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Mro m t C 0 3
L’n !v r a l t y
POR TLA ND
Volum « 3, No. 4 0 Portland, O regon
AN
THE ONLY
NEWSPAPER IN
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
THE WHOLE
WIDE
WORLD
..apaper l oom
.• ’ on L ib r a r y
f
OBSERVER
Thursday July 12, 1973 10< per copy
THAT REALLY CARES ABOUT
PEOPLE
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Wilkerson warns students:
This year last chance
Julius (Hill) Wilkerson, dir
eclor of Portland State Uni
versity’a Operation Plus, an
nounced the receipt of an
H E W grant of $50,000 for
the PSU program. The pro-
gram will enroll 100 new
students thia year.
Wilkt<r»on urge» all stu
dents who want to attend
college and who will need
financial aid to take advan
tage of the program thia
year.
Because of new de
velopments in educational as
sistance, this might be the
last year that disadvantaged
students will have a reason
able opportunity for financial
assistance.
Next year the
limited funds for financial aid
will not be alloted to the
universities for the use of
the students, but will be
given directly to the student.
Competition will be nation
wide and based on need
rather than prior disadvan
tage. Wilkerson sees this as
the last year that minority
and low income students can
look to government programs
for financial aid.
Operation Plus, initiated
by PSU in 1968, provides
financial aid, personal and
career counseling, assistance
in finding part time jobs and
housing.
Students are en
rolled in regular university
courses and are also provided
special c re d it courses in
mathematics and reading.
Students eligible for the
program must meet Health,
Education and W elfare De
p a rtm e n t income re q u ire
ments, have a high school
diploma or G .E .D .
Slaty
percent of the students are
those who meet university
entrance requirements but
need financial asaistance to
attend school. Forty percent
are students who do not
meet entrance requirements
but have the potential to do
college work. Disadvantaged
is defined as those students
who are handicapped by be
J l I . I l S IHII.I.I W II.K K K S O N
longing to minority groups or
who are from low income
backgrounds.
College students who have
earned less than 45 credits
and have a G PA under 2.5
are also eligible for the pro
gram.
Since it was initiated at a
time when colleges including
P o rtla n d S ta le U n iv e rs ity
were responding to the Black
and student uprisings by
making more opportunities
available to Blacks, Opera
tion Plus has historically had
a high percentage of Black
students. The program, how
ever, is inter racial and the
racial breakdown last year
was:
Black, 92: white, 44:
Indian. 16: and Chicano, 14.
Wilkerson considers Oper
ation Plus to be a success in
that it has motivated and
assisted students to attend
the university. All of those
who have dropped out of the
program have done so for
financial reasons.
Many of
the students who have had
to leave ikv e returned later.
Lust year the first group of
O p e ra tio n Plus students
graduated from PSU, and in
the spring of 1974, thirteen
more students will graduate.
Wilkerson, who came to
PSU in 1966 on a basketball
scholarship, earned his B.A.
at PSU in 1968 and his M .A.
in psychology in 1971.
He
was previously employed by
the Portland Development
Commission and K P T V . He
is looking forward to a career
in law as a way to help elim i
nate injustice and oppression
of Black people in this
country. Wilkerson strongly
(Pleas«- turn to pg. 4. col. 6)
Oregonians ask
Nixon impeachment
The Oregonians to Impeach
Nixon Committee, Inc., is at
tempting to organize public-
support for the impeachment
of President Nixon through
public forums, letter writing
campaigns and attempting to
reveal to the people the
unlawful activities of the
Nixon administration.
Press S e c re ta ry Burns
Rauschenbush released the
following statement of the
O T IN C ’s response to John
Dean's testimony:
"John Dean's five days of
testimony before the Senate
W atergate Committee have
furnished a great deal of
additional impetus to the
movement to impeach Nixon.
Dean has testified, under
oath, 1) that Nixon knew of
the cover up from the time of
the W atergate break in for
ward:
2) Nixon approved
large sums of money to keep
the W a te rg a te defendants
from revealing White House
involvement: 3) Nixon also
offered executive clemency
to Hunt and the other de
fendants; and 41 Nixon and
Ziegler repeatedly lied to the
American people about the
W a te rg a te
a ffa ir,
citing
phony Dean reports or in
v e s t ig a t io n s th at never
existed.
On the basis of
these charges alone
if
they hold up
Nixon could
be impeached for bribery and
obstruction of justice.
