Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2019)
Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle January 2, 2019 ® Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Opinion Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher Racial Profiling: A National Epidemic Hits Home, Again Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor A Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2017 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. ©2018 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 LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS Updated daily. TICKETS ON SALE! The Skanner Foundation MLK Breakfast January 21 2019 simple internet search uncovers countless studies and statistics, from highly credible sources, outlining the dispar- ities relating to the frequency and severity of interactions between law enforcement and African Americans, com- pared to interactions with other races. Increasingly, so- cial media is being used as a platform to expose the world to the deeply entrenched ep- idemic of racial profiling in the United States. Once again, the Pacific Northwest, namely Port- land, Ore., is thrust back into the conversation. Jermaine Massey, a 34-year-old African American man, in Portland for a concert, stopped in a quiet seating area at the Dou- bleTree Hotel in Lloyd Center at approximately 11:23 p.m. to take a call before returning to his room. After being racially profiled by hotel security, Mr. Massey was escorted from the hotel by officers of the Portland Police Bureau. Ac- cording to the oolice report, Earl Meyers, a hotel security guard, asked Massey for proof that he was indeed a guest of the hotel. Meyers went on to report that “Massey refused to give a room number.” Mey- ers informed the guest that, “If a room number couldn’t be provided, he would be asked to leave the property,” re- E.D. Mondainé President, NAACP Portland 1120 sponding Portland Police of- ficer Richard Harvey wrote in the police report. The police report also states that Massey, a Kent, Wa. resident, accused Meyers of being racist. This negligent, avoidable situation, along with numer- ous other unreported and public instances of racial pro- filing, highlights the reality that in the 21st century, this evolving epidemic contin- ues to be fueled by the lack of action in both the private and public sectors. It is not a novice experience for an overwhelming population of African American men to be stopped while driving, chal- lenged while traveling by pub- lic transportation, plane or train, or in doing any number of daily activities, to become a victim of racial profiling. The N.A.A.C.P. (National Association for the Advance- ment of Colored People) has been at the forefront of pro- moting effective law enforce- ment practices since its incep- tion in 1910. It is with great urgency that we move swiftly to address the over 100-year- old grievance. It is egregious that we are still dealing with fundamental issues that erode confidence and respect between law enforcement, African Americans and oth- er communities of color. The N.A.A.C.P. endeavors to es- tablish humane and effective “ Implicit bias is often the root of racial profiling, compounded by severely under-trained security per- sonnel public use of force standards for law enforcement officers, to eliminate racial profiling, to advance policies that re- quire data collection for all police encounters, to insti- tute full transparency of such interactions and increase support for adaptable com- munity policing strategies. We have a grave concern regarding the ability of local law enforcement to facilitate an illegal eviction of a patron that has legally obtained tem- porary lodging, and unduly removed without proof of vi- olating any laws, and without the right of due process. Im- plicit bias is often the root of racial profiling, compounded by severely under-trained security personnel often em- ployed by hotels, malls, and like places. Since we can see increasing instances of the profiling of African Amer- ican men–the intertwining effect of systemic racism has written a narrative that black and brown people car- ry the overwhelming burden of the enforcement of rules. Although neutral as written law, when applied it has a ra- cial and discriminatory im- pact. Additionally, we are chal- lenging corporations to adopt and enforce policies and pro- cedures against racial pro- filing, and to promote diver- sity and inclusion not just among employees but also as it relates to their customers. Having a policy against ra- cial profiling does not mean that there will be no claims of discrimination. However, having adequate policies and procedures, in conjunction with annual diversity and inclusion training for all em- ployees, will assist in prevent- ing the racial profiling of cus- tomers and provide definitive procedures for employees to follow that ensure equitable consumer care, professional treatment, and ensuing inter- actions are addressed quickly, effectively and humanely. Listen — A 2019 Challenge in Memory of Robby Gregg By Julianne Malveaux, NNPA Newswire Contributor I’m leaving 2018 behind, with its myriad trials and tribulations. For me, many of the challenges revolved around the unhealthy atmo- sphere in Washington, D.C., and that’s not likely to change. But many of the challenges, joys, and sorrows were also personal. One of them was the loss of Robby Gregg, Jr., a di- versity expert and consultant at Cook Ross, a diversity and inclusion firm in the DC area that was founded by my dear friend Howard Ross. Robby died unexpectedly at 58, just a week before Christ- mas. Alarmed at not having heard from him, a friend went to his home and found him gone. Unless you are part of the D&I community (as diver- sity experts call themselves), connected to Wake Forest University (Robby was a 1983 graduate), or part of the vast Maya Angelou extended fam- ily (Robby was one of Dr. Ma- ya’s students at Wake, and an ardent supporter of the Maya Angelou school in Wash- ington, D.C.), you probably wouldn’t know Robby. He was a man worth knowing. I’m writing about Robby because his memory has chal- lenged me to make a 2019 res- Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist olution. I am going to endeav- or to listen more, especially to people I disagree with. I’m going to seek some of these people out for conversation, and I’m also planning to have “ I am going to endeavor to listen more, especially to people I dis- agree with tea or a meal (without knives — halfway joking) with a few of them. While I will never let go of my commitments to social and economic justice, to racial parity, and to repa- rations, knowing Robby made me realize that it is also im- portant to open oneself up to thought-provoking conversa- tions with those we disagree with. Robby and I had been friends for a while, but he was no fan of my confrontational style, and he didn’t mind telling me. He was offended by my Facebook page, which is a combination of policy analysis, organizing, and personal sharing. Because I live in a gentrified neighbor- hood where, in my opinion, my melanin-deficient neigh- bors can be entitled and in- considerate, with a sprinkling of racism thrown in, I vent on my page about the Brads and the Beckys. And Robby didn’t like it. He responded that if I didn’t like my neighborhood, I should move from the home I’ve lived in for 20 years. Not. I became so angered by his sug- gestion that we began to avoid each other and cease interac- tion. An unpleasant encounter at a social gathering (I was wrong to carry our disagree- ment into that space) prompt- ed me to reach out, and the result was a wonderful three- hour lunch where we offered each other the gift of listen- ing. I think we both walked away feeling affirmed, if not in perfect agreement or align- ment. We could agree that we loved and respected each oth- er and shared common val- ues, even if our ways of going about things was different. Robby and I shared an ap- preciation for Howard Ross, the founder of Cook Ross and author of Belonging: How Our Need to Connect is Tear- ing Us Apart (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2018). It’s a great read about the ways our human tendencies to belong work both for us and against us. Part of the book recounts Howard’s journey around the country talking and listening to peo- ple who voted for 45, some of whom regret their vote, and others who stand by it. He walked away with a more nuanced understanding of 45 supporters, which he shares in the book, along with tech- niques for having civil, even friendly, and informative conversations. When I interviewed How- ard a few weeks ago, he threw out the suggestion of lunch- ing with those with whom I have profound disagree- ments. I scoffed at it, consid- ering it an utter waste of time in many cases. The day after our interview, Robby Gregg, Jr. was found dead, and I won- dered if there was a message in his passing for me. After all, had we not had that de- lightful long lunch, my friend and I would not have had rap- prochement. Read the rest of this commentary at TheSkanner.com