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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 1973)
„ . u g g n - 'í e w n r a p n f i’ o o« B r: U n iv e r s ity rH 'O fl n J m n e . n Ores Home rehabilitation program brings harrasment Mrs. Eli» Boyer w»s forced to obtain »nd pay an at torney to save her “ rehabili tated" house. Mrs. Boyer received a 13,500 grant through the Portland De velopment Commission for rehabilitation of her home in the Woodlawn district. Mrs. Boyer’s work was done by Walt's Construction and Cabinet Works, 9107 S.W. Washington Drive, the successful bidder. Although specific allotments of funds are made for housing repair, contractors are required to bid on the jobs. Mrs. Boyer refuted to sign the release for payment of the contrac lor so he threatened to place a lien on her house. Mrs. Boyer’s complaints about the work are as fol lows: the electrical wiring is done improperly, with the electrical junction box hang ing loose from the wall, and the tubes carrying the elec trical wires across the base ment ceiling hang loose. The back porch door does not always open and the lock is defective. The new kitchen sink is placed improperly so that water runs in around the edges and drips on the floor. The bathtub, which was removed to place the PORTLAND Volume .1, No. 13 Portland, Oregon THt O N tY NEWSPAPCR IN Pickets for the United Farm Workers Union, AFL CIO, were beaten by Sheriffs near Fresno Tuesday. Three hun dred persona were arrested, including MS priests and nuns. ThVcc persons from Portland were arrested Fathers Jack Morris and Bill Davis and Sister Bernice Snell. The beatings and arrests took place at the Gunnarra farms, the nation's largest grower of table grapes. grapes. Control negotiations broke down over union hiring hall practices, pesticide control, labor camps and union recog nition. The union has been concerned with sanitary and safe working conditions as well as the health hazards caused by pesticide use, Cha vez said "We are fighting to keep what we got after five years of struggle and they were trying to take away what we had." Chavez said conditions in the labor camps are worse than they were three years ago. He asked for rules protecting workers from pesticides. The union, which is mainly lipinos and Blacks, has In come a social movement and is often compared to the civil rig h ts movement of the I960». A deeply religious man, Chavez is greatly in fluenced by the non violent philosophy of Ghandi and Dr. Martin Luther King. com posed of C hicanos. Phil Closed meetings illegal A new Oregon law re luires that all public agencies idmit the public and the iress to their board meet ngs. It has been common iractice of Model Cities, the lehool Board and others to lave closed "Executive Meet ngs" in which major deci lions or recommendations were made. Many of the major decisions or discussion jf reasons for those deci «ions, were made in private prior to the public meetings of the board. Boards of public agencies can hold private meetings only for specific reasons for discussions of union cen tral negotiations, personnel hearings, and certain legal questions. These closed meetings must be called by a two thirds vote of the board and the public must be in formed that the meeting is taking place, and minutes must be produced on de mand. The purpose of this law is to allow the citizens of Ore Bike offer extended S ave fo r w e a lth .. r id e f o r h e a lth The Ben). 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 riOIMAk Franklin ■ A V IN O ! A LO A N Robert H H azen. Pres • 22 Ottlces • Phono H om e o n ic e F ra n k lin B ldfl P o rtla n d . O re g o n 9T204 gun to be informed about the deliberations and decisions of public bodies. The law, which became effective on June 27, 1973, is as follows: Section 1. The Oregon form of government requires an informed public aware of the deliberations and deci sions of governing bodies and the information upon which such decisions were made. It is the intent of this A rt that decisions of governing bodies be arrived at openly. Section 3. I l l All meetings of the governing body of a public body shall be open to the public and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting except as other wise provided by this Act. 12) No quorum of a gov erning body shall meet in private for the purpose of deciding on or deliberating toward a decision on any matter except as otherwise provided by this Act. |3I A governing body shall not hold a meeting at any place where discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, age or national origin is practiced. Section 4. The governing body of a public body shall provide for and give public notice, reasonably calculated to give actual notice to in terested persons, of the time and place for holding regular meetings. If an executive session only will be held, the notice shall I m - given to the members of the governing body, and to the general public, stating the specific (Please turn to pg. 2. col. 5) work his decision was final; that she had no recourse but to accept it. private attorney to protect her property from seizure money that could have been well spent on adding paint and minor repairs to her home. Eugene Jackson, Business Manager of the zUbina Con trai tors Association, who in spected the property this week said he could not see that $3500 worth of work had been done. He called the work shabby at best. Jack son and ACA have two goals in receiving and investigating complaints against contrac tors doing rehabilitation work in the Model Cities area. The first is to see that citizens receive the quality of work to