May 25, 2016 The Skanner Page 3
News
cont’d from pg 1
In most prisons, ba-
bies born behind bars
must be given up within
a day to a relative or fos-
ter care.
“Before I came here, I
thought it was a terri-
ble idea. A baby in pris-
on? No, thank you,” the
24-year-old Dumas said
as her daughter, Codyl-
ynn, gleefully rocked in
a bouncy seat. “But it’s
“
their babies, the U.S. is
not among them.
Dumas was three weeks
pregnant when she was
arrested last year, along
with her boyfriend, on
charges they tried to
steal a safe packed with
$32,000 in cash and jew-
elry. Her baby was born
just days after she took a
plea bargain on attempt-
ed burglary charges that
Before I came here, I thought
it was a terrible idea.
A baby in prison? No, thank
you. But it’s actually won-
derful to be able to spend this
much time with my little girl.
... I’m blessed to be able to go
through this
actually wonderful to be
able to spend this much
time with my little girl. ...
I’m blessed to be able to
go through this.”
Nobody thinks rais-
ing babies behind bars is
ideal, and some worry
that the children could
be scarred by the experi-
ence. But some advocates
say that the practice al-
lows mother and child to
develop a vital psycho-
logical attachment, and
that the parenting class-
es and other practical in-
struction help the moms
stay out of trouble when
they get out.
About 112,000 women
are in state and federal
prisons, mostly for drug
or property crimes. And
an estimated 1 in 25 are
pregnant when they
enter, according to the
nonprofit
Sentencing
Project. But there are no
national statistics on the
number of babies born to
inmates.
Of the more than 100
women’s prisons in
the U.S., there are eight
nurseries. While nearly
100 countries, including
South Sudan and France,
have national laws that
allow for incarcerated
mothers to stay with
Profiling
sent her to Bedford Hills,
about an hour north of
New York City, for up to
two years.
She is now among 15
carefully screened new
mothers allowed to serve
up to 18 months of their
sentences in a nurs-
ery unit that includes
a communal playroom
stocked with toys and
mother-and-child rooms
equipped with a single
bed and a crib. The walls
are painted with rain-
bows, fluffy clouds and
jungle and barnyard
scenes. The nursery cur-
rently has 16 babies, in-
cluding a set of twins.
During workday hours,
the babies are taken
across the street to a day
care center, where they
are watched by staff and
other inmates while the
moms go to school or vo-
cational programs.
But there are constant
reminders it is a prison.
Armed officers patrol the
unit. And the moms know
theirbabies can be taken
away for such infrac-
tions as fighting or even
leaving a toy in a crib
while the baby sleeps.
Read the rest of this story at
TheSkanner.com
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
Babies
Black Child Development
Phoebe Coulibaly, 13, participated in the workshop “Be a Change Agent Using Storytelling!” at the Seattle Black Child Development
Spring Conference May 21 at the John Stanford Center. This year’s theme was “A Future of Hope: Moving Youth from Equity to Excellence!”
and featured keynote speaker Janice E. Hale, Ph.D, a professor of early childhood education at Wayne State University in Detroit and
the author of three books on educating African American Children.
O’Dea
cont’d from pg 1
Dave Ward said O’Dea misrepre-
sented critical details about the
incident right after it happened
— telling Harney County offi-
cials the wound was self-inflicted
and failing to disclose he worked
in law enforcement. Ward has
told reporters he didn’t know of
O’Dea’s involvement in the shoot-
ing until he was able to interview
the victim, who survived the inci-
dent, on May 16.
But Mayor Charlie Hales, who
also serves as police commission-
er, knew about the incident four
days after it happened. According
to reports in The Oregonian and
the Willamette Week, O’Dea called
Hales four days after the shooting
and acknowledged his involve-
ment. Oregon State Police and
the Oregon Department of Justice
are conducting a criminal inves-
tigation into the shooting, and
the Independent Police Review
Division launched an investiga-
tion Monday. The bureau’s own
professional standards division
is also performing an internal in-
vestigation.
Following public pressure and a
call from the Portland Police As-
sociation for O’Dea’s resignation,
Hales issued a press release Tues-
day afternoon saying O’Dea was
on administrative leave.
“We need our Police Bureau
operating at its best, and our of-
ficers can’t do that when there’s
turmoil and confusion surround-
ing their leader,” Hales’ statement
said. “Chief O’Dea has been pro-
“
staffing issues, the ongoing (De-
partment of Justice) DOJ-related
items, budgetary issues and of
course, we are headed into Rose
Festival and a busy summer. I
know you will continue to work
hard and serve this city to the best
of your ability,” the release said,
Administrative leave during these open
investigations is in the best interest of
the Bureau and the city
–Mayor Charlie Hales
viding excellent service as our
police chief, and now needs to
focus on these investigations. He
and I agree that going on admin-
istrative leave during these open
investigations is in the best inter-
est of the Bureau and the city.
According to the Portland Po-
lice Bureau’s press release, Hen-
derson sent an email Tuesday to
all members of the bureau pledg-
ing that she would keep the lines
of communication open.
“My pledge to you during this
time is to communicate with you
as we move forward. Headlines
aside, we have a lot on our plate
as an agency, including critical
quoting Henderson.
Hales’
spokesperson,
Sara
Hottman, said it’s too soon to tell
whether or when O’Dea will be
permanently replaced.
“There are still open investiga-
tions determining whether there
has even been wrongdoing. The
acting chief will stay in place
until the investigations produce
findings. Depending on the out-
come of the investigations, next
steps will be considered,” Hott-
man said in an e-mailed statement
to The Skanner. “Investigators
would have to provide timelines
on when investigations will be
wrapped up.”
cont’d from pg 1
shared their experiences with others
who had gone through the same thing,
according to Harris.
“I think we kind of opened the door a
little bit for people to talk about some-
thing that’s kind of uncomfortable to
talk about,” he said. “And now that…
gets people working to try to change
this.”
The film inspired local television
broadcaster KGW to produce a news
piece on racial profiling. Investigative
reporter Kyle Iboshi interviewed Roo-
sevelt High School students and racial
profiling victim Kervencia Limage who
said he was falsely accused of stealing
from a Tualatin Best Buy.
Iboshi also interviewed Portland
attorney Greg Kafoury, who has filed
around 20 civil rights lawsuits against
retailers for false arrest and discrimi-
nation.
Mitchell said the students’ film and
subsequent media coverage are part of
“
welcome in the media industry.
“That’s pretty incredible, that some-
thing that could have been small and in-
significant has really seeded something
Through these interviews, people felt less
alone as they shared their experiences with
others who had gone through the same thing
the lesson for the mass communication
class. She said the goal was to support a
student-led effort to conceive, produce
and stand behind a project that was im-
portant to them.
Mitchell said it was an opportunity to
show the students that people believe
in their voices and that they should feel
that has been empowering for a whole
lot of people,” Mitchell said.
Some of the students said the video
has given them new direction and fo-
cus. Junior Joti Mangat and Donnell
both said they had worked in media
before but the project gave them confi-
dence to produce their own work.
Harris had considered pursuing
journalism as a career before enrolling
in the urban griots class and the expe-
rience with the racial profiling project
has strengthened that interest.
“Since coming into it and doing these
projects, getting the kind of exposure
that we have had… now I am really
thinking about having a career in a
journalistic field,” Harris said.
The students are also considering
pushing for a Shopper’s Bill of Rights
like the one put forth by a coalition of
civil rights leaders and high-end retail-
ers in New York City in 2013. That pol-
icy said store employees who racially
profile customers could be disciplined
or fired and that shoppers suspected of
shoplifting needed to have their civil
rights supported.