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.
