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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1972)
P « g *2 Diggs discusses home rule As a result of the recent defeat of U,S. Representative John L . M cM illan (P -S .C .) end the retirem ent of two ocher senior congrenm en. Representative Charles C . D i g g s . J r . (D -M lch .) Is expected to become head of the House D is tric t of Colum bia Committee. When asked by newsmen about the lik eli hood of D istrict aelf-govern- ment In the next session of C o n g r e s s . Repreaentetlve Diggs' "!«■» than affirm ative answer'’ caused some con cern among "home ru le" ad vocates. Focus went to the source for clarification: MUST MPRK TOGETHER FOR FULL ANO EQUAL EMPLOYMENT. Thursday November 23, 1972 T h * Northwest's Best W eekly A Black O w ned Publication Published every Thursday by E x » Publishing Company 2201 N . Killingsworth, Portland, Dregon 97217 M ailing address: P.O. Box 3137 Portland. Oregon 97208 Subscriptions - $5.25 per year - Tri-County area by mail 6.00 per year - Elsewhere by mail Telephone: 283-2486 q : Application to mail at second-class postage rates is pending at P o rtlan l, Oregon. INPA ALFRED LEE E1ENDERSON, Publisher,Editor The o bserve-'s o ffic ii1 position is expressed only in its Publisher's Colui: i I N se tic" Post) and the Editor's Desk. Any other r..aie. throughout the paper is the opinion of the indivu&ial w rite r o r submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Observer. Any erroneous reflection upon the character , standing ot reputation of person, firm or corporation, which may appear in the Portland Observer w ill be cheerfully corrected upon being brought to the attention of the E d ito r. The Editor’s Desk ALFRED Its time for Blacks to do something about crime for our community WASHINGTON BRIEFS LEE HENDERSON Justice, Justice, Where are you? When w ill the State of Oregon provide equal opportunity for its black citizens - and for its otherm inority citizens? In O re gon, equal employment is still only a few words on a piece of paper. A quick scan of employment statistics for the State of Oregon shows a neglegible number of black employees - yet the State of Oregon, which recently signed an affirm ative action agreement - should be the leader, the example to the people of Oregon. An affirm ative action agreement - which is a promise to seek out minority employers and to hire and promote at all levels - is supposed to designate action - a positive effort to attract minority w orkers. Yet most de partments and agencies of the state have few if any black employees and certainly are making no effort to find them. Even the Bureau of Human Resources - which has the re sponsibility for social and human problems and programs - is doing next to nothing in this area. All state agencies and programs that use federal money - and this must be about all of them - are required by la w to take affirm ative steps to hire m inorities. So we see that our state is breaking the law and is breaking its contract with the federal government. How can this be justified or excused? Another need in the effort to bring equal justice to Oregon la the need for effective prosecution of the law. The Attorney General is the chief legal officer in the State of Oregon and he heeds the Department of Justice. It is his responsibility to see that the civil rights laws of the state are obeyed. It is illegal In the State of Oregon for any em ployerto discriminate in hiring or in promotion or pay on the basis of race. When we scan the private employers in the state it is easy to see that many have all - white personnel. It is evident to us and should be to the Attorney General Lee Johnson, that an all white staff may in dicate some element of bias on the part of the employer, es pecially when this happens in an area populated by minority per sons. The Attorney General should be cognizant of the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as the federal D istrict Court in Portland, has ruled that the absence of minorities im plies discrimination. We believe that the Attorney General should do more In this area than alt by and wait fo r a Black who has been denied a job to file a complaint, then recommend that the complainant drop his case, and then stall the m atter as long as possible. We believe the Attorny General and h.'s staff should actively seek out and find areas of discrimination and take steps toward th eir elimination. We believe the powers of the state should be used to enforce this law just as forcefully as they are used to enforce other laws. Only when employers realize that justice comes sure and swift w ill many obey the law. If there Is to be justice for Blacks in the State of Oregon, It must come from leadership at the top of state government. It must come from the inspiration and influence of the Governor, of the elected officials and of the department head«. F o r why should the common citizen, the little businessman, the small employer obey the law when his leaders