October 5, 2016
The
Page 3
INSIDE
Week in Review
This page
Sponsored by:
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New Approach on Drugs
Civil rights
groups applaud
call for reforms
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O PINION
M iChael l eighton
P ortland o bserver
Two major civil rights groups
are applauding a call by law en-
forcement officers in the state to
decriminalize drug possession
crimes.
“We are encouraged that Ore-
gon law enforcement recognizes
that harsh drug laws have been a
failure, wasting taxpayer money
and disproportionately impact-
ing communities of color,” said
Kimberly McCullough, legislative
director at the American Civil Lib-
erties Union of Oregon.
“Criminalization does not help
people struggling with addiction
and often exacerbates their prob-
lems,” McCullough said. “There
are more effective ways to use
Oregon’s limited resources to ad-
dress this public health issue.”
Bobbin Singh, executive direc-
tor of the Oregon Justice Resource
Center, said last week’s announce-
ment by the Oregon State Sheriffs
Association and Oregon Associa-
tion of Chiefs of Police was “an
important contribution to an ongo-
ing conversation about whom we
are incarcerating and why.”
In a press statement, the police
and sheriff’s groups pledged to
work with the Governor, Attor-
ney General, District Attorneys,
the Legislature and other stake-
by
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M ETRO
Bobbin Singh
David Rogers
holder to craft a more thoughtful
approach to drug possession when
it is the only crime committed.
They called for new laws that
make drug possession convictions
misdemeanors, and recommend
that drug offenders be carefully
assessed and given individualized,
mandated drug abuse treatment as
a condition of their conviction.
David Rogers, executive direc-
tor of the ACLU of Oregon said
he was pleased to see Oregon law
enforcement leaders promoting a
smarter approach.
“Longer criminal sentences are
not always the path to justice, safe-
ty, or solving challenging social
problems,” Rogers said. “Policies
that prevent people from rebuild-
ing their lives are bad for Oregon.
When someone is charged with a
felony drug crime it can follow
them for life, preventing access to
housing, employment, education,
and more.”
Singh said the damage caused
by trying to address drug abuse
and addiction through the penal
system rather than through treat-
ment impacts Oregonians’ ability
to parent their children and partic-
ipate in their communities.
He was particularly pleased
that the law enforcement groups
were addressing the impact cur-
rent drug laws have on Orego-
nians of color.
“Any conversation about how
to address the problem of mass
incarceration in our state must
prominently feature the voices of
communities of color and must
take particular account of how
these communities are affected by
current or proposed policy,” Singh
said.
Strip Club Murder Confession
C ervante P oPe
t he P ortland o bserver
A 23-year-old woman accused of
fatally stabbing another woman at
a northeast Portland strip club has
pled guilty to murder.
Back in June, Rinita Linelle
Lowe fled a bloody scene at the
Skinn Gentleman Club, 4523 N.E.
60th Ave., and went inside a near-
by convenience store where police
officers on break arrested her imme-
diately. She has been held at Mult-
nomah County Detention Center
since.
New court documents show
variations in Lowe’s original story,
by
Arts &
pages
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ENTERTAINMENT
C LASSIFIEDS
C ALENDAR
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the knife used in the attack was not
given to her for protection during
the altercation, as she previously
claimed, and admits that the stab-
bing took place inside the club, not
outside as originally reported.
The documents show that wit-
ness testimony and security footage
reveal Lowe approached Turner at
the bar, punched her first, and quick-
ly pulled the knife out of her purse,
stabbing Turner at the bar as security
guards tried to pull the fight apart.
Rinita Linelle Lowe
Turner died at the scene of three
wherein she first claimed the vic- sharply forced injuries to her neck,
tim, Shantina Turner, 29, initiated her autopsy shows.
a dispute with her. Now she says
Sugar Mountain Photo Correction:
In last week’s Minority Business issue, a photo for
our story on Sugar Mountain Vintage misidentified Jamie Winterlich. Both Winterlich and
Hannah Humphries co-own the boutique, but only Winterlich was featured in the photo. We
are sorry for the confusion.