WWW . THESKANNER . COM
O CT 2, 2013
S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON
V OL XXXV, N O . 52
25
CENTS
In sid e
Minority Business
Enterprise
SPECIAL EDITION
page 7—10
C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW
Care Act
Goes
Live
AME
BLOCK
PARTY
The new law makes
some of the biggest
changes ever
B y H e le n S ilv is
O f The Skanner
P H O T O B Y S U S A N F R IE D
Yakima Arrest Headache for
Free speech lawsuit triggered when man refuses to ‘shut up’
Y A K I M A , W a s h . (A P ) — It
w a s s h o r tly a f te r m id n ig h t th e
m o r n in g o f J u ly 1 7 , 2 0 0 7 , w h e n
E d d ie F o r d w a s p u lle d o v e r b y
Ya k im a p o lic e .
F o r d w a s n ’t h a p p y a b o u t it.
A n d h e w a s n ’t s h y a b o u t te llin g
p o lic e e x a c tly w h a t h e th o u g h t.
H e c o m p lie d w ith e v e r y p o lic e
o r d e r, e x c e p t to b e q u ie t. F o r
th a t h e w a s a r r e s te d .
S ix y e a r s la te r, th e c a s e is
s e n d in g re v e rb e ra tio n s a c ro s s
th e W e s t.
F o r d ’s c a s e e v e n tu a lly e n d e d
u p b e f o r e th e 9 th U .S . C ir c u it
C o u r t o f A p p e a ls , w h e r e a th r e e -
ju d g e p a n e l r u le d 2 - 1 th a t h e
h a d a r ig h t to s u e th e c ity o f
Ya k im a f o r th e a r r e s t.
A n d w h ile h is a tto r n e y c a lls
th e c a s e a w in f o r f r e e s p e e c h ,
c r itic s s a y it c o u ld h a m s tr in g
p o lic e o ff ic e r s b y m a k in g th e m
w o r r ie d a b o u t b e in g s u e d . T h e
c o u r t’s d e c is io n w o r r ie d th e c ity
a tto r n e y ’s o ff ic e o f S a n F r a n c is -
c o e n o u g h th a t it f ile d a b r ie f
e a r lie r th is y e a r o n b e h a lf o f a ll
C a lif o r n ia c itie s a n d c o u n tie s
s u p p o r tin g Ya k im a ’s p e titio n to
h a v e th e c a s e r e h e a r d b y th e f u ll
C o u r t o f A p p e a ls .
“ O ff ic e r s n e e d to b e a b le to
ta k e a c tio n th a t s e r v e s p u b lic
s a f e ty ’’ a n d th e r e ’s c o n c e r n th is
r u lin g c o u ld m a k e th e m tim id to
a c t, s a id G a b rie l Z itrin , a
s p o k e s m a n f o r th e S a n F r a n c is -
c o a tto r n e y ’s o ff ic e .
T h e r e q u e s t f o r a f u ll h e a r in g
w a s d e n ie d .
Ya k im a o ff ic ia ls d o n ’t lik e th e
ru lin g , s a y in g o ffic e rs a c te d
r e s p o n s ib ly a n d w ith in th e ir d is -
c r e tio n w h e n th e y a r r e s te d a n d
ja ile d F o r d , r a th e r th a n c itin g
h im f o r e x c e s s iv e n o is e a n d le t-
tin g h im g o . B u t th e c ity a g r e e d
to p a y F o r d $ 6 5 ,0 0 0 r a th e r th a n
g o to c o u r t o v e r h is la w s u it.
O p tin g to s e ttle r a th e r th a n g o
to tr ia l w a s “ s tr ic tly a b u s in e s s
d e c i s i o n , ’’ s a i d Y a k i m a C i t y
M a n a g e r To n y O ’R o u rk e , re fe r-
rin g to th e lik e lih o o d o f a n
e x p e n s iv e a n d p r o tr a c te d c o u r t
b a ttle w ith a n u n c e r ta in o u t-
com e.
F o r d s e e s th e c a s e a s v in d ic a -
See SP E E C H on page 3
IN D E X
News ..............2,3,10,12
Opinion ....................4,5
A&E .............................6
MBE ........................7-10
Bids/Classifieds..........11
h e A ff o r d a b le C a r e A c t k ic k e d in th is
w e e k a s s ta te h e a lth e x c h a n g e s a c r o s s
th e c o u n tr y o p e n e d f o r b u s in e s s O c t.
1 . A m e r ic a n s n o w h a v e u n til D e c . 1 5 to s ig n
u p f o r a h e a lth c a r e p la n th a t s ta r ts J a n . 1 ,
2014.
Yo u c a n c o m p a r e p la n s , f in d o u t if y o u
c a n g e t h e lp to p a y f o r in s u r a n c e a n d s ig n u p
fo r a p la n th ro u g h th e o n lin e h e a lth
e x c h a n g e s . T h e W a s h in g to n S ta te H e a lth
E x c h a n g e a lr e a d y is u p a n d r u n n in g a t
w w w .w a h b e x c h a n g e .o rg / .