which they are entitled and that they have a voice in deciding what improvements will be done. In this regard, ACA w ill police the work done by its member contrac tors and insure quality work. The second motive is to ac quire an equitable share of the work for minority con tractors. At the present time a small percentage of the rehabilitation work done in the Albina area is done by m in o rity contractors, and little is done by contractors using minority workers. z\s the program is now- administered. Jackson said, most of the recipients of fed eral rehabilitation grants are gaining very little and those person who are older or unsophisticated and don't know where to turn for help are treated callously and have no guarantee that their grants will be of any benefit to them. According to Russell Daw son. area director for HUD. policing the work and in suring the quality is the responsibility of the local agency the Portland De velooment Commission. The locai resident must be able to Io. with confidence to the U k . wgMvcy aa it acts on the liaison between the citizen and the federal government. Another type of complaint was voiced by Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Lindley. The Lind ley's purchased a home in December of 1972 that had been obtained and rehabili tated by HUD. This pro gram is administered by Her man C. Plummer of Plummer Real Estate Company, who is the Area Manager Broker. It is the responsibility of Plummer Real Estate to de termine what work is needed, contract the work out, in spect the homes, then notify HUD that they are ready to be sold. Mrs. B oyer received very little for her $3500 rehabilita lion g ra n t. In fact she has som e problem s with w ater leakage th at she didn't have before. S he also received little help from the agency d esig n ated by HDD to over see th e home rehabilitation, PD< S he had to hire a Thursday. August 2, 1973 CARIS ABOUT fessor of History at North Carolina Central University in Durham, will teach a special class in PSU's Sum mer Session, Understanding the UN, Augusi 13-24. This is Dr. Edmond s sixth con secutive year as a summer instructor at PSU. A ppro xim a tely 545 stu dents are expect« ; to receive degrees, according to the office of admissions ar.d records. In case of inclement weather, the ceremonies will be held in the Smith Center Ballroom. Admission tickets are re quired for the rummer cere monies. The public is invited to attend. Renters eligible for new tax relief "Renters should be aware quirements." that they too are now eli Renters must attach a gible to apply for property copy of a rent certificate to tax refunds.’’ says Charles H. their tax refund application Mack, director of Oregon's that shows net rent paid Department of Revenue. during 1973. landlords are "For the first time renters required by the new law to are included in a tax relief provide this form at tenant program." Mark adds, "but request. The Department of they must show receipts of Revenue will make this form money they paid in rent available to landlords later during this calendar year of this summer. 1973 when they file applies Mack says, " If you are tions for refunds after Jan moving now, before these uary 1. 1974." new forms are available, or The tax relief program have already moved, you passed during the closing should go back to your days of the 1973 legislative former landlord and request session, permits renters with a receipt or statement with an annual income of less than the follow ing inform ation: $15,000 to claim a refund of (1) Landlord's name and ad $50 to $245. de|>ending on dress; ,2) Landlord's social their income and the amount security number; (31 Dura of their rent. Homeowners lion of the rental period earning less than $15.000 will during the 1973 calendar be eligible for $100 to $490 year: (4) The amount of depending on the amount of rent; (5) The landlord's their taxes and the amount signature; (61 As the tenant, of their income. your name, social security "We are concerned.” said number, and current address. Mack, “ that some renters The Department of Revenue who move during the year will accept this as a valid may have difficulty providing rent certificate." the required evidence with Homeowners and renters out knowing the need at the claiming a refund must file a time of moving. W'e are claim with the Department alerting them now to one of of Revenue between January their responsibility and re 1. 1974, and A pril 15, 1974. Oregon initiates child health program Medicheck, a new program of the Oregon Department of Human Resources, will be introduced to Fast Mult nomah welfare families on August 1st. Medicheck is a program of health screening intended to provide early identification of health problems among we fare children with a subse quent referral to a proper source of treatment. The new program funded by this year’s legislature will also provide periodic reviews of the ch ild ’s health status throughout the im portant years of his growth from birth through age 20. Andrew F. Juras, ad mimstrator for the Oregon Public Welfare Division, said "This is (he first time » fare children have been af Kk ¡»-r ropy P tO P tl Helen Edmonds gives address Portland State University’s informal summer commence ment is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Thursday, August 9 in the Park Blocks in front of Smith Memorial Center. An informal reception will im mediately follow the outdoor ceremonies in the same loca lion. Dr. Helen Edmonds, former alternate delegate to the United Nations General As sembly, distinguished his (onan and author, will de liver the commencement ad