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editorial Was Goetz incident really citizen justice? Maybe it was a reflection of President Ronald Reagan’s “get tough” foreign policy manifesting itself at home. Maybe it was a reflection of public anger over the inability of the strongest nation on earth to bring big-city crime under control. Whatever it was, the shooting of four youths in a New York City subway on December 22 turned Bernhard Goetz into a national hero. He became a “modern vigilante,” praised by the public for “standing up to crime” and for having the courage to deal out justice when justice was due. But as the facts unfold, the story of Goetz is taking on a new twist. Gone is the image of an innocent victim of street crime who, in the name of self-defense, shot four street punks who had asked him for five dollars. According to Goetz’s police testimony, the youths displayed no weapons and made no overtly threatening gestures. It was “body language” that provoked him to shoot them. Goetz claims that after shooting all four teenagers, he checked the condi tion of each one carefully, and upon noticing that one of them didn’t have any blood on him, Goetz put the gun directly to his ribs and shot again. “I wanted to kill those guys,” he said. The police report stated that “the shooting frenzy stopped only because he ran out of bullets.” The issue here is not whether the four youths had previous criminal records or were acting in a suspicious fashion. The issue is whether or not someone like Goetz, in the name of “justice,” has the right, as the New York Times put it, to become “judge, jury, and executioner.” The only crime with which Goetz was charged was car rying an illegal handgun. If one of the teenagers, Darrell Cabey, dies (he remains in a coma) then it could mean that Goetz may literally get away with murder. Because of this. District Attorney Robert Morgenthau is considering asking a new grand jury to decide whether to indict Goetz on charges of attempted murder. It is unclear why Goetz chose to sit next to the four youths rather than on the other end of the subway where 20 other passengers were sitting. Further more, if Goetz acted in self-defense, why then, according to his own testimony, did he plan out how to best shoot his vic tims even before he pulled the trigger. Finally, what kind of self-defense is it when after already shooting them, Goetz walked up to one of the teenagers, who was slumped in a subway seat, and said, “You don’t look so bad, here’s another,” and then shot him at point blank range? We are not saying that the four youths were innocent. Not by any means. But rather, did Goetz have the right to shoot them? This question must be answered in a trial. Unless it is, a dangerous precedent will be set. One that af firms the right of any individual to judge a situation and then deal out “justice” according to their understanding of it. Goetz has used his celebrity status since the shooting to push for looser gun control laws and to criticize the criminal justice system. But Goetz’s own case shows why the availability of handguns must be tighly controlled. Easier access to legally obtaining handguns does not mean more justice, and as far as Goetz is concerned, it may prove just the opposite. It’s easy to criticize the criminal justice system for not controlling big-city crime, and to advocate looser gun control laws as some kind of an answer to the problem. But it would be far more constructive to take it a step further and question some of Reagan’s recent budget cuts. According to Alair Townsend, New York City’s Budget Director, Reagan’s proposed financial cuts will cost New York City 4,800 police officers. Increased street crime will be the price the public has to pay. We all must realize that far from any kind of answer, the Goetz incident is merely a symptom of a much larger problem. Oregon doily emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403. The Emerald operates independently of the Universi ty with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associated Press General Staff Advertising Director Production Manager Classified Advertising Controller Susan Thelen Russell Steele Vince Adams Jean Own bey Advertising Sales: Laura Buckley. Tim Clevenger, Jen nifer Fox, Marcia Leonard, Rick Martz, Nancy Nielsen Laurie Nobel, Roberta Oliver, Brett Pickman - Intern! David Wood. Production: Kelly Cornyn, Stormi Dykes, Julie Freeman Kathy Gallagher, Dean Guernsey, Susan Hawkins, Rob Kraft, Ross Martin, Karin McKercher, Lauri Neely, Kelly Neff, Kara Oberst, Curt Penrod, Michele Ross, Alyson Simmons, Peg Solonika, Tim Swillinger, Colleen Tre maine, Hank Trotter. Editor Managing Editor News Editor Editorial Page Editor Photo Editor Sports Editor Sidelines Editor Friday Edition Editor Entertainment Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Administration Higher Education Politics ASUO Student Activities Community Features Michele Matassa Mike Sims Michael Kulaga Costas Christ Michael Clapp Brent De La Paz Sheila Landry Kim Carlson Michael Duncan Michael Kulaga Jolayne Houtz Michael Hosmar Paul Ertelt Julie Shippen Oiana Elliott Cynthia Whitfield Lori Steinhauer Reporters: Sean Axmaker, Dave Berns, Kirsten Bolin Michelle Brence, Dave Carlson, Robert Collias, Thomas