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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 1973)
Portland/O bserver An interview with Lee Brown by U l i . CAsaen, Pres. N A A C P, Portland Branch PART 4 by I.«»wood 0 . Davis In a recent telephone con veraalion. D r. Lee P. Brown, on leave from Portland State University, where he is now Associate Director of the Institute for Urban Affairs and Research and Director of the Administration of Justice Program at Howard Univer sity. granted me this exclus ive interview. Interview er: D r. Brown, you have been at Howaro University for eight months and I would like to know what you consider your big gest accomplishment so far? Dr. Brown: As you know. I came to Howard to assist in the development of the In stilute for Urban Affairs and Research and also to develop an Administration of Justice Program within that Insti tute. Although I have been involved in a number of projects. I guess my biggest accomplishment has been the development of a focus for the institute. I highlight this point because what we are doing and plan to do in the Institute has significance for the University, as a whole, and Black people throughout the nation , in g en era l. Specifically, we are in the process of directing the total resources of this Black Uni versity toward finding solu tions to the problems that confront Black America. For the past three months, I have been serving as Acting Director of our Urban Stud ies Master's D e g r e e pro gram. As a result, much of my efforts, in addition to building the Institute and developing an Administration of Justice Program, have been devoted to developing a viable Urban Studies Pro gram. la te r viewer: W hat do yot hope to accomplish before you leave Howard U niver» ity? Dr. Brown: Our goal io the Institute is to develop a viable mechanism for How ard University to meet its lENOW'S FO R B R A N D S yo u Itn ov V A R IE T IE S y o u lik< SIZE S y o u w a n t * • • 4 I QA UNlftO challenge of finding viable solutions to the problems of the urban environment, in general, and the Black com munity, specifically. We hope to do this by involving the Institute and the U niv ersity in the kinds of re search that influence social policy. To accomplish our research goals, we will be developing a Social Policy Research Center and Survey Research Center in the In stitute. Also, we plan to develop a viable non tradi tional educational component in the Institute, including an Urban Studies Ph.D. p ro gram. Third, we plan to provide a number of services to the community, a g a i n drawing on the total re sources of the University. In te r v ie w e r ; W h a t is your reaction to President Nixon's budget cut? D r. Brown: My overall reaction is that it exhibits a lack of sensitivity to the social needs of the nation. The change in emphasis in federal funding will have a drastic impart on the health, education and welfare of Black and poor people. Interview er: I t has been said that Washington is like a m ilitary state. Do you agree? Dr. Brown: I guess you are referring to the large number of policemen in the District. There are probably more police per thousand population in D. C. than in any other city in the nation. Granted, there is a crime problem in D. C.. but all empirical evidence suggests that more policemen will not solve the problem. There is a need to focus attention and resources on the root cause of crime, e.g., poor educa tional systems, unemploy ment and underemployment, poverty, racism, etc. Also, we need to focus on reforms in the criminal justice sys tem. For example, placing more people in the system serves to make more crimin als. W e need to develop programs to divert people out of the system, and not place them in it. This is particularly significant f o r Black people. A recent study conducted in Philadel phia. for example, showed that over 50 per cent of the Blacks born in that city in 1945 were arrested by the police before they reached adulthood. The project also showed that r a t h e r than helping those juveniles ar rested, the juvenile justice system more likely had a deleterious effect on their future behavior. Interview er: Do you plan to return to PSU. and if so, when? oftheNAACP The home of the brave, and the land of the free. Free? Who said free? Not me. Surely not me. Yes, I say it plain. America never was America for me. But by this oath I swear, America will be. This week I'd like to share with you my testimony be fore the Alcohol and Drugs Committee chaired by Sena tor Bill Stevenson of Port land on SB 475 which I wrote about a few weeks back. The reason tor my sharing this is because people from time to time ask, “what do you say down there in Sa lem?” It's not always what you say the important thing is that you are there to say it. The N A A C P has been in volved this session giving testimony, w riting letters, etc., but there are times when they need to see and hear many voices expressing concern from our community. So I hasten to add if you are not willing to take part don't sit bark and talk about those who do. (It takes no brains to find fault but it takes guts to stand up and be counted.) I. as President, will speak out when I think it is the right thing to do whether anyone likes me for it or not. Statement on SB 475 A fter decades of segrega tion. discrimination, and de privation, we can no longer allow it to exist in the 70's in any shape or form. Let me begin by saying that we are living through a very dangerous time. Ev eryone in tjiis room is in one way or another iware of that. The society in which we live is desperately in need of your help as law makers to get us back on the right track. So any citizen of this country who figures himself as responsible and particularly those of you who have to make decisions which affect the lives of all citizens in this State must