Ashland Police, BASE, Jefferson Public Radio hold educational sessions
By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news
Law school was in session on the Southern Oregon University campus Monday, giving Rogue Valley high school students a front row seat to civics education and civically-minded career paths.
State Sen. Jeff Golden (D-Ashland) kicked off the annual Southern Law Day, organized by Portland-based nonprofit Civics Learning Project, during a video call to about 100 students in SOU’s Rogue River Room. Students from Ashland, Crater, South Medford and Eagle Point high schools made up the group, though the all-day event was also open to university students.
During his morning commute to the Oregon Assembly in Salem, Golden talked about the nuances of being a state senator and navigating party politics. Students also heard a video message from U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), encouraging students to speak up and get involved.
“The more students engage, especially high school students … with any kind of civic education, the more likely they are to participate in democracy in general,” said Timaree Joe, Southern Oregon regional program manager of Civics Learning Project. “Whether that be vote or run for office, or even just have an opinion and be informed, read the news.”
Following a Q&A with Sen. Golden, students took part in a variety of educational sessions throughout the day. Before attending, South Medford High School student Taylor Thalacker stopped by a table in the Rogue River Room to chat with personnel from the Jackson County District Attorney’s Victim Assistance Program before heading off to listen to speakers.
The 17-year-old junior said she has wanted to pursue a career as a lawyer for as long as she can remember. Thalacker also serves as a co-captain for Mock Trial, a group that competes as a team to prove a “mock” case, at South Medford High, and on the high school’s debate team. She said her interest in participating in Mock Trial led her to attend the Law Day with her law class at South Medford.
“I’m very interested in, just generally, how the law works,” Thalacker said.
She added that while she would like to become a prosecutor or defender, she’s interested in learning about “all the things” as it pertains to law and civics at the event on Monday.
Students had the chance to do just that, attending sessions hosted by the Ashland Police Department in partnership with BASE (Black Alliance & Social Equity), Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Bloom, Jefferson Public Radio’s news director Maria Carter on media and trust, and Braver Angels, an organization speaking to students about civil discourse.
Ashland Police, BASE share about SRO program, partnerships
Ashland Police Det. Sgt. Bon Stewart, who was the last school resource officer to serve Ashland School District until the program returned last fall, spoke to students like Thalacker about the program’s role on campus.
The aim of the program’s 2024 return, prompted by students at Ashland High School, has been to ensure students feel comfortable with a police officer on campus.
The high school has held various events, such as cornhole tournaments with police officers, leading up to the program’s reboot.
“The school resource officer doesn’t function as a normal police officer,” Stewart said. “Their number one goal is not law enforcement, though they are a law enforcement officer. Their number one goal is to be a mentor and to be a resource for safety on campus.”
School resource officer Mike Bates, who took up the position last fall, joined the conversation, bantering with students from Ashland High in the audience.
“I think I probably got into law enforcement because of SROs and just seeing officers on campus a lot,” said Bates, an AHS graduate. “They were really great role models and I thought that would be a really great career.”
When Bates arrived at the department, the program had been inactive for nearly a decade.
“It was a combination of staffing, but also, any conversation around SROs in Ashland … has to look at (how) the Ashland community has a very tenuous relationship with the Ashland Police Department,” said Ashland police chief Tighe O’Meara.
“This is just not a community that easily accepts law enforcement presence and that’s fine, we’re going to work through it anyway, but that’s just the nature of the community,” he added.
Speaking about APD’s overall 21st century approach to policing, O’Meara explained that APD is one of the first in the state to train its officers in “procedural justice,” a system that values engaging individuals with dignity and respect.
“People don’t care so much what happens to them; they care about how they’re treated while it’s happening to them,” O’Meara said. “We have tried to maintain the guardian mentality versus the warrior mentality.”
O’Meara emphasized the department’s ongoing partnership with BASE, founded by executive director Vance Beach.
“Our connection with law enforcement has been phenomenal,” Beach said.
Beach presented to students about the history of racism in Oregon, noting that around 2% of the population identifies as Black.
“That is directly driven through a lot of the exclusion that has happened,” Vance said.
Vance said that BASE wants to continue to work towards establishing better relationships with public safety moving forward.
“There’s a bridge that we need to establish and relationships that we need to mend, and that only works with proper communication,” he said.
“Chief Tighe and the staff, I’ve got to give them credit because when we put this together, right after (the killing of George Floyd), we knew we needed to have these conversations. Chief Tighe and the Ashland Police Department are part of the inception of what we have.”
‘There’s a lot of things you can do’
Alexzandra Watson, an SOU adjunct faculty member, serves as a member of the Racial Equity Liaison Committee at BASE. She sees Law Day as an event that encompasses civics overall.
“I think it helps (students) see all the different avenues they can take, whether it is law-related or even not,” Watson said. “There’s a lot of things you can do … under that umbrella of law. You can be in the judicial branch, you can be a police officer, you can be a parole officer, you can work in counseling.”
“It’s just what route you decide to take,” she added.
‘I love being a judge – It’s the best’
Speaking of career paths, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Bloom wasn’t always planning to go into law. He started as a pre-med and English major, with plans to be a physician that would allow him to pursue a fondness for writing.
But as Bloom explained at an afternoon session for students, he found a career he loves in the law.
Bloom shared what it feels like to serve as a judge and took questions from students and teachers, qualifying that his comments are his own personal opinions and do not reflect the Oregon Judicial Branch.
Bloom said there’s a shortage of public defenders in Jackson County due to a change in a compensation model.
“Until about 2023, we never had a problem,” he said.
He also shared openly about the highs and lows of being a judge and previously as an attorney, but mostly the highs of a job he dearly loves.
“As a lawyer, you have to treat everyone like their case is the most important case before them because it is to them,” Bloom said.
“As fun as being a lawyer was, I love being a judge – It’s the best,” Bloom added candidly. “It’s amazing. Every day’s different, I get to help people with crazy problems … Where do you get to represent people who get kicked out of a square dance club? I got to represent a square dance club, that was great!”
Law-curious students talk shop with county judge
Susan Casey, who teaches AP government at Eagle Point High School, brought some of her students to Bloom’s presentation.
Casey noted that Bloom spoke to students about some of the real life implications of things they are already studying, such as the Federalist Papers. Her AP government class doesn’t have a Mock Trial team, but participates in mock trials in class supported by Civic Learning Project resources.
She believes Southern Law Day can “spark” interest in a variety of areas for students that they might want to pursue the rest of their lives.
“It lets them know that in order for our democracy to work to continue, we have to all be active participants,” Casey said.
Civics Learning Project began in 1973 as the Tri-County Law Related Education Project, dedicated to ensuring that Oregon youth knew how to participate in the state’s distinctive model of direct democracy and be active community members, according to the website. To learn more, go online at https://civicslearning.org/about-us/our-work-history/
Email Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at hollyd@ashland.news.
