Pubdate: Fri, 28 Sep 2001
Source: Oregonian, The (OR)
Copyright: 2001 The Oregonian
Contact:  http://www.oregonlive.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/324
Author: Michelle Roberts

DRUG-FREE ZONES FOCUS OF JUSTICE TASK FORCE

A group charged with finding ways to reduce the disproportionate number of 
minorities in Multnomah County's adult justice system focused on drug-free 
zones and pretrial release issues Thursday in its first meeting since June.

The 30 community leaders and residents met at the Native American Youth 
Association in North Portland to discuss issues before the Task Force on 
Racial Over-Representation of Minorities in the Criminal Justice System.

David M. Bennett, a Utah-based criminal justice consultant, told the group 
there was no statistical proof that minority defendants are denied pretrial 
release more often than white defendants. Even so, Bennett urged task force 
members to develop consistent criteria for determining release.

Gresham Police Chief Bernie Giusto, who heads the task force's arrest 
committee, said the community might have to choose between drug-free zones 
and racial overrepresentation.

Drug-free zones allow police to keep people suspected of dealing or buying 
drugs out of designated districts and to charge violators with criminal 
trespass.

"There's no doubt about it: Drug-free zones are in neighborhoods of color," 
he said. "The tough question is that someone is going to have to give up 
something to get something."

The task force co-chairmen, Multnomah County District Attorney Michael 
Schrunk and the Rev. Ronald L. Williams, visited the Oregon State 
Penitentiary in Salem to discuss that issue with African American inmates.

"They talked to us about drug-free zones, racial profiling and multiple 
counts," Williams said, then joked to Schrunk that "they don't like what 
you're doing, Mike."

But Williams said he and Schrunk have committed to going back to the prison.

The 26-member task force of community leaders and residents was created to 
address questions raised by data the county's Public Safety Coordinating 
Council released in October. The council found that African American, 
Latino and Native American adults are arrested at a higher rate than whites 
and are hit with harsher sentences.

The task force's mission is to identify short- and long-term strategies to 
reduce the overrepresentation of minorities in the justice system.

There was no mention during the meeting of Williams' recent public 
troubles. The 46-year-old pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal 
Church, a prominent civic leader and activist, recently faced questions 
about the settlement of a sexual harassment lawsuit against him at his 
former church in Missouri.

Bethel's steward board has requested that Williams be transferred, saying 
Williams' community involvement detracted from his service to the church.

"Williams is co-chair and will continue until he's removed from the 
community," said Lyman Louis, research and policy analyst for the council. 
"He has support of the task force. . . . He's very keyed into the community 
we're trying to address, and as long as they accept him, so do we."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Lou King