Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Nevilledog

(50,687 posts)
Wed Apr 28, 2021, 11:07 AM Apr 2021

THREAD: Meet Cash Spencer. Oregon juror. Only Black person other than defendant.



Tweet text:
Scott Hechinger
@ScottHech
THREAD: Meet Cash Spencer. Oregon juror. Only Black person other than defendant. Thought he was innocent. White jurors didn’t need her. Convicted him anyway. Oregon juries didn’t have to be unanimous. “It breaks my heart. The system is not built for me.”



Unrolled thread here
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1387404161944260611.html

THREAD: Meet Cash Spencer. Oregon juror. Only Black person other than defendant. Thought he was innocent. White jurors didn’t need her. Convicted him anyway. Oregon juries didn’t have to be unanimous. “It breaks my heart. The system is not built for me.”

Most think of the KKK in terms of physical violence. Lynchings. Intimidation. But they also used legal & legislative process to pass laws exacting legal violence. In Louisiana & Oregon they pushed laws to silence Black jurors. To convict who they wanted. "Non-unanimous juries."
Image

Impact: Black people are already less likely to be selected to be on a jury. More likely to be accused of crime. Non-unanimous juries led to disproportionate convictions. *They would have never been convicted & sent to prison anywhere else in the country.* The KKK got their way.
Image

The impact of non-unanimous Jim Crow juries wasn't only felt by those locked up bc of them. Non-white jurors were demoralized. Shut down. Attacked by their "peers." Shut up.

Cash Spencer: "With my voice being silenced by the system, I decided to use my voice in another way."
Image

"I think people have this false sense that Oregon is pretty liberal, pretty diverse, pretty tolerant of diversity. The reality is I have family members that were not allowed to even live in the state. I'm a black woman who has to work just a little bit harder in order to fit in."

Cash Spencer (former juror): "If this whole non-unanimous jury thing was put on the books to silence the minority, then it worked exactly the way it was supposed to." Another non-white juror in another case:
Image

"The prosecutor: he made his case. I think it was more circumstantial than anything else. As we continued to have these deliberations, everybody focused their attention on me as far as I was the bad person. 'Something must have happened!'"

It didnt matter. All it took in Oregon was 10 jurors voting to convict. "Myself & the lady who were still the 2. We just stared at each other. I put my head down. The foreman called the clerk back to let them know we had arrived at the guilty verdict. And that is how that ended."

In April 2020, the Supreme Court finally acknowledged what was long obvious: This racist law in Oregon allowing Black & Brown jurors to be silenced was unconstitutional. Even *Justice Kavanaugh* acknowledged how racist it was. The problem: The decision only applies going forward.
Image

Ramos v. Louisiana was a great win. But it only applies to future cases. But what about all those convicted in the past?

Right now, they're out of luck. Hundreds still in prison in Oregon. Thousands since released are burdened by their unconstitutional conviction. Why on earth?
Image

Oregon can fix this. Theres no reason why people should still be oppressed by a racist law the Supreme Court called unconstitutional. Oregon's AG Ellen Rosenblum called the law "an embarrassment to our progressive state." Shes the one who can do something. Instead she's fighting.
Image

Ellen Rosenblum, Oregon's AG, could end the persisting injustice, she has acknowledged is racist, if she simply stopped blocking people from seeking a fair trial. That's all people want. If DAs have evidence to convict with a constitutional jury, they're free to retry the case.

Imagine having power to end the impact of a KKK-passed law that still imprisons hundreds. Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum has power, but won't use it. Human Rights Watch (@hrw) just called her failure to act “inconsistent w/ international human rights standards." Just wow.
Image

TAKE ACTION: Join Cash Spencer and thousands around the country calling on Ellen Rosenblum to end this racist injustice. Please sign this petition.

Action needed: People are still imprisoned in Oregon by a KKK-era law

Hundreds of people in Oregon are imprisoned by a non-unanimous jury law that was influenced by the KKK. One powerful person can help, but we need to move her to action.
https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/People_still_imprisoned_by_KKK_era_law/?ak_proof=1&akid=.4172301.9fOBah&t=23
• • •
4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
THREAD: Meet Cash Spencer. Oregon juror. Only Black person other than defendant. (Original Post) Nevilledog Apr 2021 OP
Fuckin wow !! I wonder what Oregon's black incarceration numbers are uponit7771 Apr 2021 #1
Oregon is only 2% black. BlueLucy Apr 2021 #2
Especially when the protestors started, not only almost exclusively white but the few blacks were LizBeth Apr 2021 #3
The laws of today Dan Apr 2021 #4

BlueLucy

(1,609 posts)
2. Oregon is only 2% black.
Wed Apr 28, 2021, 11:56 AM
Apr 2021

All those rioters destroying the city are white. All of them. Prominent antifa members have actually said they do not want BLM joining their events because something about white guilt. I have talked about the problems in Oregon here before only to have my post removed for "right wing talking ponts." I lived in Portland from the age of 16 to 51. I moved 6 months ago.

LizBeth

(9,946 posts)
3. Especially when the protestors started, not only almost exclusively white but the few blacks were
Wed Apr 28, 2021, 01:09 PM
Apr 2021

throwing their body in front of the vandals to beg whites to quit being destruction and plead with them to behave because blacks would get the blame.

Love Portland, I have thought of moving up there but really like Eugene.

Dan

(3,524 posts)
4. The laws of today
Wed Apr 28, 2021, 01:17 PM
Apr 2021

That harms the minority “POC” unless changed, will tomorrow harm the “Whites” when they become the minority. Change is gonna come.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»THREAD: Meet Cash Spencer...