do not? SHOP IENOW S FOR S IZE S y o u w a n t Q: Some say that the House D istrict Committee Chairman has more power than the A f I It-Wi ‘ Congressman C h a r le s Diggs has protested to Genera I Motors and the Ford Motor Company their provisional de cision to buy South African platinum fo r cleaning auto exhausts. The platinum in dustry, which is of consider able Importance to S o u th African economy, is on the' decline and the Americas purchases w ill give it much needed boost. The mining companies are white owned, and exempt from "even the South African minimum wage" and practice color discrim i nation. The Southern Poverty Law C enter has filed a complaint charging the federal govern ment with racial discrim ina tion in hiring of federal em ployees In Alabama. In a state that is over 25 per cent black, fewer than 3 per cent of the 27,000 white collar workers of th e agencies named are black. Investiga tions show that federal em ployment In Alabama reflects worse racial bias than state employment! The Southern Poverty Law Center won a history making lawsuit e a rlie r this year when it forced the previously a ll- white Alabama State Troopers to integrate and hire black troopers. Bieck troopers are now patrolling the roads of Alabama. Letters to the Editor Analysis important Thanks D e a r Editor: Thank you for your endorse ments, P rim ary and General election. As you know, the publicity given me helped to a great extent In my election. I look forward to a continued working relationship with you and the staff of the Portland O bserver. Sincerely yours, BUI McCoy D ear Editor: I have enjoyed reading your past editorials on the pol itical assessment of the elec tions in the State of Oregon. 1 have a feeling (even though It cannot he proven) that more white people read what you have to say than Black peo ple. We as Black readers must not accept every thing that is w ritten. Hence It is necessary to have inter pretive and analytical articles such as yours and other w rit ers of your newspaper. Blacks In Oregon must un derstand the implications of the elections, not only In O re gon, but all over the country. We as Black people can no longer sit back and let others (both Black and white) do our thinking for us. In other words, we must think fo ro u r- selves. We must first, how ever, kn<xv tt« facts and one way to get the facts Is by reading more! I would also like to take this three Black elected officials- Mercedese Delz, Aaron Brown and BUI McCoy. You succinctly analyzed the situation and Its meaning for Black people In the State of Oregon when you declare«), "T h is election haa brought a small ray of hope to the Black Community and perhaps the strength to fight on In this bat tle to achieve true represen tation In all the governments of Oregon.’ * Lenwood G. Davis With Ron Hendron A YOUNG VIEW OF WASHINGTON Caribbean leaders attand- mg the Seventh Heads of Gov ernment Conference In Port of Spain, Trinidad, agreed to seek relations with Cuba and to form a Common M arket. Another m ajor advance In Caribbean economic integra tion was the adoption of wide ranging proposals for eco nomic and Industrial develop ment. The meeting was chaired by D r . E ric W illiam s prim e m inister of Trinidad and Tabago. A Jackie Robinson Memo ria l Award honoring a black athlete making a significant :ontrlbutlon to the cause of rectal justice, has been es tablished by the Commission fo r Rectal Justice, United Church of Christ, and w ill he given aneually. W A S H IN G T O N -E very year thousands of Americans driving out o t their home «tates find themselves arrested by local constables for traffic violations, hauled before roadside justices o f the peace, and sent on their ways thirty minutes later and $25 poorer. I f you've never experienced the frus tration of that scene, you are probably in the minority. Hundreds o f miles from home and anxious to reach their destina tions, the victims are faced with two poor alternatives pay the fine ( i t ’s more like a ransom) guUty or not, or come back weeks later with your lawyer to fight a case that more likely than not may be stacked against you from the beginning. The latter is no alternative at all consider ing the expense and inconvenience in volved, and of course, virtually everyone pays the fine But that modern-day brand of high way robbery appears to be on the wsy out, thanks to a Supreme Court decision last week which voided so-called “ road side justice" in Ohio. (Tie court ruled that persons may not be tned by judges who double as mayors, and who are respon sible for raising revenue for their villages with the fines they collect. Noting that such jurists have a built-in “ incentive to convict” , the Court de clared that defendents were thus deprived o f their right to a fair trial Similar court systems in 16 other states were called into question by the Court's ruling in the Ohio case D: | look upon my role as a partnership. I do not look upon tt aa a substitute for the mayor o r for Congressman (W alter) Fauntroy, the