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
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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.
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ORAN n
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ENJOY
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H ftUSH
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A penny or so a day keeps your valuables sa’e
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Langston Hughes:
"Let America be America
again."
It's never been America to
me.
Pag« 3
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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
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9 Broadway
26 33rd Avenue
8 Irvington
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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
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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
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at the downtown beginning
May 29th.
between two points
is
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53 23rd Avenue
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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
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