WWW . THESKANNER . COM
M AY 1, 2013
P ORTLAND , O REGON
V OLUME XXXV, N O . 30
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C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW
Prison
Reform
Debate
SCIENCE
Here are 5 myths
about the prison
system -- busted!
Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
Myth 1: Oregon’s incarceration rate is
already low. We don’t need to reduce it.
If Oregon was a country it would be 22nd
in the world for incarceration. At 373 pris-
oners for every 100,000 people in
2009,Oregon is on the same rung as Thai-
land. But more than 200 countries have
lower incarceration rates than Oregon. So
sure, if you only compare Oregon to the
United States, number 1 in the world, for its
prisoner rate, then we’re not doing so badly.
But if you believe there is no reason why
Oregon should be imprisoning five times as
many people as Norway, Denmark and
Switzerland, then reform makes sense..
Will HB 3194 fix this? The reforms aim
to hold the prison population at current lev-
els, and as Oregon’s population is rising,
that means its incarceration rate should fall.
Myth 2. Oregon is only locking up dan-
gerous criminals: 67 percent of the prison
population stands convicted of a violent
PHOTO BY HELEN SILVIS
A
fter more than a year of study, Ore-
gon’s Public Safety Committee has
made 19 recommendations to reduce
rising prison costs. The result is HB 3194,
which will soon be coming up for a vote in
the Oregon Legislature.
The reforms would hold the prison popu-
lation steady and save a projected $600
million over 10 years. They only affect
newly convicted criminals, and would not
change existing sentences.
Gov. Kitzhaber; Department of Correc-
tions director Colette Peters; and former
Chief Justice Paul Muniz are supporters.
But prominent District Attorneys are
protesting, saying Oregon’s system is work-
ing and needs no changes.
But when the myths about Oregon’s Pub-
lic Safety system are busted, those
arguments fall flat. Here’s why:
Sen. jeff Merkley this week traveled to Boise Eliot/Humboldt Elementary and took the opportunity to unveil two bills
he is sponsoring in the U.S. Senate. One would create a grant program to improve education in science,
technology, engineering and math – the STEM subjects; the other would focus on hands-on career education.
Merkley Bills Support STEM Classes
Boise Eliot/Humboldt students enjoy more hands-on math focus
By Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
S
tudents
at
Boise
Eliot/Humboldt School
demonstrated their love
of science in a visit with Ore-
gon Sen. Jeff Merkley,
Monday, April 29.
And the senator took the
opportunity to unveil two bills
he is sponsoring in the U.S.
Senate. One would create a
grant program to improve edu-
cation in science, technology,
engineering and math – the
STEM subjects; the other
would focus on hands-on
career education.
“We need to do a lot more to
bring these concepts about
math, science and real-life
applications of them, into the
classroom,” Merkley told the
students.
“One way we can make it
(America) work better is to get
more programs like you’re all
going through, into the class-
room. So I’m introducing
legislation to fund grants to
increase the availability of
STEM programs across Amer-
ica.”
Boise Eliot/Humboldt is a
K-8 school specializing in the
STEM subjects. And STEM
coordinator Kylene Parks
makes sure that learning about
science is fun. Lessons are
hands-on, and students are
encouraged to act on what they
learn. Parks also works with
Boise Eliot/Humboldt’s other
teachers to help them integrate
STEM subjects into their
classrooms.
Judging by the curiosity and
enthusiasm on display, the
effort is working.
After asking Sen. Merkley
about his work, students took
turns to tell Sen. Merkley
about their projects and what
they have learned.
Students raised salmon in the
school and studied them
before setting them free into
the wild. Every class in the
school visited the salmon once
a week, to observe how they
grew and developed. So it was
an emotional day when they
See STEM on page 3
See PRISON on page 3
INDEX
News .................2,3,10
Opinion ..................4,5
A & E ......................6,7
Food..........................8
Bids/Classifieds ........11
AMA to Hold Vigil for Kendra James
Sunday, May 5 marks the tenth anniversary of fatal police shooting
Bruce Poinsette
Of The Skanner News
S
unday, May 5 will mark the tenth
anniversary of the killing of Kendra
James. The 21-year-old Black woman
was shot and killed, despite being unarmed,
by Officer Scott McCollister during a traffic
stop.
The Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition
for Justice and Police Reform will be lead-
ing a memorial vigil at 5 p.m. at the Greater
Faith Baptist Church at 931 N. Skidmore.
This site is just yards away from where the
shooting occurred.
According to a statement from the
alliance, “James’ death was a touchstone for
many in Portland who saw the shooting of
an unarmed African American woman as a
symptom of a Police Bureau needing major
reforms. In many ways her death led the
accountability efforts down the path to the
changes now being sought as a remedy by
the Department of Justice in their lawsuit
against the City.”
According to reports, the incident
occurred when James tried to drive away
See VIGIL on page 3