Dis tric t delegate, o r for the city council or any other interests chat are local In character. | think that we all have dif ferent roles to play. Obviously, being of tt» Congress, I represent the link (»tween (he lederal Interest and that of the local com munity: that link Is the vehicle for transferring to the local people the required resources lo r viable self- determination. Thai trans ference of power to tt» m ajority or to a large m inor ity does not mean a m illen nium. The moat I rust rated people In the country are black mayors presiding over problems transferred to them l>y the white power stiucture. Washington has the kind of resources — both In tt» public and private sectors — that can be brought to bear on many of these problems. This la what I would be devoting myself to. And, I think as evidence of goal faith, my intention to esta blish a new subcommittee on government reorganization should allay anyone's fears that I have retreated from my commitment to self- iletermlnatlon. This sub committee w ill not only ana lyze for implementation pur poses the recommendations of the Nelson Commission, but w ill go a step beyond that. I be Nelson Commission was given tt« responsibility to analyze the efficiency of local government, lut It did not specifically embrace the whole '|uestlon of home rule. Ancher Nelson (R -M ln n „ chairman of tt« Commission on the Organization of the D .C . Government) refuses to embrace that responsibility. So this subcommittee w ill run tests in order to make a judgement as to the eftectlve- t«sa of the transference of (tower. It w ill not be like previous l«arings, both be fore the Congress and out In the community, where people iu tl engage«) in conversation. I don't think (hat the recl- 1»tents of testimony on it» H ill thus far have really heard die meaning of self- determination as expressed by witnesses from (he local community. People have talked paat one another. Members have set and llsten»«l and some have not conceived of what self- .toterm (nation actually la. Others In the community, and well-meaning people, really don’t understand what we mean by the lederal Interest ami the necessity for Its pre servation. q : "The federal in te re s t” in (1» D istrict — would you elaborate? D: W ell, this needs to 1« defined. Washington was o ri ginally conceived as two cities. ( >ne would encompass It» investment ot the federal government in certain struc tures and facilities that were here for tt» conduct of tt« federal business and to ac comodate visitors to the city, secondly, (he local community sort of grew up. I think, despire (lie plans of some people Io keep this as a lederal preserve. You cannot separate them. E very lime the le d e r a l government ■•oee/es, (ha local government gets economic pneumonia. When there are demon strations. ttie r r ate demands upon the local traffic fa c lll- ties ami police ami other facilities. This la what I mean by the federal interest, ami I do not t» l« v e that thia Congress or the next Congress, If one can antici pate their character, la going to le willing to give up P » enure I n v e s t m e n t of the federal government In this community. Q: |)<«s that mean that the federal interest w ill preclutle any motions for statehood In tt« final analysis? I): W ell, I really don't know. I just make that general statement. I he federal In terest. for the foreseeable (Please turn to pg. 8 , col. I) o p p o rtu n ity to c o n g ra tu la te the KANGAROO TRAFFIC COURTS ON THE WAY OUT Representative C h a r l e a Rangel was re-elected by his Central Harlem district by a more than 60 to 1 vote. In the unprecidented 85 per cent voters turn out. 95 per cent of the vote went to Presidential candidate George McGovern. Rangel said the vote showed "a sophistication i f Harlem voters and a re cognition of the racism of the administration.*’ B R A N D S you k n o w V A R IE T IE S y o u lik e Because of your reluc tance to endorse the Senate home rule bill for the D istrict of Columbia, tome people have doubts about your course as D istrict Committee chair man. Could you clarify your infientiona with regard to eventual D istrict self-govern ment? D: 1 am no leas committed to the whole concept of self- tetennination than I have ever t«en. There are many bills pending before the Congress designed to carry this out. The Senate bill Is m erely one of them. It la not a perfect proposal. It does not provide the kind of revenue resources that are absolutely necessary if we are to te about the very serious business of im plementing control of the community by the local popu lace. In my view. It is one among many measures which would and could, in effect, mean home rule In name only. mayor of Washington. As Chairman, w ill you 1« able to alleviate conditions giving nae to such unfortunate events as the up rl slog at the D istrict ja il, the teacher strike and other such calam ities hessttlng the city lately? But the time for cheering is not yet. Under the ruling, these mayor-judges will still he permitted to