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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 1973)
P ige 2 Portland/Observer Thursday. December 27, 1973 Youth programs best prevention of crime by Vernon Jordan E d ito r/P u b lish e r EDITORIAL FOCUS "Be fair to Nixon" • : A ll o ve r th e n a tio n a n ew cry is b e in g h ea rd — "B e fa ir to the P re sid e n t". The p e o p le w h o a re d e m a n d in g th a t the Presi d e n t's sins be o v e rlo o k e d , th a t he be fo rg iv e n in the interest o f n a tio n a l u n ity, are fo rg e ttin g the m a g n itu d e o f President N ix o n 's crim es a g a in s t the A m e ric a n p e o p le and the C o n stitu tion he sw ore to u p h o ld . President N ix o n a nd his a id es have d e p riv e d the A m e ric a n p e o p le o f th e ir rig h t to an honest, fre e a pd u n ta m p e re d p re s id e n tia l e le ctio n . He has bidught — a n d stolen -- the o ffic e o f the p re sid e n cy, th e n used the A m e rica n p e o p le 's respect fo r th a t o ffic e to a v o id an honest disclosure o f his in v o lv e m e n t in a m u ltitu td e o f ille g a l and u n e th ica l a ctivitie s. President N ix o n has p la ce d h im s e lf a b o v e the la w a nd b e yo n d th e courts. There are just too m a n y e x a m p le s o f co rru p tio n in his a d m in is tra tio n fo r a ll o f th e m to be o v e rlo o k e d by the p e o p le — the W a te rg a te a ffa ir , ille g a l c a m p a ig n procedures, the a tte m p te d use o f the In te rn a l R evenue Service a ga in st his " e n e m ie s " , th e Vesco case, the ITT and D airy cases, N ix o n 's possible inco m e tax evasion, w ire ta p p in g , fo rm a tio n o f a secret p o lic e , in te r fe re n ce in Justice D epartm ent inve stiga tion s, the N ixo n p ro p e rty dea ls, suspected in v o lv e m e n t w ith H o w a rd H ughes — and it goes on a n d on. This is not a case o f p re s id e n tia l d iscre tio n , b ut o ne o f the use o f p re s id e n tia l p ow ers to fu rth e r the interests o f the p re sid e n t a n d his frien ds. This is not the tim e to ca ll fo r ''fa irn e s s to the P re sid e n t". It is th e tim e to ca ll fo r re sig n a tio n or im p e a ch m e n t. Court decides against constitutional rights The U S. Suprem e C ourt has d e te rm in e d th a t a ny person w h o is arrested fo r a n y reason can be forced to u nd ergo a c o m p le te search. In cu stod ial arrests — those w h e re the suspect is ta ken to the p o lic e station — persons w ill no lo n g e r be c o n fin e d to a b rie f " fr is k in g " to d e te rm in e if th ere a re co nce aled w ea po ns or e v id e n c e o f the crim e fo r w h ich he w as arrested. Even the person w h o is arrested fo r a tra ffic o ffe n s e can u n d e rg o a co m p le te search. This d ecision brings a new in te rp re ta tio n to the Fourth A m e n d m e n t, w hich protects the c itiz e n fro m "u n re a s o n a b le search and s e iz u re ". M a n y c o n s ti tu tio n a l la w ye rs forsee an increase in the n um be r o f custodial arrests fo r tra ffic o ffe nse s a nd m in or in frin g e m e n ts o f the la w or an excuse to search the in d iv id u a l fo r e v id e n ce o f drugs, m e m b e rsh ip in "s u b v e rs iv e " groups, p o rn o g ra p h y or a ny o th e r crusade th e p o lic e d e p a rtm e n t is u n d e rta k in g at the m om en t. This n e w p o lic e p o w e r w ill be used most o fte n against Blacks a nd o the r m in o ritie s , students, " h ip p ie s " , a n d the o th e r less d e s ira b le fa ction s o f society. It w ill not b rin g m ore e ffe c tiv e la w e n fo rc e m e n t or h e lp in p ro secu ting o rg a n iz e d crim e — it w ill not assist the honest p o lic e m a n w h o is a tte m p tin g to p ro tect the c o m m u n ity . If w ill be a n o th e r to o l in th e hands o f the b ig o t — the p o lic e m a n w h o is d e te rm in e d to harass a nd in tim id a te those he is sw orn to protect. Ban hits only poor M oy the happiness of the holidays remain in our hearts through all the New Year ...t o brighten our Hoes with true comfort and toy. PORTLAND OBSERVER Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company. 22111 North Killingsworth. Portland, Oregon 97217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3137. Portland. Oregon 97200. Telephone: 283 248« Subscriptions: $5.25 per year in the Tri ( ounty area. $«.00 per year outside Portland. Second Class Postage Paid at Portland. Oregon The Portland Observer's official |M>Mtiori is expressed only .n it's Publisher's Column iWe See The World Through Black Eves). Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual writer or submitter and does not -necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portland Observer. M E M B ER meint« r Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association MEMBER NÊWAw Senator Jam es B uckley, co n se rva tive R epublican Senator fro m N e w York, has in tro d u c e d a n d e r to a b ill in the Senate to p re ve n t the use o f social security fu n d s fo r a b o rtio n s — w h ich w o u ld p e rm it those persons on the M e d ic a id p ro gram fro m le g a lly h a v in g abo rtio ns. At the present tim e 20 m illio n persons re c e iv e m e d ic a l care from M e d ic a id , w h ic h is the fe d e ra l p ro g ra m p ro v id in g h e a lth care to the p oo r and persons on w e lfa re . W h e the r Black w o m e n — or o th e r w o m e n should have a b o rtio n s or not is not the question. The q ue stion is w h e th e r lo w in co m e p e o p le and m in o ritie s w ill be used as p o litic a l hostages, w h ile the a b o rtio n d e b a te rages in the la rg e r co m m u n ity. The q ue stion is w h e th e r poor fa m ilie s , w ho are d e p e n d e n t on g o v e rn m e n t p ro gram s fo r th e ir m e d ic a l care, w ill have the sam e rights to self- d e te rm in a tio n as th e w h ite m id dle -cla ss fa m ilie s w h o can purchase th e ir m e d ic a l care. The b ill w ill not o u tla w a b o rtio n — it o n ly o u tla w s a b o rtio n fo r the poor. The result o f fo rb id d in g a b o rtio n to the poor w ill b rin g a b o u t the c o n d itio n s that p re v a ile d p rio r to recent le g is la tio n p ro v id in g fo r le g a l a b o rtio n . The price o f ille g a l a b o rtio n was p a id in the currency o f w o m e n 's d ig n ity , w o m e n 's h e a lth and som e tim es, e ven w o m e n 's lives. M ore than 9 o ut 10 o f those w h o d ie d a t th e hands o f inco m p e te n t p ra ctitio n e rs in the days b e fo re a b o rtio n s w e re lea al w e re Black or Puerto Rican. W h e the r a b o rtio n is rig h t or w ro n g — w h e th e r it is a fo rm o f "g e n o c id e " -- this b ill is racism at its worst. The rig h t to a b o rtio n has been d e te rm in e d to be a c iv il rig ht. The court has d e c id e d that a b o rtio n is to be d e te rm in e d by the in d iv id u a l, th e re fo re it must be d e cid e d by e v e ry in d iv id u a l, not just by those w h o can pay. Passage o f this b ill w o u ld be a step b a ckw a rd to race a nd class d is c rim in a tio n . Let Black p e o p le and not Congress d e c id e fo r them selves. REMODEL" E EASY m au You can have an Aatocittion - Founded 1885 efficient and b e a u tifu l kitchen, set up the w a y you w ant it. Call now PEPI’S BOTTLE SH O P fo r free estimates. Expert w o rk. Let Pepi's Bottle Shop be your headquarters for cham jagne. wines, mixers . . . at the lowest prices in town. Lloyd Center Next to the Liquor Store. Pepi's one and only store. Open 0:30 a.m to 9:00 p.m. daily. Sundays: Noon to 4:00 p.m. 2 8 1 -2 7 3 1 WENDELL E. BRO W N CONSTRUCTION C O M PANY A model neighborhood contractor Member - Albina Contractor« Axaociation 575 N . K illin g s w o r th 2 8 9 -5 5 4 9 Research reports about the system oi criminal justice are pouring off the presses in ever increasing numbers and they all add up to one big fact that everyone intimately connected with the police, prisons and courts knows all too well that the system has broken down and is a failure. Just consider the findings of three reports issued with in days of each other recent ly: A federal panel, the Na tional Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals, reports that pri sons are "obsolete, cannot be reformed, and should not be perpetuated." Stop building prisons the Commission says, and give offenders light sentences that place them in work release programs and in the hands of community- based agencies. A Police Foundation study of police deployment in Kan sas City concluded that sat uration patrols by uniformed cops in marked vehicles does not reduce crime. Target areas were regularly patroll ed by one car. the city’s standard patrol method, by four cars, its saturation pa trol, and a control area that had no regular patrol at all police just responded to calls. What happened? Believe it or not, the biggest in crease in crime was reported in the district that was constantly patrolled by four cars. The standard one car patrol district had a slight rise in crime over last year. And the no patrol area ac tually had a decrease in reported