East Oregonian : E.O., August 27, 2019, Page 4, Image 4

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East Oregonian
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ANDREW CUTLER
Editor
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
A peaceful ending to a dangerous situation
N
o matter the circumstances, a
police standoff is one of those
situations that can quickly go
bad very fast.
That’s why the actions of the Herm-
iston Police Department Friday are so
significant and should be a prototype
for excellent police work and restraint.
The standoff centered around a
suicidal adult in the 500 block of
West Standard Avenue. When police
arrived, they discovered a man with
a loaded handgun threatening suicide
and demanding officers shoot him.
Officers began to talk to the man
and waited for a crisis negotiator
from the police department. The cri-
sis ended when police persuaded the
man to give himself up, hand over his
weapon and agree to a mental health
evaluation.
It was a tense situation with plenty
of potential to turn deadly at any
moment. Without any doubt, police
had enough legal justification to use
deadly force several times during the
crisis. Instead, police focused on inter-
vening and attempting to calm the sit-
EO file photo
Policers officers in Hermiston were able to peacefully end a tense standoff with a suicidal man
in the 500 block of West Standard Avenue last week. When police arrived on the scene, they dis-
covered a man with a loaded handgun threatening suicide and demanding officers shoot him.
uation. There was no rush to seek clo-
sure on the incident with an assault
on the man’s home. Instead of busting
through doors, police held back and
sought to end the crisis peacefully.
That kind of restraint deserves
praise and should make the residents
of Hermiston take great pride in their
police force.
Police are, indeed, delegated to
serve and protect their communities.
Part of that service involves holding
back and seeking every measure to
end a standoff such as the one Friday
in a peaceful way.
The resolution of the incident shows
clearly that Hermiston police are
focused on protecting every member
of the public, even an individual who is
threatening them with a firearm.
Police don’t get the kind of praise
they deserve on a regular basis. The
world we live in often pushes the
worse cases of police work to the fore-
front without the kind of context that is
needed to explain specific actions.
Police shootings make headlines
and gather viewers on TV, but are
hardly a day-to-day reality. Instead,
police work is hard, sometimes boring
and occasionally dangerous.
The situation last Friday in Herm-
iston carried all the hallmarks of yet
another tragedy — for the police and
the individual at the center of the
situation.
Instead, the crisis ended peacefully
because the Hermiston Police Depart-
ment made helping — rather than
hurting — a local resident a priority.
The Hermiston Police Department
deserves high praise for its actions.
OTHER VIEWS
The bloody truth about
U.S. immigration policy
L
YOUR VIEWS
City must seek innovative
solutions to homelessness
Having followed the articles in
the East Oregonian reporting the
city council’s efforts to craft an ordi-
nance regarding individuals without
a fixed residence, I’d like to offer an
alternative to those “reporting feel-
ing unsafe in public places because
of the homeless presence,” to inform
our public officials of other experi-
ences and insights.
In my neighborhood I have
observed folks living out of their
vehicles, who seem to be making
an effort to remain anonymous and
stay out of the attention of the res-
idents of the neighborhood where
they have found a place to park. On
my regular morning walks I gen-
erally have not noticed individu-
als sleeping outdoors, most likely
because of the time of morning.
However, on one occasion when
I went out at 6:30 I was surprised
at the number of individuals who
were heading out to start their day.
I assumed by the large bags of cans
and bottles they were carrying that
they were without shelter. Each
one who passed by me responded
appropriately to my greeting.
Again, my takeaway from their
behavior was that they were apply-
ing resourcefulness in their sit-
uation, and making an effort to
remain as anonymous as possible.
And my thought was “There but
for the grace of God go I and those
I love,” knowing that there are too
many folks around us who are liv-
ing on the margins, and it doesn’t
take much to remove the support
structures we all take for granted.
As city council works out the
details, I encourage them to seek out
information on innovative solutions,
as well as on the circumstances that
lead to life on the margins. While
I am no expert on these issues,
my own understanding has grown
through recent stories available at
our statewide public broadcasting
news outlet. The following pieces
offer information about the condi-
tions that lead to homelessness, pos-
sible solutions, and drawbacks to
other seeming solutions:
“Homeless Students in Bea-
verton” recently rebroadcast on
OPB’s Think Out Loud; July 11,
2019 broadcast of “Harbor of Hope
Mobile Showers” interviewing
users of laundry and shower facili-
ties provided by a local philanthro-
pist; August 20, 2019 article “Van-
couver Opens New Housing for
Homeless Youth, Teens Aging out
of Foster Care” reports on service
providers and recipients at Caples
Terrace housing units; “Class
Action Lawsuit Challenges Grants
Pass Homeless Policies,” broadcast
August 12, 2019.
Regina Braker
Pendleton
Face it, the root cause of
this health crisis is guns
The East Oregonian‘s Aug.
