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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Asante merger stabilizes Ashland hospital's finances 'Everyone has a story' Since You Asked: Are those flowers real or plastic? Get Up & Go: Dec. 14 Emergency services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Lawsuits claim sexual assault and whistle-blower retaliation at OnTrack Gang-related shooting in Portland sends 3 youth to hospital Emergency services Jail lobby commotion sends man back to cell 30 minutes after release Politics and Elections Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change GMO labeling votes recounted under careful watch in Jackson County Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means East Medford's the charm Education St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament A lesson in giving Hedrick student council works to clean up the language Table Rock solid: Elementary school praised for keeping attendance up Eagle Point superintendent invited to White House Environment No fish, no funding for problem dams Most residents speak against gas pipeline Coalition asks for defense of GMO ban Home Help: Make your new house feel like home Bighorn sheep reintroduced along Klamath River State News As deadline nears, Oregon's health insurance signups still low Gang-related shooting in Portland sends 3 youth to hospital GMO labeling proponents concede defeat Tribes can decide whether to legalize pot Lawyer says football player had altercation Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Diana DeVoe Logan Ronald Bombick In Memory of Richard Eugene Snyder Rudy Giorgetti Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Comets fall short against tough 4A champs Singleton basket lifts North over Wilson Spartans race to early lead in win Portland finishes off Indiana for win Phoenix’s Rubio wins title at Coast Classic Varsity 541 College Sports Mariota takes Heisman in landslide Brooks, Oregon beat Illinois Navy makes it 13 in a row over Army Oregon State downs Mississippi State Fifteen things to consider about the NAIA championship Pro Sports Spartans race to early lead in win Portland finishes off Indiana for win Day, Tringale win Franklin Templeton Shootout Pistons snap 13-game losing streak Knicks’ Anthony says he won’t drop no-trade clause Community Sports Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape RESULTS/STANDINGS LOCAL EVENTS Business Latest Stories Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate Blog: It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like... K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks State lags on grocery inspections Blog: Bear Creek Plaza next up on the market Real Estate News Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate More sales, but no change in residential housing median price Dear Monty: Violation of HOA rules creates conflict Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban People In Business People in Business, Dec. 3 People in Business, Nov. 18 Transportation Allegiant Air will resume Medford-Phoenix service May 22 Agriculture K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Southern Oregon wine industry had a robust 2013 Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban Lawsuit seeks to overturn Jackson County's GMO ban or net $4.2 million for farms Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, Dec. 14 Our View: Dana Milbank: The coarsening of politics George Will: The cheerfulness of tax reform Charles Krauthammer: A travesty of a report Editorials Our View: Other Views: Riley leaves strong legacy at OSU Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Sentencing reform pays dividends Our View: Find middle ground on timber policy Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Dec. 14 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 12 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 11 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 10 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 9 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Guest Opinion: Suit threatens family farms and democratic vote Guest Opinion: SOU pool decision short-sighted Guest Opinion: It's time for biologists to let OR-7 go dark Guest Opinion: It's time Oregon put a price on carbon Lifestyle Latest stories Give time as your holiday present The cure for nostalgia — Embrace it Community blog: Saving Lives Barry Lewis: Getting into the holiday shopping spirit Play local, pay local Food Community blog: Gobble gougeres as appetizers or with light meals Community blog: Choose presents cooks can cherish, not regift Roasted vegetables are rich, flavorful Food for Thought: Meal-planning hacks to help you dine fast and healthy Kitchen Call: Hints for gluten-free holidays Home and Garden Rogue Valley Christmas light displays Remodeling your attic: Know the details before you start Dear Monty: When a lawyer’s fee is four times higher than the quote Home Help: Make your new house feel like home Troubleshoot common water boiler problems Health Community blog: Saving Lives Health Watch: Curb your kitchen cravings this holiday season Community blog: Unsubscribe.com Community blog: Redefining Family Dr. Murray Feingold: Say it like you mean it Hiking Biking Faith Religion news: Pope aims to expedite sex abuse rulings Milestones and Achievements Asante merger stabilizes Ashland hospital's finances Time running out for O&C funds Hire 'em and pray for snow Madi-Stiles A New Song Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories TMTO's 'Christmas Carol' a big, warmhearted extravaganza Phil Newton & David Pinsky at 2Hawk Winery Live Music in Local Clubs Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Meet the real Jacob Marley