Portland OKs New Homeless Camping Rules That Threaten Fines or Jail in Some Cases
The mayor's office says it seeks to comply with a state law requiring cities to have “objectively reasonable” restrictions on camping.
Safety Lapses Contributed to Patient Assaults at Oregon State Hospital
A federal report says safety lapses at the Oregon State Hospital contributed to recent patient-on-patient assaults. The report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services investigated a recent choking attack and sexual assault, among other incidents. It found that staff didn't always adequately supervise their patients, and that the hospital didn't fully investigate the incidents. In a statement, the hospital said it was dedicated to its patients and working to improve conditions. It has 10 days from receiving the report to submit a plan of correction. The hospital is Oregon's most secure inpatient psychiatric facility
Police Detain Driver Who Accelerated Toward Protesters at Portland State University in Oregon
The Portland Police Bureau said in a written statement late Thursday afternoon that the man was taken to a hospital on a police mental health hold. They did not release his name. The vehicle appeared to accelerate from a stop toward the crowd but braked before it reached anyone.
Portland Government Will Change On Jan. 1. The City’s Transition Team Explains What We Can Expect.
‘It’s a learning curve that everyone has to be intentional about‘
Governor Kotek Issues Statement on Role of First Spouse
"I take responsibility for not being more thoughtful in my approach to exploring the role of the First Spouse." ...
Over million in new funding will help build a behavioral health drop in center, expand violence prevention programs, and...
Scheduled for June 29th, the “Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington, D.C.: A Call to...
Legendary Civil Rights Leader Medgar Wiley Evers Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom
Evers family overwhelmed with gratitude after Biden announces highest civilian honor. ...
April 30 is the Registration Deadline for the May Primary Election
Voters can register or update their registration online at OregonVotes.gov until 11:59 p.m. on April 30. ...
Backcountry skier dies after being buried in Idaho avalanche
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A backcountry skier has died after being buried by an avalanche in Idaho, officials said. The avalanche occurred Friday when two experienced backcountry skiers were traveling on Donaldson Peak in Idaho's Lost River Range, the Sawtooth Avalanche Center said. ...
Seattle man is suspected of fatally shooting 9-month-old son and is held on million bail
SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of his 9-month-old son. Officers responded to reports of a shooting in the Magnolia neighborhood Wednesday evening, the Seattle Police Department said in a post on its website. A woman told officers...
Defending national champion LSU boosts its postseason hopes with series win against Texas A&M
With two weeks left in the regular season, LSU is scrambling to avoid becoming the third straight defending national champion to miss the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers (31-18, 9-15) won two of three against then-No. 1 Texas A&M to take a giant step over the weekend, but they...
The Bo Nix era begins in Denver, and the Broncos also drafted his top target at Oregon
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — For the first time in his 17 seasons as a coach, Sean Payton has a rookie quarterback to nurture. Payton's Denver Broncos took Bo Nix in the first round of the NFL draft. The coach then helped out both himself and Nix by moving up to draft his new QB's top...
The Skanner News May 2024 Primary Endorsements
Read The Skanner News endorsements and vote today. Candidates for mayor and city council will appear on the November general election ballot. ...
Nation’s Growing Racial and Gender Wealth Gaps Need Policy Reform
Never-married Black women have 8 cents in wealth for every dollar held by while males. ...
Multiple recent announcements from the Biden administration offer new hope for the 43.2 million borrowers hoping to get relief from the onerous burden of a collective
Op-Ed: Why MAGA Policies Are Detrimental to Black Communities
NNPA NEWSWIRE – MAGA proponents peddle baseless claims of widespread voter fraud to justify voter suppression tactics that disproportionately target Black voters. From restrictive voter ID laws to purging voter rolls to limiting early voting hours, these...
Caitlin Clark, much like Larry Bird, the focus of talks about race and double standards in sports
For much of the past two years, Caitlin Clark has been the centerpiece of the college basketball world. Now Clark, like NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird was 45 years ago, is involuntarily the focus of discussions about race and her transition to professional basketball. Though Clark...
Flooding forecast to worsen in Brazil's south, where many who remain are poor
ELDORADO DO SUL, Brazil (AP) — More rain started coming down on Saturday in Brazil’s already flooded Rio Grande do Sul state, where many of those remaining are poor people with limited ability to move to less dangerous areas. More than 15 centimeters (nearly six inches) of rain...
