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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 4, 2017)
Page 2 The Skanner January 4, 2017 Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Melanie Sevcenko Reporter Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2016 MERIT AWARD WINNER The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 info@theskanner.com Opinion A Call for the Economic Boycott of North Carolina I n recent years, since ex- tremists took over the GOP in North Carolina, my home state has gained a worldwide reputation for intolerance and bigoted nar- row-mindedness. Controlling all three branches of state government since 2012, they have remade the Old North State in an image that would be unrecognizable to Abra- ham Lincoln or to the Repub- licans and Democrats who stood together in America to resist the Dixiecrats and pass the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. A broad moral coalition of North Carolinians represent- ing many colors, creeds, po- litical affiliations have fought back hard against this extrem- ism, and we have won—both in federal court and in the most recent election, when ex- tremists lost control of the ex- ecutive and judicial branches. But the extremist leadership in the General Assembly, who face a special court ordered election next year, have up- ended the democratic process and engaged in nothing short of a modern-day political and policy coup d’état. GOP legislators have not only conspired to suppress the will of the voters, but also to seize power from a new- ly-elected Democratic gov- ernor in a special Christmas Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II NAACP Pres., North Carolina session. They have stripped pow- er from the state Supreme Court, to which a second Afri- can American was just elect- ed. They have consistently passed laws that harm the poor and working people of “ legislators will do more than wipe away the rights of mil- lions of North Carolinians; they will spread the virus of injustice throughout the body politic of the entire na- tion. Their actions will sig- nal to other would-be tyrants that they can get away with non-democratic power grabs with impunity. The results could set civil, social, and eco- nomic rights back more than 50 years. In light of all the wrongs perpetrated by a radically regressive legislature that violate our Constitution, our GOP legislators have not only con- spired to suppress the will of the vot- ers, but also to seize power from a newly-elected Democratic governor the state. And they have done all of this despite the federal and state courts ruling their actions unconstitutional on 13 separate occasions. This unprecedented scheme to enact major changes in the structure and functioning of government without the consent of the people or the authority of the Constitution should alarm the entire na- tion. If such a blatant abuse of power goes unchallenged by people of good will, these civil rights commitments and our moral values, we as the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP will meet and complete a formal proposal endorsed by the state execu- tive committee to put before the national board that asks approval of and calls for an economic boycott of the state. We observe that such enti- ties as the National Basketball Association, the National Col- legiate Athletic Association, and the Atlantic Coast Confer- ence have already chosen to 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 unsolicited. ©2016 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar RSS feeds Tickets on sale The Skanner Foundation 31st Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. BREAKFAST Jan. 16, 2017 www.theskanner.com/ mlk-breakfast-tickets boycott the state in response to the law known as HB2, which in part discriminates against the LGBTQ communi- ty. This law also discriminates against workers in need of higher wages and those in need of access to state courts for employment discrimina- tion cases. Now in a session called un- der the guise of helping flood and hurricane victims many other injustices have been added to that outrage and pushed forward in the final weeks of 2016 which demands that we respond with every nonviolent tactic available to us. We will ask that com- panies, government offi- cials, and individuals of conscience throughout the country stand togeth- er and refuse to do business with the Tar Heel state until the bigotry and inequality pursued by an extreme group of Republican legislators and an outgoing governor are ended and the rights of the people are restored. We will call for this boycott to be effective until such time as the North Carolina General Assembly complies with our list of requests. Read the rest of this commentary at TheSkanner.com Fair Lending to be CFPB’s Top Priority in 2017 A s a New Year approach- es, fair lending will be the priority for the na- tion’s consumer finan- cial cop on the beat. Mortgage and student loan servicing along with redlining and small business lending will be a triple-focus in 2017 for the Consumer Financial Pro- tection Bureau (CFPB). “While the Bureau has tak- en important strides in our efforts to protect consumers from credit discrimination and broaden access to credit, we continue to identify new and emerging fair lending risks and we will monitor in- stitutions for compliance,” said Patrice Ficklin, CFPB’s associate director for fair lending. Specifically, CFPB will eval- uate whether lenders have practiced one or more of the following: • Intentionally avoided lend- ing in minority neighbor- hoods; • Whether racial or ethnic concerns affect how loan servicers work with bor- rowers who are behind on either a mortgage or stu- dent loan; and • Whether discriminatory practices affected access to credit for minority and women-owned businesses. For all consumers, CFPB’s Charlene Crowell NNPA Columnist 2017 priorities are an encour- aging sign. But for Black, Lati- no and other consumers of color, heightened fair lending enforcement could signal less predatory and discriminato- “ among national civil rights groups. On December 21, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, National Council of La Raza and the National Ur- ban League released a joint statement in support of the Bureau. “If the 2008 financial crisis showed us anything, it’s that consumers need a strong and independent regulator to look after the interests of consumers. The civil rights cial disparities in earnings and income are worsened by business practices and deci- sions that deny consumers a chance to get ahead financial- ly. Hence, no one should be surprised to learn that many consumers of color struggle to attain financial stability. For example, on December 28, the Department of Justice announced a $9 million set- tlement to end a lawsuit alleg- ing that Union Savings Bank and Guardian Savings Bank redlined predominantly Black neighborhoods in Indianapolis and three Ohio cities – Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton. The two banks share ownership and management from their joint base in Cin- cinnati. An opposite outcome oc- curred in early December when 10 lawsuits filed by a group of Black businesses in Michigan were dismissed. As reported, the plaintiffs al- leged that Mercantile Bank violated the Equal Credit Op- portunity Act with practices and loan terms that resulted in diminished commercial lending. According to U.S. Judge Robert Homes Bell, the charges that alleged viola- tions occurred from 2007 to 2009 were beyond the statu- tory limitation. The lawsuits were filed in 2013. CFPB has recovered more than $11 billion for 27 million consumers who were harmed by illegal financial ploys ry lending that robs people of their hard-earned livings. With heightened monitoring and related enforcement ac- tions, lenders and creditors who violate fair lending laws will pay a price, and consum- ers will hold on to more of their own money. To date, CFPB has recovered more than $11 billion for 27 million consumers who were harmed by illegal financial ploys. These enforcement actions have affected a wide range of lending areas from mortgages to student loans, auto finance and more. The cumulative clout of CFPB enforcements has also attracted united support community stands behind Di- rector [Richard] Cordray as he continues to lead the CFPB in the fourth year of his five- year tenure,” wrote the lead- ers. “Any effort to weaken the agency or undermine its leadership would risk severe impacts on our communities – including communities of color and low-income fami- lies who are most vulnerable to financial abuse,” the lead- ers continued. Unfortunately, many com- munities of color that were hardest hit financially during the Great Recession are also targeted for discriminatory and predatory lending. Ra-
