A statewide “Ban the Box” effort is underway which will prohibit employers from asking dangerous felons about their criminal records on job applications.
Dateline Saturday January 31 2015 – Portland Oregon – At a Town Hall Meeting held this weekend at Portland Community College, State Representative Chip Shields announced that in addition to ushering in anti-gun legislation, he would be leading a charge to lower minimum sentencing. He also feels that minority gang involvement should be considered when sentencing dangerous felons. Says shields in the video:
“… As the chair of the Public Safety Subcommittee, Ways and Means, I will be woking on slowing growth of prisons, and trying to scale back some of the really harsh mandatory minimum sentencing we have in this state.”
He goes on:
“Maybe instead of increasing the sentence, if you are. quote, member of a criminal street gang, and we know that that’s an enhanced minority over representation, maybe we can come up with another solution to improve public safety.”
Speaker of the Oregon House. Representative Tina Kotek joined in to discuss a statewide “Ban the Box” program she is planning on spearheading. It seems some of her constituents have records and are having trouble finding jobs due to their criminal pasts. They need a leg up on their non-violent job competitors. Oregon’s “Ban the Box” effort is a part of a national movement.
But the prize for this video goes to Representative Lew Fredrick, who as head of the “Joint Comittee,” hopes to expunge some drug offenses entirely. The crowd roars in approval.
