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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1973)
Pace 2 Portland/O bserver Thureday. March 1, 1973 # As I See It N REDUCING THE AID TO THE NEEDY, TO APPEASE iHE NEH HAJOMTY/ THE PRESIDENT HAY BE MISREADING Force The nation’s Capi by Lenwood G. Davis I recently visited Washing ton, D.C. and left with the impression that it was a near police state. O f all the 100 major cities that I have visited, the nation's capital has more policemen than any of them. There are literally wall-to-wall policemen: Po- licement on nearly every other c o r n e r , policemen walking; policemen r i d i n g motor scooters, motor cycles and bycycles; women police men; men policemen and youth policemen. This semi-military city be gan to come into existence a few years ago after the riots. Washington, like most cities in the country, was of the opinion that the best way to handle violence was with force. Consequently, it in creased its police force dras tically. Like other cities in the United States, it has attempted to deal with symp toms rather t h a n cures Moreover, it has given onl) bandage treatm ent to at operation th a t require? WE SEE THE WORLD THROUGH BLACK EYES. Still a piece paper The State of Oregon has had a self-proclaimed liberal image since the early 1950's when if was among the first states to pass civil rights laws. These laws were passed in response to the urging of many groups who were becoming embarrassed by the states' poor reputation in the area of race relations. As Blacks moved into Portland during the beginning of World War II to work in the war industries, the walls separating Blacks from whites grew stronger. The few old-time Oregon Blacks knew where they were welcome and where they were not, where they could work and where they could not, where they could buy or rent and where they could not. The newcomers occasionally tried to eat in a downtown restaurant, to join a union or seek a "white man's job", or to rent north of Fremont or buy south of Hawthorne. It was then that the "White only" signs appeared. And the "white only" signs embarrassed the liberal whites who had been able to hide the fact that Portland's few Blacks were segregated into a small area, declined jobs except on the railroad, and quietly refused service at the restaurants and hotels. When the "white only" signs went up, Oregon's liberal reputation was in jeopardy. So laws were passed. Committees were appointed. Affirmative action agreements were made. All the necessary things were done and Oregon prided itself on its reputation as a forerunner in the course of civil rights. But the years have passed and little has changed. Some of the private employers have hired a few Blacks - some because of national policy, some because of suits, some because of threats of boycott, some even out of genuine concern. But the State of Oregon, which has prodded the private businessman with its laws, has done little to hire Blacks. There are few Blacks in administrative positions in State agencies - in fact few Blacks in state jobs of any kind. There are no Blacks in the offices of the Governor, the Secretary of State, the State Treasurer, the Attorney General. We are told there are no Blacks in the offices of Oregon's Congressional Delegation - Senators Hatfield and Packwood, Representatives Green, Ulman, Dillenback and Wyatt. And the Oregon Legislature, with its 90 members, has two secretaries, one administrative assistant, and three pages and sergeants at arms. We ask the Governor, the leader of our state; the Secretary of State; the State Treasurer; and the keeper of the laws, the Attorney General to look into this problem. We ask the State Legislature, that writes the laws, to see what must be done. Why is the state let off the hook? Shouldn't the state set the example? How can state agencies accept federal funds contingent in non-discrimina tion? How can we expect the citizens to obey the law if the state does not? Oregon has again lost its liberal image. Black people throughout the nation consider Oregon to be worse than the South. While Oregon proclaims the election of its first Black representative, every Statehouse in the South has Black representation. Last year 117 Blacks were elected in Alabama alone, including one-half of the Selma, Alabama city council. While Oregon talks about affirmative action. Black state troopers patrol the highways of Alabama. So Blacks know about that liberal image. We know it was never supposed to be true - it was merely window dressing. We have seen nothing to make us believe that affirmative action agreement was ever more than just a piece of paper. Action speaks louder than any words or written agreements. How many Blacks have been hired as the result of the "Affirmative Action Agreement"? MEMBER Oregon Newspaper Publishers :ion MEMBER Arc they to be d elib erately sacrificed ? a « e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e u e e « e u e e e e e e a * u • • • •_ • major surgery. Moat cities have not real ited that the cure is not brought about by increasing the police force and arming it to the hilt. The problem is inherited in society and due to social ills. Therefore, many of the social ills have to