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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2013)
Local News Guns Services for Richard Dance III continued from page 1 an everyday occurrence in some communi- ties, he said. Check the figures: the people getting shot are predominantly young Black and Latino men. George said he has been a gun owner and a hunter all his life but the massacre of chil- dren in Newtown had changed his ideas. He said he now supports background checks, and other measures designed to increase gun safety. African Americans or other people of color were barely visible at the rally, ground checks. Seattle Mayor, Greg Nick- els, Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Vil- laraigosa, and San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsome, are among the West Coast may- ors who support gun control. Gun violence has been identified as a major health risk for African American boys and young men. In Chicago last year, for example, The Chicago Reporter, found that last year, 243 people under 25 were killed, predominantly in shootings, an 11 percent increase over 2011 and a 26 percent jump from 2010. The majority were African African Americans or other people of color were barely visible at the rally, although nationally African American mayors have been at the forefront of efforts to curb violence. although nationally African American may- ors have been at the forefront of efforts to curb violence. Many prominent African American mayors support Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the group founded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Ron Del- lums of Oakland; Shirley Franklin of Atlanta, Ray Nagin of New Orleans, Sheila Dixon of Baltimore, Cory Booker of Newark, N.J., Mark Mallory of Cincinnati: Michael Nutter of Philadelphia and Larry P. Langford of Birmingham, Ala., are outspo- ken advocates for measures such as back- American males. “The masculine culture around guns has contributed to “a belief [among teens] that a lot of other boys are carrying guns, which can be a self-fulfilling prophecy—or not,” Harold Pollack, co-director of the Universi- ty of Chicago’s Crime Lab, told the Chica- go Reporter. The result? Most of the youth charged with felony gun crimes are black boys: 80 percent of the defendants were Black, even though many of them had not used the guns to harm a person. S ervices for Richard Alexander Dance III, are Monday, Feb. 18, from Il a.m.-2 p.m. at the Finley-Sunset Hills Mortuary and Sunset Hills Memorial Park, 6801 Southwest Sunset High- way. Dance was born to Yvette and Richard on May 9, 1984, on Mother’s Day. The day he was born everybody commented on how beautiful baby Ricky was. He grew up and con- tinued to be a beautiful and a plentiful source of joy for his family and friends. At the tender age of fif- teen Ricky accepted the lord Jesus Christ as his savior at the Upper Room Home Church on June 13, 1999. Ricky was God fearing young man. On Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 at 9:45 p.m. his family released him to go home with God. Ricky leaves his parents and three brothers behind and a tremendous amount of family and friends. Ricky will live forever in our minds and hearts due to his non judgmental eyes, infectious generous smile, com- passionate soul, and a brave heart full of confidence. Richard, well known by his rapper persona “Rick Deez” enjoyed produc- ing music, entertaining, family out- ings, friends, and was very popular amongst the ladies. The viewing is going to be a private affair, but the funeral service is open to all friends and loved ones of Ricky, please come and pay respects and your fondest memories of Ricky. Fear no more, or have no more sorrow for we look to Psalms 23: 1-6 for understanding, peace and strength to continue on. Action continued from page 1 erful experience for youth,” Purcell says. “It’s really exciting. And because it is Black History month we’re going to honor our elected officials, past and present, and also give a special shout out to our Black Veter- ans.” As well as its usual agenda of looking out for seniors, low-income families and youth, the Urban League of Portland has three spe- cific priorities for the session: requiring cul- tural competence training for healthcare workers; eliminating police profiling; lift- ing restrictions on natural hair care providers. Cultural Competence for Healthcare providers: Health disparities in disease pat- terns, treatment and outcomes affect African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos and other minorities. Black Ameri- cans, for example, experience higher death rates from a wide range of illnesses, includ- ing many cancers, diabetes and heart dis- ease. And some illnesses are more prevalent in certain communities. “Research has shown that an increase in cultural competence does help” says Midge Purcell, “We feel every health provider who comes into contact with patients of color, really needs to understand how best to treat that patient.” Natural Hair Care: Braiding hair is a long- standing tradition in Black communities and does not involve cutting or chemical use. But if you braid hair in Oregon without a cosmetology license, you’re breaking the of economic opportunity that needs to be brought out of the shadows.” Police profiling: Evidence collected on profiling shows that people of color are more likely to be stopped and searched by police, whether on foot or in a vehicle. The league wants a statewide bill that requires Last year individual legislators didn’t get graded. This year they will be graded on how their votes impact communities of color law. The league wants to pass a law that would offer a license similar to a food han- dler’s license. “Current laws are way too restrictive,” Purcell says. “In fact, you have to have a full cosmetology license in order to pursue natural hair care, which is ironic because it’s not a discipline that is widely taught. We feel it is very important to support our com- munity members. And we feel it is an area all law enforcement agencies to collect data on profiling by race, sexual orientation, housing status, age and immigration status. “The bill calls for the elimination of pro- filing,” Purcell says. “If you look at the practices in some states, such as Arizona, where laws almost require police to profile, we want to make sure that doesn’t happen here.” Other Issues that Impact People of Color youth center: a missing plate over an elec- trical switch. An investigation into asbestos and mold problems in the building has not yet concluded. The league released a statement saying, “A series of events to include the on-going reduction of governmental funding and the economic times have placed the organiza- tion in the position to need to make this dif- ficult decision. “Board Member Cliff Madison stated, ‘It is with great sadness that this wonderful Besides those three priorities, Purcell says the league will support the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which helps low-income seniors and fami- lies. It will support Gov. Kitzhaber’s efforts to cut prison costs, push for changes to state law that would allow cities to require devel- opers to include affordable housing in new developments, and make it illegal to dis- criminate against Section 8 applicants. Finally, Purcell said, the league will be looking for bills that create jobs. “Unemployment in the African American community is more than double the rate of the general population” she says. “We’ll be looking very, very closely and working to support and inform people about jobs and economic development. It’s such a crucial issue for our community” As the session progresses the league will be monitoring the impact of each new law on communities of color, Purcell says, and the results will be published in an updated Racial Equity Report Card. Last year indi- vidual legislators didn’t get graded. This year they will be graded on how their votes impact communities of color. PAL continued from page 1 The Beaverton youth center, located in a well-maintained building owned by the City of Beaverton, will remain open, “for the time being.” The Occupational Safety and Health Administration found one violation at the program may have to close. It has made a great impact in the lives of many kids in our community and has taken down many of the walls between Cops, Kids and Community. It will be missed.’” February 13, 2013 The Portland Skanner Page 3
