Thread by @ScottHech

Meet Ellen Rosenblum. Oregon’s “progressive” Attorney General. Just this week made this dangerous claim: She’s obligated to “uphold & enforce” any law. Even a KKK-law shes admitted is racist & now caging hundreds. On #JuneTeenth2021, perpetuating white supremacy. Emptiest words:

https://twitter.com/ordoj/status/1405664751049318401

For literal decades, Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum has been on a crusade—as a trial judge, as Attorney General, in the US Supreme Court & local courts—to defend a Jim Crow era law to silence Black jurors. To perpetuate white supremacy. But Tweeting on #JuneTeenth2021 about “freedom.”

Just this week, Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum penned one of the most dangerous opeds I've ever read. In response to local demands to right a racist law shes admitted is racist, argued she must "uphold & enforce the law as it stands." This is cowardly. Wrong. oregonlive.com/opinion/2021/0…

Imagine having the power to right systemic racism. Imagine knowing & acknowledging a law you control was racist in origin. Then imagine instead of using your power to right this systemic racism, you instead use your power to defend it. And argue you're just following orders.

To understand the import of Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum's fight for white supremacy, we need to start at the beginning. Most think of KKK in terms of physical violence. They also used legal process to pass legal violence. In OR pushed a law to silence jurors. "Nonunanimous juries."

In Louisiana in 1898, the KKK pushed non-unanimous juries to “establish the supremacy of the white race" & “ensure African-American juror service would be meaningless.” In 1934, Oregon joined them. At the time of the law’s passage there were *34,000+ active KKK members in Oregon.

Every juror’s voice is supposed to matter. Yet Oregon & Louisiana allowed up to 2 jurors to be silenced. KKK pushed these laws to establish white supremacy. To convict whoever they wanted. Legal lynchings. It worked. Watch:

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.

Current Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum was once a state judge. Presided over countless non-unanimous juries. Sentenced Terrence Hayes to 13 years prison in 2004. "While I was not kidnapped by white men in hoods, I was caged because of their law."usatoday.com/story/opinion/…

Impact of non-unanimous Jim Crow juries was also on non-white jurors. Demoralized. Attacked by their "peers." Shut up. Silenced. Cash Spencer: “It breaks my heart. The system is not built for me.” This is what Ellen Rosenblum claims she must enforce.

Enter Calvin Duncan. Former jailhouse lawyer wrongfully imprisoned for 30 years. Learned about non-unanimous juries while inside. When released in 2011, he didn't relax. Filed petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court 22 times over 7 years. Denied every time. He kept fighting.

Finally in 2019, on Calvin's 23rd attempt, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case to end non-unanimous verdicts.

Most of Oregonian's significant leaders past & present joined a powerful brief asking the Supreme Court to topple this law.

*But not Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum!*

Instead of joining Oregon's most powerful leaders-bipartisan-to petition Supreme Court to topple the racist stain on Oregon's past/present,

*Oregon AG Rosenblum joined LOUISIANA* to ask the Supreme Court to keep the racist law alive. But today she tweeted about #JuneTeenth2021.

Fortunately, Supreme Court didn't listen to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. In April 2020, they finally acknowledged what was long obvious: This racist law was unconstitutional. Gorsuch wrote opinion. Even Justice Kavanaugh found the law unconstitutionally racist.

Despite her fight in the Supreme Court to maintain the racist status quo Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum still claimed to be happy about the ruling in Ramos.

Stated, that Oregon would finally be able to move past "embarrassing stain on our progressive state."

But she kept fighting.

Today, on #JuneTeenth2021 Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum tweeted about "freedom." But even after the Supreme Court ruled the law she was enforcing was unconstitutionally racist--& she agreed--kept fighting against new, fair trials. In local courts. Then again in the Supreme Court.

All Oregon advocates are asking for from Ellen Rosenblum is she stop opposing requests from hundreds still imprisoned by a law ruled unconstitutional for the chance for a retrial. Not--as she lied & fearmongered in her recent oped--for release. She refused and continues to.

Supreme Court followed Oregon's "progressive" AG Ellen Rosenblum. Denied justice to all previously convicted by racist juries bc "finality." Not just a major loss on one issue. A decision damaging to millions impacted by other issues. But today she tweeted about #JuneTeenth2021.

Ellen Rosenblum is not obligated to uphold & enforce racist laws. Prosecutors & leaders use their discretion *all the time* to depart. Rosenblum refused to defend Oregon's ban on same-sex marriage when given the opportunity. So actually yes, you have power. We want you to use it.

Join me & a growing coalition of tens of thousands around the country in calling on Ellen Rosenblum (
@ORDOJ)--and by extension all state leaders--to use the power they have to end systemic racism. act.colorofchange.org/sign/People_st…