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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1972)
Hage 4 Portland/H bseiver Thursday, A p ril 13, |97 • PORTLAML NOW fights OHSEfíl M world of w om en A judge looks at justice____ By Nancy Showalter This week 1 had the g r e a t pleasure of interviewing Judge Mercedes F. Diez, presently in D is tric t Court, Department #1 and a candidate of C irc u it Court -Department of Domes tic Relations in theFourthJu- dicial D is tric t. Judge Diez is well known as a judge seeking justice througn a sensitive understanding of the law and its application to those who come before her. Her sensitive ability and understanding neither begin nor end in a court room. The following are excerpts from that interview. Showalter; Whatcanbedone to get more blacks on juries? Diez: That’ s a thing 1 have been very concerned about. I think we’ re doing remarkably w ell. In these last four months I haven’ t had ajurycomedown to my court room that didn’ t have one o r two blacks on it, which is just phenomenal. I ’ve been wanting to ask how this could have been done recently and not in the past, because as an attorney I never saw a black in this courthouse - maybe once in a blue moon. The only- system we use now is the voter registration l i s t , so t h is means, ipso facto, we d is c ri minate against people who don’ t register to vote. The corollary of that is if a person doesn’ t have enough interest in government to elect his of fic ia ls - why should he serve on a jury? The only way to get more blacks on any jury would be to just go and take a true census reading of names and addresses of everybody who lives in MultnomahCounty and throw their names into a hat. I think that’ s an incredibly d if fic u lt task. A lot of people would say the fact that they don’ t want to JUDGE MERCEDES DIEZ th e ir degree they have a choice of going to work at JDH if they wish o r at several jobs in the big funded projects, and I can not belittle the fact that they obviously take the jobs that pay more money, because they need to make more mon ey- I he communication between a b la c k youngster or a poor white and a counselor is al ways much better given to somebody of th e ir own race, unless they're a very rare white person, able to under stand and listen to what that kid is saying. S: Do you see any way to raise funds or lower qualifica tions so that more people w ill be interested? D: Raising tunds means to get taxpayers to agree to pay- more in ta xes. If we can’ t get money fo r schools we certain ly won’ t fo r corrections. A ll concerned people who give a damn about justice are always voting yes on increasing taxes which we need. The other alternative would be to lower standards. I have never been a person whocares about accredited degrees. I don't see why that should be a c rite ria . I f a woman or re g iste r to vote is no reason to keep them off a ju ry , but I just don’ t buy that. We have to use some standard. S: The juvenile courts have no black counselors. Is this because of a quota system? Does it hinder counseling in black fam ilies and what can be done about his situation? D: I was not aware that there was not a single black counselor over at JDH at this tune. In the past we have had quite a number, not at any giv en tune quite a number, but over the years. 1 am pos itive there is no quota system. You are supposed to have a college degree in order to do this kind of work. The minute any black men and women get Poison information available Immediate access to infor mation on some 3,000 chemi cal compounds and some 1100 high - usage medical journals is now available to the Poison Control Center at the Univer sity of OregonMedical School, according to D r. E m ily Tufts, d ire c to r of the Center, which serves physicians throughout the State. The s e r v ic e is available through Seattle's C hildren’ s Orthopedic Hospital and Med ical Center which has been connected by telephone lines to the computer in the Division of Hazardous Substances and Poison Control of the Bureau of Product Safety in Washing ton, D.C. V ia this hook-up, the Seattle hospital can receive information in two seconds on a te le v is io n -lik e s c r e e n . Should the Oregon Center need information not readily avail able in its file s a call is made to the Seattle Poison Center which in turn requests the ma te ria l from the central com puter. The Seattle Center is a pro totype fo r a future nationwide retrieval system operated by