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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1985)
editorial Philadelphia police acted irrationally It doesn’t look good for a nation that claims to uphold the principles of justice. It doesn’t look good for a city mayor who has the reputation of being calm and reserved. Most of all, it makes a mockery of Philadelphia’s tradition of being the “City of Brotherly Love.” Americans have every reason to be both angered and saddened over the events that took place in Philadelphia on May 13. On that day, Mayor Wilson Goode gave the word to the Philadelphia police department that it was time to evict MOVE, a violent “back-to-the-land” group, from their Philadelphia house. What followed was, in the words of Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, “the most violent eviction notice that’s ever been given.” Conyers’ statement is not out of line. After laying siege to the MOVE house for several hours, police dropped a bomb on the building. Within 24 hours, 61 homes had been burned to the ground, 250 people had been left homeless, and 11 members of MOVE, in cluding four children, had burned to death. There is no question that the cult-group MOVE is dangerous and violent. In a 1978 confrontation with the group, Philadelphia police were involved in a shoot-out that left one officer dead. For more than a year prior to the assault on May 13, police had received complaints from people liv ing near the MOVE house. In almost all cases, those who made the complaints claimed that MOVE members had threatened local people and were terrorizing the neighborhood. The big question is, did the Philadelphia police deal with the situation properly? Certainly not. There is nothing that can justify bombing a building that contains not only violent criminals but also innocent children. It is analogous to police confronting a terrorist hostage situation and opting to bomb the building that con tains both the terrorists and the innocent hostages. Further more, it is hard to understand why the police would risk causing a fire by bombing a building located in a city neighborhood consisting of row houses. There is no justification for the police action taken in the MOVE incident. The police say that one of the reasons they decided to go after MOVE was that the group had stated in a written letter to city officals that, “We are going to bum them with smoke, fire, gas, and bullets. We will bum this house down and you up with us.” But as things now stand, it was not MOVE but the police who burned down the neighborhood. No One is accusing the city mayor or the police of want ing to bum down 61 houses and kill four children and seven adults in the process. MOVE was a danger and a threat that had to be dealt with. But the action taken by the Philadelphia police was irrational. Dealing with terrorists or violent criminals holed up in a building is not a new experience for American law enforce ment groups. As recently as April, 200 FBI and state law en forcement personnel lay siege to the Mountain Home, Ark. camp of the neo-Nazi group called “The Covenant.” Because of the presence of women and children in the camp, the police ruled out any “heavy action.” They simply kept the camp surrounded. Four days later, “The Covenant” surrendered. When dealing with such a dangerous situation, the key is, and always has been, patience. This is what the Philadelphia police lacked. They had no need to act hastily and bomb the MOVE house. They could have cut off water, food and electricity and then waited for the group to come out. Whatever their options, bombing the building should have never been considered. 'vJc^KEP CITY HALlfo6Sf‘MCVE" our OF OUR NEI6MBORMOCO, ANP YOU MUST ADMIT THEY WAVE BEEN VERY RESFCNSIV/E 15 OUR COMPLAINT^. letters Unethical Citizens need to support S.B. 409 (Parental notification of a minor child’s intent to seek an abortion) by writing letters to the Senate Judiciary Committee (Senator Bill Frye, chairman). To deny a parent’s right to know of any medical/surgical procedure about to be perform ed on their child is not only anti-family, but unethical as well. Government must support the parent’s role as primary in fluencer over their child’s welfare, not attempt to subvert that role. The greater a parent’s involvement in their child’s development, the less the risk of deliquency, academic failure, and sexual promiscuity. Unfor tunate teen-age pregnancy deserves the counseling and in put that only a girl’s mother or father can provide. Profit motivated abortion facilities should support parental in volvement if they truly care about a young girl’s physical and psychological well-being. Kit Greerty Eugene More aware Recently, I had the opportuni ty to accompany a new friend of mine to the Bookstore. She is physically limited and in a wheelchair. I pushed her to the store, helped her buy her books and find the wheelchair en trances into her classes. Until then I had not realized how dif ficult it is to get around in a wheelchair — trying to open doors, get through narrow aisles, up steep ramps, into lit 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 