March 16, 2016 The Skanner Page 3
News
cont’d from pg 1
flag — which includes a
Confederate battle em-
blem as part of its design
— in the “Walk of Flags”
display on the capitol
grounds in Salem. That
display included flags
from all 50 states as well
as Oregon’s nine feder-
ally recognized Native
American tribes.
Now it’s down one.
“
ruary deadline.
In response to a query
about the flag’s removal,
Courtney’s office issued
a statement containing
some of the same lan-
guage as the letter to the
Mississippi legislature,
but also noting Oregon
lawmakers are not alone
in their objection to the
continued display of
It was only after Mississip-
pi failed to act that Oregon
decided to take down that
state’s flag
Mississippi’s flag was re-
moved at the beginning
of last week.
Last October lawmak-
ers decided to give Mis-
sissippi the chance to
change the design of its
own flag. According to
a letter dated March 7
and co-signed by Senate
President Peter Court-
ney and House Speaker
Tina Kotek and sent to
their Mississippi coun-
terparts — Terry Burton,
president pro tempore
of the Mississippi senate
and Mississippi House
Speaker Philip Gunn — it
was only after Mississip-
pi failed to act that Ore-
gon decided to take down
that state’s flag.
“We respectfully dis-
agree with the confeder-
ate symbol in your state
flag,” the letter reads.
“Out of respect for the
great state of Mississip-
pi, we chose to give the
Mississippi Legislature
a chance to act first. With
the understanding that
all of the bills related to
the state flag died in the
Mississippi Legislature
last month, we have now
taken action to remove
the flag.”
Mississippi lawmakers
drafted 12 different bills
to alter the state’s logo de-
sign – but none of them
made it out of committee
by the legislature’s Feb-
Debate
Confederate insignia.
“Across the country,
other government enti-
ties removed the Missis-
sippi flag from displays.
In the State of Mississip-
pi, universities, counties
and cities – including the
capital city of Jackson
— refused to fly the offi-
cial flag of the state,” the
statement said.
Last fall, Kotek said
she supported the effort
to remove the flag from
Capitol grounds.
“The Confederate in-
signia on the flag is wide-
ly seen as a symbol of
racist intolerance, which
is in direct conflict with
Oregon values of fair-
ness and equality. I sup-
port removing it from
our Capitol grounds and
leaving the flagpole un-
adorned until Mississip-
pi adopts another flag,
one that honors the dig-
nity of all people,” Tina
Kotek, speaker of Ore-
gon’s House of Represen-
tatives, said last October.
Rep. Lew Frederick
(D-North / Northeast
Portland) told reporters
last summer he want-
ed to see the flag come
down.
“I grew up with this
flag, and it was used
around me for the same
reasons it even exists,”
Rep. Lew Frederick,
D-Portland, said in June.
PHOTO BY CHERISS MAY, HOWARD UNIVERSITY NEWS SERVICE
Flag
State Dinner
On March 10, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wait for the arrival of Canada’s Prime Minister and Mrs. Grégoire
Trudeau for a State Dinner in the East Room of the White House.
Contracting
cont’d from pg 3
A videotape of the Feb. 18 meet-
ing revealed the panel deeply dis-
satisfied with their treatment by
city officials.
As the meeting opens, the direc-
tor reports that Portland Mayor
Charlie Hales has rejected their
request for a meeting.
The best they can do is to get
Hales’ Chief of staff Joshua Alpert
to meet with them. A few commis-
sioners express their disappoint-
ment.
A staff member presents a sta-
tistical report about the number
of companies registering with the
city under the minorities, wom-
en and small emerging business
designation; the young woman
squirms in her chair as she ex-
plains the city would not give her
all the statistical data she asked
for.
Soon commission members
are talking past the director in
a conversation about what kind
of statistics they should really
be asking the city for and what
specific kinds of issues should be
researched, including how many
city contracts go to white males
under the emerging small busi-
ness designation designed to sup-
port disadvantaged communities.
