Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1971)
‘Law of Reinforcement’ Toothless Authority Aids Social Turmoil To serve you better Our office was - where we are no more We’ve moved where we never were before - You know where we are, but not where we'ls: So here’s the new address where 'T ls. The Portland Observer Staff 2726 N.E. Union Avenue Portland, Oregon 97212 Phone 282-0929 Police Community Relations Portland in general, and the creases the chances of recover Albina neighborhood in particu- ing stolen possessions. l a r , has been experiencing a Be sure all windows and steady increase in the number screens on your home are se of house burglaries. The Port curely fastened; keep proper la n d Police Community Rela locks on doors and use them. tions Unit has a number of sug K e e p your home well-lighted, gestions to help decrease the and leave a light on in the eve chances of loss and increase the ning when gone. likelihood that stolen goods are When on vacation, take the returned. following precautions. Tell your Be sure all goods, particu n e i g h b o r s where you're going larly T.V .'s H i-Fi’s, guns, and and how long you'll be gone. No small appliances, have perman tify the police about your trip, ently marked serial numbers. If and request an officer to fill out the items do not have any a vacant house report. Arrange numbers, stamp your own, using to have lights on at night, and a Social Security or Selective have all deliveries (milk, news Service number. papers, mail) cancelled or col Keep a record of the serial lected. numbers, including a descrip Lastly, stay away from hot tion of the location of the merchandise. Remember, bur number and physical description glaries are a two-way street. of the item; make two copies T h e man who steals depends and keep them in safe and sepa upon the man who will buy hot rate places. Using and keeping goods. The thief you buy from s e r i a l numbers greatly in- today may rip you off tomorrow. PORTLAND/OBSERVER Jan. 7, 1971 The Northwest’s Best Weekly A Black Owned Publication tK npt,on T te,: <'entit per month by carrier- <5 00 per year; $6JJ0 per year by ma.l in Tri-County area; 28 per year by mail < uta.de I n-County area. Phone 2 8 2 - 0 9 2 » ALFRED LEE HENDERSON, Publisher and Editor Mark Twain once wrote that everyone talks about the weath e r, but no one ever does any thing about it. If Mark Twain were living today, however, he might observe that the weather no longer holds the top conver sational spot; it has been re placed by the subject of social violence. And unfortunately, the new problem is also getting more talk than action. It is not surprising that people are aroused by what Is happening to their world; the dally news is saturated with the p a i n f u l details of race riots, bank holdups, drunk driving a rre sts, marital discord, civil disobedience, and juvenile de l i n q u e n c y . The conscientious citizen finds these events more shocking every dayl It is no longer therapeutic for him to sink down in his soft chair to view the evening news on T.V. His ulcer throbs and fumes while he watches a typical newscast showing films of a draft card cremation, a Black Panther on trial or killed, a Ku Klux Kian bombing, and special f e a t u r e on American students collecting blood for the Commu nists in North Viet Nam. And th e Conscientious citizen Just sits and chews his antacid tab lets and mumbles, "Why?" The answer is disarmingly simple: such violent and antiso cial behavior continues to occur because our society is allowing it to bring resultsl Psycholog ists have known for many years that behavior which achieves d e s i r a b l e consequences will recur again and again. One can make a dog bark (speak) for his food, for example, by simply throwing him a bite of food every time he makes a noise. He will soon be yapping at every sight of potential food. At circus performances, the animals are always rewarded with a tasty morsel after each successful act. The behavior of the animals bring them delightful results and it will probably repeat It self. This psychological principle is called the " la w of Rein forcement** and It Is especially applicable to human behavior. Much of the current turmoil and social discontent which plagues our cities has evolved from our habit of "reinforcing" these an tisocial responses; for example, when an unwed mother can get a larger welfare check by spaw ing more Illegitimate babies her p r o m l s c r u l t y has been rein forced. Cited below are Just a few situations In which the un wise application of this princi ple often results in unnecessary sociological headaches. Why are there so many noisy demonstrations throughout tlie world today? The reason Is ob vious; any group of bored, pur poseless people, trapped by their own monotonous existence, can gain the eyes and ears of civilization by creating an Irri tating protest. The desire for publicity is the prim ary moti vating force In these displays, we feed the flame with volatile fuel. The mass media dispatch crews of reporters to publicize every sign carrying bunch of bearded welrdmen that congre gates in the city. And was not his what the malcontents had In mind In the first place? Today’s society has had more of the "good life" than any people In history, yet we are called the "Angry Generation." Could we be reinforcing this behavior? Does rioting and burning and stealing produce any Justifiable gain In the Civil Rights cause? If not, then we should not allow this behavior to bring results. Unfortunately, our leaders pour millions of federal dollars Into communities where a few dis senters have reacted violently, while witholding those funds from more tranquil minority areas. This policy has taught the less vocal Mexican Ameri can a painful lesson. He has many of the same social and economic needs as the Negro, but thus far he has kept his m o u th shut and has received much less aid. It Is fitting and proper that all needy people be given financial assistance, and only a foolish bigot would resent the expenditure of funds to train and feed less fortunate members of