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Teen Column

Police unions don’t need to allow brutality

BY EMMA NATHANSON place, the violence will continue, as it affords your tribes, in all the settlements that the
In 1903, Rose Shneiderman was desper- the city few methods of disciplining officers Lord your God is giving you, and they shall
ate. With her father gone, her mother over- or even discussing cases of police brutality. govern the people with due justice” (Deu-
worked and her two siblings hungry, the Luckily, there is a path forward. teronomy 16:18). Although the exact trans-
21-year-old recent Jewish immigrant from After a delay due to COVID-19, the city lations are disputed, shoftim is translated
Poland struggled to support her family on began renegotiating the PPA contract in as judges and shotrim as police. With this
the meager salary she received as a cap January of 2021 and will hold monthly pub- verse, the Torah unequivocally connects
maker in New York. After asking around lic sessions until June. The process is more policing and accountability. The people
at her factory, Rose discovered the men transparent this year – every other biweekly appoint the police and are responsible for
who worked alongside her were making far session is held by the city and public – and ensuring that their first priority is justice.
more than their female counterparts. An- there are tangible pieces of the contract that Although we apply the word “justice” to
gry, passionate and fearless, she organized could and should be changed to better train all facets of activism work – environmental
her shop as a chapter of the United Cloth our police force and hold them accountable. justice, reproductive justice, housing justice
Hat and Cap Makers’ Union, defying ste- Unite Oregon, a statewide nonprofit with – the root of justice in Judaism is inextricable
reotypes for female garment workers of the broad social justice-based initiatives, wrote from progressive criminal justice. The Torah
time. In the next 50 years, she gained fame a letter explicitly stating which elements of commands us to hold police officers account-
on the national stage for her work and lead- the contract must be renegotiated. They focus able. Let’s unite in the fight for due justice.
ership in the trade union world, alongside mainly on securing the existence and author- Here’s how you can fulfill Tzedek, Tzedek,
other influential Jewish immigrants. ity of civilian oversight (which the public Tirdof for policing in Portland right now:
With her tenacious spirit and strong morals, overwhelmingly voted for in the last election, • Sign the uniteoregon.org/ppa_petition
Rose Schneiderman has long been my Jewish but its implementation is being disputed by and share it widely on social media.
labor hero. Her story taught me that unions the PPA); this will ensure the city has the full • Attend a livestream of the contract ne-
are a force for good; the ability to organize ability to discipline officers and maintain fair gotiations. The next session is on March 10
to demand better wages, equitable treatment and equal conditions for misconduct inves- starting at 9 am PST. Register for the Zoom
and increased representation affords workers tigations. Over 50 organizations in Portland session at bit.ly/3kplGUW.
dignity and power. I assumed every union op- have already endorsed the letter. • Learn more about the current happen-
erated on the same principles of equality and Though none of these changes will solve ings with the PPA contract negotiations at
justice as Rose’s Cap Makers’ Union. the often prejudiced and aggressive behav- rethinkportland.com/ppa-contract.
When the protests ignited by George ior displayed by the Portland police, each • Ask the organization you work for or
Floyd’s murder erupted in city after city request holds police to higher standards. with to sign on to the Unite Oregon letter at
across the country this past summer, I If they are written into the contract, police uniteoregon.org/policing.
learned about an exception to my un- officers are much more likely to face conse- • Contact Andrew Riley, Communica-
derstanding of labor organizing: police quences for injuring or killing innocent Port- tions and Policy Coordinator at Unite Ore-
unions. These unions successfully demand landers rather than enjoying broad impunity. gon, at andrew@uniteoregon.org.
wide-reaching protections that make it By chipping away at the power of the PPA, • Write an op-ed or letter to the editor
enormously difficult, if not impossible, to we can also chip away at the trauma expe- explaining the importance of the contract
discipline or even investigate officers for rienced by people of color and houseless negotiation.
misconduct and use of deadly force. The people in Portland, who are too often the • Have conversations with your friends
Portland Police Association, Portland’s po- victims of police brutality and violence. and family about public safety and the
lice union, is no exception. I believe we, as Jews, have an obligation role of the police. Find resources at
In 2010, Aaron Campbell was running to make these demands a reality. criticalresistance.org and un.org/ruleoflaw
away from Portland police officers when In my hometown of Madison, Wis., pro-
he was shot by Officer Ron Frashour. Fra- tests at the city capitol building are not Emma Nathanson is currently
shour was terminated, but an outside arbi- complete without a legion of elderly Jewish participating in Tivnu: Building Justice,
trator ruled for his reinstatement. In 2017, people. Marching among a sea of scream- the social justice Jewish gap year program
teenager Quanice Hayes was on his knees ing teenagers, the old Jews of Madison in Portland.
and armed with only a toy gun when Of- hold a large quilted banner emblazoned Originally from
ficer Andrew Hearst shot and killed him. with the words “Jews for Social Justice.” Madison, Wis.,
Hearst was cleared of all wrongdoing. The They never miss a protest. she is passionate
murders continue: Portland police have When asked about the connection between about social justice
shot and killed nine people in the past two Jews and social justice, the elderly Jews of work, long runs,
years. As a result of police actions during Madison – and the majority of progressive short naps and
the 2020 summer protests, the U.S. Depart- Jews – often refer to the slogan Tzedek Tze- copious amounts of
ment of Justice recently released a report dek Tirdof. Translated as “Justice, Justice, chocolate. Emma
deriding Portland police officers for their you shall pursue,” the slogan comes from will be attending
excessive and unnecessary use of force. Deuteronomy. Williams College in
The trail of harmful misconduct is long Before the Tzedek phrase, the Torah states, the fall to major in
and tragic. If the current contract remains in “You shall appoint shoftim and shotrim for history.
OPINIONS printed in the Jewish Review do not necessarily reflect those of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland,
its governing board or the staffs of either the newspaper or the Federation.
Jewish Review March 3, 2021 13