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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2016)
April 13, 2016 The Skanner Page 3 News cont’d from pg 1 officers in recent years were African-Ameri- cans, even though blacks account for 33 percent of the city’s population. The task force point- ed to a painful history spanning generations, including the 1969 kill- ing of Black Panther Fred Hampton, allegations of torture from the 1970s to the 1990s under former “ summary of the report first obtained by the Chi- cago Tribune, the Task Force on Police Account- ability recommended replacing the “badly bro- ken” independent review authority that currently investigates misconduct with a “new and fully transparent and ac- countable Civilian Police Investigative Agency.” It The Task Force on Police Ac- countability recommended replacing the “badly broken” independent review author- ity that currently investi- gates misconduct commander Jon Burge and stop-and-frisk in the 2000s. “It raises conscious- ness. It shines a light into the darkness,” activist Greg Livingston said of the report. The city’s new police chief said the depart- ment was “absolutely committed” to acting on the task force recommen- dations and the results of a wide-ranging civil rights investigation by the U.S. Justice Depart- ment. Eddie Johnson, an African-American with 27 years on the force, was Emanuel’s hand-picked choice to take the top po- lice job. The City Council confirmed the appoint- ment Wednesday in a 50-0 vote. The task force report was released just as pub- lic anger boiled over again at the fatal shoot- ing on Monday of a black 16-year-old. Police say he was armed, though his mother says he did not have a gun. Around 100 people gathered for a vigil Tuesday and some marched through streets, blocking traffic. In a draft executive Yoga also suggested creating the post of deputy chief of diversity and inclu- sion. The task force also called out the city and the police unions, saying that the collective bargaining agreements between the city and the unions have “essentially turned the code of silence into offi- cial policy.” The “code” refers to the reflex of some officers not to report colleagues for misconduct. Officers, for example, can wait 24 hours before providing a statement after a shooting, given them enough time to get their stories straight with fellow officers. And not only are anonymous complaints prohibited, the task force found that accused officers must be given the names of peo- ple who filed complaints. Among other prob- lems: Some of those in charge of training are teaching while they themselves are under investigation for a range of alleged offenses, and there is a disturbing lack of legal counsel for those in custody. PHOTO COURTESY OF URBAN WINGS CLUB Chicago Tuskegee Airmen Anniversary Recently, the 75th Anniversary of the Tuskegee Airmen was held at Mouton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama. A magnificent little press conference featuring living Tuskegee Airmen on the very grounds were they had trained 75 years ago, and on the very day, March 22, 1941 that the Tuskegee Experiment was launched. That outdoor ceremony commanded the attention local and national dignitaries. Mr. John Ward, Mayor of the City of Tuskegee, was on hand to congratulate the several persons including the National Park Service personnel for convening such a robust salute to the Tuskegee Airmen. Pictuered here are Samuel Sams (left), Levi Thornhill, James H. Harvey III, Val Archer, George Hardy, Eugene Richardson, Leslie Edwards, Ted Lumpkin, James Shipley. Back row: Gen Mark A. Welsh, Honorary Member Tuskegee Airmen; Kay Ivey, Alabama Lt. Governor; Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Leon Johnson and Gen. (Ret.) Norton Schwartz. City Club cont’d from pg 3 Tickets for the Friday Forum can be reserved online at bit.ly/ housingFF. Portland will not solve its housing affordability crisis with half-measures and business as usual, the Wednesday concluded. “ Westling holds an advanced de- gree in urban planning and real estate, and works for Brink Com- munications, a communications firm representing clients in the urban planning, land use and transportation sectors. Portland will not solve its housing af- fordability crisis with half-measures and business as usual The report calls on city and state leader to take bold and immediate steps on a variety of fronts. “This is an issue where, yeah, there’s some big challenges. There’s some disagreement about what to do going forward but there’s actually common ground,” Mike Westling, a member of the volunteer research committee that prepared the report, told The Skanner, adding that many plan- ners and developers recognize rising rents threaten Portland’s ability to compete economical- ly compared to other regions. “Portland does not have accept- able housing affordability for a city of its size, demographics, sen- sibilities and priorities. Our laws, policies and accepted practices regarding zoning, lending, and the rights of renters and owners of single-family homes no longer serve the population well,” the re- port states. The report recommends: • a ban on no-cause evictions and the implementation of a just- cause evictions policy; • an end to the statewide ban on rent regulation; • removal of barriers and identi- fying incentives that encourage more housing types, including “missing middle housing”; • the creation of a land bank – funded jointly by the city, the Portland Development Com- mission and Metro – to strate- gically purchase properties for affordable housing, particular- ly during economic downturns when land is cheap; • the funding of dedicated reve- nue streams to build new subsi- dized affordable housing units; • the creation of a landlord licens- ing system that would allow for data collection, increased in- spections and education. “Portland and Oregon are known for being innovative, taking innovative approaches to public policy and I think there’s an opportunity to set an example for other cities around the coun- try in being affordable and make a real difference for families at all income levels,” Westling said. cont’d from pg 1 tional Childbearing’s 2015 Black Mid- wives and Healers Conference. The community hip-hop yoga class at Taborspace is offered at $10 per ses- sion. Ward said it was important to price the class to be accessible to many. She herself is a single mother who is rais- ing a nine-year-old son and knows that a healthy lifestyle can be expensive. “I definitely understand that not ev- eryone has that extra income to invest in their health and wellness,” Ward said. In the United States, most of the peo- ple who teach and practice yoga are predominantly White. A 2002 Nation- al Health Interview Survey found that 85 percent of yoga practitioners were White. In October 2015, a Seattle Peo- ple of Color Yoga class was shut down after receiving death threats. Ward, an African American woman, said she is comfortable working in this typically White space. Instead of look- ing at racial and cultural differences, she believes that hip-hop can bring peo- ple together and bridge these gaps. Yoga is widely recognized as a way to reduce stress levels — which are dis- “ study correlated geographic area levels of racism with higher death rates. The study found that a greater pro- portion of racist Google searches, in- dicating more intense racist attitudes, Instead of looking at racial and cultural differ- ences, [Ward] believes that hip-hop can bring people together and bridge these gaps proportionately high in African Amer- icans. According to the U.S. Department of Minority Health, African Americans are 20 percent more likely to report having serious psychological distress than Whites, but half as likely to re- ceive anti-depressant treatment. Poverty levels intensify these num- bers: Black people living in poverty are three times as likely to report distress compared to those living with wealth above the poverty line. A 2015 Public Library of Science was associated with an 8.2 percent rate increase for all causes of death in Black people. In addition to hip-hop, the class’ soundtrack includes neo-soul tunes like “Doo Wop (That Thing)” from the 1998 album “The Miseducation of Lau- ryn Hill.” She is also hoping to feature the work of local Portland rappers, hip-hop, soul or R&B artists during the classes. In- terested musicians are encouraged to email her at cazoshay@divineinterven- tiondesign.com. The movements and breathing exercises are set to an upbeat hip hop soundtrack in Cazoshay Ward’s new yoga classes.