our society. But the timing and the placement of these allocations have been un fortunate. Do you want your child’s minor discipline problems to become major ones? Then let his protest get results; when he scream s and kicks at bedt’me, yield to his demand. le t him stay up an extra hour to avoid a fuss. But you had better lie prepared for the same response tomorrow night, because It suc ceeded 24 hours earlier. Do we want teenagers to drop out of school? Then we should establish a glamorous school In a romantic, far-away city, spe cifically for the quitter. It should be much more attractive than the drab, humdrum high school life back home, where he even had to work for his money. Pay him >35 a month for doing nothing, and then let us try to tell ourselves we are helping to eliminate the dropout problem. DO we want the incidence of crim e to Increase greatly? If so, we should leave some doubt in the potential crim inal's mind as the certalntly of the conse quences of his crim e. It should be known that many convicted rapists, thieves, and m urderers can go free because of legal technicalities. And better yet, they might not even get caught. It they a re apprehended, howev er, there Is the possibility of writing a "best se lle r"; the royalties will buy the greatest legal minds to prepare their de fense. If all these things fall, a prompt parole can usually be obtained. Is It surprising that crim e rates are Increasing? Positive Approach Needed In this great city of ours we can solve all of our problems If we take the positive approach. There are always some weeds In every flower garden, but there are many other beautiful flowers there too. A loud cry from some that the police are pigs and these people have demanded their proud of flesh from the established fact t h a t some law enforcement agency must be utilized In this society as a protective mea sure. Whether this law enforcement agency is seen as a deterrent to crime or whether It Is seen a s a strictu re on society Is much In the eye of the beholder. At any rate, It Is clear that some law enforcement agency Is very vital and is necessary. If there Is discontent In the community over the perfor mance of the police department, then there Is a formidable solu tion to the problem. Contrary to what many say, I still believe that within the community, there are many young men who have flawless records and who can not afford to attend college because of their family or financial obliga tion. Then too there ought to be a way to train the tralnablel What better way to solve a problem of this nature than to become a member of the orga nization? There Is a stigma attached to becoming a member of the P o r t l a n d Police Department. But much of that stigma officers in the Dept. to balance the scales. Instead of complaining about real and imagined Ills, the young black men of the commu nity could become a part of PPD and know exactly what goes on Instead of having to rely on sec ond hand information. Like most organizations there may be things wrong with the Portland Police Dept., but it can not be remedied by bellyaching and crying, pointing fingers and calling police officers pigs. What Is needed Is a positive approach to the situation. The young men who can qualify can become a part of that depart ment and take a functional part In the policing of the communi The Portland Police Depart ty. You can be on the scene as ment is by no means perfect and an officer. many unfortunate sets of c ir Yes, I am aware that there cumstances have evolved from will be those people who will be PPD. But In order to rectify the disappointed when they attempt situation, It Is necessary to to Join the department and find have black officers In the de they cannot qualify. There will partment and presently there be those people who will look are far too few. down their proverbial and col It would be better Indeed to lective noses at the notion of have community people who are becoming a law enforcement of aware of the problems that exist ficer, but these officers and than strangers who have no people are necessary in this so knowledge of the Inequities. ciety. The next occasslon you see an It Is true that circumstances officer try a little courtesy and have not always favored many see what will happen. If you young black men, but there are treat members of the PPD like enough young blacks to make a KINGS...don't you think they will sizable Impact on the PPD re act likewise? cruiting office. If you did not read Dec. 3 edi It we are to have any voice torial on "Abolish Name call In this society, then we must ing,” you have missed valuable have an equal voice In the law Information order It today. enforcement of the community. By the same token, a sizable Lonely child force of black officers In the I'd like to take a lonely child Dept., would insure that there And help him wear a smile would be black officers with I'd like to take a lonely child white officers In almost every And show him life's worthwhile s i t u a t i o n that involved the And when the circus comes to a rrest of other black people. town This alone should not be the I’d like to take him there prime motivation for seeking to O r take him to a baseball game be appointed to the PPD. There We'll be a happy pair must be also an overwhelming I want to take him to a store desire to maintain some sem To buy his favorite toy blance of order within the com I want to hold his hand In mine munity. And think of my own boy With all these facts as a back T here's so much I would like to ground, It perhaps would be flo hoove many of the young men In But most of all, I know the community to at least con I'd like to take a lonely child sider becoming a part of that And show I love him so. establishment that has brought some problems to this commu Lyric by Rose B. Kaufman nity, but again, we need the PPD Music by Lou Halmy and not all officers are BAD. Having a dance or social event? Let us rent you a neat spacious hall with necessary facilities to accom modate approximately one hundred people. Reasonable fee. for information call:2 8 8 -4 0 4 0 or 2S a-11«3
