery
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include genetics, high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, di-
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icans have the highest rate of
death from heart disease and
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that the call for justice is an-
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glect to combat the adversary
that has the greatest potential
to silence our voices, tie our
hands and still our steps forev-
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our bodies, eat healthily, and
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to stop the threat caused by car-
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health can lead to diminished
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more health challenges, and
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In many communities, the
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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
