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February 28, 2018 The Skanner Seattle Page 3 News cont’d from pg 1 “ for sexually assaulting some of the nation’s top gymnasts under the guise of medical treat- ment. The U.S. Olympic Com- mittee developed SafeS- port, but it’s now an in- dependent organization that works with law en- forcement to investigate abuse allegations for the 49 Olympic and Paralym- It’s clear that the coach’s re- sponsibility, and their per- manent goal, is to win, and that can sacrifice protecting vulnerable children sports teams can leave kids as young as 5 in the care of undertrained, un- dersupervised coaches. Emmett Gill, a profes- sor at the University of Texas and expert on the personal development of student-athletes, said success often means chil- dren leave their commu- nities to compete, which can leave them at more risk. “It’s clear that the coach’s responsibility, and their permanent goal, is to win, and that can sacrifice protecting vulnerable children,” Gill said. “We really have forgotten about that good, old neighborhood team. Now youth sports is a bunch of strangers on teams with the best athletes, with the pur- pose of winning.” One national organi- zation trying to prevent abuse of young athletes is the U.S. Center for SafeS- port, a Denver-based nonprofit that formed last year. It launched following the initial allegations of sexual abuse against Lar- ry Nassar, the disgraced sports doctor for USA Gymnastics who will spend his life in prison pic sports. In addition to offering an online link for anon- ymous abuse reports, SafeSport also provides educational and train- ing material for youth leagues nationwide. The goal is to prevent abuse altogether. “We have got to get up- stream and do more to educate athletes, to edu- cate parents, to educate coaches and to educate sport administrators,” SafeSport CEO Shellie Pfohl said. “I want ev- ery parent to know what questions they should be asking when they sign their child up.” Since its inception, SafeSport has received 470 reports of either emotional or physical abuse, including 165 re- ports this year and 222 active investigations overall. In some cases, the organization didn’t have jurisdiction over a youth league to investi- gate an allegation. Youth leagues outside Olympic and Paralympic sports don’t have a na- tional body to investigate abuse. Broadband Read the rest of this story at TheSkanner.com Law cont’d from pg 1 Fund and of the Haas Institute at the University of California (Berkeley), writes in the 2017 book, “The Color of Law: A Forgot- ten History of How Our Govern- ment Segregated America,” that restrictive covenants were com- mon in housing deeds through the mid-20th century and were part of a system of legal tools that kept neighborhoods segregated and prevented African American families from owning homes and accruing wealth. On their face, the contracts were difficult to enforce, as orig- inal owners were unlikely to take action should their former house be sold to a family of color. White homeowners formed neighbor- hood associations which enforced the deeds instead. “Between 1935 and 1955 W.E. Boeing, the founder of Boeing Aircraft, developed suburbs north of Seattle. During this pe- riod and after World War II, the South Seattle Land Company, the Puget Sound Mill Company, and others constructed more sub- urbs. The builders all wrote ra- cially restrictive language into their deeds. The result was a city whose African American popu- lation was encircled by all-white “ White home- owners formed neighborhood associations which enforced the deeds suburbs,” Rothstein wrote. The book also notes that local governments aggressively pro- moted restrictive covenants and that the Federal Housing Admin- istration gave higher ratings to mortgage applications if there were no African Americans living in the neighborhood. Al- though a 1949 court ruling, Shel- ley v. Kraemer, ruled that racially restrictive housing covenants violated the Equal Protection Clause and were unenforceable in court. Nineteen years later, a federal appeals court ruled that the covenants themselves violat- ed the Fair Housing Act and that recording deeds with such claus- es violated the 14th Amendment. “As the court observed, such provisions, even if they lacked power, still would make black purchasers reluctant to buy into white neighborhoods if the re- corded deeds gave implicit rec- ognition of the racial prohibition and gave an official imprimatur to the message that the purchasers should not live where they were not wanted,” Rothstein wrote. The Skanner invites readers to share their stories with restric- tive covenants in Portland. Please write to news@theskanner.com or call (503) 285-5555, ext. 503. cont’d from pg 1 to form a 501(c)(4) corporation and po- litical action committee. According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s Community Networks page, more than 750 American commu- nities have built publicly owned broad- band networks. “When a community is served by a municipal network, the infrastructure “ PCRI Breaks Ground Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, along with Albina Construction, Brett Schulz Architect and other partners broke ground Feb. 27 on the first homes for purchase by first-time homebuyers as part of its Pathway 1000 Initiative. Four new townhomes will be built in North Portland. These new homes, for sale to low- and moderate-income first-time buyers will be prioritized for families displaced from North and Northeast Portland and families at risk of displacement. Pictured here are Travis Phillips, Housing Development Director (PCRI) –Maxine Fitzpatrick Executive Director (PCRI), Dennis Harris (Owner of Albina Construction, LLC.) and Brett Schulz, Bret Schulz Architect. institute’s Community Broadband Net- works Initiative. Hanna sees the notion as a revival of a Progressive Era notion of making cer- tain utilities part of the public good. “A hundred years ago there was an effort to municipalize utilities, which is responsible for the city life we know today. There’s been a gradual chipping A hundred years ago there was an effort to municipalize utilities, which is responsible for the city life we know today is a publicly-owned asset, similar to a road or an electric utility. There are a variety of models from full retail, in which the city takes on the role of an Internet Service Provider like Comcast or AT&T, delivering services directly to residents and businesses, to Institu- tional networks in which only munici- pal facilities receive services,” said Lisa Gonzalez, a senior researcher for the away at that effort,” Hanna said. Senior likened the potential creation of a municipal utility to the creation of the Portland Water Bureau in 1885, pri- or to which there were a number of pri- vate water companies in Portland that failed to consistently provide clean wa- ter as the city grew. Last year the City of Portland re- leased a Digital Equity Action Plan that reported 15 percent of Portland households do not have Internet access at home, citing cost as a barrier. “It starts when young people have homework they can- not complete,” Phil- lip-Robbins said. That inequity perpetuates Advocates are pushing for a publicly-owned broadband network in itself when low-in- Portland. come people do not have the necessary tools to search for be helpful, they can also be complex jobs or housing. “If we want to close the and difficult to apply for, and that may be why they are so under-utilized. gap, this is a major opportunity.” “The other part of this that’s really The plan recommends making sure compelling is money stays in the com- wi-fi is available at all public buildings munity,” Phillip-Robbins said. throughout the county, and outreach to The next step is to procure $300,000 ensure private programs that provide for a feasibility study. Advocates said Internet access to low-income people, they’ve had interest from both the city such as Comcast’s Internet Essentials and the county. program and CenturyLink’s Internet Basics. Read the full story at TheSkanner.com Senior said while those programs can BY PROJECTMANHATTAN (CC BY-SA 3.0) Some now feel compelled to be more cautious in monitoring their child’s contact with coaches and other adults. Experts say the spotty rules and certifications for coaches and glorifica- tion of sports culture can make children who feel pressure to achieve even more vulnerable. No longer a casual pastime, PHOTO COURTESY OF PCRI Sports