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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2015)
News GOP continued from page 1 gon?” NAACP Portland Chapter President Jo Ann Hardesty, when tapped for comment by The Skanner, says in the grand scheme of things this Facebook image “nears meaningless,” and that she has no problem with militancy as represented by dissatisfied mobs. “It’s not up to me to castigate Republicans,” says Hardes- ty, a former member of the Oregon legislature. “No Demo- crats stood up against blanket exemptions in the state’s open records laws for evidence coming from police body cam- eras. Republicans have parity with Democrats in bringing people of color to the state legislature. Neither party values leadership development for folks currently on the downside ‘To have an angry mob, menacing the viewer at sundown—that’s alarming’ of power.” University of Vermont professor Jim Loewen, who’s done extensive research on “sundown towns” across the country, including Oregon called the image “alarming.” Sundown towns were places that, either by law or custom, excluded Blacks and Asians from living in these specific cit- ies, or being present in them after dark. Loewen says there were several sundown towns in Ore- gon. His research suggests Albany, Roseburg, Grants Pass, Medford, Ashland, Eugene, and Salem might all have been sundown towns. Given that history, Loewen says, “To have an angry mob, menacing the viewer at sundown—that’s alarming.” Previous cover images on the group’s Facebook include Oregon Republican Party Facebook page on June 25, 2015 a mural of musket-bearing Union soldiers in battle, elder war veterans saluting, a man steering a John Deer tractor with two American flags, and a war scene from the medieval war-drama Braveheart starring Mel Gibson. This past Saturday the Oregon Republican Party hosted noted Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, noted for a tough stance The Wikipedia Commons description of the “Angry mob of four” image on illegal immigration, to Salem for a speech and fundrais- er. About 100 people protested Arpaio’s appearance. Though Democrats are the majority in the Oregon legis- lature this year, they only slightly maintain that edge—with a 35-25 split with Republicans in the House and an 18-12 advantage in the Senate. Frederick continued from page 1 able job of going out and showing that these were issues that were throughout the state.” More recently, CIO launched a statewide campaign that included outreach in South- ern and Eastern Oregon, and documented stories from people of color, particularly Native Americans and Latinos, around the state. Frederick also championed House Bill 2655, which requires schools to notify par- ents of the names and types of statewide as- sessments that will be administered, when they will be administered, the per-student cost, notice of the right to opt out and expla- nation of who will have access to results and how the information will be used. “I can spend my time measuring how tall the tomato is in my backyard, but if I don’t provide the nutrients and the water and the sun for it, it doesn’t matter,” Frederick told more data to determine whether kids are done with math and science. We don’t need to spend all this time getting ready for the test.” In future sessions, Frederick wants to look into requiring regular psychological evaluation of police officers The Skanner. “I end up running into peo- ple telling me how testing is so important so we can find out minority kids are doing. We already know that. We don’t need any In future sessions, Frederick wants to look into requiring regular psychological evalua- tion of police officers, to reduce stigma and hopefully ensure cops get the help they need He told The Skanner News it was import- ant to come out the facility to show the in- mates someone who can relate to their sto- ries and believes in them. “For me, it’s being able to show those vited any youth to freestyle rap on an open mic. Justin and two other inmates performed a remix of Dizzy Wright’s “Maintain.” Justin said he didn’t know the history behind June- before they start developing mental health problems that can affect their job perfor- mance. Frederick is also interested in doing more work to address environmental problems in his district, hopefully creating jobs in the process. He knows of 146 “brownfields” – defined as pieces of land whose use or development would be affected by environ- mental contamination on the land – in his district. He’d also like to look into ways to sup- port small manufacturing sites, including electric car manufacturers, and also work on addressing air quality issues in Northeast Portland. MacLaren continued from page 1 ordinator for the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations with the OYA, said the event gives the youth a sense of pride in their history. “They feel very enlightened, they feel a sense of freedom although they are still incarcerated,” Edwards says. “They have more of history base for where Afri- can-Americans have come since that day.” The event started with a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” sung by a young in- mate. Despite an audio malfunction and be- ing unsure how to sing the tune, he finished with the applause and support of his friends. Perry Lambert, who goes by the stage name Roulette Del’gato, talked to the crowd about the history of Juneteenth as well as his personal redemption story. Lambert was born in prison while his mother was serving time for a drug-related offense. He described his life of rebellion, running away, selling drugs and being shuf- fled around the foster system. He was able to turn his life around, graduate from high school and devote his life to music and care- giving. ‘They feel very enlightened, they feel a sense of freedom although they are still incarcerated’ young men that there is life beyond this, there is life beyond being incarcerated, you can do better, it’s never too late,” Lambert says. “I want to be able to share my story with them, encourage them to do better, so it means a great deal to me.” The thread of mentorship and encourage- ment was woven through many parts of the evening. In addition to the musical works by professionals such as Lambert from the Up and Over Tour, the celebration included hip- hop performances from the inmates. The professional rappers sat in the front row of the audience for the inmate perfor- mances. Later, they went up on stage and in- teenth, but rapping helps him keep a sense of normalcy. “I just love performing, it makes me feel like I am back out again,” he says. “Every- one on the outs knew me as a rapper, knew me as a positive guy that you could come to any time you needed anything.” Justin was supported by his mother and sister, who had come to visit. Many inmates had siblings, parents and children at the event. At the end of the night, family mem- bers had brought food for a potluck-style dinner. Instead of home-baked goods, families had to purchase foods from MacLaren-ap- proved vendors such as Safeway. Still, the inmates eagerly lined up for a dinner of fried chicken, pizza, chips and fruit salad. Justin’s sister Bryona said these family visits are an important reminder for the in- mates who have lost contact with much of the outside world. “It’s nice for him to know that he still has support outside because this is all he has now, is just inside this place.” As the families broke bread and shared time together, The Skanner News talked with event organizer Maria Chavez-Harold- son, the director of the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations. The Juneteenth event had followed other recent celebrations such as a Pride day and Cinco de Mayo. Chavez-Haroldson said that each of these events were community building events, not just for the group being celebrated but for the whole populace. “It’s learning about different populations, different groups of people that we share the world and the space with,” she says. “It’s real life happening, in their presence as they are in custody.” July 1, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 3
