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Opinion Pope’s Message of Compassion “Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” B ernie F oster Founder/Publisher B oBBie D ore F oster Executive Editor J erry F oster Advertising Manager C hristen M C C urDy News Editor P atriCia i rvin Graphic Designer a rashi y oung D onovan M. s Mith Reporters M oniCa J. F oster Seattle Office Coordinator J ulie K eeFe s usan F rieD Photographers 2015 MERIT AWARDS WINNER The Skanner has received 20 NNPA awards since 1998 The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published each Wednesday by IMM Publications Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:35-36,40 L ike power, with compassion comes great responsibility. So much more than a feel- ing, the person with compassion is compelled to transform their compassion into intent, and most importantly, action. To be compas- sionate is to see, to feel and to do something. The recent arrival of Pope Fran- cis on our shores has rekindled our national conversation over how we will protect and care for our marginalized, provide access to our disenfranchised communities and promote justice for all. Francis, the spiritual leader of more than a billion Catholics, the world over, has placed the poor and the treatment of the poor at the center of his papacy. But his message of mercy, compassion and service as the engines of much-needed change is not sole- ly limited to the Catholic faithful. It is a message that can transcend boundaries of faith, gender, politi- cal cultures or borders. It is a mes- sage that can transform the entire world for the benefit of the com- mon good. While calls for societal change Marc H. Morial National Urban League precede the pope, his papacy and his status as a respected global leader, gives added voice to the voiceless and the oppressed, and encourages the men and women who have decided they would no longer observe (or suffer) injustice from the sidelines – instead they would advocate, and when neces- sary, agitate for a more just society for the excluded and marginalized among us. From Moses to the man register- ing students to vote, or the woman fighting for environmental justice in an impoverished community today, for as long as inequality has plagued society, people have always appeared in the pages of history to carry the heavy and unavoidable banner of change. For Francis, this call to action is motivated by God’s presence, which he said in his final homily in Cuba, “never leaves us tranquil: it always pushes to do something. When God comes, He always calls us out of our house. We are visit- ed so that we can visit others; we are encountered so as to encounter others; we receive love in order to give love.” For more than 100 years, the National Urban League has dedi- cated itself to loving, visiting and encountering people and commu- nities in their times of need. Our mission–like the mission of so many people of faith dedicated to changing lives and reforming the structures that compromise the quality of life of the most vulner- able – is to establish mechanisms and policies aimed at economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in histor- ically underserved urban com- munities. This cross-section of compassion and social justice has ‘When God comes, He always calls us out of our house’ been, and continues to be, a defin- ing element of our existence and struggle across a range of social justice movements. The pope is visiting the United States at a pivotal time in our his- tory, when justice and equality is facing challenges on many fronts. We face challenges in the constitu- tional right of citizens to vote; we are experiencing a rash of deaths of Black men at the hands of po- lice officers who are rarely held accountable; equity in funding and resources for public school education remains a distant reali- ty; and the economic gap that exist between the rich and the poor only continues to widen. The National Urban League con- tinues to tackle these ever-present issues with programs and policy recommendations that not only benefit communities of color, but our nation as a whole. Our educa- tion programs, like Project Ready, support academic achievement, civic involvement and the physi- cal and emotional development of our young people. But it doesn’t end there, we also challenge our states and federal government to develop formulas to distribute re- sources to schools in a fair manner that does not discriminate based on what community you live in. Our workforce development pro- grams deliver jobs and valuable employment services to the people who need it the most and encour- age economic self-sufficiency. We have fought, and continue to fight, on the frontline of the battles to rid our nation of pervasive criminal justice abuses. The gospel of compassion has guided many into service beyond their own lives and self-interests. The gospel of compassion: to see, to feel and to do something, is a driver of change that pays no re- gard to differences in gender, col- or, community or faith. It is a call to minister and serve those who find themselves on the margins of any given society. We may all come from different traditions and cultures, but we should all be able to agree on our broader duty to provide access to a decent stan- dard of living, protect the poor and promote justice. It is the message of the Francis and his Church, and I hope that it is a message that will continue to reach many more ears – and hearts. Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 No Due Process for ‘Standing While Black’ E-mail: info@theskanner.com I www.TheSkanner.com The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicit- ed. © 2015 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE- SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. To view The Skanner website on your mobile device, scan this QR code • Local news • Opinions • Jobs, Bids • Sports • Entertainment • Music reviews • Bulletin board • RSS feeds s Patrick Lynch, president of the New York Patrolmen’s Be- nevolent Association, obliged to defend his members even when they are wrong? The open letter posted on the PBA website and printed in the New York Daily News lacks credibility and con- tributes to the fractured state of police-community relations. He has cautioned the media, and oth- ers, about rushing to judgment of James Frascatore, the walking assault machine that tackled for- mer tennis star James Blake, put his knee to Blake’s back, and then cuffed him. This was captured by a security camera; the footage is ubiquitous online. Lynch says, “No one should ever jump to an uninformed conclusion based on a few seconds of video.” Lynch makes every excuse that he can for Frascatore, and chides “pundits and editorial writers” because “they have never faced the dangers that police officers routinely do.” Comments about Blake’s false arrest and further cover-up are “irresponsible, un- just, and un-American.” Lynch says Frascatore deserves “due process, not summary profession- al execution called for by editorial writers.” Due process is the legal require- ment that the state must respect all the legal rights due to a person. When did James Blake get due process? Frascatore tackled Blake with neither provocation nor even Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist conversation. Either Lynch didn’t watch the video or he doesn’t care that there is a pugilistic police officer that has no regard for due process when he interacts with the public. Frascatore should have been history in the NYPD some time ago. He has only been part of the NYPD for four years, yet five complaints against him have been filed with the Civilian Complaint mouth Lynch (consider his com- ments in the wake of Eric Garner’s murder) has talked himself onto a limb with his passionate, but base- less defense of a police “officer.” If there were due process, Fra- scatore would have been arrested for assaulting Blake. But police officers accused of wrongdoing hide behind their uniforms and rarely pay for their crimes. If there were due process, a man with five complaints before the CCRB would have been put on desk duty, if not suspended or fired, some time ago. The New York Daily News re- ported on a 2013 incident where Frascatore and two others fol- lowed bicyclist Warren Diggs home. Once there, they demanded identification from him but pro- ceeded to punch in the head and Frascatore tackled Blake with neither provocation nor even conversation Review Board (CCRB). All of these complaints involve the ex- cessive use of force. Frascatore is fast with his fists (he is accused of punching people in the head, the mouth, and in the torso); tragedy would be compounded if he were using a gun. For all of Frascatore’s abuse of power, it took his assault of Blake to get him desk duty. Blake has very reasonably called for Frascatore’s firing. But loud- Page 2 September 30, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner pummel his body – before he could retrieve his ID. Diggs’ significant other, Nafeesah Hines, saw part of the fracas and began recording it. She asked officers for their names and badge numbers; two complied but Frascatore refused. When Hines went to move Diggs’ bicycle from the sidewalk and into their home, she was told that she was tampering with evi- dence and was arrested. The Ci- vilian Complaint Review Board found inconsistencies between Frascatore’s statements and the recording Hines made. It recom- mended “retraining” Frascatore. Hines also sued the city for false arrest and settled out of court. Warren Diggs still has a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city. The Diggs case reveals Frasca- tore as an accomplished liar who doesn’t mind breaking the rules. Just as there was an attempt to cover up the Blake arrest, there was also an attempt to justify the brutal assault of Warren Diggs and the false arrest of Nafeesah Hines. Due process, Patrick Lynch? As Blake has so gracefully said, all police officers are not like Fra- scatore. He declined to accuse the NYPD, just the out-of-control of- ficer. He accepted the apologies of the police commissioner and the mayor. But he insists that some- thing must be done about exces- sive force, and he has indicated that he might pursue a lawsuit oth- erwise. The NYPD says they have spent millions on training and retrain- ing. Did Frascatore ever get the training the CCRB recommended? Why not monitor those officers who have been “retrained” to see if they have changed their ways? Why not prioritize investigation of those with repeat complaints so that bad apples like Frascatore are terminated before they do more damage?
