News
Publishers
Children Helping Children
continued from page 1
Historically, Black publishers have played a powerful role
in American politics and culture, since the first Black news-
paper, Freedom’s Journal was published in 1827. Its editors
were Rev. Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm, who
famously said,
“Too long have others spoken for us …We wish to plead
our own cause.”
The association was founded in 1941 when John Sen-
gstacke of the Chicago Defender, invited publishers to a
meeting aimed at “harmonizing our energies in a common
purpose for the benefit of Negro journalism.”
Some of the most influential journalists in the history of
the American Press have worked for Black newspapers.
Among them: Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, Ida B.
Wells Barnett, Langston Hughes, Romare Bearden, James
Weldon Johnson, Mary McLeod Bethune and Daisy Bates.
The Black Press gallery, which features publishers who
have made significant contributions to Black journalism, is
housed at Howard University, and the Black Press archives
are stored at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, also
at Howard.
PHOTO BY ADRIAN ADEL
‘Too long have others spoken
for us … We wish to plead our
own cause’
Inspired by a little boy named Terrance Burton Jr., The Second Annual Terrance Feed raised more
than $250 on March 23 to benefit the Union Gospel Mission in Portland. Featuring local recording
artists such as Mic Crenshaw, the event attracted many families. Above, Terrance dances with
Anthony Hill at the event. Terrance’s mother, Rochelle Hart, has also created a GoFundMe site to
bring in even more funds — $115 so far above the money collected at the event — which is live
through at least April 15. Go to www.gofundme.com and search for 2014 2nd Annual Terrance Feed.
Court
continued from page 1
crime,” Arling says.
A Spanish interpreter asks if anyone needs
help. He has one taker.
1:25 p.m.: A court clerk commands
everyone to rise as the Honorable Steven
Todd, community court judge, enters the
courtroom. Judge Todd smiles warmly at
everyone in the room as he comes to the
front of the seated area and goes over the
rules in more detail.
“You’re all innocent till proved guilty,” he
says, and explains the options again.
“The good news is that there is no risk of
jail no matter what. The bad news is that
because it’s a violation you have fewer
rights. The standard of proof is a preponder-
ance of the evidence, not beyond a
reasonable doubt. That’s 51 percent com-
pared to 99 percent.”
1:30 p.m.: The clerk calls out the first
case: a young woman, Mary B. There’s an
error in the spelling of her name that takes a
few minutes to sort out. Then the judge asks
her how she wants to plead and she says,
‘no contest.’ Judge Todd orders eight hours
of community service.
She signs up with Nnenna Lewis, court
coordinator for the Portland Business
Alliance. It’s Lewis’s job to dole out the
community service work, mostly landscap-
ing and trash pick-up.
1:34 p.m.: A succession of people is
called up, plead and get in line to be
assigned eight hours of service. Then
lawyers step in to deal with a non-TriMet
case.
“Flynn,” a bald and bearded 30-some-
thing, is charged with being at S.E. 97th and
Stark with the intention of “paying for sex-
ual activity.”
It’s his first offense so he is sentenced to
attend what Judge Todd calls a “very expen-
sive” ($1,000) “John class” and to “stay out
of trouble for six months.”
To read the rest of the
story online, scan this
QR code with your
smartphone app.
1:40 p.m.: Back to the ticketless TriMet
riders. In quick succession they plead ‘no
contest’ and are sentenced to community
service. Occasionally the ticket notes the
person was cooperative with the TriMet fare
inspectors. Apparently Savannah I. wasn’t
so polite.
“You don’t want to tell me what you told
the officer?” the judge asks. She shakes her
head, blushing and lines up for community
service.
Chris F., one of the few men here dressed
in a suit and tie, is on parole. Politely he
recounts that he had a ticket, but jumped on
the train before validating it. He’s in a treat-
ment program now and names his parole
officer — Dave O.
“Oh good. I know him, he’s great,” Judge
Todd says. “Parole officers get a bad rap but
they can be your best friend if you let
them.”
2 p.m.: The TriMet cases keep coming. A
slight woman, who looks about 16, is
ordered to attend eight Narcotics Anony-
mous meetings. “You need to go to at least
one a week, and you should be going a lot
more often than that if you want it to work,”
she’s told. “Bring back proof.”
Another young woman totters up in pink
high-platform shoes and a bare midriff
despite the chilly weather. Around her neck
she wears a necklace spelling DOPE in
large, gold letters. Eight hours for her too.
Read the rest of this story online at
www.theskanner.com
Health Care
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finish. That includes people stymied by
website outages or overwhelmed phone
lines, missing information on applications,
and other problems or confusion.
Those who started an application on
HealthCare.gov should log on and finish it
soon. Federal officials say they will take
what time is necessary to work through
cases pending online and will accept paper
applications until April 7. Rules vary in the
14 states running their own insurance mar-
ketplaces.
For most people, going through a market-
place opens the door to lower costs. Those
who use the grace period will get coverage
starting May 1 and won’t owe a fine.
2. USE A SPECIAL
ENROLLMENT PERIOD
The government also is offering special
extensions for a host of problems that might
have prevented people from signing up
through a marketplace: Natural disasters.
Domestic abuse. A serious illness. Mistakes
by application counselors. Errors by insur-
ance companies.
To seek a “special enrollment period,”
contact the federal call center, at 1-800-318-
2596, or your state marketplace and explain
what went wrong. It’s on the honor system.
If the extension is approved, that brings
another 60 days to enroll.
Also, at any time during the year, certain
life events — such as changing jobs, getting
married or divorced, or becoming a parent
— open a 60-day window to sign up for
and people with disabilities.
4. BUY INSURANCE OUTSIDE
THE MARKETPLACES
Buyers can always go directly to an insur-
ance company, but it may be expensive.
Plans bought outside the marketplaces don’t
come with government subsidies that hold
Supporters of the law are calling on
President Barack Obama to make things
easier next time around.
marketplace coverage.
3. SIGN UP FOR MEDICAID
Those who qualify can still enroll in Med-
icaid — there’s no deadline. Eligibility is
based on income and varies from state to
state. About half the states expanded their
Medicaid programs. The main beneficiaries
of the change are adults earning up to about
$16,100 per year, with no children living at
home. Previously, Medicaid was limited
mostly to poor children and their parents
down the cost for people with low or mid-
level incomes. But they do include the law’s
consumer protections. For example, insur-
ers can’t turn down customers because of
pre-existing medical conditions.
Even after the deadline, buying a plan that
meets the law’s essential coverage standard
reduces the penalty owed, which is based on
the number of months without coverage.
The fine for going uninsured all year is
the greater of two formulas: about 1 percent
of household income above the tax-filing
threshold of $10,150 or $95 per adult and
$47.50 per child under 18, up to $285 per
family. It’s due to the IRS in April 2015.
5. GET READY FOR NEXT TIME
Open enrollment for 2015 is coming later
this year. It’s scheduled to begin Nov. 15
and run just three months. That’s another
chance to get covered or switch into a plan
with subsidies.
Supporters of the law are calling on Pres-
ident Barack Obama to make things easier
next time around.
The advocacy group Families USA sug-
gested a bunch of improvements Tuesday,
including more face-to-face sign-ups, coor-
dinating enrollment with tax-filing season
so people better understand the fines, and
improving coordination with Medicaid pro-
grams.
Something to think about: The uninsured
penalty next year rises to 2 percent of
income or $325 per adult and $162.50 per
child.
Find more at www.healthcare.gov/all-top-
ics/
AP writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar con-
tributed to this report.
April 2, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 3