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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2017)
Page 2 The Skanner April 5, 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 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. ©2017 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 BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION @theskannernews Opinion Trump’s Budget Blueprint Cuts Close to Home F rom youth yearning for the time to have their own place, to older Americans hoping to age in place, the need to have a home is a shared concern of consum- ers of all ages and locales. It’s where children are raised and memorable moments dwell. It’s also where many people rest, reflect, and shut out the worries of the day. Right now, the future of our country’s commitment to housing is in jeopardy. In the recently-released White House Budget Blueprint, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will not resemble its former self. While some programs are proposed to become smaller, others are identified for extinction. Fortunately, while the President proposes a budget, Congress must hold hearings that offer opportu- nities to amend what some would deem indefensible. The irony is that so many HUD programs and services that have enjoyed longstand- ing, broad and bi-partisan support across the country are among those proposed to end. For example, since 1974, HUD’s Community Develop- ment Block Grant (CDBG) pro- gram has provided local and state officials the flexibility to fund local priorities for ser- Charlene Crowell NNPA Columnist vices, projects and partner- ships. Whether the need was affordable housing, blight re- moval, community support- ive services or a way to lever- age capital in redevelopment projects, local concerns have guided how to make the best “ tional League of Cities (NCL), an organization that advo- cates for 19,000 cities, towns, and villages. “These unprec- edented cuts would be devas- tating to all our nation’s cit- ies—with the worst impacts felt in small towns and rural communities.” Yana Miles, a policy counsel with the Center for Respon- sible Lending noted that, “In housing, the proposed bud- get would end some of HUD’s most successful programs that help underserved com- munities including: Com- The future of our country’s com- mitment to housing is in jeopardy use of federal funds. According to the White House Budget Blueprint, CDBG would absorb $3 bil- lion of HUD’s proposed $6.2 billion agency cut. Reactions from municipal leaders and organizations were swift. “From CDBG block grants, to Community-Oriented Po- licing Services, the programs targeted for cuts provide sup- port for millions of working Americans and help cities invest in public-good proj- ects like police stations, food banks and domestic violence shelters,” said Matt Zone, a Cleveland city councilmem- ber and president of the Na- munity Development Block Grants, the HOME Investment Partnerships, and Choice Neighborhoods.” Two of the HUD programs that Miles cites are the focus of another proposed $1.1 bil- lion in cuts: Choice Neighbor- hoods and the HOME Invest- ment partnerships program. The Choice Neighborhoods program provides funding and technical assistance to support local community ef- forts to improve struggling neighborhoods dotted with distressed public or HUD-as- sisted housing. Like CDBG, eligibility is formula-based and requires a formal revital- ization strategy or Transfor- mational Plan. This past December, HUD announced that from 34 com- petitive applications, five cit- ies were selected to receive grants totaling $132 million: Boston, Camden, Denver, Lou- isville, and St. Louis. An estimated 1,853 units of severely distressed public housing will be replaced by nearly 3,700 new, mixed-in- come, mixed-use housing units as part of an overall effort to revitalize neighbor- hoods For every $1 in Choice Neighborhoods funding, awardees and their partners typically leverage for their projects an additional $5 in public and private funding. Together, the five cities are expected to leverage $636 million through other public/ private sources and expect to stimulate another $3.3 billion indirectly to magnify their impact. The HOME Investment Part- nerships program focuses exclusively on creating af- fordable housing opportuni- ties for low-income families. Until now, it has also been the single largest block grant ded- icated to expanding this hous- ing sector. Read the rest of this commentary at TheSkanner.com CBC Opposes Gorsuch Nomination and the Senate Should Too O n January 31, Presi- dent Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Gorsuch’s lifelong appoint- ment to the court would have serious consequences for all Americans, but especially African Americans and vul- nerable communities. Judge Gorsuch has displayed hostil- ity to the rights of minorities, women, people with disabil- ities, and workers, which is why the Congressional Black Caucus submitted testimony recently opposing his nom- ination. His judicial record on race and related matters and constitutional and equal rights litigation does not mer- it our support or the support of the Senate. All interpreters of the law should be committed to fair- ness and justice, not a specific legal philosophy of judicial interpretation. Judge Gor- such’s commitment to “orig- inalism,” or, interpreting the Constitution in a way that’s consistent with the intent of those who wrote it, often re- sults in him ruling in favor of the big guy instead of the little guy, the strong instead of the weak, and the majority instead of minorities. From 2007 to 2016, Judge Gorsuch issued 14 published judg- ments related to employee Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) Chairman, CBC discrimination cases. Nine of those decisions were in favor of the employer. We need a Supreme Court justice who will judge cases on the merits, not based on his or her per- “ out a warrant, minimizing the Fourth Amendment protec- tions against unauthorized search and seizure. Judge Gorsuch’s ruling in police accountability cases are particularly troubling given the increasing number of shooting deaths of so many unarmed African Americans by the police, and recent De- partment of Justice investi- gations that have found that police departments across the country have had a “pattern Americans need a Supreme Court justice who will judge cases on the merits, not based on his or her per- sonal philosophies sonal philosophies. For example, Judge Gorsuch believes that police officers should be granted qualified immunity, which prevents law enforcement and other government officials from be- ing held accountable for the excessive use of force. In the case of Wilson v. City of La- fayette, Gorsuch decided that a police officer was entitled to qualified immunity from an excessive force claim aris- ing from the use of a stun gun that ultimately killed a young man. In three other cases in- volving police accountability, Gorsuch ruled in favor of po- lice searches of vehicles with- and practice” of racial dis- crimination. In addition to his poor judi- cial record on police account- ability, Judge Gorsuch has a poor judicial record on work- ers’ rights. His record is one of sup- porting employers over em- ployees, even in the case of employees with disabilities. In Hwang v. Kansas State Uni- versity, Judge Gorsuch ruled that “showing up” for work is an essential job function and that the Rehabilitation Act should not be used as a safety net for employees who cannot work. This case focused on a professor employed by Kan- sas State University who was diagnosed with cancer, and, after treatments that weak- ened her immune system, re- quested an extension due to a flu outbreak on the campus. Judge Gorsuch denied her re- quest and sided with the uni- versity, compromising her health and recovery. Because of the decisions rendered by the Supreme Court, African Americans have been granted the oppor- tunity to attend the school of their choice, women have been granted reproductive health rights, and workers have been granted safety and security from exploitative labor practices. Judge Gor- such’s record in each of these areas raises concerns. His commitment to “origi- nalism” also raises concerns. The Constitution is a living and breathing document that is meant to evolve with our society and it should be inter- preted as such. As the Senate evaluates Judge Gorsuch’s judicial re- cord, it is imperative that Sen- ators focus on consistency. Judge Gorsuch has consistent- ly used the bench to protect corporations, and limit the rights of minorities, women, and workers. Consequently, the Congressional Black Cau- cus opposes his nomination and urges the Senate to also.