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News App Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise enforcement encounter,” Hyland said. Even a chance viewing of an MSNBC segment helped create the app. Hyland watched an interview of a man who had created an app for drunk drivers and had an epiphany. “I thought, you know, we need an app for black drivers, that’s something that we really need.” She assembled an all African American team of herself, Oden-Orr, and software developer James Pritchett to create the app. For Oden-Orr, the app is a tool to educate people and empower them to make choices in how they respond to the police. “You do have rights that many people often simply waive without knowing. Whether or not you want to waive those rights is up to you,” Oden-Orr said. “We want to make sure you are aware of what they are and how to activate them when engaged in an encounter with the police.” The Driving while Black app focuses on rights based on the US Constitution, so it can be released nationwide and reach a broad audience, according to Hyland and Oden-Orr. App co-creator Hyland researched traffic stop data from a ‘I vowed that I was going to do something to educate youth about how to be safe, how to save their life during a law enforcement encounter’ 2013 U.S. Department of Justice Report analyzing the 2011 National Police Public Contact Survey. She found that black drivers are 31 percent more likely to be stopped than white drivers and more than twice as likely to be searched. When Hyland looked at the Portland Police Bureau’s Feb. 13, 2014, Stop Data Collection Report, she found that black drivers were searched more often than the national average. “In Portland, what’s really troubling is the data regarding consensual searches, in that black people consent to search- es four times more than white people,” Hyland said, adding that black drivers may not know their rights if they are PHOTO COURTESY DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY continued from page 1 The Portland Deltas Alumnae Chapter held holistic health workshop Saturday, Nov. 22 at the June key Delta Community Center. The health fair hosted participants of all ages for speakers, screening services, food vendors and exercise. For more information on the sorority’s events go to www.portlanddeltas.org. waiving them much more often than white drivers. In addition to waiving rights they may not know they have, Oden-Orr says that young African American men will also assume legal rights that aren’t true. When he talks to kids about being a lawyer, they will usually ask him two questions: How much money does he make and do they have to talk to the police when they are stopped on the street. “They will think ‘no,’ but the answer is more nuanced than that,” Oden-Orr said. “The police can talk to you and carry on a conversation like anyone on the street, and you can refuse to have that conversation like anyone on the street.” But in the situation where police want to hold someone for questioning, that person can’t just leave as the act of leaving then becomes the crime. “Even if you’ve done nothing, now you’ve done some- thing and now they have grounds to charge you,” Oden-Orr said. The app is expected to be available by the end of this December and will work on both iPhone and Android oper- ating systems. Learn more about the app at www.dwbtheapp.com Daimler continued from page 1 Racial epithets including “nigger” and “boy;” displays of nooses by a co-worker to one of the complainants with the threat to drag him behind a truck; a swastika carved into a bathroom; and a Native American employee being shoved up against a truck, make up just some of the conditions alleged in the documents obtained by The Skanner News. “Co-workers would write the word ‘nig- ger’ in places for me to clean up,” alleges Joseph Hall in his grievance. Hall retired from Daimler in 2013, due to a disability but believes race also played into it. Patrick D. Johnson Sr., who remains employed with Daimler as a warehouse worker and material handler, alleges that because he is black he has been subjected to different terms of employment. “I am con- stantly forced to work the least desirable jobs in this position, including ones out- doors or the more difficult jobs,” Johnson alleges in his complaint filed April this year. According to BOLI’s policy, the burden of proof rests with the complainant to prove discrimination occurred; that means those alleging they’ve been violated must provide based on characteristics protected by law such as race, color, gender, religion, nation- al origin, age, marital status, family ‘Co-workers would write the word ‘nigger’ in places for me to clean up’ substantial evidence. Avakian’s complaint alleges “severe” civil rights violations against minority employees “including but not limited to Black, African American, Egyptian, and Vietnamese.” Daimler spokesperson Dave Giroux says in a statement that the company is fully cooperating with BOLI and has hired their own outside investigator to fact-check what they’re telling the agency. “[We] prohibit discrimination in the recruitment, selection, training, utilization, upgrading or termination of any individual, or in any other personnel related activities, relationship, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status,” says Giroux. Based in Michigan, the company is cur- rently constructing its new $150 million North American headquarters on Swan Island, $20 million of which is covered by city and state subsidies. “There are overarching social issues at stake when the harm looks severe. We had had a number of complaints from Daimler, and it appeared to me that all of those fac- tors were met,” says Avakian. Though BOLI has nearly a year left to complete its investigation, which has included, in part, interviews with both staff and management at Daimler, BOLI repre- sentatives are confident it will be complete in “months or weeks, rather than a year.” Most details of the case will remain under wraps until that time. The majority of the incidents documented in the BOLI complaints happened more than a year ago; that, Avakian says, is what moved him to file his own complaint. “What folks should know, is that when they do choose to stand up for themselves they’re not alone,” he says. “But what folks at Daimler have found is that we will listen to them, take their complaints seriously, and if the evidence is there we’ll hold the corpo- ration accountable.” Daimler is an equal opportunity employer with over 20,000 workers in North America. If you feel you are being discriminated against at work, call Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries at 971-673-0761, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Com- mission 202-663-4599. Jackson continued from page 1 hold 7.4 percent and Hispanics hold 3.3 per- cent of board seats in the Fortune 500. The Urban League is also working along- side Rev. Jackson to increase the “pipeline” of young people who choose science, tech- nology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. Many Washington state high tech companies cannot find workers to fill posi- tions and 250 new jobs are created every ‘This will be a wonderful opportunity for Seattle to hear the inspiring words of Rev. Jackson and to lift up our own voices in support of his mission’ month that go unfilled. Many tech jobs start with high annual salaries (e.g. $75,000 or community event at Mt. Zion on Sunday the 30th,” said Miles. “This will be a wonderful opportunity for Seattle to hear the inspiring words of Rev. Jackson and to lift up our own voices in support of his mission.” more). “We want to see a big turnout for the November 26, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 3