be first eradi cated. Furthermore, they can not be separated. Cities have tried to treat unem ployment. poverty, welfare, civil liberties and crime as separated entities. They all are so interlocked until they have a causative relationship. Until the cities put human needs as their number one priority, they will continue to have problems. Washington, D.C., the na lion's Capital, is in a sad state of affairs when even a United Slates Senator is assaulted. Not only that, the crime rate has actually IN C R E A S E D even with the myriad of police officers. It goes without saying that if the nation's capital is not safe, then there is little hope for the other cities. eee The city fathers will have to deal with the cures and slop given stop gap men sures to serioua problems. One solution to D.C.'a situa lion is to give the mayor broader powers. Another solution is that it must create additional jobs for its residents. The city, most of all. must somehow raise the aspirations of its citizens especially those unemployed and poverty strictened. In actuality. Washington is little more than u colony of the f e d e r a I government. And like other colonies, the colonists will not be con tented until they have some rights and opportunities. • • > • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I ,\\V .V .W .W .V A \W A V .W .W .5 W .W W W W W W W W W S ftW W W W W .ÎR \W W W V A W \\W V A W V A \W W V ÿ J LETTBS TO THE EDITOR Black History Week stolen by whites Why did the Black community sit idly by and let whites appropriate Black History Week? We know whites have copied our styles, our music, our food. But are they now ready to take our History, also? A/hile the NAACP, the Urban League, the Albina Ministerial Alliance, the Black churches and organizations stood by, the Y.W.C.A. went to the Governor and the Mayor and had Negro History Week proclaimed by the state and the city. Little was done in the Black community to celebrate Black History Week. The NAACP, which in recent years has presented Black History programs, did nothing. The Urban League, which in years past, sought the Negro History Week proclamations, did nothing. The few Black History events that took place were presented by the Public Library, the YWCA and the schools. The task of honoring the lives and the works of Black people, of teaching our heritages to our children, was left to the YWCA, an organization not particularly known for service to or involvement in the Black community; an organization that in Portland does not even have a Black employee. This is the height of white paternalism (or maternalism). But who is to blame - Blacks who did nothing or whites who moved into the vacuum? To the Editor: Public hearings will con tinue for several months, but it is appropriate at this time publicly to review the issues and concerns that have come to the C ity - County Charter Commission as a result of taking the charter to the people directly concerned. As the hearings continue, other issues will be raised; however, to this date these are the things we have heard about. Size of the Ceuacil. While there seems to have been general acceptance of the principal of district represen tation, as well as at large representation, the size of the council (11 members) has been challenged both by those who want a smaller legislative body and those who want a larger legislative body. Full-time legislators. The idea that councillors should be full-time legislators, instead of part-time, has been both criticized and approved, with the preponderance on the crit' al aide. Partisan elections. The charter provides for partisan elections (as in the present county government) rather than non partisan elections (as in the City of Portland al present). Strong m ayor - strong legislature. It has been asserted by some that the draft charter will make the mayor loo strong relative to the legislature, while others have suggested either that the mayor would not be strong enough or that the charter does not sufficiently define or limit the powers of the mayor or the legislature. Civil Service sad persoaael. Provisions of the charter guaranteeing to employees of the old governments their p r e -e x is tin g employ ment rights under the new government have been ques tioned on several occasions, principally because the Ian guage would, on ita face, seem to lessen the imme diate impact of consolidation on a possible reduction of public employment. How ever, those limitations are imposed by the enabling act passed by the 1971 Legis lature and are not within the power of the Commis sion or t h e charter to change. Knowledgable peo pie in the existing govern menls tell us that a hiring freeze between the passage of the charter and its ef {relive date, added to nor mal attrition, would natur ally reduce surplus staffing. A number of technical mat ters (such as pensions) are under continuing study. The list set forth above does not pretend to be com plete. Other issues have been raised and there will be more. W hat we want the public to know is that we do want to hear from them and we are willing to listen. A t the outset of our public hearings there was some feeling of disappointment be cause there was a smaller public turnout than we anti cipated. As lim e has gone by, there has been much more indication of public interest and concern. Sincerely. George M. Joseph C h a ir m a n . C i t y C o u n ty C harier Commission Senior Citizen of the Month With Ron Hendron A YOUNG VIEW OF WASHINGTON THE NORTHWEST’S BEST W EEK LY-A BLACK OWNED PUBLICATION Published every Thursday by E xle Publishing Company at 2201 N.Klllingsworth, P o rt land. Oregon 97217, M ailing address: Box 3137, Portland Oregon 97208. 