"But W hite House docu
ments released by Dean and
stress«»d in the testimony
developed by Senators Ervin
and W eicker point to further
impeachable crimes. Weick
or (S-Conn I read off a tlrt of
sixteen crimes committed by
the W hite House, including
perjury, unauthorized use of
IRS information, conspiracy
to destroy evidence, and
conspiracy to intercept oral
and w ire com m unications.
The thurst of Weicker's ar
gument was that the W hite
House had disregarded the
Constitution This point was
developed further by Senator
Ervin who got Dean, a
lawyer, to agree with him
that the W hite House had
violated the First and Fourth
Amendments of the Constitu
tion. As Vice Chairman Sen
ator Baker later commented.
S en a to r E rv in has con
structed a strong legal case
for malfeasance in office,
specifically the violation of
the oath of office to uphold
the Constitution and the laws
of the land."
David Gwyther told the
Observer that O TIN C is at
tempting to generate an in
terest on the part of the
members of the House of
Representatives to explore
impeachment. O TIN G is not
presuming guilt on the part
of M r. Nixon but believes an
impeachment trial is the only
way to get at the truth.
G wyther does not believe the
House is ready to consider
impeachment and that the
current plan of the Demo
crats is to leave Nixon in
office and look to the 1976
elections.
He feels it will
take a more drastic involve
ment than W atergate to push
the House to move toward
impeachment. One incident
that is now being investi
gated is the plan crash death
of Mrs. Howard Hunt, wife
of one of the conspirators.
Mrs. H unt was reportedly
carrying pap -rs incriminating
to the president and there is
some evid » pointing to
sabotage >f the airplane.
O TIN G is a statewide or
ganization, with stale head
quarters in Eugene under
the direction of Peter Jacobs.
A d d itio n a l offices are in
Salem. Bend and Portland.
NAACP suspends Atlanta Branch
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The National Board of the
N A A C P has voted to uphold
the suspension of the 42
member board of the Allan
ta, Georgia Branch if it does
not vote to repudiate the
recent school desegregation
compromise. The vote, which
was taken at the N A A C P
National Convention, was re
portedly followed by a secret
vote to expel the Atlanta
Branch if it does not con
form.
The Board also re
moved Lonnie King, presi
dent of the Atlanta Branch,
from office and banned him
from holding office for a
period of two years.
The executive board of the
A tla n ta branch was sus
pended in March of 1971 by
Executive Director Roy Wil
kins after it refused to with
draw support of the com
promise that will go into ef
feet this fall.
The Atlanta Compromise
ended a 13 year legal dead
lock between the N A A C P
and the school lioard.
It
includes minimal busing
814 white students and 1.246
Black stu d en ts -
in ex
change for the hiring of a
Black s u p e rin te n d e n t
of
schools and the placing of
Blacks in at least 50 percent
of all policy making positions.
The National office said
the plan violated the N A A C P
policy on school desegrega
tion and when the Board
voted in March to continue
it's support of the plan, the
Board was suspended.
Atlanta officials had ex
peeled the national office to
send a fact finding team to
Atlanta to review the com
promise, but this was not
done. Instead, the National
Board acted at the National
Convention, at which there
were no delegates from the
Atlanta branch seated.
Some officials see the lift
ing of the charter of one of
the organizations most presi
gous branches as a warning
to other branches that might
wander from national policy.
Members of the Atlanta
branch, however, see the
move as a reactio n to
wounded pride.
One mem
Parents bvild park
Parents and residents of
the Irv in g to n E le m e n ta ry
School attendance area have
banded together to improve
a new addition to the school
playground.
Since last May neighbors,
parents and students in the
area have been working Sat
urdays landscaping and build
ing new facilities for the
playground addition.
The school district last
ye ar acquired a one h alf
block addition to the school
playground from the Port
land Development Commis
sion.
Since that time Portland
Public Schools p ro p erties
d e p a rtm e n t and v o lu n te e r
workers from the community
have sodded a large part of
the playground addition and
c u rre n tly vo lu n tee rs are
building playground equip
ment.
W ith the help of a volun
teer architect residents have
designed and built a wooden
fort and bridge with towers
using donated materials.
Finishing touches will be
added this Saturday. July 14,
beginning at 9 am .. at the
playground, 1320 N.E. Braze«-
Street.
(Please turn to pg. 8, col. 5)
S ave fo r
w e a lth ...
r id e f o r
h e a lth
The Benj. Franklin has
great buys on bikes for
those who save now!
FOLDING BICYCLES
With $5.000 deposit - $25
With $2,500 deposit - $35
With $250 deposit - $45
10-SPEED BICYCLES
With $5,000 deposit - $45
With $2,500 deposit - $60
With $250 deposit — $75
Franklin
■ «,!„«« a l o a m
« •■ « .
