editorial
Black man’s death
raises controversy
The death of Lloyd D. Stevenson has brought the issue
of racism to the surface of public discussion in Oregon and
rightly so. Stevenson, a 31-year-old black man living in
Portland, was killed by a police officer on April 20. He was
the fourth black man killed by Portland police since 1975,
and the first to die by strangulation (cutting-off the blood
flow to the brain) when police used a special “choke hold”
on him during a struggle in a convenience store parking lot.
Although witnesses have given conflicting accounts of
what exactly happened on the night Stevenson was killed,
as more people come forward, the story unfolding is clearly
taking on racial overtones. It all started when Stevenson was
walking from his home to a 7-11 food store. As he arrived at
the store, he saw the manager, a white, struggling with a
black man accused of stealing a bottle of wine.
Stevenson, who was a regular customer at the store,
tried to hold back a crowd that had gathered from getting in
volved in the struggle between the store manager and the
shoplifting suspect. According to several witnesses, Steven
son warned those blacks and whites who had gathered not to
choose sides in the conflict. When police arrived, they ar
rested the shoplifting suspect, and then, seeing Stevenson
arguing with a white man, went over to try and “calm him.”
One of the officers attempted to restrain Stevenson, a scuffle
broke out and the police wrestled him to the ground. The
choke hold was then applied and he went unconscious.
Although police checked his pulse and then tried to
resuscitate him, Stevenson died soon afterwards. The ques
tion remains whether or not Stevenson hit one of the officers
before they jumped on him. The police say yes, several
witnesses say no.
Whatever public sympathy there was for the officers in
volved in this case took a severe blow when, on the same day
Stevenson was buried, two police officers set up a stand in
the Portland East Precinct parking lot and began selling T
shirts with the message: “Don’t Choke ’Em. Smoke ’Em.’’ In
police slang, “smoke” means shoot to death. According to
Sergeant Jay Decker, the precinct’s public information of
ficer, between 20 and 30 T-shirts were sold, mostly to other
officers. In the words of Ron Herndon, co-chairman of the
Black United Front, “This is what you would expect from
police hit squads in El Salvador.” Both officers were
suspended from duty.
The entire incident reveals the racial tensions that lie
just below the surface of our society. More than anything
else, it reveals how deeply entrenched racism is in our
public institutions, including those that are designed to pro
tect citizens and “keep the peace.”
Although it is up to a jury to decide whether or not the
officers involved are guilty of excessive force in applying the
choke hold that led to Stevenson’s death, one thing should
be firm in all of our minds: Stevenson’s death must not be in
vain. We must question the foundations of this society,
which permit racism to flourish in our individual lives and
in our public institutions. What happened to Stevenson is
not some kind of strange enigma. It is an example of the kind
of violence that happens regularly in this country and which
is built upon the subtle forms of racism that we tolerate
every day.
The struggle for social justice in the world will never be
attained as long as racial injustice is tolerated within our
own society. It is time for Oregonians of all backgrounds to
join together in the fight against racism in our schools, our
offices, and our homes. In so doing, we will honor the tragic
death of Lloyd Stevenson.
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letters
The truth
I refer to Siti Mohd Nor’s let
ter (ODE, April 24, 1985)
relating her personal experience
of “racial harmony” in
Malaysia. Vlow naive she is to
think that there is no racial
discrimination and tension in
Malaysia. Does she need the
Hague Tribunal to pronounce
that there is a discernible pat
tern of discrimination against
minorities in Malaysia before
she will acknowledge the truth?
Siti, racial tension in
Malaysia comes under the guise
of religion, not by race per se.
And it is not that the minorities
are asking for religious freedom
but that persecution comes
about because of the combining
of “church” (in this case mos
que) and state. You, as one of
the “moral majority,” would
not or choose not to understand
this.
Last summer when I was back
home, the New York Philhar
monic Orchestra was “re
quested” not to play a piece
written by a Jewish composer.
The Jewish members in the or
chestra were adamant that they
be allowed to play that piece or
not at all. The Malaysian
authorities were reluctant and
the NYPO did not play in Kuala
Lumpur. I was sad this happen
ed but rejoiced at the defiant
stand that the NYPO took
against bigotry. Bravo, New
York Philharmonic Orchestra!
Hope you all would encore your
decision were you to face the
choice between artistic freedom
and bigotry again!
Harold Leong
Graduate, Industrial Relations
Oregon doily , _
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I’ve had it!
I have finally had it with Dan
Goulet’s prejudice toward the
gay community. He has con
sistently used any excuse to
justify his extreme homophobia
as a rational, “normal” ap
proach to gays. It is now my
turn to ask him to “face reali
ty.” In his most recent editorial
diatribe he advocates that the
AIDS epidemic is almost the
sole responsibility of the gay
community. With statements
such as ’’Very few non
homosexuals have an average of
several dozen sex partners a
year" and “their bodies become
biological incubators for old
and new forms of disease to
spread,” he merely keeps alive
ugly myths used to strike out at
those he unreasonably fears.
Look Dan, I’ve been gay a
long time and I’ve never know
anyone with “several dozen”
sex partners a year (24, 36,
...144?). Nor have I met
anyone who participates in
“golden showers, fisting, etc.”
or who even found those ideas
at all appealing. Dan Goulet is
just focusing his hatred and
(sexual?) frustration at gays
once again. Let us not forget
that this is one of the same in
dividuals that tried to form
“Students for Beastiality,”
claiming that it was at least as
normal, if not more so, than
homosexuality — and tried to
get IFC funding along with
GALA.
Well Dan, luckily most peo
ple aren't as fear-ridden and
prejudiced as you are, as is
evidenced by the landslide
Pickney-Dreezen ticket. So in
the future — if you can’t control
your hatred — at least stop try
ing to burden the rest of us with
it. In conclusion — I’ll say the
same to you, Dan, as to anyone
else with similar ideas of pre
judice (i.e. the KKK, neo-nazis,
etc.), take them and stuff them.
Bob Powell
A well-adjusted human being
Stabbed again
As reported in the Emerald
(April 29), the IFC has again
stabbed the student body in the
back by allocating more money
to the Athletic Department. In
hard times, extravagances like
athletics should be the last
thing to be funded. This money
supports a privileged few and
has no benefit to over 90 percent
of the students. The money
could be spent in much better
ways; for instance, upgrading
our library system which cur
rently is understaffed, under
booked, and closed too much.
Other parts of the University
facilities which are in dire need
that could benefit more students
than the A.D. are the several ex
isting computer facilities.
It’s too bad that the IFC sup
ports big-league athletics rather
than big-league academics. I
guess that reflects the attitudes
of the students and the state.
MIT we will never be.
Alan Bradon
Graduate, Geology
Not clear
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance
would like to thank the Emerald
for coverage of the new blood
donor tests for AIDS. Some of us
felt, however, that GALA’S
position on the tests was not
clear in the article. GALA is op
posed to the test, not because
we think the blood supply
should't be protected. Rather,
we are opposed to people in
high risk categories using the
test as a diagnostic tool.
This test is not a way for an
individual to determine
whether or not they have AIDS.
The very presence of the test is
misleading to individuals and
the donor centers have refused
to guarantee confidentiality.
The test only relates to exposure
to AIDS and has an extremely
high error rate. GALA is ad
vocating caution in the use of
this test and urges individuals
who need to know if they have
AIDS to see a physician.
Lynn Pinckney
|im Shoemaker
GALA, Co-Directors
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