283-2486 Subscriptions: $5.25 a year In Tri-County arsa, $6.00 elsewhere. Application to m all at sec ond class postage rasas Is pending at Portland, Oregon. Mem ber: NNPA - INPA ONPA NNA A LFR ED LEE HENDERSON Publisher/Edltor The Observer's official po sition Is expressed only in Its Publisher’s Column (The Observation Post) and the E d ito r's Desk. Any other m ateriel throughout the patt e r Is the opinion of tha In dividual w rite r or submitter and does not necessarily re flect the opinion of tha Ob- Any erroneous reflection up on the character, standing or reputation of person, firm o r corporation, which may ap pear In tha Portland Obser ve r w ill be cheerfully c o r rected upon being brought to the attention of the Editor. GENERALS AND THEIR AIDES: $ 1 3 MILLION-A-YEAR BOONDOGGLE W A S H IN G T O N -It took a long time, but Congress finally is about to take a close look st the traditional but wholly-un- authorized military practice of providing enlisted “servants” for generals and ad mirals. A General Accounting Office study requested by Senator William Proxmire (D-Wisc ) recently disclosed that there are 1,722 soldiers officially designated as personal aides to ciñerais and admirals. The cost to the American taxpayer is in excess o f $13 million every year just for the pay and allowances of these men. These enlisted personnel are assigned to 860 o f the military's more than M 0 0 general and flag rank officers, usually on the basis of rank (one aide per star), says Proxmire, with the highest ranking mili tary officers having ss many as eight, or two per star. According to the G AO report, the allocation o f aides has alarming racial overtones. For example, some 98 per cent of aides in the Navy are Filipinos. In the Manne Corps, 65 per cent are black. Moreover, promotions coma far more slowly for aides than for other enlisted personnel. The average Navy man at the rank o f E-6 receives a promotion in nine years, while a Navy aide at the same rank is likely to stay there for IS yean. But most shocking o f all are the demeaning chores routinely assigned to officer aides; Cleaning generals’ private cars and those o f their wives and children; gardening; cooking meals for members of the fam ily, even whan the commanding officer it not there; running errands for generals’ wives; babysitting; dog-walking; cleaning swimming pools The list goes on. These duties are not authorized either under law or written military procedures, nonetheless, through a combination o f long-standing tradition and tha fear of repirsab, aides have felt compelled to do the bidding of their masters, no matter how demeaning the task. Already Proxmire has received letters from aides, their families and friends which underscore the G A O conclusion. One aide told of having to make the beds of his commander’s lazy children, and being required to serve tha fam ily dinner on Christmas Day while other soldiers were at home with their own wives and children. While some o f the Senator’s mail doubtless can be chalked up to dis gruntled soldiers unfairly attacking their bosses, nonetheless much o f what b surfacing now for the first time b clearly true. Proxmire has introduced legislation specifically forbidding tha practice of turning aides into personal and family servants. His proposal b likely to have strong support among Republicans and Democrats alike in both Houses o f Con- Genersb and admirals would be advised to start practicing now on shining their own shoes. They may be doing it themselves in the very future. well spit well near Volum« II. Numb« 14 For *ub*crlb<n only. Syndicated I »7 J by WASHINGTON WEEKLY, Inc All right* reserved GEORGK W. K E E N E R George W. Keener is Director of the Oregon State Council for Senior Citizens. W ith headquarters in Salem, the Council meets quarterly to formulate plans for o lie r citizens. M r. Keener was s member of the planning committee for the Senior Adult Service Center, and now is an Outreach worker at the Center. His duties include visiting senior citizens and doing odd jobs and errands for those who are confined to their homes. He was for 12 years Chairman of I xjcs I 465 of the Protective Order of Dining Car W aiters for Union Pacific. He retired from the railroad at the age of 72. He is parliamentarian for the Railroad Senior Citizens Association. M r. Keener is a member of the N A A C P and of Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church. He is a former Democratic Precinct Committeeman. He is still active in the church, where he is a Sunday School teacher. M r. Keener is married to Bessie l,e e. They have two sona, John and Eddie George Harris, 11 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. The Observer Sealer Citizen of the Month. George Keener wil be 77 years old in April