7 editorial (America is in a pub-
lic health crisis) was disappoint-
ing. After lamenting the carnage
of the latest mass shootings, it
quickly absolved guns of blame,
then spouted a “best hits” list of
NRA talking points, touching on
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of
the East Oregonian editorial board. Other
columns, letters and cartoons on this page
express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
everything but the guns that do
the killing.
Many of those talking points
have merit and deserve attention,
but ignoring the “tools” that make
mass killings predictable is a bit
like acknowledging the West Nile
virus is a problem while excusing
the mosquitoes of any culpability.
It’s wonderful the EO agrees
solid research is needed into the
underlying factors of gun vio-
lence — something the NRA and
its congressional minions have
successfully blocked for decades.
What research has shown is the
countries and states with the most
guns have the most gun deaths
(2015 study by Adam Lankford,
University of Alabama).
There are actions that can and
should be taken beyond decrying
social media and the lack of robust
mental health services. An obvi-
ous example: A strong majority of
Americans, including a majority
of NRA members, support com-
prehensive background checks,
yet Congress (specifically the Sen-
ate and its obstructionist majority
leader) has refused to vote on or
even discuss such a measure.
The EO editorial implored us to
look at all the issues contributing
to gun deaths. Absolutely. Look-
ing at everything but the guns and
large-capacity magazines used in
mass shootings isn’t the answer,
any more than focusing solely on
keeping guns away from those
most likely to spread havoc (the
angry, deranged or irresponsible).
We need to do both.
Hal McCune
Pendleton
ast week, I got an email
by former Attorney General Jeff
from my friend Chris Casa- Sessions.
zza, a partner with the
Cruz was deported. On July 17,
2019, he was kidnapped, tortured
immigration firm Solow, Isbell
and murdered in exactly the way
and Palladino in Philadelphia. He
he predicted he’d be killed when he
reached out to tell me about some-
thing that had happened to a for-
testified in front of the judge.
mer client, and he hoped that I
Chris Casazza contacted me
out of the same sense of frustration
could tell the story.
that so many immigration advo-
Here is the part of Chris’ email
cates experience when we hear
that convinced me I needed to
people talk about “liars.” President
write this column:
Trump suggested as much last year
“I want people to read about
when he tweeted, “We shouldn’t ...
this, I want the average citizen to
realize why there are so many peo- let people come into our country
ple at the border claim-
based on the legal phrase
ing asylum, I want judges
they are told to say as
to know what they are
their password.” In other
doing when they deny
words, they’re “coached.”
these cases, I want gov-
In 25 years of prac-
ernment attorneys and
ticing immigration law,
ICE agents to know what
I have never had to pull
they are doing when they
a story out of anyone.
label these people crimi-
Despite what the Trump
C hristine
nals and monsters. I want
administration would
F lowers
them to know they have
have you believe, refu-
COMMENT
gees are motivated by
blood on their hands.”
fear, not a job prospect,
Cruz Eduardo Tinoco
Salvador was born on May 3, 1997, and they are telling the truth. Trag-
edy happens when we shut our
in Mexico. By the time he was
ears.
14, he was forced into joining a
Ten years ago, I had a client
gang, the Sur-13. After his daugh-
ter was born, and after realizing
from Kenya. Peter had run for
that there was another way of life,
office, and was harassed by his
political opponents. He came to the
he abandoned the gang and even-
tually made his way to the United
U.S. legally on a tourist visa, and
States. He crossed the border ille-
immediately filed for asylum. The
gally, came to Pennsylvania and
judge who heard his case said he
found work as a roofer. He joined a was lying, that his claim was “friv-
olous,” and ordered him deported.
church, and devoted himself to his
family. He thought he could outrun One week after he arrived in Nai-
robi, that political opponent went to
his past.
Peter’s house and killed him with a
But it caught up with him on
machete.
June 20, 2017, when ICE discov-
ered he was illegally in the United
We cannot see into the soul of
States, and took him into custody.
a person, and we cannot walk in
Cruz pleaded with the immigration their shoes. But we have an obliga-
tion to give them the benefit of the
judge for asylum, claiming that if
doubt when they provide enough
he was sent back, his former gang
proof that their lives are in danger.
would kill him. He had an expert
It’s too late for Cruz. It is too
witness, a retired U.S. lieutenant
late for Peter, who was a devout
colonel who had spent years sta-
tioned in Latin America and who
Catholic and who is part of the
testified that he would very likely
rosary I pray each Sunday.
be tortured or even killed if he was
But it’s time we open our eyes
deported to Mexico. The immigra- and realize that we are our broth-
tion judge at the York Detention
ers’ keepers, and if we continue to
act as if we aren’t, there is no damn
Center ruled that Cruz was tell-
ing the truth. But he still denied
way this country is ever going to
the asylum request, finding that he
be “great again.”
didn’t qualify for protection under
———
the letter of the law, a law made
Christine Flowers is a syndi-
even more stringent and draconian cated freelance columnist.
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies
for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold
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