crime. A special blue ribbon panel in New York condemned the system of caring for juvenile delinquents. They said the system provides no services for children most in need, there is no equal access to rare and treatment, and "racism consciously or un consciously pervades the child care system. These reports explode some of the myths held by most people abojt crime and its prevention. Most people think that bigger prisons and longer sentences will make the streets safer. That's fantasy. Prisons only work for the ¡teople who get con tracts to construct them and the civil servants who work in them. Typical sentences are already longer than in most other countries. All prisons seem to be able to do is leach younger in mates how not to get caught again. They don't deter crime; they increase the pro «ability of its rise by embit tering convicts, by refusing to provide treatment and training, and by treating human beings like raged animals. So current state and fed eral plans for spending sev eral billion dollars on bigger and better prisons amount to a fantastic waste of money, energy and human lives. An even stronger myth is the one about how all it takes to cut crime is to put more cops on the street. The Kansas City test throws some cold water on that one, too. Over half of all crimes occur indoors out of view of street patrol cars. It is safe to say that an investment in community agencies and po lice co m m u n ity relations could prevent many crimes from being committed. From a long range view, the condemnation of the ju venile justice system is most important. The picture is one of neglect of detained children no training, no vis ible attempts at dealing with their problems and racial distinctions all along the line. Since much of the crime rise in recent years is direct ly attributable to the fact that there are more and more people in the younger age groups that tend to run afoul of the law. the best way to cut crime is to adopt constructive youth programs. The lack of serv ices and the constant resort to caging young offenders only insures that kids who could he put on the right track are de flected onto a course that will lead to future, more serious offenses. So the present criminal justice system is one big failure. But crime is an ever present danger that still has to be dealt with. In next week's column I'll make some suggestions about how to make our communities safer. CHEERIO Greeting» Com* on . . . tmilel Be happyl It't going to be a great New Year I Blow horntl Make a joyful n oitel Know that ¡ f t going to be a great year. Here't to a New Year that'i along modern linetl One that pur- tuet progrett to ben efit alt of mankind. Mr. and Mr». Mr. and Mr». Edmond Green and Christy Mr. and Mrs James Harnett Joil Southwell PAIGE'S PHARMACY 2701 N.E. 7th 284 4«56 Prescriptions are our Specialty Mr and Mr». Lee llardawav Not Everyone Police (Continued from pg. 1, col. 9) eral times in the face, then a cup of CTA thrown in his face. The attendant who went for the CTA said he brought only one cup and that it was used immediately as he handed it to the em ployee that was involved in the fighting. Harper said the employees got an aerial and a wrench and threatened him. He said he was not aware of any thing thrown in his fare until he was maced in the car and that his fare did not hurt until that time. Harper told the Observer that he intends to sue the city. He said he believes that if he does not persue the case this type of treat ment of Blacks will continue. Officer Jim m erfield has also been charged witll bru tality by Mrs. Freddie Thompson, who alleged that he pushed her, struck her in the fare, and railed her racial names when she was at tempting to find out why her son was being arrested on a streetcorner near her home. Mrs. Thompson, who was arrested for resisting arrest, assault and interfering, has not yet come to trial. It't all tet up. Going to be the very belt year yet. Let t greet it with a cheer, live it with a tmile. Subscribes To The I Portland Observer b a t th e n , n o t e v e r y o n e c o n e s In o a t o f th e r a in , e it h e r . * ow About You? $5.25 RA TES: in Tri-County Area and Armed Services $ 6 .0 0 , r Areas of the US PORTLAND OBSERVER P.O. Box 3137 Portland, Oregon 97208 We'll tell the world we with you the bettl Than k t for your good will and confidence. Nam e ------------------------- A d d r e s s _______ T --------- Robert Smith City - - --- --- - - ---- ---------------------- ■ ----- - - --------- ------------------------------ - ...... - State --------------------. Z i p I
