Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 1999)
2 WEdNEsdAy, OcîobER 27, 1999 Opinion TR e CI ac I camas P rìnt BY CHRIS LUNO5REM-------------- May we please speak now officer? n Friday the 15th of Octo do that on a daily basis. Even reckless ber around 4:45 p.m. I drivers are not beaten, and most are was switching buses at not even ticketed or arrested. There 5th and Main. As I turned the are cor accidents that cause bodily dam ner and began to walk west, I heard age or even death when hundreds of what sounded like a fleet of emer people gather in an area, but of course, gency vehicles headed my way. Six this could happen at any gathering. If Portland or Multnomah police the issue under protest is of a sensi cruisers turned the comer onto 5th tive nature there may be fighting, but Street at a reckless speed, acceler should people be subjected to ated for one block then came to an harrassment, police violence or arrest abrupt stop a short distance from for something that may happen, no where I was standing. matter how probable? So whyare pro My first reaction was to look be testors around the world subjected to hind me for an escape route from such extreme forms of prejudice and whatever catastrophic event had ne violence? cessitated six police cars. When I Consider the protest at turned back toward the scene, I was Tienanmen Square. What terrible surprised to see a crowd of people, weapon of destruction could the who were in close proximity to the peasantry of China wield? What now-stopped police cars, were not horrors were anticipated and pre moving away from the scene and vented with the use of violence and some were moving closer. incarceration? What evil could come The bus I was transferring to from a nonviolent public display that would stop on the same corner could cause a man to obey an order where the crowd was gathering, I to take up arms against his fellow had faith that if there were a danger countryman? The answer to all of ous situation, people would have these questions is: the dissemina been told to disperse, so I walked tion of ideas. into the crowd. When I arrived at Ideas, knowledge, and education the comer, the crowd had become are, as every ruling class knows, the more dense, and I realized I was most effective defensive and offensive crossing through a procession of weapon known to mankind. In the about 30 to 50 people. Some were ante-bellum south the crime of teach carrying signs and almost all of them ing aslave how to read carried aheavy were chanting. penalty. McCarthyism was effective I successfully pushed my way in preventing ideas such as the forma through the crowd, accidentally tion of unions, and open discussion stepping on some feet, and crossed of social programs. Today, instead of the street. I realized I was not going crying dcommunisto, we silence one to miss my bus, which was the fore another with the threat ofbeing labeled most thought on my mind, so I fo politically incorrect. cused my attention on the scene Mumia Abu-Jamal is not a foreign behind me. A procession of people political prisoner, he is a prisoner in die were protesting the incarceration of United States. Jamal isacriticofpolice Mumia Abu-Jamal. violence against the colored popula I was not familiar with the name. I tion of Philadelphia. In 1982, he was thought it was probably a political pris accused of shooting a police officer oner from another country. By this and found guilty under questionable time the police had left their vehicles circumstances. He is facing the death and were outfitting themselves with penalty and will be put to death on riot gear. I now felt like I was in another December 2nd if his message is si country. The scene that was unfold lenced. ing in the middle of a crowded Port Given these facts, it is ironic if not land rush hour did not look any differ suspicious that the police of our ra ent than some of the many scenes we cially segregated city have vigor are shown bymedia coverage ofplaces ously attempted to silence the stu like Indonesia, Somalia or China. dents of PSU, during their peaceful I am amazed whenever I see foot protest of Mumia's treatment, with age of armed police beating and the threat of violence and arrest. harrassing unarmed people. I won Who sent them there? Was the bra der, who sent them there? What zen show of aggression necessary? threat could a group of unarmed pro Was it responsible? Would the po testors pose to armed and trained lice have acted as aggressive, or re police? Ifthere is athreat, why insti sponded at all, if it were 20 to 50 stu gate a violent reaction by blocking dents dressed in soccer or football the road or arresting protesters for uniforms