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.
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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
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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