The coalition of those urging a NO vote on Measure 61 is growing! September 5, 2008
Posted by FairSentencing in : Current News , trackbackA diverse group of organizations has formally come out against Measure 61 urging a “No” vote in statements placed in the 2008 State Voter Guide. Partnership for Safety and Justice is joined by groups like Stand for Children, the United Way Mid-Willamette Valley, Oregon PTA, Federation of Oregon Parole and Probation Officers, the Oregon Business Association, and AARP – to name several. The extensive list of groups opposing Mannix’s Measure 61 undercuts his rhetoric of referring to it as a “citizen sponsored” measure. Mannix doesn’t have a broad base of support, which is made incredibly obvious by the state Voter Guide. The list of organizations in favor of Measure 57 (PSJ’s position) is even longer. For a complete listing of statements by groups and individuals in the voter pamphlet about Measure 61 and other measures, use the following link to the Oregon Secretary of State’s website: http://www.oregonvotes.org/nov42008/military_vp/m61.html. Information on the other ballot measures can be found on the left side of the page.
Our progress and next steps – phone calls to voters
With the help of the PolitiCorps Fellows at the Bus Project and our own stalwart volunteers, we were able to canvass 5,440 homes this summer. Canvassing took place in North and Northeast Portland, and in Salem. Even though the movement against Measure 61 is growing, WE STILL NEED YOUR SUPPORT! Partnership for Safety and Justice is helping to defeat Measure 61 by organizing direct contact with voters. Our big push now is to call a targeted list of voters most likely to be persuaded to vote against Measure 61. The list is huge – up to 80,000 people. Though this is volunteer-intensive work, we are engaged in the fight of our lives. These phone calls are critical to mobilizing Oregonians to stop this mandatory minimum madness. We will begin to make calls practically nightly from next week until Election Day. So if you can join us 6 or 7 times over the next 60 days – or just once or twice – please contact me to let me know when you can join us to stop this measure in its tracks. We only get one shot at this, so we need to give everything we got right now!
Karen Meurer
Campaign Organizer
karen [at] safetyandjustice [dot] org
Loading ...
Comments»
Measure 61, BOARDER ON MARSHALL LAW, First time offeners, Can they really hear what they are thinking?? this is 87% of the population (ages 16-35) ( Hell, lets lock up 10 year old’s in prison as well) This is our work force, these are our children, the next generation) This is in no way common sence, this is fascism (actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control).
He Manix is not exercise his rights,he is abusing ours. His diffination of leadership belongs in a tent.
If this law passes there will be no next generation. Manix will have lock up the guards as well and have robot watch 98% of the population being heald in prisons. Stop this insane thinking, you need real mental help, Mr. Markx
Still trying to shave a buck and spend a fortune, wake-up and look where you have we really are!
Karen Meurer- I am with you. I’d also like to let you know that everyone I work with in the addiction field is against Measure 61. I personally have been effected by Measure 11–that was the worst law that ever came out. Putting 15 year old children in prison for many years? That is the worst law that the citizens of Oregon voted in. My teen age son is mentally and emotionally incapacitated and they put him in prison for 70 months. That child has been through so much in life and then this Measure 11 thing-it is totally destroying him. He has been bullied all his life because he is different than other kids his age. His mental age is between 9 and 10 yrs old Measure 11 is child abuse. And the man that wrote that law-Kevin Mannix- can be considered a child abuser and anyone who voted Measure 11 in can too. So, too, can the judges and the DA’s that prosecute vulnerable children -children with mental and emotional handicaps. They all need some kind of help. They all ought to be locked up on charges of child abuse–and given MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCES so they can see what they have been doing to our disabled and mentally handicapped children all these years. My son -at the mental age of 9 or 10 -being prosecuted as an adult is insane.I tried to explain this to the judge and DA -but they would hear nothing from me, as a mother to a disabled CHILD.I don’t think mental help or mandatory sentences is what they need- they ought to be locked up and the key thrown away. I am a student social worker and I know the definition of child abuse. This case with my son is definitely a case of child abuse. These officials are mandated by law to report any suspected child abuse.What if they are the abusers? Then what?? Since I am a student social worker, I am mandated to make a report if I suspect or know of child abuse. Well who do I report it to when the abusers are the ones I am supposed to report it to? Don’t the citizens of Oregon see this contradiction? Or are they unaware of the population of mentally & emotionally disabled children being put into prison for many years where they won’t get any help except from other inmates and since this population of children are easily influenced, they will come out as criminals even if they were not criminals when they were put away. My son did not commit any violent crimes or assaults or sex offenses.The judge and DA would not take his mental & emotional diabliity into consideration. They just said he was going to prison for 5 yrs and 10 months, with 3 yrs post prison supervision and they did not want to hear anything more. These Judges and DA’s have to be menatlly incapacitated, either that or they are criminals themselves.The definition for child abuse is “intentional acts that result in physical or emotional harm to children.” We know there will be physical abuse in prison and there will also be emotional abuse. Emotional abuse DESTROYS A CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM. One type of emotional abuse is confinement- such as shutting a child in a closet or threatening them or humialiating them.Isn’t this comparable to locking them up in prison for many years? Isn’t this what others will do to a child with mental & emotional disabilities especially in prison? I know my son has been bullied & picked on all his life because he is different. Physical abuse are deliberate acts of violence that cause injury or can even kill a child. About 8 weeks ago I visited my son in jail and he had 2 black eyes and scratches all over his throat. Now the judges and DA’s are absolutely, positively aware that these things will happen, especially with a child who has disabilities, even children who don’t, and yet, they continue to lock them up for mandatory sentences. Doesn’t that tell the people of Oregon that their elected and non elected officials are committing the crime of child abuse? In fact, Measure 11 is not a law-for these children, it is child abuse.Doesn’t Kevin Mannix know that 15 yr olds are children and they can be impulsive or did he not get an education or learn the psychology of Human development through the life stages? Actually what he did with Measure 11 was set up our vulnerable children for failure. And so they get raised by the prison systems.I also believe people should have access to alcohol and drug treatment. Without treatment I would not have accomplished the things I have these past 6 and a half years. I was able to get treatment because there were funds and access to it back then. I was able to maintain sobriety, go back to school , get my GED, get an education at a community college, and now I am working on a Bachelor degree. Would I have been able to do this without treatment? I highly doubt it. I now work in the addiction field and I believe everyone should at least have a chance for treatment. Look at what treatment did for me. We can get productive citizens in society with treatment for addiction. Alot of crimes are committed under the influence. Some of this can be alleviated if we could provide treatment for individuals who need it. So yes, Karen, if you need help, I will try to make time to help with these issues.I have the intrinsic motivation to help anyone who gets entangled in Measure 11 or anyone who is trying to get YES votes on Measure 57. I believe my son has been wronged and abuse by this system in Oregon and I will speak out to anyone who will listen.