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.