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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2015)
Page 6 New Prices Effective May 1, 2014 Martin Cleaning Service July 29, 2015 O PINION Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 $VPDOOGLVWDQFHWUDYHO charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area 3UH6SUD\7UDI¿F$UHDV (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 ,QFOXGHV3UH6SUD\7UDI¿F$UHD (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) 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 6RID /RYHVHDW 6HFWLRQDO &KDLURU5HFOLQHU $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning $XWR%RDW59&OHDQLQJ • 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 Obama Gets Real About Criminal Justice Reform A historic moment and turning point S HARDA S EKARAN Fifteen years ago, ZKHQ , ¿UVW VWDUWHG working on drug policy and criminal justice reform is- sues, I never would have imagined these words d coming out of the mouth of a sitting U.S. president. But then again, I would never have imagined Barack Obama. Actually, I might have met Obama by then. I remember shaking his hand after a person told me he was “someone to watch” at a gathering of black state legislators around that time. He was still an Illinois state senator. But there’s no way I would have believed anyone telling me that he would go on to be- come president. And if you told me that, as president, he would give the speech he did this month at the 106th annual con- ference of the NAACP, I would have found such optimism de- BY lusional but endearing. “For non-violent drug crimes, we need to lower long mandatory minimum sentences -- or get rid of them entirely,” Obama said. Fifteen years ago, we were still advocating to w JHW LQÀXHQWLDO FLYLO DQG JH human rights organiza- hu tions to recognize U.S. tio mass incarceration as a m crisis. We were the un- cr derdogs promoting awareness d d around the fact that appallingly high numbers of incarcerated people are more likely to be poor, black, brown, marginal- ized and ensnared in a broken system than they were a threat to public safety. We were still sounding the alarm that the drug war had failed, mandatory minimum sentences were unjust and low level drug offenses would be much more effectively man- aged with alternatives to incar- ceration and the availability of drug treatment. These were still relatively unconventional notions not so long ago. Today, it would seem that we have not only the more liberal-leaning and progres- sive groups on our side, we also have a sizable presence of people on the right in sup- port. As Obama noted in his speech, there are outrageously unlikely partnerships at the ta- ble like the Koch Brothers and the NAACP, and Van Jones and Newt Gingrich. Obama also made this point, “In too many cases, our crim- inal justice system ends up being a pipeline from under- funded, inadequate schools to overcrowded jails.” Is that the sound of the president of the United States acknowledging the “school- to-prison pipeline?” These words must give a power- ful light of hope to grass- roots community activists who have been shouting this message far from the halls of power for decades. President Obama hit most of the main rallying cries for FULPLQDOMXVWLFHUHIRUPHYHU\- thing from stopping the cruel SUDFWLFHV RI VROLWDU\ FRQ¿QH- ment and rampant indiffer- ence to prison rape to ending employment discrimination against formerly incarcerat- ed people and restoring their voting rights. For longtime re- formers, it was an impossible dream come true. This seems like an historic moment and a turning point for ¿[LQJWKHFULPLQDOMXVWLFHV\V- tem in this country. With the powerful pledge of a second term U.S. president, who just gave clemency to 46 people serving draconian sentences and promises to do the same for dozens more, it really feels like the wind is in our sails. Like the song that was playing as President Obama was leaving the NAACP stage, “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now.” But Obama’s promise for overhauling our cruel and inef- fective approach to crime and punishment, which is destroy- ing millions of American lives and wasting countless resourc- es, must be realized. Let this not be empty rhetoric. A stage has been set but now all the actors have got to get to work. The stars are aligned and the time is now. Sharda Sekaran is the man- aging director of communica- WLRQVIRUWKH'UXJ3ROLF\$OOL- ance.