Susan Thelen Advertising Sales: Laura Buckley, Tim Clevenger, Jen nifer Fox, Michael Gray - Intern, Robin Joannides - Intern, Carlos Lamadrid - Intern, Marcia Leonard, Rick Martz, Nancy Nielsen, Brett Pickman, Tim Swillinger, Laura Willoughby - Intern, David Wood. Production: Kelly Cornyn, Stormi Dykes, Manuel Flores, Kathy Gallagher, Dean Guernsey, Jackson Haring, Susan Hawkins, Kirk Hirota, Grant Keltner, Rob Kraft, Ross Mar tin, Karin McKercher, Lauri Neely, Kelly Neff, Kara Oberst, Curt Penrod, Michele Ross, Alyson Simmons, Peg Solonika, Karen Stallwood, Tim Swillinger, Colleen Tre maine, Hank Trotter, Mary VanCura. Production Manager Classified Advertising Controller Russell Steele Vince Adams Jean Ownbey Page 2 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, Dave Berns Brian Erb Brent De La Paz Sheila Landry Kim Carlson Michael Duncan Michael Kulaga Jolayne Houtz Scott McFetridge Paul Ertelt Mary Lichtenwalner Diana Elliott Cynthia Whitfield Lori Steinhauer Reporters: Sean Axmaker, Kirsten Bolin, Michelle Brence, Robert Collias, Julie Freeman, Thomas Henderson, Robin Joannides, Allan Lazo, Adam Worcester. Photographers: Dean Guernsey, Kirk Hirota, Jim Marks, Ross Martin, Karen Stallwood, Hank Trotter. News and Editorial 666-5511 Display Advertising and Business 686-3712 Classified Advertising 686-4343 Production 686-4381 Circulation686-5511 tie elevators, and over big bumps in the road — things I had never thought about. I was immensely frustrated after the trip to the store but my friend has to deal with these things every day. I will never again look at a disabled person without admiration. On Tuesday, May 21, The Cir cle K Service Club with the ASUO is sponsoring Handicap Awareness Day. Among other events, there will be wheelchairs in the EMU Court yard from 10-3 and at 12:30 p.m., there will be a speaker on handicapped issues. At 7 p.m., Eugene's men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams, along with UO basketball seniors, will play at Mac Court. Circle K is not hoping to solve problems with these events, but to help the University popula tion become more aware. 1 en courage everybody to attend these events so that they will become more informed of the issues and problems that face the physically limited. fenny Munro Circle K president Owes apology A long-time partner of mine, a blues musician known as Watermelon Slim, was openly solicited to submit an audition tape for the Willamette Folk Festival. 1 was out of state at the time; upon my return 1 submit ted my folk album. It is beyond me how he was selected to be the opening act of the entire festival, while I was rejected altogether. When I asked about it, I was offered a spot as a lead in act for him. 1 agreed to play at 2:45 p.m. on Friday. Nobody told me that 1 was one of five acts who would not be billed on festival advertisements, would be relegated to the classified ads as a "mini-festival,” and would be set up on a tiny stage before a small audience out of sight of the festival grounds. We played a half-hour set of my songs at the top of our form. When Watermelon Slim took the main stage, 1 accompanied him on his opening number, but my microphone was turned off. I think the Cultural Forum owes five musical acts a sincere apology for flagrantly treating us as second-class musicians. It would have been just as easy to have set up the main stage and sound system by noon on Fri day, and to have billed the five acts in the empty space on the advertising posters. After much anguish, I submitted to the ridicule only because it would have been unprofessional not to. Richard Phillips Eugene New tribe We are a new tribe, perhaps newly re-emerging. As with the Gypsy tribe, many have called themselves Hippy, who are not. Some people consider the word hippy an insult, as Gypsy, or In dian, or other tribal cultures have also become labels of in sult to the ignorant. We are a definable culture with shared traits and customs (a true ethnic group). We share a system of universal moral standards which basically say that it's OK to believe in anything, be anyone, do anything so long as those beliefs, ways, and doings don't intrude unprovoked or unwelcome into someone else’s sphere of life. We share the belief that it is our duty to assist anyone suffer ing unjust or unwelcomed in trusion, if assistance is asked for. We believe anyone thus in vaded has every right to cast out the invader. We believe we have the duty to not seek to impose upon others' sphere of life uninvited. There are no leaders among us, or you. We are worldwide. We are babies and elders and all of the generation in between. We are here to stay. Work for peace and love of life. Tommy Whalen (Laughing Deer) Eugene Letters Policy The Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing fair comment on topics of interest to the University community. Letters to the editor must be limited to 250 words, typed, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is turned in. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or style. Let ters to the editor should be turn ed into the Emerald office, Suite 300 EMU. Tnac^air Mao 01 IflOC