Robert H Hazen, Pro« • 22 Offices • Phone 248 1234
Home Ottlce Franklin Bldg Portland, Oregon 9Z204
Portlanders take a break during the filming of "Lost in the Stars” near Cottage Grove. The
film, which is based on the novel "Cry the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton, is directed by
Daniel Mann.
Black nation gains
independence
The Commonwealth of the
Bahamas gained it's inde
pendence on July 10th. The
chain of over 700 islands and
a total land area of 4,404
square miles achieved home
rule in 1968 after being gov
erned by Great Britain.
The 185,000 citizens are
led by Prime Minister Lyn
den 0 . Pindling, a 42 year
old Black man. Pindling, the
head of the Progressive Lib
eral Party, was elected in
1967 when the Bahamas first
elected their own ruler.
Pindley's priorities for the
new nation include economic
viability, national unity and
social justice.
The Bahamas population is
about 85 percent Black, and
they have achieved govern
ment control
majority
rule. Since coming to power
the Progressive Liberal Party
has insisted that more Baha
mians be involved in middle
and h ig h er m anagem ent
areas.
The movement is
successful and Bahamians are
beginning to own some of the
larger business properties.
Because of it's position at
the northern edge of the
Caribbean, the Bahamas have
a large tourist industry and a
larger portion of the popuia
tion is involved in the tourist
industry. Recent legislation
bans foreign labor move
ments in an effort to pro
mote the hiring of Bahamians.
Foreign owned companies
have always resisted the
promotion of Bahamians to
top management posts and
much of the opposition to
independence came from
hotel owners.
The Bahamas have great
hopes for it's fishing indus
try. which is being developed
with the assistance of the
United Nations Development
Program.
I t is estimated
that fishing could produce
over $10 million annually.
There is a small group of
residents who wish to remain
British subjects.
Some of
these people are descendents
of loyalists who left New
York in 1783 when they de
sired to remain loyal to the
Kind of England.
Pindling
does not forsee any threat to
his government because of
the opposition.
Of his priority for social
justice, Pindling said. "It has
taken considerable time for
us to evolve in this new
system of life -- a way of
life whereby we can regain
our self-respect, hold our
heads up, and be fully recog
nized and accepted as men in
our own right, no necessarily
as men of color, but just as
men in our own right. Still,
that recognition is not uni
versal and it is still neces
sary. too often I think, still
to prove that one has the
feelings, the same hopes,
the same aspirations, the
same capabilities as others,
and that all one really needs
is 1) the preparation, and
2) the opportunity. One of
our jobs is to see that the
preparation and the oppor
tunity continue to be impor
tant parts of our own de
velopment so that we as men
can develop and can realize
our own full potential."
Brenda Knapper chosen
Brenda J. Knapper. 21. has
been named Miss Oregon
World for 1973 74, according
to Jerald D. M iller, State
Director of the International
Pageant. She will compete
in the national Miss U.S.A.
World Pageant to be held in
New York September 15-21.
Miss K n ap p er is the
daughter of W illie J. Knap-
per.
She is a senior at
Portland Slate University,
majoring in Business Ad
ministration. Miss Knapper
is employed by the M etro
politan Hum an R elations
Commission at City Hall.
Rebecca L e rc h n e r and
Teressa Harris were selected
as first and second runner-
ups.
L E W IS r. M E R R IT T
Merritt reaches 100
living.
He has 23 grand
children, 28 great grand
children, and 16 great great
grandchildren. He moved to
Portland two years ago and
is spending his time visiting
his four daughters and their
families:
Mrs. Vethel Hall,
Mrs. Christelle Shelton. Mrs.
Estelle Milton, and V»» 7eoV
Thompson.
He has three
daughters and two sons in
other areas of the country.
M e rritt will b«- honored on
his birthday by an open
house birthday party at the
home of M r. and Mrs. Folia
T. Hall.
Lewis T. M e rritt will cele
brate his 100th birthday on
July 13th. M e rritt was born
on July 13, 1873 in Homer,
Louisiana, where he lived
until two years ago.
He
worked in the oil fields of
Louisiana and was a farmer.
M e rritt joined the Union
Grove C .M .E. Church at the
age of six and is still a
member.
He has been a
m em ber of K in g D a vid
Masonic Lodge and Order of
Eastern Star for over 75
years.
M e rritt is the father of 14
children, nine of whom are
Black officials respond to Nixon list
Black officials -
those
who were on the list and
those who w ere not -
have responded to the White
House's "enemy list".