and cheerleading outfits? peacefully opposing oppressive How far does our freedom of forms of government policy? Of speech extend itself? Does it over course the answers to these ques ride bureaucratic regulation? Will it tions are many, but at the same time survive domination by the current only one.Those men are there with money-driven corporate media. Is it batons and guns because they be a great stretch of the imagination to lieve they have been sent to protect consider that we, as Americans, may the current form of government. not be any more free of thought, Good or bad, right or wrong, those speech, or action than citizens of a men are there because they were less democratic nation of whom we ordered to be there. So what threat have been inclined to feel superior?. to the government could come from If you care to know more about a hundred or even a thousand un Mumia, call the Free Mumia Coali armed civilians gathering peacefully tion at PSU 287-4217. for a noble cause? They may block traffic but people Glenn McCarthy, student O Editor-in-Chief: JohnThorbum (x2447) Managing Editor: Megan Oldenstadt Design Editor: Timothy A. Bell Feature Editor: Shelbi Wescott A & E Editor: Angie Daschel Sports Co-Editors: Salena De La Cruz James Khosravi Business Manager: Karl Katzke (x2578) Copy Editor: Sandy Lupo Photo Editor: Sarah Welch Cartoonist: Steven Baggs Chris Lundgren Stephanie Imholt Staff: Toni McMichael Jason Lingel Chamaine Larson Whitney Bond Maggie Jirasek Joel P.Shempert Matt Shempert Diana Scrivner Shannon McMahon Mandy Good Pete Ramirez Secretary: JoAnne Gale Advisor: Linda Vogt (x2310) Goals: The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased, professional man ner. The opinions expressed in The Clackamas Print do not necessarily reflect those of the student body, college administration, its faculty, or The Clackamas Print adver tisers. Products and services advertised in The Clackamas Print are not neccesarily en dorsed by anyone associated with The Clackamas Print. The Clackamas Print is a weekly publication and is distributed every Wednesday except during Finals week. The Clackamas Print Copy right 1999. Advertising: The advertising rate is $4.75 per column inch. Letters to the Editor: All signed letters to the edi tor should be 300 words or less and will be considered for publication if submitted by 1 pm the Friday prior to publication 19600 S. Mol All a A ve . O regon Ciry, O reqon 97045 (505) 657-6958 ext 2509 CCCpRiNT@clACkAMAS.CC. OR. US Do deer disregard danger diamonds? know you all have seen some my belongings, when out of no where I hit this animal. I hit the thing in your life that you ques tion the purpose of. I have deer with the left side of my car, then swerved found the yellow diamond caution and went ; down the steep shoulder off the road. In a state of shock and concern for this animal, StaffWriter Ijumpedoutof my car. I climbed up the slope and saw the signs with the deer on them to serve absolutely no purpose to drivers. deer was gone. Then of course I Are there actually boundaries looked around, and there was no where the deer are supposed to live warning diamond. How was I to and cross the road? Are all these know I should proceed with cau deer that are running out into the tion? middle of the road, where there is Should l as a driver, always drive no warning diamond, just disobey as if there could be deer on the ing the person who set up these road? If that is the case then I don’t boundaries? I would love to talk think that we should waste the to the person who informs the deer money of the taxpayers in order to they are not to cross the road un post these signs. I see these signs less there is proper warning given as flashy, yellow diamond-shaped to drivers, because this highway distractions that give a driver a false man is failing at his job. The dear feeling of safety if there is not a deer are totally disregarding the sign present. signs and the instruction of the I wonder how many accidents Highway Department. actually occur where a warning dia When I was moving to Oregon mond is present? The sign failed City from Redmond, OR, I encoun me [by omission!] tered one of these delinquent deer Is it the delinquent deer that is that didn’t obey the warning dia at fault or the people who give us mond boundaries. I was driving drivers a false impression of the along with my car packed full of warning diamond boundaries? J A freshman’s look on life! CORRECTION In our last issue, Mrcella Red Thunder's name was mispelled in a photo caption that accompanied the story, "AC Delco plugs into Clackamas Auto Department." i feppv IMIowefm! j : • : F rom TI he CI ac I< amas : • P rint ! :