community hospitals in coop eration with the Food and Drug A dm inistration. It features access to th e 3,000 com pounds, including ingredients, suggested treatment and ex perience, and other vital in form ation. The system also gives access to Medline in the National L ib ra ry of Medicine. This computer has stored in formation on the high-usage medical journals. T h e computerized Poison Center in Seattle is the na tion’ s sixth and the only one west of Kansas C ity. Others are located in Boston,Detroit, Kansas C ity, New Orleans and Washington D.C. r, DAY CARE MOTHERS i ♦ i ♦ i ♦ i I I L CARE FOR BABIES YOUR HOME. $3.50 a AMA child par day Family O ay/N ig hf Care 4635 N.E. 9th 288-5091 W o d d im » 3 7 2 7 N. MISSISSIPPI B e t t e il) , Suds 287- 1244 O Ô o A ,C DU 0 0 0 GHI JKL M NO 0 0 O PRS TUV WAY O O © 1 See our light show. The Trimline Telephone Pacific Northwest Bell W A N T FREE C H EC K IN G »3-2-1 A simple, but revolutionary new plan that lets you control your m onthly service charges on your personal checking account FREE 3 2 1 Fuchsia growers meet Il you m a intain ,1 balance o f S «Mí o r m ore no m atter h o w many ih e ik v you w rite It you m aintain yo u r a c io u n l balance .11 m ore than $200 b u t le w than $ Ilk) It vou m aintain you r a n nurd balance at m ore than $100, Hut le w than $200 It y o u r account goes b e lo w $100 you r monthly service (b a r g e w ill tie a II.ft $0<>0 $-|<><> $900 $300 Ask about postage-free Bank By M a il service The Bank of California National Associ,mon 407 S.W. Broadway Electricity is helping keep our water clean... Portland, Oregon 97205 Mt vai u r o 11 Phone 225 363« ...and more electricity will be needed so our children have a place to fish in the 1980’s. Black ind happy. Black and gay. n cooking are some of tte inter ests and activities oi Jacque line V . Scott, a resident of the Woodlawn area of Model C itie s . She is a graduate of Voca tional Village highschool. She a ls o attended Jefferson High School. Currently,Jacqueline is employed by the Model C it ies agency as a clerk typist fo r the C itizens’ Participation Department, since June 1971. Jacqueline says about her poetry, " | w rite just when I feel it.” She has attended Portland Community College Cascade Center recently. i i i i ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Happy, Gay, Smart. Thoughtful and W ise. T ru ly , This man no one could E ver despise. I RECLAIMED FURNITURE Black arsi in g ry. Black and tough. T a ll and Slender, Looking so Continental, AI ways Understanding and. Always so Gentle. i SLAMSTRESF Black and gentle. Black arid rough. MY BLACK MAN ♦ Cusio.ii Tailoring Iimpertes BL ACK IN I HL GHI I'D W ritin g poetry, sewing arvf i a man has a beautiful type of repo ire with young people, I see no reason why they can’ t be matrons in our ja ils . I don’ t see why i pers m has to have 1 B-A. or a B.S. to te a coun selor out at the JDH so long as lie o r she works under the su pervision ot people already in the field awl works well with the youngsters. S: There are rum ors of d if ferentia I treatment ot black youths b\ the Juvenile Court, especially those involving ra cial incidents o r involving white ksJs. Do you think that is true? D: Because I ’ m a judge m the D is tric t Court and have no ju risd ictio n outs hie, I cannot answer your question trom a professional point of view. As a mother awl as a black moth e r, I ’ m sure it’ s true. I know this because of iny own back ground anil my own upbringing awl knowing how things can be weighted. It just depends on how you listen to what’ s being said, and you look at the way a person is saying it at the tim e. There’ s a very certain kind of way that shows bias. It all bods down to racism at all times. It’ s a fact. Many offi cials and people who are con cerned with justice ate not overtly racist in the courts, but they simply do not under stand the difference in lan guage, for instance. S: How Jo you go a b o u t changing inovert racism or the way people understand lan guage? D: There is a peculiar and very specific job that is af forded the ju d icia ry, that no body else has awl that’ s to see that justice isdone. Attorneys Anyone interested in g ro w have to be advocates ol their ing fuchsias, please come to clients position. I he judge, the Oregon Fuchsia Society always is the a rb ite r and he’ s Meeting, A p ril 17, 1972 a t8:00 im partial, but as I see it, p.m. I he meeting w ill be held a judge's duty goes a little bit fu rth e