The most spectacular com
ment came from California
legislator M ervyn Dymally
who wired the President to
ask why his name was not on
the list because "the top
Nixon officials have always
been on my list”. He said “I
consider it a definite snub."
R everen d Ralph A b e r
nathy, whose name was on
the list, said he was “hon
ored". Abernathy said he is
an enemy of injustice and
inequality and any of the
o ther in e q u itie s p resen tly
being practiced by the Nixon
administration.
"But to be
placed on the master list just
because we disagree with the
present administration under
scores what a terrible state
the nation is in,” he said.
Black Panther Huey New
ton’s name was spelled
"Hughie" and Julian Bond, a
frequent critic of the Nixon
administration, was omitted
from the list.
Bond said of his omis
sion. "I feel highly insulted.
I'm proud to say that Presi
dent Nixon has no greater
enemy in the United States
than myself, and I'm humili
ated, mortified and ashamed
that I did not make the list.”
Congressman Ronald V.
Dellums (D-Calif.) issued the
following statement in Wash
ington on June 27.
"In view of the testimony
released in the E rvin hear
ings, I was not surprised to
find myself among the group
of individuals designated by
President Nixon as 'enemies
of the W hite House',
"I came to Washington
three years ago to deal with
the serious issues that face
this country, to make this
government responsive to the
desires of the American peo
ple and to represent the
needs of my constituents.
Many critics of my position
have charged that my poli
tics were not to be taken
seriously; I can think of no
better proof of just how
seriously my views are taken
being named to this list, and
I shudder to consider the
politics of those who might
be thought of as 'White
House friends'.
"To what depths have we
descended when the Chief
Executive can no longer face
political opposition without
the aid of 'enemy lists' to
intimidate opponents? How
many other illegal F B I or
C IA lists are circulating to
harass citizens?
The votes
we cast, the petitions we
sign, the views we express,
the very exercise of our
constitutional rights are now
termed enemy activity.
"Elected officials, journa
lists, e n te rta in e rs , p riv a te
citizens -
no one is im
mune from this executive
compulsion to purge the
country of those who dare to
disagree with this adminis
tration.
"Black Americans have al
ways know the degree of
repression and lawlessness
practiced by the govern
ment; now perhaps other
Americans will become more
aware of it. There must not
be a 1984 in 1973 in A m eri
can society.
“Even before I came to
Congress, Spiro Agnew saw
fit to level personal attacks
at me, and I am therefore
forced to wonder about the
degree to which Nixon and
his cohorts were futdely in
volved in my most recent
campaign.
It was a cam
paign characteriz«*d more by
vicious attacks than political
issues.
My voting record
was distorted, my attendance
record lied about.
I know
the phones in my district
office were being tapped.
"I intend to discuss with
other members of Congress
whose names appear on this
(Please turn to pg. 6, col. 6)
Telegram
d jp s tp rn u n io n
Of
MO WO» -Cl Of cæ
0o»n NKjMT mro» am
U N IE » » «O« A » o v t >S CHECKED TH IS
MESSAGE * 8 1 «E SENT AS « K l f O R i W
facsimile
PRESIDENT RICHARD NIION
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, O.C.
IT WAS WITH DEEP RE6RET AND A FEELING OF HURT THAT I READ IN
THE NEWS ACCOUNTS THAT I WAS NOT 1NCLU0E0 ON THE OFFICIAL LIST
OF PRESIDENTIAL ENEMIES, WHICH HAS SURFACED FROM THE WATERGATE
HEARINGS. WANT WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS HATE SEEN Ok Mt LIST
I
KNOW OF NO REASON WHT I SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED Ok TOUR LIST. AS
A BLACK LIBERAL STATE SENATOR, I FEEL CERTAIN Nt POTENTIAL FOR
CAUSING TROUBLE IS GREATER THRU HR. HAMATH'S.
I NOTE THAT BLACKS
ANO ME 1 1CAN-AMENICANS ARE NOT AOEQUATELT REPRESENTED ON THE LIST
IN THEIR PROPORTIONS IN THE POPULATION
THIS VIOLATES TOUR
PROMISES TO OPEN UP EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES TO MEMBERS OF MINORIT»
GROUPS. IR CLOSING. I URGE THAT TOU CONSIOER RE-OPENING THE
LIST FOR FURTHER NOMINATIONS. NOT TO 00 SO IS A VIOLATION OF
THE DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES WHICH WE 80TH HOLD OEAR.
SENATOR MERVTN M. OTMALLT
CHAIRMAN
CALIFORNIA SENATE DEMOCRATIC
CAUCUS
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