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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2015)
June 10, 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 Fight for Better Policing and Greater Accountability How many more will we mourn? C ORNELL W ILLIAM B ROOKS Freddie Gray wasn’t the only person to die at the hands of the police in April. Before Mr. Gray suffered three broken vertebrae during the course of his arrest by Balti- ld J Justus t more police, 17-year-old Howell was fatally shot by an un- LGHQWL¿HGRI¿FHULQ=LRQ,OO/LNH the death of Mr. Gray, Mr. How- ell’s death was ruled a homicide. On the day that Mr. Gray was laid to rest and protests and demonstrations against police brutality rung out in Baltimore, a group of local and federal law HQIRUFHPHQW RI¿FHUV DUULYHG DW the home of 20-year-old Terrance Kellom, who was a suspect in a robbery case. Less than 10 min- utes after police entered Terrance Kellom’s home, he was dead, shot several times by an Immigration DQG&XVWRPV(QIRUFHPHQWRI¿FHU who was part of an inter-agency fugitive task force for reasons that remain unclear. Then there was 37-year-old Na- tasha Mckenna. This 130-pound BY woman died after she was taser shocked four times by the s Fairfax, Va. police Feb. 3, F with her hands cuffed be- w hind her back, shackled h around her legs, with a hob- a ble b strap connecting both of o the restraints. Police say they th are still investigating. More than 400 people died while in police custody h have di this year and the list keeps grow- ing, according to an online data- base that compiles news reports of instances of use of deadly force. While there is no comprehensive national database compiled by law enforcement agencies of police’s use of excessive or deadly force in the United States, the number of people both severely and fatally injured while in police custody un- derscores a distressing symptom of the untested and overaggressive policing culture that has become commonplace in communities of color all across the country. How many more lives of un- armed black men and women, tragically and senselessly killed by police, will our nation have to mourn before our country moves WR ¿[ LWV XQMXVW DQG LQHIIHFWLYH criminal justice system? The NAACP says no more. 7KH¿JKWIRUEHWWHUSROLFLQJDQG greater accountability has been at the forefront of the NAACP’s work since its inception, and it’s D¿JKWWKDWZHNQRZKRZWRZLQ One of our most recent achieve- ments: The NAACP alongside its valiant coalition partners helping to dismantle the practice of stop and frisk in New York and lever- aging a successful collaborative campaign to pass anti-racial pro- ¿OLQJ DQG SROLFH DFFRXQWDELOLW\ measures. And we have no inten- tion of slowing down. Now the NAACP is doubling down on advocating for body worn cameras, car cameras and gun and taser cameras. The avail- ability of video evidence of police interactions with civilians can OHDG WR VLJQL¿FDQW LPSURYHPHQWV in police accountability and trust among a community. Additional- ly, we must deploy the use of inde- pendent investigation bodies and the use of civilian review boards. But we cannot do it alone. Join us LQRXU¿JKW+HUHDUHWKUHHVLPSOH ways that you can help. Join the NAACP: Become a part of the largest civil rights or- ganization in the nation. When you become a member of the NAACP, you are doing more than joining an organization; you are becoming a part of a communi- ty. Our membership community is the reason we’ve been able to SURWHFWGHIHQGDQG¿JKWIRURXU civil rights and human rights for over a century. Help us pass the End Racial 3UR¿OLQJ $FW 7KH (QG 5DFLDO 3UR¿OLQJ $FW KDV EHHQ UHLQWUR- duced in both the U.S. Senate the U.S. House of Representa- WLYHV 7KH (QG 5DFLDO 3UR¿OLQJ Act comprehensively addresses the insidious practice of biased treatment by law enforcement because of who you are, or who you are perceived to be, by law enforcement. Call your U.S. sen- ators and representative in Wash- ington and tell them to pass the (QG 5DFLDO 3UR¿OLQJ $FW 7KH switchboard phone number is 1-202-224-3121. Support America’s Journey for Justice: Last year, our “Journey for Justice” campaign began with a 134-mile, 7-day march from Ferguson to Jefferson City, Mo., to join members of the Ferguson community in protesting the death of Michael Brown at the hands of the police, and to provide leader- Nebraska Executes its Death Penalty An admission the system is broken M ARC H. M ORIAL The last time the state of Nebraska car- ried out an execution was Dec. 2, 1997. The inmate, Robert E. Wil- liams, was put to death by electric chair. In a stunning vote last month—a vote that may signal