be prepared to "go for broke". Or to put it another way, you must understand that in the attempt to correct so many generations of bad faith, when it is operating not only in clubs and facili ties. but in society itself, you must do what is right to restore the "faith". The N A A C P totally and completely supports Senate Bil 475 and urge you to do the same for many reasons. but for one particularly because it's the right thing to do. Please don’t get me wrong we (the N A A C P ) are not saying people should not get together and socialize. Do your own thing if you please. But we do oppose them doing it ai the expense and denial of others. We do oppose them having a State liquor license (which for the most part is their main source of revenue) and refusing me service because of race, color, sex, etc. I f the State issues a license to places that discriminate, then they are guilty of a great injustice to mankind. If we are to make this a great State for all its people we must do it together. What we are requesting is not for any great miracle, but for me. as a "Black man" to enjoy all the rights and privileges of others. And if it means the denial of a liquor license for me to have those rights so be it. This Slate can no longer afford the high cost of segre gallon and d is crim in atio n . You now can do something about it and I pray you will. Your children will ask you after this session, "Daddy, what did you have to do in making this a better State for all?" W ill you answer, “I supported equal rights and opportunity for all people?" Passage of Senate Bill 475 will enable you to "stand tall" before your children. r-----r - ORAN n r k- ENJOY T H ftUSH - - Exie Publishing Company 283-2486 Mut i/eur ¿ffirntatwt fiktiut 'foyutreoMi tJu fait/ may f Contract your printing to a minority firm U>« minority printers Photo T ypesetting, G ra p h ic Arts a n d P rin tin g N ew sp ap ers - N e w sle tte rs -- Posters - Fliers - S tatio ne ry -- Business Cards - Program s P am phlets -- P ictorial D ire ctories P rin tin g to m e e t yo ur needs 2201 North Killingsworth P ortland, O reg on AN E « l A L O P P O R T U N IT Y E M P L O Y E R A Joe Joseph 2017 Lloyd Center 288-5692 Eve. 2 8 8 - Life insurance, educational savings program s, retire ment, health insurance and rroup insurance. VtedliketD get to know you. A penny or so a day keeps your valuables sa’e m a First National sate deposit box Langston Hughes: "Let America be America again." It's never been America to me. Pag« 3 We’ve got the perfect place for your tax records, birth certificates, savings bonds, mortgages, diplomas, jewelry, contracts, letters, bonds, F IR S T N A T IO N A L B A N K OF O R EG O N D r. Brown: I took a year's leave from my position at PSU and that year will be up come September. Interviewer: W hat is the present status of the Law Enforcement Center at PSU? Dr. Brown: I have kept in touch with the PSU Program and it is progressing very well. The student enroll ment is up. the classes are over flowing, and all seems to be going well. Bill brings applause Oregon Common Cause ap plauded the passage of SB 15. the Open Meetings Bill, as “a definite step in the direction of making public business really public." Co-chairmen, Dolores Hur tado and Blanche Schroeder in a joint statement explain ed that SB 15 would go a long way to strengthen citi zen access to governmental deeision making and repre sen Is a substantial move toward greater openness of government." The bill provides for the public's right to attend all meetings of any governmen tai body at state, county or city level where disrussion or decision on public business takes place with the excep tion of a few special in stances areas concerning la bor negotiations, personnel and disciplinary action. Common Cause, which has a membership of over 3000 households in Oregon, has supportd u s t r o n g open meetings bill for Oregon and has worked toward the pass age of SB 15 through it’s citizen lobbying efforts. The Open Meetings Bill is the first of four priority issues in a legislative pack age hacked by the organiza tion concerned with growing influence of money and sec recy on government. The three remaining bills spun sored by Common Cause are: 1) Conflict of Interests - requires virtually full public 1 Thursday May 31, 1973 disclosure of private financial interests by public officials and legislators; 2) Disclosure of lobbying Activities -- imposes strict new controls on lobby iats and requires public disclosure of lobbying activities; 3) C am paign Spending Limitations - requires full reporting of campaign con tributions and expenditures. Easy transfers to 16 other Tri-Met lines 70 Bridge Transfer 12 Beaumont 9 Broadway 26 33rd Avenue 8 Irvington 18 Troutdale 2 St. John's 1 Mock's Crest 55 Linnton Four creative classes and a day camp are available to children at the downtown Y W C A , 1111 S. W. 10th, for summer term. Day camp is scheduled Monday through Friday from 7 a m. to 5:30 p.m. and is open to boys and girls ages 6 to 12. New sessions begin each Monday; the first ses sion beginning June 18. A child may attend any or all sessions. Classes scheduled for the summer include: Stone age living; sewing; pottery: and puppetry workshop. Regis ter for classes and day camp at the downtown beginning May 29th. between two points is TRI MET’S new NE-NW DIRECT line 28 Mississippi 53 23rd Avenue Y begins classes THE SHORTEST ¿DISTANCE 28 Williams 3 Fessenden 40 Halsey 6 Union T ri th e s e fo r g o o d tim e s : NW 25th 4 Northrup to Coliseum -9 minutes NW 20th & Lovejoy to Lloyd C enter-10 minutes Hollywood to Physicians & Surgeons— 15 minutes NE Union 4 Broadway to Good S a m -9 minutes Starting June 4-M onday Through Saturday Every 30 minutes from 5:45 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. 20 21st Avenue T R IM E T For information cell 233-3611 —-