B u t y o u d o n ’t h a v e to h a v e in te r n e t a c c e s s
to a p p ly. Yo u c a n f ill o u t a p a p e r a p p lic a -
tio n , a n d g e t h e lp f r o m tr a in e d p e r s o n a l
a s s is te r s o r in s u r a n c e a g e n ts . G e t a p a p e r
a p p lic a tio n o r f in d f r e e h e lp to a p p ly in
W a s h in g to n , c a ll 3 6 0 - 6 8 8 - 7 7 0 0 .
I f y o u m is s th e D e c . 1 5 d e a d lin e y o u c a n
s till s ig n u p th r o u g h M a r c h 3 1 . Yo u r c o v e r -
a g e w ill s ta r t s o o n a f te r y o u s ig n u p . A f te r
th e n , m o s t p e o p le w ill h a v e to w a it f o r th e
n e w e n r o llm e n t p e r io d th a t s ta r ts O c t. 1 ,
2 0 1 4 . T h e tw o e x c e p tio n s ? P e o p le w h o a r e
e lig ib le f o r M e d ic a id a n d b u s in e s s e s w ith
f e w e r th a n
5 0 e m p lo y e e s c a n s ig n u p a ll
y e a r ro u n d .
T h e n e w la w m a k e s s o m e o f th e b ig g e s t
c h a n g e s e v e r to th e A m e r ic a n e c o n o m y a n d
g o v e r n m e n t. I t in c r e a s e s th e n u m b e r o f
A m e r ic a n s w h o h a v e h e a lth c a r e in s u r a n c e ,
b y th e m illio n s . A n d it w ill a llo w s ta te s to
m a k e c h a n g e s a im e d a t r e d u c in g h e a lth c a r e
c o s ts .
W h ile th e la w w ill r o ll o u t a c r o s s th e
c o u n tr y, it w o n ’t lo o k e x a c tly th e s a m e in
e v e r y s ta te . F if te e n s ta te s r e f u s e d f e d e r a l
m o n e y to e x p a n d M e d ic a id to th e ir p o o r e s t
c itiz e n s , w ith s e v e r a l o th e r s u n c o m m itte d .
A n d 2 7 s ta te s le f t it u p to th e f e d e r a l g o v -
e r n m e n t to c r e a te th e ir h e a lth in s u r a n c e
m a r k e tp la c e .
W a s h in g to n a n d O r e g o n , h o w e v e r, h a v e
b o th e x p a n d e d th e n u m b e r o f p e o p le e lig i-
T
Lynne Oliphant hula hoops during the
First A.M.E Community Block Party on
Saturday, Sept. 28. Even though the
Block Party was forced inside by
inclement weather members of the
community and the church enjoyed
live gospel music, dancing, and food.
B y D a n C a tc h p o le
Ya k im a H e r a ld -R e p u b lic
News
S e e H E A LT H o n p a g e 3
Lawmakers Give Up Pay During Fight
Democrat, Republican lawmakers vow to share pain of shutdown
B y R a c h e l L a C o r te
T h e A s s o c ia te d P r e s s
O LY M P I A , W a s h . (A P ) — T h re e m e m -
b e r s o f W a s h in g to n s ta te ’s 1 2 - m e m b e r c o n -
g r e s s io n a l d e le g a tio n h a v e p r o m is e d to g iv e
u p th e ir p a y d u r in g th e f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t
s h u td o w n th a t b e g a n T u e s d a y.
R e p s . D e r e k K ilm e r a n d S u z a n D e lB e n e ,
b o th D e m o c ra ts , a n d R e p u b lic a n R e p .
C a th y M c M o r r is R o d g e r s , h a v e a ll c o n -
f ir m e d th a t th e y w ill f o rg o th e ir s a la r y f o r
th e d u r a tio n o f th e s h u td o w n . M e m b e r s o f
th e H o u s e a n d S e n a te m a k e $ 1 7 4 ,0 0 0 a
y e a r, a n d s o m e in le a d e r s h ip r o le s m a k e
m o re .
W h ile th e th r e e w ill a u to m a tic a lly b e p a id
d u r in g th e tim e , th e y w ill r e tu r n th e a m o u n t
e q u ita b le to th e ir s a la r y to th e U .S . D e p a r t-
m e n t o f T r e a s u r y. S in c e M a r c h , D e lB e n e
h a s a lr e a d y b e e n r e tu r n in g 8 .2 p e r c e n t o f
h e r s a la ry e a c h m o n th to T re a s u ry in
r e s p o n s e to a c r o s s - th e - b o a r d b u d g e t c u ts ,
k n o w n a s s e q u e s tr a tio n , th a t w e r e d o n e e a r -
lie r th is y e a r.
K ilm e r a n d D e lB e n e a n n o u n c e d th e ir
d e c is io n o n T w itte r, a n d a s p o k e s w o m a n f o r
th e H o u s e R e p u b lic a n C o n fe re n c e c o n -
See SH U T on page 3