collect forfeitures and accept "free and voluntary” guilty pleas. So the incentive to pay and forfeit collateral is still present and the opportu nity for using roadside courts in forced fund-raising has only slightly diminished. The court, in effect, has merely slapped the hands which have been reaching regularly into motorists' pocketbooks. Indeed, the decision did not criticize or restrict in any way the almost universal practice of employing non-lawyers as justices of the peace or magistrates. These weekend judges often depend on convic tions to supplement their income, and it is not an unheard o f practice for the arresting officer and the convicting judge each to take their cut o f the fine. Such a system isn't nut ice It's black mail masquerading in the guise of a badge and a court docket. And one slap on the hand by the Supreme Court » not likely to be enough to stop a practice which is both entrenched and lucrative tor all involved except the victim. Perhaps one solution might be to direct all funds collected as a result of traffic violations into the state's general fund, thereby removing the local incen tive to convicl unfairly I t ’s something that should be consid ered. Corruption in traffic courts, small matter though it may seem to some, is but another direct and effective meant of lessening Americans' waning faith in all levels of their government C Xnpynght l« ? l by W A S H IN G T O N W E E K L Y , Inc. All right» rcw rvtd. To Be Equal by Vernon Jordan Jackie Robinson waa known as a " f ir s t " - the firs t black major league baseball player. The successful career he forged with the old Brooklyn Dodgers made him one of the most popular ballplayers In history and brought a succes- alon of pennants to his team. It's hard to Imagine that Jackie la gone from us. pass ing away at 53. It seems only yesterday when the Brooklyn Dodgers can» to Atlanta to play the home-town Atlanta C rackers In an exhibition game. I was a young lad and Jackie waa just starting h it h lg -le a g u e c a r e e r In B r a n c h Rickey’ s experi ment to see if America waa mature enough to accept black men on tl« hall fields as equals. Segregation waa still In e f fect then, and the left-field bleachers were reserved for blacks only, while whites had the rest of the ballpark to themselves. Those bleachers were packed. Everyone want ed to see Jackie. He got on firs t base, and somehow made It to third. Then came those great antics that kept jeople on tl« edge of t l» lr seats lo r the next ten years. He edged off third, scrambled down tt« baseline a bit, rattling tt« pitcher. He edged forward again, and then broke for home, sliding under the outstretched glove of the catcher to acore. 1 still remember the th rill I felt then, and I guess I 'll always remember It. By his exploits on the field he taught a generation of young blacks that they too could climb to the top If they possessed the ability and the drive to succeed. And through hla grace un>ler fire, and hla courage In the face of racist hostility by both play- era and fans, («demonstrated to all that Inner Integrity and confidence can shame bigotry Into sllenre. Jackie's success blazed the traU for other black ath letes and made possible the present-day black dominance of many professional sports. But the battle for equality In sports Is still far from won. Studies liave shown that the average black player still haa to he la tte r than the average white player to win a poaton a team. Blackplayers are still subjected to stricter rules and standards than are white ath letes. And Jackie never lived to see the stlll-awalted first black manager of m ajor lea gue tesetwll team. After hla playing days ware over 1« distinguished himself In politics. In tualnessven tures and as an outspoken fighter against drugs and for civil rights. When Branch Ricky decid ed that baseball couldn't 1» both racist and the national pa at In » at o t» and tt» same tim e, 1« looked long and hard for that unique black athlete who had the talent to become a g r e a t star and the Inner strength to stand up to tt» pressures that were inevit able. " I need a man who can fly the flag for hla ra ce ," Ricky said. Robinson flew that flag, high and proud. Now we are In an era In which that flag must still 1« raised high, hut the day of " fir s ts " Is ended. W e 'v e a lre a d y proved our worth many times over, and the vicarious satisfaction of another s t r in g o f ’ flra t"w o n ’t do any m ore. Jackie was a pioneer and tt» daya of pi oneering have ends«.. What Is needed now la recognition and equality all along tl» line, not just for tl« few who fought and clawed their way to tl« top. It la Instructive that tl« same day that Jackie d ie d , w h it e parents In B r o o k l y n 1» lalped make famous were keeping little black children out of tl» schools of their predomi nately white nelghborhtxxl. We’ re still fighting the same battles Jackie fought, on dif ferent terrain . L ike him, I am conf Idem that we w ill par se vers and win tail In l l * end.