EDITORIAL
Give people of LA
benefit of the doubt
If you thought Los Angelas looked like a war zone last
spring, take a look now.
New LA police chief Willie Williams is preparing the
city for a potential repeat of last April's mass riots that
loft 54 people dead and caused nearly $1 billion in dam
age. Police have installed a 3-feet-hlgh concrete barrier
around the federal building to block unruly crowds.
Inner city communities aru being stocked with militia
and blockades, just in case.
In addition, several military units, including the
Marinos and the National Guard, have practiced riot
drills The Marines. In an exorcise that sounds frighten
ingly aggressive, stormed a mock town as part of a "just
in case" urban assault drill.
In an effort to maintain calm in anticipation of the
Rodney King beating verdict. LA police are actually
doing their best to incite tension and fear. In many com
munities. int re.tsed police activity means greater unrest
because police are
regarded as enemies.
Within these neighbor
hoods. people are wary
of what will happen if
violence occurs. Will it
start a war between
police and citizens?
Will police know the
difference between pro
moting calm and
heightening tensions?
It's unbelievable that the police torce doesn t recognize
the uneasy fears It’s causing.
The problem is that Williams is essentially telling cit
izens within heavily-patrolled areas to watch their every
step. Don't react hostilely to the verdict, or you will pay.
Ho isn't giving credit to the citizens' intelligence — they
don’t want to destroy the city again — or thoir rights.
This isn't a prison Williams is arming: it's a community.
The question then becomes: what does it mean to an
individual to be considered a suspect before even com
mitting a crime? How will that person react if there is
episodic violence? Will he or she side with the police or
rebel against the authority that may have caused last
year's riots in the first place? No one knows quite yet,
but we must remember that police attention is rarely
welcome in South Central LA. regardless of the reason.
Williams and his forces should leave well enough
alone. Within Watts and Compton, community leaders
are urging calm. They are talking with people, making
sure everyone realizes what's at stake. And they do. Most
activists say the only uneasiness in those communities
so far has been from police activity.
Police have an obligation in this country to protect
people without sotting up confrontations In this case,
using military force may bo asking for trouble — they are
training their forces to be aggressive in case of unrest,
rather than protective, which may light a fire under a
community that dislikes police anyway.
Police have an
obligation in this
country to protect
people without
getting up
confrontations.
Oregon Daily
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LETTERS
Equal gifts
1 have no problem with
Stephanie Sisson expressing her
views lOf)k\ April 5), but I do
take issue with her misquoting
the Hible and her quoting the
Bible out of context. I found the
verses to which she was refer
ring in Romans Chapter 1. Vers
es 26 and 27.
First, it is important to note
that |esus spoke no words of
condemnation against homosex
uals
Next, the Apostle Paul's
teachings must be read in the
context of his Hebrew culture in
which non-procreative sex acts
were equated with paganism in
that culture, males who did not
procreate were devalued and
given the already-devalued sta
tus of women in that society;
same-gender sex acts among
them wore ignored
There are many homosexuals
who follow Christ People don't
choose homosexuality. The
Apostle Paul also spoke of the
subordination of women in the
first letter from Paul to Timothy.
Chapter 2. Verses 9 through 15.
Surely Sisson has no problem
critically analyzing these teach
ings in today’s society?
Finally. 1 was surprised at
how quickly Sisson dismissed
the Old Testament and its lows
as "laws given to the )ews."
That book and those laws are
still part of the Bible she claims
to believe in. H also sensed in
that comment an underlying
tone ol anti-Semitism, which 1
find to be very disturbing.)
Mavhe the next time Sisson
picks up the Bible, she will pray
for understanding of what she is
reading. Christ, as I understand
him. is about love, forgiveness
and salvation; and the gifts of
the Spirit are available to all
persons equally.
Gregory E. Torrence
Law
Wrong verse
Because Stephanie Sisson's
latest column [ODE. April 5) is
the current hot topic" about
which to write letters to the
Emerald, I (relieve a correction
needs to Ire made.
Sisson's reference to the Bible
was misprinted as Romans
26:27. There is no Romans 26.
The verse she made reference to
are Romans 1:26-27.
By the way, Sisson, there will
always be opposition out there
to cut you down Don't let them
bother vou — write on!
Tony Gunderson
National Student Exchange
Mammon?
If. as some contend, a woman
degrades and prostitutes herself
by posing nude for money, what
c an be said of people who sub
ject themselves to a minimum of
four years of stress and over
work. merely to gain an advan
tage? in the universal practice of
selling one's self to the highest
bidder?
Students Awake! Beware the
moral peril into which you ven
ture. not just a folly of youth,
soon forgotten, but a lifetime of
sin and misery. Prostrate before
the one true god, Mammon.
Students Arise! Reality is the
curse of the thinking class.
Throw off thy shackles while
yet there is time. Hum thy diplo
mas and subsist in righteous
purity upon the bread and water
of moral indignation.
Students of the world! Unite
your slogans! You have nothing
to lose but your minds
VVhee ...
Graham Lawrence
Biology
Apology
This letter is in response to
the April 13 article. "Candidate
may have violated ASUO rules."
I want to apologize for any
misunderstandings regarding
my fall-term enrollment status
and i.lear up some confusion
i oncoming tins issue
After having been assaulted
this summer, 1 was emotionally
overwhelmed and unsure if I
would remain in school or in
Eugene In the meantime. I was
still holding the position of mul
ticultural advocate I w as appoint
ed to in the spring of 1992.
Hv the time I w as sure 1 would
remain at the University, the
enrollment deadline had
passed However. I still fulfilled
the hours necessary to earn six
credit hours through the Dean of
Students Office and a practicum
in the Women's Center.
Since w inter term. I have been
in the process of petitioning to
regain my financial aid. my
scholarship and these credits so
that they can be ofTicially added
to my fall 1992 registration tran
script, thereby fulfilling all
ASIJO Constitution rules. The
supervisors for both practicians
are helping me petition these
credits.
If the petition is in fact unsuc
cessful. I will of course return
the stipends that I received for
fall term.
Once again, I would like to
apologize for the way in which I
handled this situation during
fall term, and 1 hope that the
University community can now
focus on the relevant issues of
the upcoming election.
Diana Collins Puente
ASUO vice presidential
candidate
Hunger cleanup
The Ninth Annual Hunger
Cleanup will take place
throughout the Eugene commu
nity on Saturday, April 17. The
volunteers in this effort will take
part in a nationwide campaign
to heighten the community's
awareness of the problems of
hunger and homelessness that
face thousands of Americans
everyday
Hunger and homelessness
ravages our community as much
as anywhere else in the country.
In Lane County alone there are
2,000 people who are forced to
live and sleep every day on the
streets because of the lock of
affordable housing and shelter
About 65.000 people in our
community ore on emergency
food assistance These problems
will continue without wide
spread popular support and a
cohesive plan committed to
helping people obtain a safe
home and a consistent source of
nutritional food
The Hunger Cleanup is o
"work-a-thon" that gets people
to volunteer lour hours of their
time to help out at various local
public service organizations
with the dual purpose of com
pleting community work service
projects and taking pledges to
directlv raise money for the
hungry and homeless. So get
involved!
To lend a hand, stop in the
OSI’IRG office in Suite 1. down
stairs in tile EMU. or call 346
4377.
Arron Goldweber
English