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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2019)
Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle February 13, 2019 ® Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Opinion Decreasing Harm to Communities Impacted by the Criminal Justice System Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher 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. t a time when our coun- try faces deep political and social divisions, we see a bright spot that shows how people from dif- ferent perspectives can come together in the name of hope: the bipartisan efforts under- way to reform the criminal justice system. After decades of tough- on-crime policies that have led to burgeoning prison and jail systems, members of Congress from across the political spectrum passed a federal criminal justice bill in December that acknowledges the harm caused by over-pun- ishment and mass incarcera- tion. That national shift comes as Multnomah County and other jurisdictions across the country are working hard to address pervasive issues in their local criminal jus- tice systems. Taken together, those steps toward reform make clear that many facets of the justice system have tak- en heavy financial and social tolls on individuals strug- gling with addiction and/or mental illness, as well as on their families and the commu- nity at large. This is particularly true for people of color, and especially in Oregon, where our racist past is distinctly ugly. It’s why local leaders have long been fighting to make the same R LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS LOCAL EVENTS d ay ! • L i ke u s o n F ebo m me • nts TheSkannerNews o k • learn • co in y o u r c o m m u n to y • ac it Updated daily online. Guest Columnists kinds of changes we’re now seeing nationally. Oregon’s founding Consti- tution excluded Blacks from the state. Well into the 20th century, racially restrictive covenants squeezed people of “ nomah County’s Jail, despite making up just 6 percent of the County’s overall popula- tion. Nationally, 15 percent to 17 percent of people booked into jail are estimated to have active symptoms of a seri- ous mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depres- sion or bipolar disorder. But that share doubles when race is factored in. A 2015 study found that Black detainees with symptoms of a mental ill- ness were significantly over- Even today, gentrification contin- ues to force people of color from their historic communities color into certain neighbor- hoods, then subjected those neighborhoods to further rac- ist land-use policies. Even to- day, gentrification continues to force people of color from their historic communities. Inequity has had a profound impact on our criminal jus- tice system. People of color suffered not only from explic- it racism, because of policies and practices stemming from the Jim Crow-era, but also from the lack of institution- al support in a state that was literally designed by, and for, whites. African Americans cur- rently represent an estimated 20 percent of inmates in Mult- represented in Multnomah County’s Jail. As longtime so- cial workers and executives in public safety and mental health, we have seen these impacts play out across gen- erations. For Black men and women, and their children, the repercussions from dis- proportionate incarcerations can echo for the rest of their lives. Even after those indi- viduals reach milestones in their recovery from addiction or mental health challenges, persistent barriers to hous- ing, jobs, credit or even some- thing as simple as a driver’s license can keep them from stability and success. For the past several years, Multnomah County and our partners including judges, district attorneys, law en- forcement, public defenders, victims advocates and more have worked to identify and address disparities in our system. We’ve participated with national efforts such as the Square One Project and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge . Through our partnership with the Safety and Justice Challenge, we’ve acknowl- edged the need to directly address the harm caused by institutional racism and oppression and recently, developed the Diane Wade House, an Afrocentric tran- sitional housing program for justice-involved women. At the conception of the pro- gram, we walked hand-and- hand with women of color who have lived experience with addiction and/or men- tal health challenges and justice involvement. We had hard conversations about gentrification, race, racism, oppression and more. We slowed down and took a pur- poseful approach to develop a tailored-program for Black women and led by Black wom- en - even down to a first-of-its- kind, culturally-specific cur- riculum. Read the rest of this commentary at TheSkanner.com Kindness Is in the Little and Big Things “Three things in human life are important: The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind,” proclaimed Henry James. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar Abby Stamp and Ebony Clarke andom Acts of Kindness Day is Feb. 17, 2019. Help your family, friends, and co-workers get ex- cited about Random Acts of Kindness Day. There are sci- entifically proven benefits to being kind. It is contagious, teachable, and makes you feel all fuzzy inside. Check out a video featuring the science of kindness. Read a plethora of kindness stories. See the Kindness in the Classroom curriculum (no cost). Down- load Facebook, Twitter, You- Tube and LinkedIn profile images. www.randomactsof- kindness.org. The Health Benefits of Kindness Research has shown that doing deeds of kindness trig- gers the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that abets mood stability and increas- es oxytocin, a hormone that makes you feel connected to others; boosts immunity; and reduces the effects of stress. www.randomactsofkindness. org. My grandma Hila showed kindness with food. She cooked homemade meals for family; gave garden vegeta- bles to neighbors and strang- ers; and fed stray dogs. My grandma Lyde gave quarters to the children at church to put in the collection plate; gave away crocheted doilies, and voluntarily painted the former Hillcrest Children’s Home. I am grateful for kind grandmothers. consider kindness to be weak- ness and may try to take ad- vantage. Showing kindness is not about being a doormat or allowing others to manip- ulate you. “It’s not our job to play judge and jury, to determine who is worthy of our kindness and who is not. We just need to be kind, unconditionally and without ulterior motive, even - or rather, especially - when we’d prefer not to be,” affirmed Josh Radnor. Nonetheless, in today’s world, people can be suspi- cious when we offer deeds of kindness, compliments, or praise. So we need to balance caring with caution. But a lack of showing kind deeds due to fear of other humans is an excuse. Being Kind to Annoying People Doing deeds of kindness and giving kind compliments comes more effortlessly when we are in the company of family or friends. Being kind to appreciative strangers warms the heart when they response with gratitude. But what about showing kindness to annoying or self-absorbed people? There are those who Kindness Day in Your County and City How will you show kindness to others on February 17? And the other 364 days of 2019? Think about what deeds of kindness you can do in your area. Give blood. Read to an elderly person at a nursing home. Clean out your closet and donate gently used coats and gloves. Sign up as an or- gan donor on your driver’s Melissa Martin, Ph.D. Guest Columnist license. Give eye contact and smile when you talk to chil- dren. Be kind to furry friends by donating pet food to the local food pantry. Send notes of gratitude to city and county leaders, nonprofit organiza- tions, and school board mem- bers. A few of my small kindness deeds this year includes: Sending an email to Gov. Mike DeWine and thanking him for creating a new position— Director of Children’s Initia- tives for Ohio and for his cam- paign promises of expanding early childhood education, increasing access to mental health services, and reform- ing the foster care system. I will daily turn off the wa- ter when brushing my teeth to show kindness to planet Earth. Honking and waving at the employees who dance and hold signs for businesses out- side in the cold. Kindness is in the little and the big things we do for oth- ers. And let’s be especially kind to oldsters, children, and animals. Celebrate kindness day! Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is an author, columnist, and educa- tor. She lives in Ohio. nt • lo c a l n e w s • eve