Controversy follows Gov. Kristi Noem as she is banned by two more South Dakota tribes
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is now banned from entering nearly 20% of her state after two more tribes banished her this week over comments she made earlier this year about tribal leaders benefitting from drug cartels. The latest developments in the ongoing tribal dispute come on...
Paul Auster, prolific and experimental man of letters and filmmaker, dies at 77
NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Auster, a prolific, prize-winning man of letters and filmmaker known for such inventive narratives and meta-narratives as “The New York Trilogy” and “4 3 2 1,” has died at age 77. Auster's death was confirmed by his wife and fellow author, Siri Hustvedt,...
Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 12-18
Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 12-18: May 12: Actor Millie Perkins (“Knots Landing”) is 88. Singer Jayotis Washington of The Persuasions is 83. Country singer Billy Swan is 82. Actor Linda Dano (“Another World”) is 81. Singer Steve Winwood is 76. Actor Lindsay Crouse...
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single. The dissolution of the couple’s marriage was finalized Friday by a Los Angeles County judge, nearly two years after the two were married. The judgment comes hours after the...
Switzerland’s Nemo wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest after event roiled by protests over war in Gaza
MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Swiss singer Nemo won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest early Sunday with “The Code,” an...
Russia says it has captured 5 villages in northeast Ukraine as more than 1,700 civilians flee
VOVCHANSK, Ukraine (AP) — Moscow's forces captured five villages in a renewed ground assault in northeastern...
Small pro-Palestinian protests held Saturday as college commencements are held
Small pro-Palestinian protests popped up sporadically Saturday as colleges and universities from North Carolina to...
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and...
Dutch broadcaster furious, fans bemused after Netherlands' Joost Klein is booted from Eurovision
MALMO, Sweden (AP) — A Dutch public broadcaster reacted angrily after the Netherlands’ contestant in the...
Eurovision explained, from ABBA to Zorra, as the Israel-Hamas war overshadows the song contest
MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Scores of musicians, hundreds of journalists and thousands of music fans have gathered in...
I have been trying to figure out how there can be any discussion of registering Muslims due to alleged national security concerns, when it is documented that the major source of terrorism in the United States since 9/11 has been White supremacists groups. The Southern Poverty Law Center has been a major source of information documenting myriad right-wing terrorist attacks, though little mainstream attention has gone to this phenomenon. Just recently several right-wingers in Oregon were acquitted of an ARMED occupation of federal property. This was not civil disobedience or standard protest, but an armed action.
In the late 1960s/early 1970s, there were many Black activists who worried that, in the face of some alleged crisis proclaimed by the U.S. government, African Americans would be placed into concentration camps. The mainstream political establishment declared that we were paranoid. While it was true, they would say, that Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans had been imprisoned in 1942 as an alleged security threat during World War II, we were subjected to repeated arguments that this would never happen again; what happened to the Japanese had been an aberration. The fact that Native Americans had been locked up on reservations was conveniently ignored.
Fast forward to the 2016 Presidential elections. Republican candidates, including, but not limited to, now President-elect Donald Trump, began making suggestions regarding the registering and possible interning of Muslims in the U.S. The rationale: alleged national security concerns.
This threat of registration, if not detention, has not disappeared. Despite the fact that White supremacists are the main source of terrorism in the U.S., there has been no call to register White nationalists, let alone any other White people. Using the Trump rationale, there should be a massive registering of White nationalists since history demonstrates their propensity for violence. Yet any time the issue of right-wing/White supremacist terrorism is raised, it is brushed under the rug and the act(s) of violence is pinned on an allegedly disturbed White person ,who committed the horrible act, solely due to some sort of inexplicable compulsion.
If there is a registry of Muslims, then all people of conscience should sign up as an act of protest. We should ensure that the registry is debunked and that any discussion of terrorism in the U.S. begins with a current and historical examination of the main danger of terrorism we face, terrorism perpetrated by the homegrown right-wing.
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a talk show host, writer and activist. Follow him on Twitter @BillFletcherJr, Facebook and at www.billfletcherjr.com.