After nearly an hour and a half,
NAACP Vice President James
Posey rises and gives public tes-
timony, essentially urging the
commissioners to issue a vote of
no confidence in the city’s leader-
ship.
“Each of you guys who are sit-
ting on this commission repre-
sent a group — NAYA, the Hispan-
ic Chamber, labor unions, you’ve
“
As he finished his comments,
calling for the resignation of the
mayor, the department director,
city Chief Procurement Officer
Christine Moody and Chief Ad-
ministrative Officer Fred Mill-
er, other commissioners started
picking up the call for a challenge.
“At the end of the day we just
spent two hours — and I feel like
we had a good agenda,” said An-
drew Colas.
“I feel like we could have done
something. And we’ve had how
many meetings?
The study downplayed racism within
the system, to the shock of city officials
got Andrew over here (Andrew
McGough, executive director
of Workforce Systems Inc.), the
prominent contractor.
“It’s a shame for you guys to
sit there with your tails between
your legs and allow this process
to happen like this.
“The City of Portland is failing
and you all know that,” Posey said.
“I feel like what they’ve done is
they’ve put together a very strong
powerful group. Every one of
these individuals are involved in
several things in their communi-
ties and in their businesses,” Co-
las says.
Read the rest of this story at
TheSkanner.com
cont’d from pg 1
The forum was moderated by Re-
naud, Jo Ann Hardesty of the Portland
NAACP and Israel Bayer the executive
director of Street Roots.
Wheeler framed many of his answers
around problem solving; from himself,
from city government officials, even
advocating for the police to be com-
munity problem solvers. Wheeler de-
scribed himself as the “jerk” that Port-
land needs.
“You need to elect somebody who’s a
bit of a jerk,” Wheeler said in reference
to a question about homelessness and
the housing crisis. “I’m just the guy for
the job,” Wheeler said.
Bailey presented himself as both
the everyman who empathized with
the plight of Portlanders and a poli-
cy wonk who knows the rules of local
government. Bailey took heat for his
recent Portland Police Association en-
dorsement and his answer to reform
the Portland police by adding more of-
ficers.
Bailey defended his PPA endorse-
ment and said it would not affect his
ability to lead the Portland Police Bu-
reau as the Police Commissioner.
“I am honored to have that endorse-
ment,” Bailey said. “But that doesn’t
“
answer questions in deadly force inci-
dents.
Bailey struggled to provide a clear an-
swer on his stance on the 48-hour rule.
In a lengthy back-and-forth exchange
with Hardesty, he said he would make
Only the three best-funded candidates — those
who had raised $5,000 or more by March 8 —
were invited to speak
mean that I can’t be a mayor who’s will-
ing to have tough conversations and
hold people accountable.”
Both Iannarone and Wheeler took a
tougher reform stance in their answers
on police accountability. They both
pointed to the “having enough police
matters” billboard erected by the PPA
as being inflammatory and insulting.
Wheeler and Iannarone were also
quick to criticize the 48-hour rule in
the PPA contract. This provision allows
officers 48 hours before they have to
an effort to slowly move away from the
rule.
When pressed by Hardesty, Bailey
wouldn’t unequivocally commit to re-
moving the rule.
Throughout the debate, Iannarone
had some of the strongest criticisms of
Portland’s “progressive” culture, which
leads in some areas but consistently
fails its most vulnerable residents.
Read the rest of this story at
TheSkanner.com
CANDIDATE POSITIONS:
What is the most important role of the mayor in
reforming the police?
Bailey: To provide leadership and to hold the
police accountable, also to push for more
progress in implementing the DOJ settlement.
Iannarone: To rebuild community trust in the
police, to change police culture to have the first
actively anti-racist police force in the nation.
Wheeler: To change police force from law
enforcement to a problem solving agency,
to emphasize community policing and police
accountability.
What is your vision of a city bureau that assists
small minority business owners?
Bailey: Proposes a new bureau that brings
together assistance offered from other
development agencies.
Iannarone: Proposes a concierge service to help
emerging businesses navigate small business
services.
Read more candidate positions at
TheSkanner.com.