dress, which she has entitled "Come Down To Kew In Liliac time; It Isn’t Far From London". Dr. Edmonds, who is pre sently a Distinguished Pro Portland supporters of the United FarmWorkers Union hold a rally in support of grape and letture boycott. The electric sw itch control ling the stair and hall lights was replaced but does not work. The hardware on the garage doors was to have been replaced but was not. M rs. Boyer complained. She went to PDC and to HUD and got no satisfaction. When she talked to Ray Wilson. Rehabilitation Super visor for PDC. she was told that when he approved the OBSERVER AN f O U A l OPPORTUNITY fM P lO Y IR TMt W H O t l W IP t W O R tO THAT R tA tlY Local clergy arrested in Fresno Cesar Chavez. UFWU leader, called the strike of 29 grape growers in the Central Valley of California whose contracts with the union ex pired on July 29. Strikes are also in progress against eleven additional growers whose contracts have ex pired or who have no con tracts. Thousands of farm workers are picketing the fields and holding mass meet ings. The expired contracts were won three years ago by extensive s trike s and a nationwide I mivco II of table linoleum on the bathroom floor, was improperly in stalled and leaks on the floor. The toilet leaks. The hand rail on the basement steps is loose and dangerous. In the basement, the plasterboard is defective and does not fit properly, leaving gaps of 2 inches and more. Three basement windows were to have been sealed with re ment only two were done. forded a preventive health program." He stated I he emphasis, due to lack of funds, has always been on crisis medical treatment after a child became ill." Juras expressed enthusiasm for the new program and praised the 1973 Legislature for funding this much needed medical benefit for welfare children. Medicheck. known nation ally as Early and Periodic Screening. D iagnostic and Treatment, will get underway in Oregon with introduction in East Multnomah County- area on August 1. Dr. Janies B. laindis. Medical D ire cto r lo r the Oregon Public Welfare Division, has targeted January 1. 1974 for I he program to be imple mented statewide. Black say impeach Nixon The Western Regional Con ference of Black Elected Of ficials, meeting in Los An goles, called for the impeach ment of President Nixon if he fails to appear before Congresional Committees to clear up the Watergate sit uation. The resolution passed by the Western officials came be fore the revelation that the President had had the entire White House "bugged" and that the tapes were available. Three subpoenas were sent to the President after he said he would not make the tapes available to either the Ervin Committee or Special Investí gator Archibald Cox. The Western Officials' re solution urge- n ' “ sident Nixon to follow samples of Presidents i.in> -i, Wilson and others befoie him" in agreeing io appear before Congress to answer ques tions. If he refused, the resolution urged. Congress should begin the "commencement of im peachment proceedings as the only remaining recourse to restoration of faith in the Presidency". About 300 persons attended the one day session at Inter national Hotel in Ixis Angeles where freshman assembly- man Julian Dixon of California was named chairman of the California Conference of Black Elected Officials. State Sena tor George Brown of Denver was elected chairman of the Western Conference of Black Elected Oficiáis. ACLU objects The American Civil Liber ties Union of Oregon ex pressed alarm Wednesday- over the administration of "lie detector" tests to all employees of the Oregon Real Estate Division in an investigation of real estate examination cheating. Stevie Remington. Execu tive Director, noted that an Oregon law states: "No person, or agent or repre sentative of such person shall require as a condition for employment or continuation of employment any person or employee to take a polv graph test or any form of lie detector test," - and that violation of this law carries potential penalties of one year in jail and a fine of $500. Ms. Remington said that Deputy A tto rn e y General James Durham and Real Estate Commissioner Fred Layman assured her that employees were explicitly i ll formed that they were under no requirement to take the test. “ But who can believe that they felt truly free to refuse?" she asked. "It is only natural for employees to conclude that a refusal would direct suspicion to him or her. In addition, we have grave doubts that employees were fully aware that there (Please turn to page 4 col. 6) / Mrs. Ella Boyer was forced to hire an attorney to protect her home against a lien threatened by building contractor Walt's Construction and Cabinet Works. Loose bricks on the front porch of the Lindley home, re habilitated by HUD. are propped in place with sticks iarrow-1. Bricks are out of line and loose lx). The Lindley's have a num ber of complaints about their new home. The bricks on the front porch are loose - some of them protruding - and are held in place by some sticks between them and the ceiling. The bath room window is loose, letting in a cold wind. The bathtub and bathroom sink have a rough surface. Some of the • light switches don't work. The most serious problems are the sewage that backs up in the basement and the rust flakes in the water. The Lindley’s have called and written Mr. Plummer and HUD. They have not been turned down pro mises have been made - but the work has not been done. The Lindley’s new home has not provided them com fort and beauty -- it has brought sewage and rusty water. They are still waiting for help from this federally funded program.