r. It the attorney is not it the Multnomah Central L i brary, 801 s.W. 10th A v e , asking adequate juescions of Portland. I he subject of the the ju ro rs it is the judge’ s duty program w ill be: Spraying In to e lic it that lniorm atlon from sects on fuchsias and other the ju ro rs . plants. V isito rs are welcome. S: Should political activity be allowed in high schools? D: Yes. I don’ t see how we are going to have responsible 1 8 - y e a r-o ld young menand women knowing whattodowith this vote if schools are ada mant about it not being there as part of the cu rricu lu m . I see absolutely no reason whv they can t meet in the school after the school day is ver. Albina poet n child removal Ifie National Organization lo r Women — NOW — is try ing to stop C alifornia’ s at tempt to take away the third illegitim ate child of unwed mothers. The State Welfare Board recommended last month that an unman led mother who has three o r more children lx* considered ’ ’ m orally de praved" awl tie forced to give up those children fo r adoption. The proposals by the Reagan- apixnnted board are s till being studied by the California Xssembly’ s Department of social Welare anil s till must le voted on to become law. I lie women’ s organization isn’ t waiting that long. At a press conference Tuesday, they said what they thought ibout it As M arilyn Patel egal counsel toi NOW - said, "W e ’ re really opposed to the state legislating m o ra lity .” NOW and othe women’ s liberation groups are also worried about the fact that it the state can take away the thud child because you're "m o ra lly depraved,” th a t means the state can takeaway ill three children. Most states now maintain that it is up to the state to -rove that an unwed mother is unfit to take care ot her child ren. C alifornia law s till says that the unwed mother must prove her right to keep her child. , luonne ou t u re Black and sad. My Black mind fat away Black and inowiy. Black arsi blue. Black and mnely. And thinking of you. Black an.I smart. Black and wise. Black and grinning, W ith my big Black eyes. Black ami sly. Black and slick. Black and ..'unning, Black ami sick. Black and strong. Black and alert. Black ami weak. Black ami treated like llr t . Black ami cold. Black and poor. Black and rich. Wanting more. People need clean wafer They need a lot of it So do fish And one of Oregon s ever-growing uses of electricity is to clean up Oregon s beautiful rivers and streams It fakes a heap of power to run the ever-increasing number of sewage treat ment plants which are helping m this clean-up job Likewise industry is installing a record amount of pollution control equipment as everyone works towards maintaining a healthy balance of environment and jobs Clean water is a must A typical example is the Oak Lodge Sanitary District plant shown above It needed 141 696 kilowatt hours of electricity in January to do its job But what a job it does It purifies approx imately two million gallons of raw sewage per day 7 wo million gallons a day' It serves some 20,000 businesses and residents returns the water to the Willamette river approximately 90% free of impurities Yes electricity is doing a vital job in helping this area clean-up That s why PGE is building to make sure the increased need for electricity will be provided for in the years to come Nuclear generation is a clean answer to our power needs We want your children and grandchildren to have clean water to fish in come the 80 s and before P O R T L A N D G E N E R A L E L E C T R IC C O M P A N Y Providing clean energy lo r a bo ile r hie Wy Black and jobless. Black ami dumb. Black and hungi y, No one to depeml on. Intelligent, Young, Considerate and Strong With, A ll these things my Man can never go wrong. My Black skin I love. So Black It w ill stay. By Jacqueline V. Scott By J icquel me V. Scott But, from this Black Ghetto, I would like to steal away. • For the good life electricity helps provide good medical car» qood schools safe, well-lighted neighborhoods home comfort and labor-saving conveniences VV hy Oregon needs more electric power...not less... to meet future needs • Fora healthy economy an ample supply ot electricity IS the basis ot a prosperous Oregon with lobs tor us today and tor our children tomorrow • For preserving and enhancing the environment clean electricity is the vital energy absolutely needed Io rid our air, water and land of pollution Phone or v is it a POE ottice tor your tree brochure on Why Oregon needs more power