Theater Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning TMTO presents 'A Christmas Carol: The Musical' Theater review: 'Fiddler' charms audience in magical Camelot performance Music Rating old-timers’ albums from 2014 Phil Newton & David Pinsky at 2Hawk Winery Handel's 'Messiah' set for this weekend Live Music in Local Clubs Bob Haworth plays EdenVale Winery Community Events Rogue Valley Christmas light displays It's a Hamazon holiday at the Playwright Public House 4 Things to do this Week Soroptimist holiday home tour features four houses this weekend Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Dining Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Ooblies Artisan Waffle Sandwiches Brunch at Loft Brasserie The Bohemian Club Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Asante merger stabilizes Ashland hospital's finances ... Our View: ... Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future ... Asante merger stabilizes Ashland hospital's finances ... Our View: ... Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future ... Michelle Teheux: Lack of diversity leads to myopia By Michelle Teheux More Content Now MailTribune.com By Michelle Teheux More Content Now Posted Dec. 3, 2014 @ 9:40 am By Michelle Teheux More Content Now Posted Dec. 3, 2014 @ 9:40 am » Social News I’ve lived most of my life in very white places. My hometown, population 200 at the time, was totally white. One black family lived in our small school district in a neighboring town. I got to know a handful of black people in college, but not many, frankly. When my children were small, we lived in a very mixed neighborhood in the central part of Peoria. Some whites, some blacks. Some renters, some homeowners. Some very young people, some elderly people. All of us huddled together somewhere around the lower middle class. We were friendly with a black family that lived two doors down, and our kids played together, but we were never close. But then we moved to Tazewell County, and finally to Pekin. So those years in central Peoria were the only time I’ve lived in anything close to an integrated neighborhood. I find that most of us tend to segregate ourselves. Which is too bad, frankly, because it’s clear that the majority of us do not understand each other. This is why the views of what happened in Ferguson are so starkly different. The two views are like night and day. Like black and white. I can see both sides of it. The grand jury proceedings were clearly conducted in an unusual manner. Darren Wilson should have been indicted, because an actual trial would have helped bring the facts to light. The whole truth probably couldn’t come to light even with a good trial, however, because we don’t have anything but Wilson’s word to know exactly what was transpiring up close and personal between the two men. Hopefully, the calls to introduce more cameras into police work will be heeded. I hope everyone is listening to the stories from black people reporting all the ways in which their world is different from the white world. Stories of being hassled routinely for minor offenses, or for no offense at all. How would the average white person’s world view change if we were the ones being commonly subjected to that sort of thing? In my cozy white world, those of us who aren’t involved in any illegal activity can take it for granted that we aren’t going to be subjected to hassles from the police. It’s all too easy for us to think it’s the same for everyone — that if you keep your nose clean, you’ll be fine. But what if you and all your relatives routinely recounted to each other stories of all the ways you were hassled in spite of being a good citizen just minding your own business? What if you were a black woman walking down the street with a friend, and the police stopped you and asked if you were “working” tonight, i.e. working as a prostitute? Think you might feel insulted? What if you were a young black man driving to work, following all traffic laws, when police pulled you over and searched your vehicle after claiming you had done something innocuous and hard to verify, like rolling through a stop sign? What if you were late for work and lost your job? Think you might be a bit perturbed? What if you had such things happen frequently, and all your black friends and relatives recounted similar occurrences often, but your white friends seldom did? Think you just might conclude racism is alive and well? Think you might become just a bit angry? Can you imagine that if you were subjected to such crap your whole life, that your outrage might conceivably push you to take protesting too far and cross into actual rioting? Michael Brown wasn’t an angel. Arguably he was an inappropriate person upon which to build a movement complaining about unfair treatment by police — there are probably thousands of young black men who are better citizens who have been subjected to police injustice for no reason other than racism. Fortunately for most of them, their injustices have stopped short of being shot to death. The truth is, I really don’t know if the shooting was justified. I doubt it — but I don’t know. I do know Brown’s poor behavior helped put himself at risk. However, I also know that the movement to improve race relations needs to happen. Perhaps Brown isn’t the best example of black people being targeted unfairly — but let’s not let that possibility prevent us from learning something. Pekin Daily Times editor Michelle Teheux may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @michelleteheux. By Michelle Teheux More Content Now MailTribune.com By Michelle Teheux More Content Now Posted Dec. 3, 2014 @ 9:40 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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