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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 12, 2013)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM J UNE 12, 2013 P ORTLAND , O REGON V OLUME XXXV, N O . 36 25 CENTS For The Skanner news alerts Text "NEWS" to 503-715-0890 or scan this QR code C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW Criminal Justice Reform? INVITATIONAL Measure 11 tweaks in Salem may be headed nowhere Helen Silvis Of The Skanner News PHOTO BY HELEN SILVIS O regon’s proposed public safety reforms are still under discussion in Salem. If they do get to a vote, they probably will not include two of the most controversial proposals. “It’s a disappointment that the Measure 11 reforms are going to be carved out,” says David Rogers, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group, the Partnership for Safety and Justice. “But if the rest of the Public Safety reform package goes through, it will still be a really huge deal and will take a huge stride toward flatlining prison growth.” Gov. Kitzhaber created the bipartisan Commission on Public Safety to find ways to halt spiraling prison costs. After two years of work, the commission came up with 19 proposals, designed to save $600 million over 10 years. The proposals include: • reducing sentences for cannabis crimes to match federal sentences • giving judges sentencing leeway for cer- tain property crimes • expanding the Alternatives to Incarcera- tion treatment program • increasing the amount of time prisoners could earn for early release Reps. Chris Garret and Andy Olsen and Sens. Jackie Winters and Floyd Prozanski were on the commission and have led the effort to create a bill that can pass the Ore- gon Legislature. Two amendments are still under discus- sion. Both include 17 of the reforms. But neither one includes the two proposals that affect Measure 11. One of the proposals would have allowed judges to vary sentences for three Measure 11 crimes: Robbery 2, Assault 2, and Sex Abuse 1, which all can vary widely in sever- ity. Together these three crimes comprise 10 percent of new inmates. Isidro Acosta lands a punch on Santiago Franco. The renowned Knott Street Boxing Club is sparring this Saturday, June 14 at the Annual Summer Classic Invitational, at the Blitz Sports Bar & Grill, 2239 SE 11th St. in Portland. Bouts start at 3 p.m., for more information on the fights or how to support the club, call Stanley Dunn at 503-957-6063. Dr. Mae Jemison in Portland World Environment Day events centered on science, ‘foodprints’ Bruce Poinsette Of The Skanner News P ortland Public School stu- dents were treated to workshop with Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel in space, on June 5. The workshop was part of the North American World Environ- ment Day activities, sponsored by Bayer Corporation. This year’s theme is “Reducing your foodprint.” “What we like to do is work with teachers and students to See PRISON on page 3 INDEX News ................2,3,5,6 Opinion .....................4 A & E ...................5,7,8 Food..........................6 Bids/Classifieds ..........7 really have them learn some- thing in a very experiential way,” says Jemison. “When you experience something, you learn it better. And we know, especial- ly when you are working with teenagers that they need to use all their motivation and enthusi- asm to apply to a problem.” More than 70 students from Roosevelt, Grant, Jefferson and Lincoln high school participated in the workshop at Roosevelt. Jemison and a team of environ- mental scientists gave the stu- dents a series of problems to work on over the course of the morning and then tasked them with presenting solutions later on in the day. Problems ranged from design- ing teen activities to help sup- port the environment in Portland to figuring out how to create green jobs that improve the economy. They also discussed ‘food- prints’ and ‘water prints.’ Specifically, Jemison and the environmental scientists empha- sized not throwing away so much food and not letting wast- ed water go down the drain. She says it was important to help them understand the connection between food, water, the envi- ronment and health. The methodology was devel- oped for Jemison’s The Earth We Share, or TEWS, curricu- lum, which is part of the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence. It’s named after Jemison’s mother, who was a teacher in Chicago Public Schools for 25 years. She says that science literacy See GREEN on page 3 Juneteenth 2013 Celebrates Milestone Focus on 150th Anniversary of Emancipation Proclamation T his year’s Juneteenth promises to be a big one, with food, free children’s activities, arts events and a parade celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation itself. Portland’s Juneteenth, on Saturday, June 15, in the green field by Legacy Emanuel at Northeast Vancouver and Graham Street, goes beyond honoring the day – several years late – when enslaved Americans in Texas learned of President Abraham Lin- coln’s move to abolish slavery. Doris Rush, Juneteenth Committee chair, wants every community resident to under- stand that this day represents a celebration of freedom for people all over the world. “It’s not known about by even a lot of African Americans – but everybody from every culture, every race and age group can enjoy a sense of freedom,” Rush says. “Plus great music and food — there is a lot of fun and knowledge to be gained at this event.” What is Juneteenth? Although Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862, it was not until June 19, 1865 — more than two years later — that freedom came to the last enslaved workers in Texas. See JUNETEENTH on page 3