a growing, national discontent with capital punishment as a feature of our nation’s criminal justice sys- WHP²1HEUDVND EHFDPH WKH ¿UVW Republican-led state in more than four decades to abolish its death penalty. A bipartisan group of state law- makers—the majority of them Re- publicans—voted to strike down Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts’ veto of a bill to repeal Nebraska’s death penalty—a bill that has been introduced in the legislature every session since 1981. For those lawmakers, and for all those in favor of re-examining BY capital punishment or repealing it all together, the landmark vote was not only a stinging indictment of the practice, but an admission that the system that determines who will or will not be put to state-sponsored death in our nation is fundamentally bro- ken. While a large majority of Americans continue to support the death penalty, that support has steadily declined to almost historic lows. A recent Gallup poll reported that 56 percent of Amer- icans now support the death pen- alty, this from a high of almost 80 percent in the mid-90s. Mean- while, opposition to the death pen- alty has increased from a low of 18 percent of Americans in favor of abolishing the death penalty to 38 percent. For hundreds of years, outspo- ken opposition to the death penal- ty, by a diverse collection of indi- viduals and organizations, has put a spotlight on a method of punish- ment many feel neither align with their personal values, nor the val- ues of this country. There are many experts who contribute much of today’s sea change in attitudes towards cap- ital punishment to the growing number of conservatives coming to the frontlines of the opposition movement to the death penalty, TXHVWLRQLQJLWVHI¿FDF\DQG¿VFDO soundness. After Nebraska’s vote, Marc Hyden of Conservatives Con- cerned About the Death Penalty released a statement saying he was not surprised that conserva- tives led the death penalty repeal effort in Nebraska and predicted conservative opposition would become more commonplace in the future. He also noted that, for conservatives, the death penalty violated “the core conservative SULQFLSOHVRI¿VFDOUHVSRQVLELOLW\ limited government, and valuing life.” But even more has changed since the politics of capital pun- ishment began to shift. As of this writing, 153 men and women have been exonerated from America’s death rows. In April of this year, Willie Manning became the 153rd person added to the Death Penalty Information Center’s Innocence List—the charges against him were dismissed after spending 19 years incarcerated for crimes he did not commit. When cases are revisited, or de- IHQGDQWV DUH ¿QDOO\ JLYHQ SURSHU representation in court, a different story can sometimes emerge, one that questions our criminal justice system and its ability to judge all Americans in a fair and equitable manner. For far too long, we have been challenged with proof of racial dis- crimination in arrests and sentenc- ing, and we have also seen DNA ship to the predominantly young activists, participants in democ- racy. This year, we are continuing our work with America’s Journey for Justice - a trek along the 850- mile route from Selma, Ala., to Washington, DC - through Geor- gia, South Carolina, North Car- olina and Virginia - to highlight the need for criminal justice and voting reforms because our lives matter and our children deserve to live. Every American deserves the opportunity to grow and thrive and reach their full potential. And every American child has the potential to become our nation’s leading scientists, entrepreneurs, scholars, lawmakers and law en- IRUFHPHQW RI¿FLDOV ,W LV XV ZKR must protect them. The NAACP remains committed to this prom- LVH¿JKWLQJWRHQVXUHWKDWFRP- munities of color, our children especially, are judged by the con- tent of their character and not by the color of their skin in the eyes of the law. For 106 years, this is what we have stood for and we will not waver. Cornell William Brooks is president and chief executive RI¿FHU RI WKH %DOWLPRUHEDVHG 1$$&3 evidence prove the innocence of those once deemed guilty. These problems and disparities should give every American reason for pause. No matter where you may stand on the death penalty debate, where is the value in maintaining a system that could likely execute an innocent man or woman? As long as questions of equi- ty, fairness and fallibility persist, we must stop executions and give death row inmates every chance to prove their innocence. Marc H. Morial is president DQG FKLHI H[HFXWLYH RI¿FHU RI WKH National Urban League. 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
