A report released last week by the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office reveals that African Americans are jailed, disciplined and held for longer periods of time than inmates of other races.
The report measured many aspects of the inmate population at the county, counting intakes from the county's many police precincts.
Christine Kirk, a spokesperson for the office, said specific practices by law enforcement personnel and decisions made by those officers are directly reflected in the makeup of the county inmate population. While some of the data indicate disparate treatment for minorities, Kirk said the jail is largely fed by a fair system that has its share of flaws.
"The system itself has ways to deal with acts of racism," Kirk says.
Acts of bias or prejudice, however, are much harder to detect, but they are practices affecting a person's criminal history, place in society, education and ways police treated them, she said.
In Portland, African Americans are 3.4 times more likely to be stopped by police than Whites. Those numbers are reflected in arrests. African Americans make up a county population of only 5.7 percent, but make up 21.3 percent of jail bookings, down from 21.8 from last year. ...

Nurse-to-patient ratios vary from hospital to hospital, and from unit to unit, McDowell says. In wards with more acute patients, such as the Trauma Recovery Acute Care Unit, more nurses are needed to care for fewer patients who, in turn, require more attention for their condition.
Union organizers say an ideal nurse to patient ratio on a medical/surgical floor is four patients for every one nurse; currently the Legacy Emanuel nurses have anywhere from five to six patients.

What's happening for me in my City this week? Read here a day-by-day diary of free community events to fill your week. For a full calendar please click on "Read the complete article" below...

A resolution for free TriMet passes for youth was approved unanimously by the Portland City Council Wednesday.Mayor Tom Potter and Commissioner Sam Adams co-sponsored the resolution   asking TriMet to create a pilot program that would give all sixth through 12th-grade public school students in Multnomah County access to free public transportation. The "YouthPass Program," spearheaded by the Multnomah Youth Commission (MYC), is designed to address a lack of public school transportation in Portland. ...

Lydia Goolsby plays the guitar along with the other 'Strummers' at the second annual Southeast Seattle and Central Area Senior Centers Art Show and Auction, "Art Now!", June 6th at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center. The event featured a silent auction of work done by seniors from the Central Area Senior and Southeast Seattle Senior Centers, performances by the Southeast Steppers, the Central Area Sliders and Strummers.

Amidst conflicting news on the state of African American students in Washington's public schools, legislative efforts to address the state's racial achievement gap continue.
Officials have set for June 23 the next hearing on House Bill 2722, after an initial panel met in May and hashed out the structure for future meetings. A location for the meetings has not yet been selected.
The hearings come at the same time that an expose by The Seattle Times reveals some Seattle schools are as segregated as they were at the dawn of the Civil Rights movement. Meanwhile, last week's Washington Assessment of Student Learning showed 90 percent of Black students passing the test for the first time.
"Of course I am elated that the students scores have improved," says Rosalind Jenkins, chair of the Washington Commission on African American Affairs. "However, we will continue to work for those who did not pass."
The Times' investigation, published June 1, showed that racial imbalance is at epidemic levels for Seattle public schools. In 20 of the schools studied, non-White enrollment is 90 percent or more....

On Monday, June 9 the King County Council sent both Initiative 26 and an alternative measure to the August Ballot. Initiative 26 was signed by over 80,000 voters in King County, and would make the offices of King County Executive, Council, and Assessor nonpartisan.....

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- Attorney General Rob McKenna is arguing that felons who have not had their civil rights restored should not have the same rights to public records that others have.
McKenna makes the assertion in a friend-of-the-court brief that is to be filed with state Court of Appeals in a case concerning an imprisoned arsonist who's been trying to dig up information on the judges, lawyers and corrections officers who helped put him behind bars. In the filing obtained by The Associated Press, McKenna — an active proponent of public records access — says that ...

The Seattle/King County Branch of the NAACP will hold a public hearing on police accountability next week in Rainier Beach. The hearing is part of an ongoing effort to collect citizen testimony of their experiences with law enforcement.
Former Congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney will speak on police accountability and her work as a public policy advocate. In March of this year, the NAACP formed the People's Panel on Police Accountability ...

The first-ever 5K Walk for Foster Care, to be held at the Rose Bowl Stadium, is set for July 26. The event is sponsored by rhythm and blues artist Kashif Saleem, above, and his organization, iCare Foundation, which pairs over 200 foster youth with mentors. Over 10,000 people are expected at the event, which features a 5K walk, parenting, adoption and mentorship classes, a vendor area, and a concert featuring top entertainment....