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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 25, 2018)
April 25, 2018 The Skanner Page 3 News cont’d from pg 1 “Six months ago, the Board of Directors and the Portland community entrusted in me the priv- ilege and responsibility to build and transform a public school system that guarantees equitable ac- cess, opportunity, and outcomes for all of our students,” Guerrero said in a press release distrib- uted by PPS Monday. “In planning for the 2018-19 school year, given the inadequate resources available to PreK-12 pub- lic education in Oregon, we are faced with the real challenge of balancing a budget, while ensuring we can perform our core services to schools, and prioritize efforts aimed at improving student outcomes. This includes an attempt to minimize any impact to schools and prioritizing the im- plementation of an eq- uitable school staffing model. As a result, we New Year in the Park The public is invited to join Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) and community partners for the 4th annual New Year in the Park festival, celebrating Cambodian, Lao, Thai and Burmese cultures. Experience cultural music and dance performances, food made from authentic recipes, vendors, traditional games and more. The daylong event at PP&R’s Glenhaven Park is free and open to all. PP&R will also reveal the final design for Glenhaven’s new playground, funded by the Parks Replacement Bond and System Development Charges from citywide construction revenue. Stop by the PP&R tent to see the draft final design. Translation in Vietnamese will be available. Thông dich tieng Viet. The event takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 28 at Glenhaven Park, NE 82nd Ave. and Siskiyou Street. For more information, visit newyearinthepark.com. cont’d from pg 1 fold. First, because census data drives funding for local governments, hav- ing accurate data on an area’s demo- graphics is important for social service agencies – not to mention political rep- resentation. (Oregon, for example, is projected to pick up another Congres- sional seat after the next census.) Advocates also worry the require- ment could stoke some immigrants’ fears about interacting with the federal government – especially in the current political climate, in which some advo- cates worry about how the information will actually be used. Anne Stacey worked for the U.S. Cen- sus in 2009 and 2010, taking surveys in outer southeast Portland, and said some residents were hesitant to speak to her even then. She described visiting a Spanish-speaking household where a child told her to come back later that day because her father would be home, and he spoke better English. Stacey gave the child a pamphlet, printed in several languages, that explained that the U.S. Census Department merely col- lects and aggregates information – and does not give individuals’ information to other government agencies, includ- Backyard ing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Stacey returned at the suggested time and, she said, the whole family was gone. “I feel guilty to this day that I didn’t speak enough Spanish to reassure them,” Stacey said. “I don’t think the Census should be a tool to make peo- ple afraid or to take away the ability to make sure areas get enough funding.” Manjarrez noted many Latino fam- ilies are “mixed-status” – that is, some family members are documented and some are not. Rising rents have also forced more families to “double up” in small spaces, likely increasing the number of mixed-status households in the Portland area. Her organization is concerned about the fact that funding for the Census Bu- reau is flat – typically, in the years lead- ing up to the 10-year count, the govern- ment increases funding to prepare. Advocates are also worried about what the federal government will do with the information collected during the next census. The number of deportations in the U.S. has increased sharply in the last 10 years and under President Trump, who repeatedly promised to crack down on illegal immigration during his cam- paign, Immigration and Customs En- forcement — the 16-year-old federal agency that enforces immigration law “ since the 1950s. Shortly after that announcement, a broad coalition of local governments announced they would sue. The lawsuit, filed April 3 in the U.S. District Court for the southern district of New York, was led by New York At- torney General Eric Schneiderman and joined by the Attorneys General of New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Min- nesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washing- ton, and the District of Columbia; the cities of New York City, Chicago, Phil- adelphia, Providence, San Francisco, and Seattle; and the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors. Manjarrez said her organization is researching the issue and also working to determine the best ways to do out- reach to the communities they work with – both about why the census is important and how to keep themselves safe. “This is going to be a top priority for us over the next few years,” Manjarrez said. I don’t think the Census should be a tool to make people afraid – has grown more aggressive in its sur- veillance and detention of immigrants in the U.S. In 2007, historians confirmed the U.S. Census Bureau provided the Secret Service with the personal information of Japanese Americans, enabling the federal government to more easily lo- cate and incarcerate individuals with Japanese heritage. The Commerce Department, which oversees the Census Bureau, an- nounced at the end of March it would reinstate a question about citizenship, which it has left off questionnaires cont’d from pg 1 people — and by that I mean people who are non-White,” Thompson told The Skanner. After Trump took office, Thompson got particularly interested in non-vi- olent resistance. He said he learned more than expected. “When people use the phrase ‘non-vi- olent resistance,’ it tends to shut down thinking, because the term evokes im- ages of Gandhi and King,” said Thomp- son, who added how both figures are a good starting point, but they tend to be aligned with a spiritual or saint-like path. On the other hand, “if you use the term ‘civil resistance,’ then people think the only thing you can do is be out on the street waving a protest sign,” he continued. In the aftermath of Clark’s death, Thompson is looking in a different di- rection to channel his frustration. “We’re going to come together to build community and talk among our- selves about how we can find righteous “ We’re going to come together to build community and talk among ourselves and equitable solutions to problems – which the leaders of our dominate soci- ety have created – rather than shouting loudly to persuade them to do the right thing,” Thompson said. In addition to constructive conversa- tion, the host is encouraging activities such as stargazing, storytelling and live music. He is, however, asking for the event to be alcohol-free. Thompson is also reaching out to oth- er African American heads of house- hold to see if they would be interested in hosting their own ‘Backyard Night’ in different areas of the city. His plan is to host these events on a monthly basis through July. “What I foresee is that these ‘Back- yard Nights’ would be the beginning of people getting together and talking about what they themselves can do to generate solutions to the prevailing problems that we have,” said Thomp- son. The monthly events would also be an opportunity for attendees to spread the word about their own various ini- tiatives. To RSVP to Thompson’s ‘Backyard Night’ — or if you would like to host a night at your home – contact him at cthompson2020@gmail.com. COURTESY OF CLARENCE THOMPSON Census have realigned a number of our central office func- tions and made a num- ber of staff reductions at the district office so that we can close the budget gap while concentrating our focus on support for schools and educators that is more squarely stu- dent-centered and equi- ty-focused.” According to Guerrero, the cuts were necessary to “protect high-priori- ty areas such as school staffing and the district’s racial equity priorities.” The district has also said it’s elevating positions that interact more direct- ly with schools, such as a chief of schools position and an area assistant su- perintendent role. The school district pre- sented its proposed bud- get to the school board Tuesday, kicking off a six-week public com- ment period. PHOTO COURTESY OF PORTLAND PARKS & RECREATION PPS Insert from ‘Backyard Night’ flyer.