Henderson, Robin Joannides, Allan Lazo, Capi Lynn Scott McFetridge, Stasia Scarborough, News and Editorial Display Advertising and Business Classified Advertising Production Circulation 686-5511 686-3712 686-4343 686-4381 686-5511 letters Help available Good for the Emerald for ad dressing the issue of sexual harassment. It’s a damaging societal problem, and students need to know that it will not be tolerated on campus. Students also need to know that grievances can be (and have been) resolved informally, con fidentially, to the satisfaction of the grievant, and without retaliation. Formal grievance procedures are available to everyone as well, but this raises a question about Tuesday’s article. One of the students inter viewed spoke of having filed a formal grievance with both a department head and the Office of Affirmative Action. If this were the case, there would be a written record not only in the departmental office and the OAA but also in the Of fice of the Provost. Yet neither the current nor the former department head has any record or recollection of the incident described, nor does the Provost, nor do I. It may be that the particulars of that incident were altered to protect the student. But there are other, and better, ways to protect people. Nor did it help to give misinformation about an evening meeting on sexual harassment. Bean Comrada Affirmative Action Get some help Never before have I been mov ed to write a letter to the editor until I read Vince Adams’ “Nice Work?” in the ODE Feb. 22. Adams must be greatly troubled in mind and spirit to spew forth that abominable gar bage about ‘‘women crap”. . . “opening doors". . . “Playboy”... “WRRS.” What a shallow fellow he is indeed! What in the world did sen ding roses and all of that nonsense have to do with a straightforward (although ob viously more direct and outspoken than some people could handle) presentation meant to make everyone stop and think about the problem and maybe become more aware and better educated on this unpleasant but very real matter. Adams should stop hiding behind his sweaty feet, lick them off himself, and con template his diseased attitudes and bewildering ramblings. Then he should look deep within, find out what caused his careless display of stupidity and ignorance, and get some help. Adams, why don’t you, ya know, quit knocking someone else’s efforts at alerting our community to an oft-avoided topic? Are you threatened by women who take charge and make a stand on something they believe should be brought to the public’s attention? To sum it up, all I can deter mine is that you’re one of the many that feel “If I ignore the problem, criticize those who bring the subject up, or act like it isn’t there, maybe it will go away and maybe, just maybe, it doesn’t really exist.” “Nice work” exposing your ugly, in secure inner self to the world. M. Kathryn Scofield Eugene Obnoxious Vince Adams (ODE, Feb, 22) made a few statements that I find just too obnoxious to let go by without replying. First off I am sure that more women would rather be treated with respect than receive a single rose every day of her life, and by your use of the term “chick” in reference to Laura Romano it proves that you have very little respect for them. As for your feeling about the display case on pornography, I can understand your uncomfor tableness since you sound like one of the men that were hang ing around the case. 1 believe that if a child (no matter whether it is a boy or girl) hap pened to see the case and asked me why there were pictures of naked women bound and gagg ed in the display case and why there were so many men gawk ing at them I would have told him/her that in our society there are people that buy the product they sell which encourages them to produce more of their product thus more women are exploited. Your comment about the Women's Resource and Referral system is a good example of ex actly why they exist. W.R.R.S. provides a service to women in our community who need help in one way or another, one I am sure is how to deal with obnox ious men such as yourself. Jim Shoemaker Business/Psychology Ludicrous For fear of being promptly tar red and feathered, I dare not chuckle too loudly at the word which follows “Oregon” in referring to our fighting flocks. However, that ever-so-cute web footed mascot is hardly synonymous with guts and glory. Could any zoologist in his right mind possibly applaud the pitting of broad-billed birds against vicious cougars, wildcats and bears? Nonetheless, by now that five-letter word is as much a part of the University spirit as its green and yellow colors, so it looks like it's here to stay. But isn’t one ground bird enough? The name of a university stu dent union, like its mascot, is an important reflection of what the school stands for. The acronym “EMU," when said rapidly as one word, becomes “emu" (pronounced e’ myoo). Big deal? You’d better believe it! An emu is nothing more than a flightless three-toed Australian bird. What else could possibly be done to im pede our school from ever "get ting off the ground?" Next thing you know, the name of our most-cherished building will mysteriously transform from "Deady" into "Dodo" Hall. Maybe then we’ll finally wake up to this demean ing trend of ludicrous labeling. Charles Korns Freshman