Category: Kathryn Kendall

Demanding Justice, In The Courtrooms And In The Streets

By Adam Rothstein, Paul Cone, and K. Kendall On Monday, April 2nd, members of Occupy Portland were once again swarming around the area of Chapman and Lownsdale Squares, bringing their grievances to the courts and City Hall. On this beautiful spring day, folks might have wished to be somewhere else enjoying themselves, but many were…

Reflections on “The New Jim Crow”

By Kendall These are sound-bites from a discussion among eighteen people who met at Reflections Coffee House and Bookstore on the morning of March 31, for the first of six discussions of Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow. “I’m appalled that people are appalled about Trayvon Martin and not about Keaton Otis. Everybody’s real concerned…

State Harassment

by Kathryn Kendall Note: Throughout this article, people are identified as white or black, because the historical perception of “white” and “black” is part of the power dynamic being described. In his book “Race Matters”, Cornel West writes, “Without the presence of black people in America, European-Americans would not be “white”– they would be Irish,…

Constitutional Rights on Trial

By Kendall Five Occupiers arrested in the February 6 and 29 actions were rearraigned today in Judge Cheryl Albrecht’s courtroom at Multnomah County Courthouse. With the support of Stu Sugarman and the Portland National Lawyers’ Guild, those appearing today filed Motions to Join, which means they’ll appear for hearings with other Occupiers, 75 in all,…

Charges Against Siddharta Fisher Dropped

By K. Kendall At a rally on his 34th birthday on February 28, in front of the Clark County Courthouse, Cindi Fisher announced that all criminal charges against her son Siddharta Fisher were  dropped. He had been charged with spitting on a policeman and trespassing (see the earlier Occupier story for background). “We had your…

Cindi and Siddharta Fisher

by K. Kendall Cindi Fisher is trying to save the life and sanity of her 34-year-old son, Siddharta Fisher, and she wants our help. Siddharta was identified as “gifted and talented” as a child. He was the Washington State Chess Champion at the age of 11, and when he was 12, he won an award…

The N-Word: A Question of Identity

By K. Kendall “If you can control a man’s thinking, you don’t have to worry about his actions… and if you can make a man believe that he is justly an outcast, you don’t have to order him to the back door, he will go to the back door on his own.” –Carter G. Woodson.…