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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 2018)
Page 12 July 25, 2018 MCS Still in Business O PINION Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $50.00 A small distance/travel charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $50.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area and Hallway Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) : $30.00 Heavily Soiled Area: $10.00 each area (Requiring Pre-Spray) Area/Oriental Rug Cleaning Regular Area Rugs $25.00 Minimum Wool Oriental Rugs $40.00 Minimum UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $70.00 Loveseat: $50.00 Sectional: $110 - $140 Chair or Recliner: $25.00 - $50.00 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) : $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 Support Dreamers and Shut Down ICE I can relate to refugees seeking a better life l ew C hurCh Demonstrations have taken place in 700 cities, so far, protest- ing the so-called ‘zero tolerance’ immigration enforcement poli- cy of the Trump-Sessions axis in Washington, D.C. Despite this, Trump and his loyal acolytes con- tinue to dismiss and demonize immigrants in general and the so- called ‘Dreamers’ in particular. The excellent op-ed (“Abolish- ing ICE Isn’t Radical -- It’s Ratio- nal,” Portland Observer, July 11, 2018 issue) by Fizz Perkal cor- rectly points out ICE “has become a menace.” At Portland State, our new stu- dent body president, Luis Balde- ras, is a Dreamer, and we continue to support the Dreamers, the sanc- tuary movement, Portland’s Occu- py ICE protest on Southwest Mac- adam, and efforts by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. to abolish ICE altogether. ICE is now, under Trump and Sessions, nothing more than a de- portation agency. A fundamental question, often ignored by Trump supporters, is why people decide to become ref- ugees to start with. What would make someone risk life, limb and by the safety of family members to pick up and travel 1,000 miles or more to look for “safe space” to the North? In large part, refugees run away from harmful situations where gang violence, an abusive spouse or parent, or political conditions threaten the well-being of people on the ground. Refugees are des- perate and afraid. I can’t pretend to know what it is like to flee violence in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in Central America. But I know a little about running away from unsafe situations. Growing up in an abusive household, there was a great deal of sexual, physical and emotional violence going on against women and children. As a 12-year-old, I debated with my 9-year-old broth- er whether it was “safer” to run or to stay and stick it out. If I ran, I might be safer, but who would protect my younger brother? The first time I ran away, I took a sack lunch and a teddy bear from mom (who had recently passed) and rode my bicycle down a Cal- ifornia highway at 12 midnight. Corralled by a patrol car that night, I spent three weeks in ju- venile hall, where my best friend was Billy Simpson, also 12, who was “in” for strangling cats. By my actions, I did get my custody awarded to three adults includ- ing Bob and Nancy, who I hoped might be safe foster parents. But that situation didn’t last long. On my second runaway effort, I wanted a bigger, better plan. On a Greyhound bus, I crossed several state lines, from Nevada to Arizo- na, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and then to Idaho. In Idaho, I spent a month in the Sandpoint County Jail, a few miles from the Canadi- an border. I wouldn’t tell the sher- iff or his wife my real name, but his spouse did make home-made meals for those of us lodged in his 5-cell jail. Today, however, in Estados Unidos, not only has the Trump Administration targeted Dream- ers, threatening to end the DACA program for ASPSU president Luis Balderas and other Dream- ers, but we have also seen Trump’s policies separate parents from their children -- families that want to stay together. It takes a good deal of fear to run. In addition to dismissing or denying why refugees flee, the zero tolerance crowd also ignores history vis-à-vis U.S. foreign pol- icy -- specifically, Ronald Rea- gan’s support for Ollie North and the Contras against the Sandinis- ta government in Nicaragua, and Reagan’s support for death squad militias from El Salvador to Hon- duras and Guatemala. At Portland State, activist stu- dents were able to find out more about life in Central America during a one-week study tour of El Salvador. We spent two days in the capital, San Salvador, where we visited the church where Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated (while giving mass), the small house where Romero lived, the cancer hospital where he worked, and the Archbishops grave in the basement of San Sal- vador’s downtown cathedral. We also got to visit rebel strong- holds in the mountains in El Sal- vador, from Chalatanango, across the Simpul River, to Arcatao near the Honduran border. We learned about the Simpul River Massacre, where hundreds of Salvadorans were cut down by Hermano Blan- co, the “White Hand.” Of course, we recognize the Trump Administration believes in “alternate facts,” not history, ipso facto. However, not that long ago, a predecessor to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, John Mitchell spent time in jail for his role in Water- gate. Under 5 articles of threat- ened impeachment, Mitchell’s boss, Richard Nixon, became the only U.S. president to resign -- so far. Separated children and parents, the Dreamers and ASPSU presi- dent Luis Balderas -- deserve our support. Trump, Sessions, and their ilk -- do not. Lew Church is coordinator of Portland Gray Panthers and got his M.Ed. at Portland State.
