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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2022)
Page 12 July 06. 2022 Support for Body Cams Continued from Front dash cams are a step in the right direction to improve interactions between law en- forcement and the public, especially for Black and other residents of color. In January, the local civil rights group joined the American Civil Liber- ties Union in a lawsuit calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to investi- gate “excessive force and discriminato- ry policing” by the city of Vancouver and Clark County law enforcement. But Tolbert was cautious about the proposal because it leaves funding solely to voters. “I am disappointed there isn’t a dif- ferent way for the county to fund body cams,” she said. “I worry that it will be defeated at the ballot box.” Atkins maintains that police cameras will benefit both the public and officers, and the sales tax funds could also be used for more staff. “There’s a lot more to it than strap- ping on a camera or having it in a police car,” he said. “It has to do with having staff up front to run the program for public records requests for data kept in volumes, and we have to have people in place to retrieve it.” Cameras will help hold law enforce- ment accountable, Atkins said, but with advantages to the officers as well. “It’s a piece of equipment that helps us evaluate our work, and review of the vid- eo gives us a real look at what we’re do- ing and why and also helps as a training tool. It will make the community more aware and will make us all safer,” he said “Our critical staffing levels are low and as we grow we need to make sure inmates are watched over properly,” he said. “That part is essential.” Atkins said the cameras can be a training tool for “a clearer picture of what we just went through so we can get a clearer view of events.” He said the camera’s video record- ings also can vindicate officers when a complaint isn’t valid. “It actually en- forces that officers are doing the job right,” he said. Tony Golik, Clark County prosecut- ing attorney, described the cameras as essential and powerful tools that can provide evidence beyond the confines of police officer accountability. “When we receive cases with body cams, we can download and review it in the same say we view police re- ports,” he said. “It’s one thing to read an officer’s recitation of what happened, but another thing to actually view it,” Golik said. “It’s getting the best evidence to use through- out the system. Prosecutors throughout the country feel it is an essential tool.” Judge Derek Vanderwood, presiding judge of Clark County Superior Court, and Judge Kelli Osler along with mem- bers of their staff, talked about many jail diversion programs and educational programs to steer offenders in the right direction and reduce recidivism that could potentially benefit from the tax if it is passed. Ballots for the Aug. 2 election will be mailed to Clark County voters on July 15, Bowerman said. Abortion Rights Protest Continued from Page 3 o piNioN 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. After the Overturn of Roe v. Wade Black women will suffer the most By Glynda Carr The Supreme Court just dealt a devas- tating blow to reproductive rights. With its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, five Re- publican-appointed Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court swept away half a centu- ry of progress and eviscerated women’s rights and equality. After the decision was leaked a month earlier, we knew this moment would come, but that doesn’t make the news any easier to digest. For Black women in this country, the decision is especially devastating. Thirteen percent of American women are Black, but 38% of people receiving abortion care are Black. Abortion is nec- essary healthcare – and a lack of access can quite literally mean life or death for many Black women. This is especially true for Black women who have low- er-incomes, live in rural areas, and do not have access to health care because of systemic racism and discrimination. According to CDC data, Black women are nearly three times more likely to die during childbirth than white women and are more likely to face maternal health issues. With new abortion restrictions and bans, these health outcomes are ex- pected to get even worse: A 2021 Duke University study estimated the potential death toll following a total abortion ban and found a 33 percent increase in Black women who died due to pregnancy-relat- ed complications. The states that are already moving to ban abortion are among those with the largest Black populations in the country. Consider Mississippi, the state with the highest percentage of Black residents in the nation, and one of the 13 states with a “trigger law” that ensured the court’s decision would result in a near-immedi- ate ban on abortion access. Three oth- er states with the highest proportion of Black residents – Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arkansas – have these trigger laws in place, and many other states, especial- ly in the South, are moving to severely restrict or outright ban abortion. The impact of new abortion bans and re- strictions will be felt most acutely by poor and working-class Black women – Black women are significantly more likely to live in poverty compared to white women. For these women, the overturning of Roe won’t mean that abortions will end; it will mean that access to critical, po- tentially life-saving healthcare will move hundreds of miles out of reach. It will mean time off of work (likely unpaid) and travel and childcare costs – expenses Glynda Carr that may not be possible for women liv- ing paycheck to paycheck, struggling to simply put meals on the table. At a time like this, when daughters sud- denly have fewer rights than their moth- ers and grandmothers, it is challenging to imagine a way forward. But the answer is to do everything we can to restore our rights and ensure every woman has access to the healthcare they need and deserve, a right afforded to them under our nation’s Constitution. To do that, we need to elect and elevate more Black women. Black women have been at the fore- front of the fight to protect and expand reproductive rights – from members of Congress like Reps. Cori Bush, Ayanna Pressley, and Lauren Underwood, to our first Black woman Vice President Kama- la Harris, to soon-to-be-seated Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. We must elect Stacey Abrams to lead the state of Georgia – one of the states that is now positioned to severely restrict, or overturn the right to access abortion care under the leadership of their current Governor, Brian Kemp. And finally, we need to not only encourage, but throw our unwavering support behind more Black women from all across the country to run for office – women who personally understand the deep impact that a lack of healthcare and abortion restrictions have on communities that have lacked fair representation for far too long. Today and every day, I stand with my partners and allies ready to continue the critical fight for access to affordable, safe, legal abortions for all women, no matter where they live, how they iden- tify, or how much money they have. We will not back down. Glynda Carr is president and CEO of Higher Heights for America, a national organization dedicated to harnessing the power to expand Black women's elected representation and voting participation, and advance progressive policies.
